HP Microserver Gen10 vs Budget MiniITX FreeNAS Build - 500€ - Europe

[Miguel Antunes]

Hi guys!

This is my first post here.
I want to purchase a NAS/Home Server for running FreeNAS and other services in one or two Ubuntu VMs like Home Assistant, OpenVPN server, Plex Media Server and others. The server is going to run 24/7 in my bedroom so silence and low power consumption are a must.

As said on the post title my budget is around 500€ without drives (including tax), give or take.
For around 520€ I can buy a top configuration HPE Proliant Microserver Gen10 with the Opteron X3421 CPU and 8GB of DDR4 ECC memory. While doing some research I noticed that there were some people that did not like it.

Keeping this in mind I'd like to know if I can build a computer similar to to the Microserver Gen10 and stay under my budget.

I'd like the motherboard to be MiniITX, or MicroATX if it costs less.
Small case with at least 4 3.5'' drive bays.
8GB of ECC memory.
Intel Celeron, Pentium or i3 CPU.

I've been thinking on something along the lines of:

Intel i3 8100 - ~140€
Crucial/Kingston 8GB of DDR4 ECC memory - ~65€
Fractal Node 304 case - ~100€
Seasonic Focus Gold 80Plus Gold - ~80€

Which leaves me 115€ for a motherboard, which I can't find any that supports ECC memory. I thing I can go lower on the CPU, but the MiniITX server motherboards from ASRock or Supermicro seem to be very expensive and I can't seem to find them for sale in any of the most well known european online retailers.
I can consider an integrated CPU solution, but those seem to be even more expensive.

I'd also like to know your opinions on the Microserver Gen10, if possible.

Thank you very much.
Miguel from Portugal

 

[pschatz100]

If you are serious about running one or two Ubuntu VM's, then 8GB RAM will not be enough. You didn't say anything about how much storage you plan to add, but do not go short on memory. You would better off to start with 16GB.

A good mini-ITX motherboard will be more expensive than a mATX board. Also, they only have two memory slots, so you should probably start with one 16GB memory stick.

To keep costs lower, maybe you could consider older hardware. Going back one generation will allow you to save $$. Personally, I like Supermicro and have had no problems with older Supermicro motherboards.

 

[blanchet]

In the USA, buying second-hand SuperMicro hardware on eBAY is probably a best option, but in Europe, buying a HPE Proliant Microserver Gen10 is easier and cheaper.

About the HPE Proliant Microserver Gen10

• it is a very well built computer
• it can be easily purchased from Amazon
• It is very quiet ( you will hear only the hard disks)
• It is not too expensive.

Obviously, the HPE Proliant Microserver Gen8 was superior in many aspects

• it had a socketed processor (so you buy an entry model and then later you can upgrade to a faster processor)
• It had an IPMI interface (iLO4) for remote management
• It was Intel-based so the compatibility with FreeBSD/FreeNAS was perfect
• At the end of its career, it was incredibly cheap (I have got mine for only 200 EUR on Amazon)

But if you consider the the historic product line of HPE Proliant Microservers, you understand that Gen8 was an exception.
All the other generations of HPE Microserver had a low-powered AMD processor and lacked of IPMI interface.

If you want to run this computer 24/7 in your bedroom, the HPE Microserver Gen10 is probably the quieter solution.
If you want to run VMs in addition to FreeNAS, you should take the X3421 with at least 16 GB.

 

[Miguel Antunes]

If you are...
... older Supermicro motherboards.

In the USA,...
... at least 16 GB.

Thank you both.

As @blanchet said, used (or even new) server gear is hard to come by in Europe. And usually, older server hardware is more noisy and more power hungry. I'm currently biding on a new Supermicro LGA1151 board and if the price is right it might change my mind about the HP Microserver Gen10.

About storage, I'm planning to start with two 2TB drives (for redundancy) and then upgrade it to 4 drives if I need the extra space.
If I'm buying the HP Microserver Gen10 I plan on buying the X3421 and later upgrade it to 16GB.

 

[Adrian]

I still have a very old HP Microserver running. I do not know its generation, but it has a Neo N36L processor, with another unused as a fall-back. They are well built machines, but after discovering that you need a HP support contract to get official firmware updates I went right off the idea of buying any more.

 

[Miguel Antunes]

Hi guys,

Ended up buying the Microserver Gen10 mainly for being a ready made solution and for its quietness and low power.
When it arrives I'll give you some feedback.

Thank you!