Hardware Selection RAIDZ-1, 4 x 2 TB - Research dump

[Trianian]

Hardware Selection RAIDZ-1, 4 x 2 TB - Micro ATX - Research dump

I received and found a lot of great information here on building my first FreeNAS home server. Thanks to everyone who answered my nooby questions.

After a great deal of research, I've decided on the Pentium G620 (Sandybridge, 1155 socket). I've found it for as little as $50, only $15 more than my initial selection, the Celeron G530. Given the extra cache, it's probably a sensible upgrade.

Motherboards. Ugh. I've had a heck of a time finding a Micro ATX MB that has the features I'm looking for. I'd bought my case in advance, so was locked in to mATX. (Were I to do it again, I'd go with a small sized case able to handle ATX motherboards.) The features I wanted: at least 6 Intel SATA ports (II or III, I don't care), at least one, though preferably 2 PCI-E 8x (or faster) slots that supports non-graphics cards, USB 3.0 (even though FreeNAS support is currently lacking), good reviews and reasonable build quality. In ATX there are an abundance of choices, not so with Micro ATX.

I was strongly considering the Intel BOXDH67BLB3 (DH7BL) or OXDH67BLB3 (DH7BD). They're about $90. In researching the boards, I found that some users reported that the PCI-E x16 slots prevent the use of anything other than graphics cards. Meaning, no SATA upgrades possible. I contacted Intel and they confirmed that all of their "Desktop" boards support only graphics cards on the PCI-E x16 slots. Well, that's Intel out of the running. I culled all the Intel boards from my list.

I looked at Biostar, ASRock, EVGA, Gigabyte and Asus. I wasn't happy with the reviews, user reports, or lack of support information on the mATX boards from the first three of those manufacturers - leaving the usual two, Gigabyte and Asus as the last ones standing. The Asus boards I considered were the ASUS P8H67-M PRO ($115 average price) & P8Z68-M Pro ($125 average). Good boards both, but each are a little down on features to comparably (or lower) priced Gigabyte boards, especially as regards PCI-E slots.

I looked at Gigabyte products with H61, H67, P67 and Z68 chipsets. Their newer Z68 mATX boards really aren't much more expensive than the older chipsets, yet offers more features. So I've decided on the Gigabyte GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3. It's about $110 at various retailers ($99 after rebate), gets good reviews, has good support, good build quality and seems to have a lot of FreeNAS users. It has 3 PCI-E slots, 4 memory slots (32GB max), 4 SATA II (Intel), 2 SATA III (Intel) a ridiculous number of USB 2.0 and external USB 3.0. The LAN Chipset is the Realtek 8111E. No it's not Intel, but if I have issues, I'll have plenty of space for an Intel NIC.

In conclusion:

Gigabyte GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3
Intel Pentium G620
Seagate 2TB Barracuda Green x 4
Antec Mini P180 case
Antec Neo Eco 400Wt PSU
8 GB RAM (Mushkin Silverline PC3-10666)
Koutech USB 2.0 Header Adapter
Mushkin Mulholland flash drive

 

[Jorles]

Thanks, good info. I'm looking to put together a box very similar to this.

If you hadn't bought a case ahead of time, would you have gone with the same CPU, just a different mobo? Which ATX motherboard would you have gotten? I'm starting from the ground up, so the research you have already done is quite helpful.

 

[Trianian]

I'd definitely choose the same CPU. (Microcenter.com in the US have the G620 for just $50, in-store only.)

As for motherboards, I'd have gone with with the ATX equivalent of the Gigabyte board I bought, probably the GA-Z68A-D3H-B3. Though it would have been tempting to go with the GA-Z68XP-UD3 as it offers an extra pair of SATA III ports (for a total of 4 SATA II & 4 SATA III). Keep in mind that 2 of those SATA III ports are run by a newer Marvell chipset for which I've been unable to confirm FreeNAS support. FreeBSD does support the chipset, so if it's not supported by FreeNAS today, it's certainly just a matter of time.

I'd base my purchase on the number of drives I planned to put in my initial build and my planned expansion. If I wanted more than 6 drives today (or 5 today), I'd probably save a bit of money on the motherboard and go with the cheaper GA-Z68AP-D3 (5 SATA total) then add one of the recommended PCI-E SATA cards. If I needed 6 today, I'd go with the D2H-B3. The Z68XP-UD3 starts to make a lot of sense when looking at a 4 pool array now, and another 4 later. (or perhaps 4 + 4 today).

GA-Z68AP-D3 ____________ 5 SATA (Intel)
GA-Z68A-D3H-B3_________ 6 SATA (Intel)
GA-Z68XP-UD3____________ 8 SATA (6 Intel, 2 Marvell - support presently unknown)

Keep in mind that each of these boards have the Realtek 8111E LAN chipset. Some forum posters don't like it as well as Intel LAN chips. That said, I've noticed that many recent forum posters have claimed the Realtek chips outperform discrete PCI-E Intel LAN cards on their builds. My belief is that the current Realtek chips work quite well, but given that these Gigabyte MB's have so many high-speed PCI-E slots, adding an Intel NIC would not be a major hassle or expense.

What my research definitely indicates is that buying a board with a built in Intel NIC has huge costs associated with it. While some Intel desktop boards are reasonably priced and (of course) have Intel NICs, those boards do not support SATA PCI-E cards. Outside Intel, only the highest end motherboards ($200 and up) tend to feature native Intel NICs. It doesn't seem at all cost effective to base a MB purchase on this one component, especially when a genuine Intel PCI-E NIC upgrade can be done for tens of dollars.

FWIW, I have a GA-Z68XP-UD3 in one of my Windows desktop machines, I like the board quite a lot and have had absolutely no issues with it.

If you're buying in the US, check the deal sites, slickdeals, fatwallet, hardforums deals. I got my motherboard, 8GB of high quality Mushkin RAM, CPU, internal USB header adapter (http://www.koutech.com/proddetail.asp?linenumber=427), and high quality USB thumbdrive for under $200. A high quality, ultra quiet Antec case for $50, My harddrives cost less than $70 each, new, bought in the last 10 days. There are some very good deals out there if you search.

 

[WiiGame]

exactly what I was looking for

I've been looking around A LOT for good ZFS-noob hardware info and finding mostly too much super-high-level *nix talk and nothing current about hardware, so this is helping me greatly.

I'd definitely choose the same CPU. (Microcenter.com in the US have the G620 for just $50, in-store only.)

Great deal but sucks to be me. Closest Microcenter is a 47.4mi drive (per Google Maps) through Washington DC traffic, which would cost me at least $13 (per GasBuddy, not including stop&go) of the $20 cost savings over the egg. Yes, I was tempted enough to check.

As for motherboards, I'd have gone with with the ATX equivalent of the Gigabyte board I bought, probably the GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3. Though it would have been tempting to go with the GA-Z68XP-UD3 as it offers an extra pair of SATA III ports (for a total of 4 SATA II & 4 SATA III). Keep in mind that 2 of those SATA III ports are run by a newer Marvell chipset for which I've been unable to confirm FreeNAS support. FreeBSD does support the chipset, so if it's not supported by FreeNAS today, it's certainly just a matter of time.

I'd base my purchase on the number of drives I planned to put in my initial build and my planned expansion. If I wanted more than 6 drives today (or 5 today), I'd probably save a bit of money on the motherboard and go with the cheaper GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3 (5 SATA total) then add one of the recommended PCI-E SATA cards. If I needed 6 today, I'd go with the D2H-B3. The Z68XP-UD3 starts to make a lot of sense when looking at a 4 pool array now, and another 4 later. (or perhaps 4 + 4 today).

GA-Z68XP-UD3 ____________ 5 SATA (Intel)
GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3_________ 6 SATA (Intel)
GA-Z68XP-UD3____________ 8 SATA (6 Intel, 2 Marvell - support presently unknown)

Would you mind clarifying that? The way I read it, if you would have done ATX you would have gotten the same board you already got (GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3 is listed in your OP and this one, several times). I would have thought you meant the GA-Z68A-D3H-B3. And that part about wanting >6 drives and getting the cheaper [board you already got], and if 6, getting the same board ... I'm just confused.

Keep in mind that each of these boards have the Realtek 8111E LAN chipset. Some forum posters don't like it as well as Intel LAN chips. That said, I've noticed that many recent forum posters have claimed the Realtek chips outperform discrete PCI-E Intel LAN cards on their builds. My belief is that the current Realtek chips work quite well, but given that these Gigabyte MB's have so many high-speed PCI-E slots, adding an Intel NIC would not be a major hassle or expense.

Do you think your performance might suffer since you didn't go with dual-NICs? (taking from other recommendations I've seen)

If you're buying in the US, check the deal sites, slickdeals, fatwallet, hardforums deals. I got my motherboard, 8GB of high quality Mushkin RAM, CPU, internal USB header adapter (http://www.koutech.com/proddetail.asp?linenumber=427), and high quality USB thumbdrive for under $200. A high quality, ultra quiet Antec case for $50, My harddrives cost less than $70 each, new, bought in the last 10 days. There are some very good deals out there if you search.

Those are some impressive costs, esp. with what I've been hearing about HDDs these days. Are the ones you listed your only favorite deal sites? (none of which I've used ... yet)

Also, did you ever consider/research doing an external enclosure, maybe over eSATA (since USB3 doesn't look quite up to snuff yet)? If so, what did you find?

And did you look at any additional hot-swap hardware? I'm just trying to figure out the best way to fit up to 8 or 9 drives in a case and still be able to get them out easily.

I'm sure I'm forgetting more questions, but I'd greatly appreciate any insights here.

 

[Trianian]

Great deal but sucks to be me. Closest Microcenter is a 47.4mi drive (per Google Maps) through Washington DC traffic, which would cost me at least $13 (per GasBuddy, not including stop&go) of the $20 cost savings over the egg. Yes, I was tempted enough to check.

I live about 100 miles from the closest Microcenter, though my work brings me near one at least once a month. It's one of the few remaining retailers in the US that actually stocks high end computer hardware. They have an amazing selection. At a guess, they stock a huge percentage of what Newegg has, for close to the same prices right there on the showroom floor. Definitely worth a visit, though perhaps not a 40 mile drive.

I would have thought you meant the GA-Z68A-D3H-B3. And that part about wanting >6 drives and getting the cheaper [board you already got], and if 6, getting the same board ... I'm just confused.

You're right, it's a typo, I meant to post GA-Z68A-D3H-B3. Bad copy / paste from my huge list of motherboards I'd considered. The post has been updated.

Do you think your performance might suffer since you didn't go with dual-NICs? (taking from other recommendations I've seen)

I have absolutely no idea. I'm a complete FreeNAS Noob. Though one of the reasons I selected a MB with a lot of high speed PCI-E slots is so I can upgrade myself out of any potential issues like that.

Those are some impressive costs, esp. with what I've been hearing about HDDs these days. Are the ones you listed your only favorite deal sites? (none of which I've used ... yet)

Those are among the best sites, yes. Keep in mind that I've been collecting the hardware bits for a few months now. The hard drives I bought in retail enclosures that I've disassembled. They're literally half the price of the exact same bare drive. (the only difference is the firmware, which I've updated).

Also, did you ever consider/research doing an external enclosure, maybe over eSATA (since USB3 doesn't look quite up to snuff yet)? If so, what did you find? And did you look at any additional hot-swap hardware? I'm just trying to figure out the best way to fit up to 8 or 9 drives in a case and still be able to get them out easily.

External enclosures / hot swap never hit my radar, largely because they cost a lot more than fully functional ATX / mATX cases.

From my experience, the single best rule when assembling an economical FreeNAS box is to use commodity products whenever possible. My case has been on the market for a few years, I found it on clearance for $50, shipped. It holds 9 drives in trays and is very quiet. (Antec Mini P180). Though I also quite like the ATX sized Fractal Design Define R3 and Antec P180. Each are very quiet and have been on clearance for $50 in the past two months. US.NCIX.com often heavily discounts both brands, far more than Newegg. (US.NCIX.com is a relative newcomer in the US, but have been the "Newegg of Canada" for quite some time, they have a good reputation.)

FYI, there's a reasonable deal on the (8 x SATA) GA-Z68XP-UD3 today, $139 shipped, $129 after rebate. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128512

 

[WiiGame]

Thanks for all of that! Couldn't stay awake long enough last night, but I'll be looking at that mobo. And for NCIX ... I'll have to look ... I've ignored it before, thinking it was something technical I didn't care about ... now I SEE it! :^{D

Oh, and, what are the Koutech USB 2.0 Header Adapter & Mushkin Mulholland flash drive for? Are you running the OS off a stick housed inside the box?

 

[Trianian]

Oh, and, what are the Koutech USB 2.0 Header Adapter & Mushkin Mulholland flash drive for? Are you running the OS off a stick housed inside the box?

Exactly. FreeNAS is designed to boot from flash. Since FreeNAS can't use one of the data drives for boot, Flash is a very economical (and reliable) way to store the boot image. The flash drive (as far as I can tell) isn't even accessed once the system is running, the data is copied from the flash at boot and the system runs from RAM. This isn't like running Windows or Linux from a flash drive, (which could wear out a flash drive), FreeNAS runs in RAM, only using the flash to store the boot data. IMHO, it's a complete waste of resources (and significantly diminishes reliability) to use a spinning hard drive for the boot disk.

As for the Koutech adapter, since I didn't want my boot disk hanging off the back of the machine where it could be mistakenly removed, I opted to spend a few extra bucks on an internal USB header adapter to bury the drive inside the machine.