Least expensive build

[johnblanker]

Hi everyone, I was wondering what advice you could give for a less expensive build. All I am looking to do is share my ISO's to my Dune smart players. That's it. No visualization, no video transcoding going on, etc. Just ZFS with RAID5 (RAIDZ?)

The sticky thread suggested a build of 16GB ram for around $350, while another recommended a Dell server system for around $200. But these threads are over a year old.

I would need the mobo, cpu, and 16GB ecc ram.

I currently have WD Green HDDs to use. I have a 5TB, 4TB, 2TB, 2TB, 2TB. Do you know what kind of usable storage I would have with this arrangement?

Thanks for your time.

 

[danb35]

I think the current low-price champ is the Dell PowerEdge T20, which can be had new for under $200, though you'll probably need to add RAM. However, it only has four drive bays, IIRC. Another commonly-recommended option is the Lenovo TS140, for under $300, but it still limits you to 4 drive bays.

That collection of drives isn't good for RAIDZ, since RAIDZ volumes are limited by the size of the smallest disk. You'd be wasting 3 TB of space on your 5 TB disk, and 2 TB of space on your 4 TB disk. With all five disks in RAIDZ, you'd have about 8 TB, or 7.2 TiB, of total space. Replace the 3 x 2 TB drives with a single 4 TB drive, and you'll have the same capacity with only three disks.

 

[johnblanker]

Thanks. whats the difference between server ram and desktop ram? Newegg has desktop ram with ecc but thats really expensive.

Also i have 2 sets of that array. One that serves as a backup. So i can make any arrangement of these disks. TB- 5,5,4,4,2,2,2,2,2,2

 

[danb35]

whats the difference between server ram and desktop ram?

"Desktop" RAM is rarely ECC, so if Newegg has a few parts classified that way, they're probably oddball parts and hence more expensive. You're more likely to find what you're looking for there as "server" RAM. Or go to Crucial.com and see what parts they recommend.

So i can make any arrangement of these disks. TB- 5,5,4,4,2,2,2,2,2,2

Best I can see would be 2 x 5 TB + 2 x 4 TB. You'll still be wasting 1 TB on each of the 5 TB disks, but you can later replace the 4s with 5s and the pool will expand. You'll have 12 TB, or 10.8 TiB, of space with that arrangement; with all 5s it would be 15 TB, or 13.5 TiB.

 

[johnblanker]

The TS140 has 5 sata slots. I can always just "ziptie" a hhd to the cage somewhere, lol

 

[johnblanker]

Is any of the desktop stuff compatible with the server stuff? On the TS140, can I use my corsair 450watt psu instead? And are the desktop cases compatible with the server motherboards? If so I wonder if I could find that board with just the cpu and memory to save a couple $. But at $330 for a 16GB machine is pretty good already.

I noticed in the manual, it has 4-pin sata power ports (12)? Is that just the other half of the ATX power port (13)? Since most ATC power cable can be split, I guess half goes to each of these ports? It says everywhere that it can support only 4 HDDs but I am assuming this is because that's how many bays it has and that you are going to use an optical drive. I can't see anything that would prevent me from using all 5 for hdds. As far as expanding HDDs in the future I would have to get some type of sata pci card?

 

[johnblanker]

The documentation on the ts140 is pretty bleak. But youtube had the answer. It seems the power plug is proprietary, but they do make adapters.

 

[Mirfster]

As far as expanding HDDs in the future I would have to get some type of sata pci card?

Yes, or get a proper HBA. Power and space will be a concern though depending case and PSU.

If you are going to replace your 2TB drives very soon, it may be beneficial to just live with the ~7TiB right now. Then replace the drives one at a time and re-silver; once you have all to at least 4TB the vdev will increase. Not saying this is the best plan, but a possibility.

Did danb35 already mention this and I missed it?

 

[johnblanker]

I just put together a $250 build in the pic below. If you guys don't mind,

1. I can get this down to $220 with an open box mobo. Does open-box make you quiver like I do?
2. All I want to do is share folders and have a RAID5 (RAIDZ) 20TB setup with data integrity in mind. Would I benefit in any way by getting a better cpu? Would build times, scrubbing, error checking, etc be a factor with a low cpu? If I ever want to run plugins and transcode and do any of that stuff in the future I would rather buy a new CPU. But for now I would like it to be as green and as cheap as possible.

I understand I am buying the cheapest stuff out there. I don't expect it to work miracles.

 

[danb35]

My FreeNAS server has been running on an open-box mobo for the last 18 months--I haven't had any trouble with it.

 

[johnblanker]

RE: https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/hardware-recommendations-read-this-first.23069/
wow! great guide! really answered most of my questions above.

Ok, I have revised my cart. I think I am good. I plan on using this PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139049

 

[Matthew Koloski]

That Motherboard doesn't look like it supports ECC check out X10SLH-F or X10SLL-F

 

[johnblanker]

Oh good catch. Thanks. Why would a server mobo not support ecc?!?
I liked that one becuase of the 8 sata and of course the price.

 

[Matthew Koloski]

That one i think is their "workstation" model.. notice the sound and extra features that make it a nicer "workstation".. there is an 8 sata port version it just is a little more expensive X10SL7-F from the hardware recommendation guide

 

[anodos]

Oh good catch. Thanks. Why would a server mobo not support ecc?!?
I liked that one becuase of the 8 sata and of course the price.

A better question is "who labels an H87-based motherboard as something for servers?"

Note that the "server" motherboard has dual realtek RTL8111E and in the newegg page states "Xeon processor E3-1200 v3 series processor support is an extended advantage provided by ASRock Rack. It is out of warranty, user's discretion is required." That is the most weaselly-worded server "feature" I've ever seen. It's just nuts.

"We have added this feature, but if you use it won't stand behind it and may void your warranty. It for servers, hur, hur, hur." It seems like they tried to bolt-on some "server" features to a desktop chipset to make it checklist-compliant. Kinda makes you question the rest of their 'asrock rack' product line.

Maybe someone with more hardware knowledge can enlighten me.

 

[TheKiwi]

Both the boards are different. The Supermicro you linked isn't a server board at all, or a workstation one really. It looks exactly like a X10-SAE workstation board with the server chipset replaced with the equivalent z-series overclocking chipset. So it swaps the ECC and workstation features for overclocking support.

As for the Asrock, they claim it's a server board but it's basically a cut-down desktop board with a few small tweaks and validated for server operating systems. They've tested it with Xeons, but won't say it's actually supported, probably because Intel doesn't let them advertise a board with a desktop chipset as supporting Xeon. I imagine it would be useful for some low-cost hosting situations where you don't need server-grade features or ECC.

 

[johnblanker]

I guess I need to try and not reinvent the wheel. I would guess that if a great server board was available for less then it would be in the hardware guide. It seems this is the one to get. Intel nic, ecc, and a plethora of sata. I was looking for no less than 8 sata ports. I guess this is why the ts140 is so popular.
SUPERMICRO MBD-X10SL7-F-O

 

[johnblanker]

regarding the MBD-X10SLL-F-O,
Will this fit into a standard destop case? I have a Rosewill Challenger case I am hoping to use. Some people says the screw hole placement is different but I can't seem to find much info about this.

 

[ChriZ]

Well, it is a standard uATX motherboard, so it should fit in any case that supports mobos this size.

 

[johnblanker]

The newegg review below made me question this. I think I have heard of this before but it does seem weird that the holes would be different.

"Cons: You need a supermicro case as this motherboard has different motherboard contacts that are a little off from other motherboard contacts. "