Home Media Server FreeNAS Build Suggestions?

[B34N]

Looking to build a FreeNAS server for personal home use. I'm thinking RAIDZ3 which is likely overkill for my needs since most data will be from my media server and only some data (small percentage) will be critical data I can't risk loosing. Considering the added convenience relative to incremental cost, I'm just planning on storing all data in my home (Ubuntu, Android and Win8) on the NAS. I'll run Plex Media Server, SABnzbd, CouchPotato, Sick Beard and Head Phones. I will likely also want to run MythTV backend later. There will be some very limited transcoding for now and I don't ever anticipate needing the ability to transcode much more than one item at a time. A very big plus will be the ability to play live TV through my HDHR prime cable card.

Power supply: Already own Corsair CS450M (modular ATX) but will buy new if recommended
Case: I want rack-mount. 4U no problem but would likely prefer 2U
HDs: I'm thinking four 3TB-4TB. WD Reds? Or are HGSTs, Seagates or something else just as good?
MB + CPU: No clue – Thinking ASRock C2550D4I since it seems popular. I'm not overly price sensitive but want to future-proof a bit without overspending. I can see this system meting my needs for a decade if done right.
Memory: 16GB ECC – Crucial? Should I go to 32GB initially or add another 16 or + GB later in the remaining slots?

I'm looking for something that “just works” and would really appreciate some fill in the blanks for the above. Am I missing anything?I'm thinking about a microSD with USB adapter for the OS just so I don't have big stick protruding from the case. Any reason why I shouldn't do that?

Thank you,
B34N

 

[anodos]

I'm not sure if an ATX PSU will fit in a 2U. Make sure it is compatible before buying. Also make sure you have adequate cooling for your drives. If it is a cheap case you may want to replace stock 80mm fans with ones that are deeper and operate at higher rpm. Goal should be lots of airflow across drives.

I prefer to keep at least 2 USB sticks with the ability to swap them easily (I do this when upgrading versions of freenas.) You can get USB sticks that are quite small and look like little nubs on the case.

I have a supermicro 2U server. It's really nice but not something to be put in your living room.

 

[B34N]

I'm not sure if an ATX PSU will fit in a 2U. Make sure it is compatible before buying. Also make sure you have adequate cooling for your drives. If it is a cheap case you may want to replace stock 80mm fans with ones that are deeper and operate at higher rpm. Goal should be lots of airflow across drives.

I prefer to keep at least 2 USB sticks with the ability to swap them easily (I do this when upgrading versions of freenas.) You can get USB sticks that are quite small and look like little nubs on the case.

I have a supermicro 2U server. It's really nice but not something to be put in your living room.

Yes, I will make sure that I pick a case that supports ATX PSU. The system will be stored in rack in my basement where the ambient temperature is always in the 60s (F) and noise is not a concern.

Thank you for the suggestion re: two USB stick nubs.

 

[B34N]

I need to commit to something really soon. Below is the current thinking and I'm looking for affirmations:
MB + CPU: C2750D4I motherboard and CPU
HDs: four 3TB-4TBs. WD Reds? Or are HGSTs, Seagates or something else just as good?
Memory: Crucial 16GB Kit (8GBx2) DDR3L 1600MT/s (PC3-12800) DR x8 ECC UDIMM 240-Pin Server
Power supply: Already own Corsair CS450M (modular ATX) will fan position matter?
Case: Thinking NORCO 2U Rack Mount RPC-240

Should I buy additional fans or anything else? I already have two 32GB low prifile USB drives. I'm looking to do some pretty basic stuff. PMS along with SAB, SickBean, CoachPotato, Headphones and possibly MythTV.

 

[SweetAndLow]

You mention 4 drives total. This isn't very many especially if you are thinking raidz3. If you want z3 you usually use ~8-11 drives, raid z2 is ~6-8 drives. Since you are thinking 4 drives I suggest raidz2 even though you will lose 50% for days protection. You might want to think about starting out with more drives

Also 32G USB drive is way overkill. I think a 4G USB is what most people use. Anything more and it just gets waisted

 

[Ericloewe]

RAIDZ3 won't even work on four drives, you'd need five drives. RAIDZ2 is fine for all but them most paranoid of us (or those dealing with absolutely critical data), though.

 

[B34N]

Thank you for the reply. I will definitely not use RAIDZ3. I don't know what I was thinking but I reread the wiki and am now on track with that. Besides for that mistake, does the rest of the hardware make sense? I'm hoping to order everything this weekend.

B34N

 

[Ericloewe]

I'd say it's ok, but you might want to consider a larger chassis for future expansion.

 

[B34N]

I bit the bullet but made some changes:
Chenbro RM42300-ND No PS 4U Rackmount Server Chassis
4X WD Red WD40EFRX 4TB IntelliPower 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" NAS Internal Hard Drive
SUPERMICRO MBD-X10SLL-F-O uATX Server Motherboard LGA 1150 DDR3 1600
Intel Intel Xeon E3-1230V3 Haswell 3.3GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1150 80W Server Processor BX80646E31230V3
Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM ECC Unbuffered DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Server Memory Model CT2KIT102472BD160B

I'll use my existing Corsair CS450M for power supply. Sure, I spent more $$$ than I had originally planned but hopefully everything will work and I'll be happy for years. Wish me luck!