Mini-itx FreeNAS 4K transcode build.

[Raggou]

Motherboard: Was looking at the Supermicro X11SSM-F-O

CPU: Unsure - Need something that would be able to trans code 4K possibly. Help here would be
appreciated
Case: Silverstone - DS380B (I already have this)
Already have 16GB of ECC ram as well as hard drives.

Suggestions on a motherboard/cpu would be great. Must be mini-itx.

Thanks for the help!

 

[nightshade00013]

CPU will likely need a Passmark around at least 10000 and more is better. That is also for only one stream. And no a big beefy video card will not help in FreeNAS to transcode the video, if you build a windows machine separate to handle the transcoding then you can use a video card.

So that means that the bare minimum cpu will be: https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Xeon+E5-1620+v4+@+3.50GHz&id=2777


If you plan to run multiple streams that are 4k transcoded then you will need to take that 10K times the number of streams. And the real kicker is that if you think you may want three or more streams at one time you will not be using a mini-itx build as you will need a dual cpu system. I would also not cut it that close for a cpu if you want to run some other jails. I would pick up something with a passmark closer to around 14000 just for one 4K transcoded stream and the system to be able to perform well with a jail or two running. If you are planning to run any VM's then that number will be a little higher based on what the VM will handle.

While transcoding 4k you will also be generating a TON of heat. That means you will need a lot of airflow through a mini-itx case like to the tune of sounding like a 1U server is my guess. Otherwise you are going to cook the system and the drives. I wouldn't get too hung up on keeping that mini-itx idea along with 4K transcoding. You can have one or the other but both probably will not be a good combination.

 

[DrKK]

Insisting on mini-ITX---NOTHING creates more of a bottleneck and destroys your options more than this. Are you absolutely certain it MUST be a mini-ITX?

 

[Arwen]

The frustrating thing is that in a year or 2, newer designed CPUs will have more multi-media features built in to them. Plus, more open sourced, optimized code for decoding h.265 will be available.

For the present, small details can make a difference. Like faster memory. When working with large datasets, even 10% faster memory, (or 2 / 4 way interleaved memory), can speed up the apparent CPU processing. So a Passmark requirement of 10,000 to decode h.265 may really be only 9,000, (or lower), with the right memory.

My minature media server started out with 1 x 8GB memory module. Adding a second identical module, (even though it was the same memory channel), improved performance. Not that I needed it, as my media players do any decoding / down scaling.

 

[nightshade00013]

Very true, what you buy today will be outdated tomorrow. For that matter it's outdated before you can actually buy it.

But honestly IMHO the goal is to transcode as little as possible. I only have a couple movies in native 4K resolution and I just make another copy and store it separately for the rest of the stuff. When 4K is more common than 1080p it won't really matter and I will dump the lower quality copy. That will also probably come around to be about the same time as when fast cheap h.265 decoding will be available and pretty much everything supports it natively.

To sum it all up... Don't use the mini-itx case unless you want to hamstring yourself from the start. Don't worry about transcoding 4K, just make two copies. Save your cash that you would spend on a hugely expensive cpu and buy something budget friendly. Take the savings and invest it and when all devices support 4K go buy new stuff with the saved money.

 

[tvsjr]

You can actually do exactly this with Plex, using the "optimized versions" functionality. And it will manage it all for you.

But I still advocate for separation... let FreeNAS be FreeNAS, then build another hose (virtualized or not) for your other services.

 

[Chris Moore]

Motherboard: Was looking at the Supermicro X11SSM-F-O

CPU: Unsure - Need something that would be able to trans code 4K possibly. Help here would be
appreciated
Case: Silverstone - DS380B (I already have this)
Already have 16GB of ECC ram as well as hard drives.

Suggestions on a motherboard/cpu would be great. Must be mini-itx.

Thanks for the help!

The size of the system should be dictated by the capability you want the system to have. If you wanted a car to go 300 miles an hour and then said it can only have a 1 cylinder engine , that wouldn't make much sense would it?

 

[Raggou]

Okay okay, I decided to not go with Mini-ITX additionally I didn't realize that the Supermicro X11SSM-F-O was a ATX board. Looking at the Intel Xeon E3-1245 as the processor for now.. thoughts?

 

[SweetAndLow]

Okay okay, I decided to not go with Mini-ITX additionally I didn't realize that the Supermicro X11SSM-F-O was a ATX board. Looking at the Intel Xeon E3-1245 as the processor for now.. thoughts?

No reason to get the 1245 the integrated graphics will never be used. I would get a e5-1650 if I was building a system for 4k.

 

[Raggou]

No reason to get the 1245 the integrated graphics will never be used. I would get a e5-1650 if I was building a system for 4k.

Cool, now I just need ideas for a case with at least 8 hard drive bays, was looking at the Silverstone CS380B but some people complain about the airflow in that case.

 

[nightshade00013]

From what I have seen of just the price I would skip that case but that is me. The plastic drive sleds are said to be pretty cheap and have a high possibility of breaking which could spell disaster. I can tell they don't have great airflow just by looking at it. Looks like you have to draw air in from a single bottom fan and two side fans and then just let it get pushed around and hopefully sucked out.

The case is more about function than looks though IMHO. I used a Rosewill RSV-L4500 for my setup. You can find them on sale for less than 100, support 15 HDD's, tons of internal room as well for all but the tallest coolers (CoolerMaster Hyper Evo 212, I just had to put a small dent in the side and it worked fine.)

The bad thing is that the fans need to be changed out to a fan with good static pressure which will add to the cost but if the case you are looking at needs more cooling you will be dropping that and then some. I swapped out 3 of the 120MM's and and it made a big difference with just standard 120MM PWM fans. The case also has a total of 6 120MM fans included and two 80mm fans with airflow from front to back flowing straight over the drives. It's a little louder now with the fans all at max but it sits in a room I am in most of the day and it's not so loud that I notice it. Three 120mm fans sit at the very front of the case in front of each of the drive caddy's (three caddy's each holding five drives) and then another three 120mm fans sit in the area behind the drives so they are cooled with a push-pull configuration. I still need to swap out the three fans at the very front and will likely use something with a little more static pressure and airflow to keep the 7200RPM HGST's cooler.

I would have preferred to get a Supermicro 4U case with 24 drive bays but the Rosewill was a TON cheaper and a lot quieter as well.

There are however a ton of options out there in the 4U server chasis market that will work really well. And just because it is a rackmount case it doesn't mean it HAS to go in a rack but you could easily make one with a couple 2X4's and may even find a table that has the legs spaced perfectly. Mine just sits on a desk top on it's side.

 

[diskdiddler]

Insisting on mini-ITX---NOTHING creates more of a bottleneck and destroys your options more than this. Are you absolutely certain it MUST be a mini-ITX?

It makes things trickier but it’s not impossible. This is absolutely possible to be done, in a nice small case. Some of us have small environments, they are slowly making more and more viable small machines. Asrock, super micro etc.

 

[bodriye]

my E3-1241 v3 @ 3.50GHz takes up 80%-90% of cpu load when transcoding 4k uhd on plex non-encrypted pools.

 

[pro lamer]

transcoding 4k uhd

Is it h.265?

 

[bodriye]

Is it h.265?

It was HEVC HDR rip at (Planet Earth II): 29.4 Mb/s bitrate / 3 840 pixels x 2 160 pixels / 10 bit bit depth.
Each file was about 14.2 GB for about 1 hr of play back.
I know there are some rips that are much better than this and compressed down to like 4.5 GB for a movie, not sure if they would take up as much cpu power.

 

[Stux]

As a bare minimum I’d recommend the Xeon E3-1230vWhatever. The hyperthreading gains you an extra 60% or so with video coding, which is important.

After that stepping up intel’s price lists just costs more.

1650v3/4 gets you six cores, which adds another 50% perf. But it is an expensive platform.

Didn’t intel just release consumer 8th gen 6 core processors... do they have Xeon versions yet?

 

[MrToddsFriends]

Didn’t intel just release consumer 8th gen 6 core processors... do they have Xeon versions yet?

So far only two Intel Xeon Mobile models (E-2186M, E-2176M, FCBGA1440) in the Coffee Lake series, no Xeon E3 model for socket 1151.
https://ark.intel.com/products/codename/97787/Coffee-Lake

 

[Stux]

So far only two Intel Xeon Mobile models (E-2186M, E-2176M, FCBGA1440) in the Coffee Lake series, no Xeon E3 model for socket 1151.
https://ark.intel.com/products/codename/97787/Coffee-Lake

Pity. Would be a good solution for OP.