BUILD I have done all my research, and I think this looks good.

[RedChevy79]

I have read basically everything about FreeNas, and hardware recommendations, what to expect, and what to buy for the lowest chance of getting burned. This is what I have come up with. Anything that I missed or anything that I should consider?

• Case: Fractal Design Define R4
• PS: Seasonic S6-660XP2
• MB: SuperMicro MBD-X10SL7-F-O
• CPU: Intel XEON E3-1231 v3 (3.4 GHz)
• RAM: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR3-1600 ECC Unbuffered
• DRIVES: 8x - HGST Deskstar NAS 3TB
• BOOT: 3x - SanDisk Cruzer Edge 8GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive
• UPS: APC BE750G 750 VA 450 Watt UPS

The only conundrum that I am having is the option of using 4TB drives instead. I did the math and the cost per TB is comparable, the only reason that I am sticking with the 3 TB drives is NewEgg is blowing them out right now, and to go with 4's it would be an additional $400 plus the likelihood of needing another ram kit. This is $600 that I would rather save than spend. Also the 3's will give me around 18 TB with Z2 and currently I only have around 4 TB needed. Also if it matters the server will mainly be used for general backup, and storing my movie collection to be served directly (NO trans-coding) to my HTPC. I'm looking at around $2100, so I do consider this a major investment. Thank you.

 

[anodos]

It's clear you did your research. There are no obvious problems. You may want to verify that the RAM is on supermicro's HCL. Note that crucial and micron are often identical. Once you set up your computer, carefully monitor your HDD temps and add / modify cooling accordingly. I can't comment on the UPS.

 

[RedChevy79]

The RAM from what I understand, (per this thread) is just re-branded Micron Ram which I will of course verify on installation. Hoping that Crucial has not made any source changes with the same product code, i.e. pulling a Kingston on me. I have allotted about a month to 5 weeks for stress testing and burn in. At that point the server will go "Live" however I will be copying data to the server, and leaving the old disks intact. Keep in mind these are just drives in my primary computer so as of now I am jumping without a parachute. I then plan to delete oldest, least wanted stuff first off those drives, going like this for about 6 mos, until I feel comfortable with the reliability of the new server.

 

[Ericloewe]

The RAM from what I understand, (per this thread) is just re-branded Micron Ram which I will of course verify on installation. Hoping that Crucial has not made any source changes with the same product code, i.e. pulling a Kingston on me. I have allotted about a month to 5 weeks for stress testing and burn in. At that point the server will go "Live" however I will be copying data to the server, and leaving the old disks intact. Keep in mind these are just drives in my primary computer so as of now I am jumping without a parachute. I then plan to delete oldest, least wanted stuff first off those drives, going like this for about 6 mos, until I feel comfortable with the reliability of the new server.

Be sure to tell us if Crucial pulls a Kingston! As much as I'd hate to lose the option, I'd rather know it's not an option any longer...

As for your build, I'd say your research paid off. I'll leave the exact disk configuration up to you, since you seem to understand the various options. 4TB (or larger) disks are a good idea if you plan to leave room for easy expansion in the future (by reducing the number of disks you'd buy now), but there's no real point in just switching everything to 4TB disks wholesale if you don't need the capacity in the medium-term.

The Seasonic Platinums are an excellent choice - but they're a bit overkill and you can save some cash by going with a G-Series, which is also quite good but much cheaper. Of course, if you'd rather go with what is probably the best PSU in the segment, the Platinum is what you're looking for.

If you're not going to transcode, the Xeon is typically overkill. Simple file sharing works wonderfully with an i3, with room to spare for some plugins (even a transcode perhaps).

 

[RedChevy79]

Well, it sounds like I am on the right track then, I have always been a fan of not scrimping on your PSU. A few extra dollars can save many headaches later. Also this has a 7 year warranty opposed to the 3 year on the G-Series. I also like that is is FULL modular, and comes with enough SATA connections out of the box. (Neater than using multipliers). And I could have some potential for return on investment with the Platinum rating. I think I am making the right choice with the 3 TB drives, since by the time that I would want more space, the common drives at that point could be 10 TB or more! Also the better processor is more of a future proofing thing, I am hoping my next upgrade would be a drive only upgrade. I will probably place an order before the weekend is out. I will update the thread on the status of the Crucial memory next week when everything gets here.

 

[Ericloewe]

Well, it sounds like I am on the right track then, I have always been a fan of not scrimping on your PSU. A few extra dollars can save many headaches later. Also this has a 7 year warranty opposed to the 3 year on the G-Series. I also like that is is FULL modular, and comes with enough SATA connections out of the box. (Neater than using multipliers). And I could have some potential for return on investment with the Platinum rating. I think I am making the right choice with the 3 TB drives, since by the time that I would want more space, the common drives at that point could be 10 TB or more! Also the better processor is more of a future proofing thing, I am hoping my next upgrade would be a drive only upgrade. I will probably place an order before the weekend is out. I will update the thread on the status of the Crucial memory next week when everything gets here.

Valid points. I look forward to further confirmation that Crucial is doing honest business.

 

[Mynorx]

The RAM from what I understand, (per this thread) is just re-branded Micron Ram which I will of course verify on installation. Hoping that Crucial has not made any source changes with the same product code, i.e. pulling a Kingston on me. I have allotted about a month to 5 weeks for stress testing and burn in. At that point the server will go "Live" however I will be copying data to the server, and leaving the old disks intact. Keep in mind these are just drives in my primary computer so as of now I am jumping without a parachute. I then plan to delete oldest, least wanted stuff first off those drives, going like this for about 6 mos, until I feel comfortable with the reliability of the new server.

Yes, that's a good thread : p

 

[ahumaro]

• BOOT: 3x - SanDisk Cruzer Edge 8GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive

Hi!

I was looking for a good usb for booting. Did you choose that usb for some special reason?
Another question: why 3 of them?

Thanks!

Ahumaro

 

[Ericloewe]

Hi!

I was looking for a good usb for booting. Did you choose that usb for some special reason?
Another question: why 3 of them?

Thanks!

Ahumaro

Anything from a decent brand (Crucial, SanDisk, Corsair...) is fine.

It's recommended that you have at least a second one handy, so that you can quickly recover from boot device issues. With a third one, you can have a backup and one to experiment with.

 

[msbxa]

Hi,

I am new into this forum and also new into DIY FreeNas that I am planing to build very soon. I already got the same motherboard Supermicro X10SL7-F-O and planning to buy 16GB ECC RAM, 6x 2GB or 3GB Drives in RAIDZ2 ( depends on the budget), but I cannot make a decision on CPU either to go with Intel XEON E3 or one of the i3's. The NAS will be used for backup, time machine , storing my movie collection to be served directly (NO trans-coding) to my HTPC with XBMC. Any suggestion would be appreciated.

 

[Ericloewe]

Hi,

I am new into this forum and also new into DIY FreeNas that I am planing to build very soon. I already got the same motherboard Supermicro X10SL7-F-O and planning to buy 16GB ECC RAM, 6x 2GB or 3GB Drives in RAIDZ2 ( depends on the budget), but I cannot make a decision on CPU either to go with Intel XEON E3 or one of the i3's. The NAS will be used for backup, time machine , storing my movie collection to be served directly (NO trans-coding) to my HTPC with XBMC. Any suggestion would be appreciated.

The hardware recommendations sticky answers your question, but here goes:

If you won't be transcoding, an i3 should be plenty. If you don't plan on doing anything intensive in jails, don't bother with the Xeons.

 

[msbxa]

What about if I decide it install Plex media server and run the following extra products SABnzbd+, Sick Beard and CouchPotato does the i3 will be enough ?

In relate to running Virtual Machine on Freenas what exactly do people run it?