Home Server Hardware Check

[Nate5425]

Guys,

First off I will try to keep this short and I appreciate the feedback. I have referenced your hardware guide/pdf, but of course being a newbie a lot is still over my head. I have built PCs in the past.

Intended useage: Media server/file storage/and probably 1 part-time (occasional use) VM (or docker/container...tbd). I am not expecting transcoding, but we will say one transcode to be safe.

Capacity: Minimum 4 drives + 1 SSD
Budget: Originally I thought approximately $500.00. (before HHD/SSD Purchase) Now after I selected my components below I guess I am closed to $700.

Case: Fractal Design Node 804 (I prefer something bigger than a Mini-ATX, but smaller than the 804).
Motherboard: Supermicro Micro ATX DDR4 - X11SSM-F-O (If I can go cheaper I prefer, but let me know)
CPU: Intel Core i3-6300
RAM: Crucial 16GB Single DDR4 2400 (PC4-19200) DR x8 DIMM
PowerSupply: Seasonic X-650

Not Factored into Cost
HHD: WD Reds
SSD: Re-purposed 500GB Samsung EVO (For Boot/Cache/VM)

I believe this will work as a NAS when built, but is it overkill for my intended usage?
Any ideas on how to reduce the cost?
Any thoughts on a better case? I like the Node 304 and the 804, but I think I want something in the middle/sweet spot.

Thanks for everything!
Nate

 

[Chris Moore]

SSD: Re-purposed 500GB Samsung EVO (For Boot/Cache/VM)

Thanks for everything!
Nate[/QUOTE]

Problem is, the boot drive can only be used for the boot pool. Nothing else.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk

 

[Nate5425]

Ok thanks. I will lw probably add a 32 gb boot drive to the that order.

I also maybe rethinking my goals here. In order to save on costs. I may downsize this. I was trying to dual purpose and connect this to my movie theater projector (with added graphics card) I maybe strictly using this NAS as a NAS and let a Nvidia Shield do the work for my projector.

 

[Chris Moore]

I don't think that you can use FreeNAS to play video. The Plex plug-in can send a video stream to a device that can play it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk

 

[Nate5425]

thank you,

That is why i am leanings towards a NVIDIA Shield option.

Any recommendations on how I can bring the cost of this NAS from 700 down to under 500? I am going to try to limit the build to no transcodings if possible.

I really like the compactness of the node 304, but its hard to find Mini-ITX boards. May just still with the 804. Space is not an issue

 

[Chris Moore]

Any recommendations on how I can bring the cost of this NAS from 700 down to under 500? I am going to try to limit the build to no transcodings if possible.

If you are willing to consider used server gear from eBay, this is the same gear I am using and it works fine, even for transcoding Plex streams.
Total cost of parts: $368.15, but there may be shipping charges that I didn't take into account.

Intel Xeon E3-1230V2 SR0P4 3.30GHz Processor
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Xeon-E3-1230V2-SR0P4-3-30GHz-Processor/222841048767
US $90.00

Super Micro X9SCM-F, LGA 1155, Intel C204, Micro ATX server motherboard with i/o
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Super-Micr...ATX-server-motherboard-with-i-o-/272782545683
US $64.64

16GB 2X8GB Memory RAM Intel Xeon E3 ONLY DDR3, 1600MHz, ECC, CL11, 2R, X8, 1.5V, Unbuffered, DIMM, 240-pin
https://www.ebay.com/itm/16GB-2X8GB...-CMT-SFF-Intel-Xeon-E3-ONLY-B89-/301855376261
US $146.00 -- Just buy two of these kits if you want 32GB of memory.

Dell H310 6Gbps SAS HBA LSI 9211-8i P20 IT Mode
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-H310-...D-High-Air-Flow/162834671120?epid=19006955695
US $59.55 -- run 8 hard drives from this

1M Mini SAS 4i SFF-8087 36-Pin Male to 4 SATA 7-Pin Splitter Adapter Cable NEW
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1M-Mini-SA...7-Pin-Splitter-Adapter-Cable-NEW/272098511869
US $7.96 -- use up to two of these with the card above.

You can actually use up to 255 devices from the SAS controller if you use SAS expanders.

You would need the Node 804 to go with that system board.

VM (or docker/container...tbd

If you want the VM / docker you will probably need to have extra RAM, so you might want the 32GB instead of just 16GB.

 

[LTCM]

The ram you have linked to in the OP doesn't apear to be ecc. ECC ram is not a requirement but is recommended.

 

[Nate5425]

Thanks for the suggestions on how to get the cost down. I will take a look at it a little closer. Are there any better CPU/Motherboard/Memory combos that I might be missing cost wise. I don't know much about the Zeon processors so I am afraid to go down that patch. I love your informative hardware guide, but other than the generic hardware information, its hard to keep it up-to-date.

I just wish there was a simple "budget build, "mid-level" and "high-end build" for the "under $500", $500-$1000, and over $1000, respectively.

Thanks for the help again!
Nate

 

[Chris Moore]

I don't know much about the Zeon processors so I am afraid to go down that patch. I love your informative hardware guide, but other than the generic hardware information, its hard to keep it up-to-date.

There isn't much advantage going to newer hardware for a FreeNAS system unless you are doing some seriously heavy duty storage. I have a server at work that does nothing but provide 250TB of mass storage and it works fine with an X10 revision system board using a E5 Xeon processor running at 2.4 GHz. If you are looking to make a budget build, you can go with a less expensive CPU, but there is no reason to avoid Xeon processors. The Xeon E3 is very similar to the i5 line with a few minor differences including support for ECC memory.
This one is only $60 if you want to save a couple bucks on that:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Xeon...-LGA1155-8MB-CPU-Processor-SR00F/312066772233

 

[loch_nas]

I would rather say that everything above and including E3-1230 is similar to i7 line and E3-1220 is like i5.

That's why a lot of people used an E3-1230 processor as a cheaper i7 until Intel stopped that with Skylake on socket 1151. It was no problem since Sandy Bridge to use those nice processors on normal mainstream chipsets ... I did that aswell. Those years until Skylake where some nice Intel years, 4 Core processors with 8 Threads for about 230 to 250 € here in Europe. The i7 was always nearly 100 € more expensive.

 

[Nate5425]

Thanks. I looked into the Core i3 vs Xeons. If I am looking to access my server remotely/securely is a Xeon important for encryption? I might just bite the bullet on my above build with the exception of changing out for a Xeon and looking at e-bay!

Can I save money by not going ECC. I know its highly recommended, but not required and I am always go to have an off-site back-up of my most important files.

Thanks
Nate

 

[Chris Moore]

Can I save money by not going ECC. I know its highly recommended, but not required and I am always go to have an off-site back-up of my most important files.

You might save a couple bucks, but it isn't worth it. Just get ECC memory for the sake of long term stability. This is a kind of build that you can run for five years or more and have it be solidly reliable the whole time, it just takes using the good parts instead of trying to save a buck.

Here is a kit of 32GB for only $284.05:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Hynix-32GB...UDIMM-Memory-NON-ECC-CL11-Module/352223047321

or you can get 32GB of ECC memory for $292.00
https://www.ebay.com/itm/16GB-2X8GB...-CMT-SFF-Intel-Xeon-E3-ONLY-B89-/301855376261
Two kits of 16 GB each.

How much difference is there? Is $8 really worth trying to get a cheaper kind of memory?
I don't understand the very idea of NOT getting ECC memory.

 

[loch_nas]

It doesn't make any sense to save more money than with the parts @Chris Moore has posted. You can't go much cheaper without getting crap hardware. I think he has done more than a great job sorting the necessary parts together.

The most money will be spent anyway for hard disks.

I have just read that:

Case: Fractal Design Node 804 (I prefer something bigger than a Mini-ATX, but smaller than the 804).

Can you explain that? There is not so much left between a Node 304 and a Node 804.
There are other similar cases, but they mostly have bad air-flow.
Another option could be Fractal Design Define Mini, but that's a classic micro-ATX chassis with 6 internal 3,5" drive bays and 2 external 5,25" bays (for theoretical 3 more hard disks).
I dont know which dimensions you are looking for.

 

[Nate5425]

It doesn't make any sense to save more money than with the parts @Chris Moore has posted. You can't go much cheaper without getting crap hardware. I think he has done more than a great job sorting the necessary parts together.

The most money will be spent anyway for hard disks.

I have just read that:

Can you explain that? There is not so much left between a Node 304 and a Node 804.
There are other similar cases, but they mostly have bad air-flow.
Another option could be Fractal Design Define Mini, but that's a classic micro-ATX chassis with 6 internal 3,5" drive bays and 2 external 5,25" bays (for theoretical 3 more hard disks).
I don't know which dimensions you are looking for.

Thanks. I just thought I could try to go with cheaper components (e.g. celeron,) and in turn get a cheaper motherboard, and ram for my intented use. I am starting to find out that either I need to go used (not necessarily a bad thing) or just go for it and get good quality stuff.

Your right about nothing much between a node 304 and node 804 for sizes. are you saying they both (304 and 804) have bad air-flow?

 

[loch_nas]

No, I'm saying that there are other small cases with similar dimension, but with worse air-flow.

There's a reason, why Fractal Design is often the preferred manufacturer for small home servers, not only for FreeNAS.
I think they really are clever with building computer cases. They just seem to know that there was a certain gap und they filled up this gap.

And a much cheaper mainboard than @Chris Moore showed you you will not find without loosing too much important functionality.
If you want new and want a cheap processor than the Pentium G4560 may be a good choice. You could still use ECC.
But dont save more bucks with the mainboard. I wouldn't know any cheaper options ... well maybe those small HPE boxes.

 

[rivey]

If you are willing to consider used server gear from eBay, this is the same gear I am using and it works fine, even for transcoding Plex streams.
Total cost of parts: $368.15, but there may be shipping charges that I didn't take into account.

Intel Xeon E3-1230V2 SR0P4 3.30GHz Processor
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Xeon-E3-1230V2-SR0P4-3-30GHz-Processor/222841048767
US $90.00

Super Micro X9SCM-F, LGA 1155, Intel C204, Micro ATX server motherboard with i/o
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Super-Micr...ATX-server-motherboard-with-i-o-/272782545683
US $64.64

If you want the VM / docker you will probably need to have extra RAM, so you might want the 32GB instead of just 16GB.

Chris,
Can this board use a better processor (assuming 32GB of ram) to accommodate more plex streams? If so, what would you recommend? Your recommendation sounds like it would work well for me since business is way down and funds are short. Use will be mainly backup and Plex steaming. Currently have 5 8TB WD red drives but will get at least 2 more of these. Thanks

 

[Chris Moore]

Can this board use a better processor (assuming 32GB of ram) to accommodate more plex streams?

I have done three streams at once on that CPU. I don't know how much more you are looking to do? It has a score of 8858 here:
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Xeon+E3-1230+V2+@+3.30GHz
The last time I looked, Plex was suggesting a score of 2000 was enough for a 1080p transcoded stream, unless my memory is bad.
I mainly bought the CPU I have because I thought it would give me additional overhead for running some light virtualization in addition to the storage and Plex. It is more than is needed for Plex unless you need a lot of transcoding. You should try to store your media in a format that can be direct streamed instead of needing transcode on the fly. My daughters are streaming a movie from the Plex to the TV in the bedroom (720p) and the CPU load on the server is averaging 1.01% because it is direct streamed instead of transcoded.
Does that answer your question? How many videos will you need to play simultaneously?

PS. The movie they watched earlier in the day needed to be transcoded and the CPU was running between 10% to 20% during playback with couple of momentary spikes to 80%.

 

[rivey]

I have done three streams at once on that CPU. I don't know how much more you are looking to do? It has a score of 8858 here:
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Xeon+E3-1230+V2+@+3.30GHz
The last time I looked, Plex was suggesting a score of 2000 was enough for a 1080p transcoded stream, unless my memory is bad.
I mainly bought the CPU I have because I thought it would give me additional overhead for running some light virtualization in addition to the storage and Plex. It is more than is needed for Plex unless you need a lot of transcoding. You should try to store your media in a format that can be direct streamed instead of needing transcode on the fly. My daughters are streaming a movie from the Plex to the TV in the bedroom (720p) and the CPU load on the server is averaging 1.01% because it is direct streamed instead of transcoded.
Does that answer your question? How many videos will you need to play simultaneously?

PS. The movie they watched earlier in the day needed to be transcoded and the CPU was running between 10% to 20% during playback with couple of momentary spikes to 80%.

I am thinking towards the future and 4K. For that reason I am considering a faster CPU. Initially, The recommended CPU would work just fine but I also assume that the future might require more capability so knowing if a better CPU would work with this board. Thanks

 

[Chris Moore]

I am thinking towards the future and 4K. For that reason I am considering a faster CPU. Initially, The recommended CPU would work just fine but I also assume that the future might require more capability so knowing if a better CPU would work with this board. Thanks

These parts are a bargain price because they are not new. The CPU, for example, was introduced in 2012. You can only expect it to be performant enough to last a few more years. I will replace mine when it can't keep up but in a NAS installation I expect it to last me another 3 to 5 years. I would guess it should manage a 4k transcode, but your mileage may vary.
The best processor that I am aware of for this system board is this one:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Xeon...-LGA1155-Quad-Core-CPU-Processor/183074888110

PS. During the time you are using this system, you can be saving the money to buy the next.