Hardware Wishlist Evaluation

[jezeha]

I've seen some great feedback on build recommendations and wanted to take my crack at it. I am a home user who currently uses one of those consumer board (x86) builds and would like to upgrade to a proper server. I don't run torrents and really just store files and stream movies. I build a NewEgg list based on some of the threads on this board and would love feedback on what I've compiled. My build comes with some sticker shock, so if there are areas where I could cut back, I'd love to hear it.

Currently, I have a RAID 5 setup with 3 1TB drives but have read that RAID 10 is that way to go. That's what I had in mind with this next attempt.

Thanks in advance.

Case:
Fractal Design Define Mini Black Micro ATX Silent PC Computer Case w/ USB 3.0 support and 2 x 120mm Fractal Design Silent ...
Model #:Define Mini
Item #:N82E16811352011
Drives (6):
Western Digital Red NAS Hard Drive WD30EFRX 3TB IntelliPower 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" NAS Hard Drive
Model #:WD30EFRX
Item #:N82E16822236344

Memory:
Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) ECC Unbuffered Server Memory Model CT2KIT102472BD160B
Model #:CT2KIT102472BD160B
Item #:N82E16820148770
Power Supply:

CORSAIR CX series CX500 500W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Model #:CP-9020047-NA
Item #:N82E16817139027
Motherboard:

SUPERMICRO MBD-X10SLH-F-O uATX Server Motherboard LGA 1150 Intel C226 DDR3 1600
Model #:MBD-X10SLH-F-O
Item #:N82E16813182822
Processor:

Intel Xeon E3-1230V3 Haswell 3.3GHz LGA 1150 80W Server Processor BX80646E31230V3
Model #:BX80646E31230V3
Item #:N82E16819116906

 

[marbus90]

For that use case a Core i3-4150 (4160 if you can verify that the board is rev2) is good enough. Also with spinning drives you don't need SATA 6gbps all the way, so a X10SLM-F or X10SLM+-F is sufficient.

Regarding RAID setup: raid10 would be recommended for IOPS-sensitive applications like virtual machines. For 6 drives without that workload I'd pick raidz2.

 

[joeschmuck]

I think your system looks very good and future proof (for now).

Your power supply only has 5 SATA power connectors so you will need a 4 Pin Molex to SATA adapter to power the sixth drive.

I'd purchase another 120mm fan for the front of the case for the lower three hard drives. You may need to evaluate if you need a Y-Harness to plug the front fans together.

You should look for those type of hardware interface issues before doing the entire purchase to save on shipping charges.

 

[Jailer]

You could save a bit of money and go with WD green drives. Just make sure you run the wdidle3 utility to adjust the idle timer to keep your load cycle count in check.

 

[jezeha]

Thanks everyone for the replies; you are awesome! If it is ok, I'd like to ask a few followup questions. Some of these may seem stupid, but keep in mind this isn't my area of expertise (file systems or hardware). Hopefully, I don't ask something too out of line.

1. Does the i3 support ECC? I keep hearing that ZFS requires it.
2. Are there any significant downsides to having some of the drives on the slower sata ports and others on the faster?
3. I can do more research elsewhere since this is off topic, but Google hasn't told me much about RAIDZ2. Is there a simple version of how that works out there?
4. I've read a lot of opinions that say I should get proper NAS drives, but honestly don't understand the difference. How do the WD Reds differ from the Greens?
5. Are the customizations but the WD Greens published somewhere? I wouldn't know how to change those settings.

I also switched to a power supply with a 6th sata power connectors as well as some of the other pieces I previously forgot. Here is the list as it sits...

Fractal Design Define Mini Black Micro ATX Silent PC Computer Case w/ USB 3.0 support and 2 x 120mm Fractal Design Silent ...
Model #:Define Mini
Item #:N82E16811352011

SUPERMICRO MBD-X10SLH-F-O uATX Server Motherboard LGA 1150 Intel C226 DDR3 1600
Model #:MBD-X10SLH-F-O
Item #:N82E16813182822
Rosewill CAPSTONE-550-M 550W Continuous @ 50°C, Intel Haswell Ready, 80 PLUS GOLD, ATX12V v2.31 & EPS12V v2.92, SLI/CrossFire ...
Model #:CAPSTONE-550-M
Item #:N82E16817182262
Intel Xeon E3-1230V3 Haswell 3.3GHz LGA 1150 80W Server Processor BX80646E31230V3
Model #:BX80646E31230V3
Item #:N82E16819116906
Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) ECC Unbuffered Server Memory Model CT2KIT102472BD160B
Model #:CT2KIT102472BD160B
Item #:N82E16820148770
Western Digital Red NAS Hard Drive WD30EFRX 3TB IntelliPower 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" NAS Hard Drive
Model #:WD30EFRX
Item #:N82E16822236344

Rosewill 120mm Computer Case Fan (Case Cooling Fan) - Hydro Dynamic Bearing, Silent Fan, 2 Rotation Speed with PWM Control; ...
Model #:ROCF-11004
Item #:N82E16835200068

CORSAIR Flash Voyager 8GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive Model CMFUSB2.0-8GB
Model #:CMFUSB2.0-8GB
Item #:N82E16820233037

 

[DJ9]

I'd swap out the Rosewill power supply and go with a SeaSonic. You really want a good quality power supply.

 

[Fraoch]

Does the i3 support ECC? I keep hearing that ZFS requires it.

Yes. See http://ark.intel.com/search/advanced?s=t&FamilyText=4th Generation Intel® Core™ i3 Processors&ECCMemory=true

Are there any significant downsides to having some of the drives on the slower sata ports and others on the faster?

No. A mechanical hard drive can barely saturate a SATA I port, let alone SATA II and nowhere near SATA III. So if you're paying extra for the "H" version of the motherboard solely for the SATA III ports, you won't see any benefit.

I've read a lot of opinions that say I should get proper NAS drives, but honestly don't understand the difference. How do the WD Reds differ from the Greens?

There's debate that the only difference is the label.:p Of course it also has to do with how WD treats it if they were to get it back under warranty, if they saw thousands or tens of thousands of head parking events they would suspect you were using the drive 24/7 in a NAS and may deny your warranty. You can set this head parking/spindown timer with WDIDLE3.

 

[Tywin]

There's debate that the only difference is the label.:p Of course it also has to do with how WD treats it if they were to get it back under warranty, if they saw thousands or tens of thousands of head parking events they would suspect you were using the drive 24/7 in a NAS and may deny your warranty. You can set this head parking/spindown timer with WDIDLE3.

And you should. I just replaced a failed 2 TB Hitachi in my (non-FreeNAS) array with a 2 TB WD Green. It was racking up ~150 load cycle counts per hour over the first few days. I set the timer to 300 s using wdidle3 and am now seeing LCC increment only a couple times per day.

 

[Ericloewe]

I'd swap out the Rosewill power supply and go with a SeaSonic. You really want a good quality power supply.

+1

The Seasonic G-Series is only slightly more expensive than el-cheapo Gold units, but provides nearly Seasonic X-Series/Platinum power quality.