BUILD My "not too expensive" Freenas server project

[Wonderjacky]

Hello everybody

I'm trying to put together a "not too expensive" Freenas configuration.
It’s a home server. The primary objective is to share data (Documents, photos, videos, PCs and Mac backups).
I want to crypt all data.
The data will be backup on an off site disk.

The secondary objectives are

• Own cloud server
• Make a Virtualbox host
• Make a Plex server (Maybe sometimes transcriptions to an iPad)

The system must be ECC compliant
The processor must have virtualization and AES-NI technologies.

For my needs I think that an AMD configuration will be more suited and cheaper.

Here are the components I chose. What do you think of this configuration?

Motherboard : Asus M5A78L-M USB3
Processor : AMD FX 4300 (3.8 GHz - AM3+) Black Edition
RAM : 2*8 Go Kingston DDR3 1333 MHz ECC KVR1333D3E9S/8G
Case : Fractal Design Define mini
PSU : Corsair CX430 80PLUS Bronze
NIC : Intel (R) EXPI9301CTBLK Gigabit CT PCI express
UPS : Eaton EL650USBFR Ellipse Eco PC USB

Thanks in advance for your advices

François

 

[Ericloewe]

I'm guessing you're not planning on having more than 10 hard drives, so I'd suggest the Seasonic G-360. 360W is plenty for up to 10 drives, you get better efficiency and much better quality for ~10 bucks more.

Other than that, since you're limited by your budget, I can't really recommend anything. Most builds around here stick to the more expensive (but proven) Supermicro X10 motherboards and associated Intel processors.

 

[Wonderjacky]

Thanks for the tip on the PSU.
I know, but in live in France and Supermicro motherboard are really really hard to get.
Only one online store sells only one model of Supermicro mb (on 1150). So I looked for an Asrock MB but they are over 200€ (250$) and I think that maybe the AMD configuration has a better Performance/Price ratio for what I want to do.

 

[Ericloewe]

Well, my trick is ordering from Amazon.de, for some reason they have a better selection than the other European Amazons. Availability shouldn't be an issue.

That said, Supermicros are quite a bit more expensive, with the cheapest decent X10 being 170-180€, and then you need a Xeon E3 (cheapest one is ~240€, but you might get deals in a few weeks since the mid-cycle refresh Haswells are making their way to stores) to get VT-d. You do get to save on the GbE adapter, since you get two Intels on board, but it's a minor advantage. If you're willing to drop VT-d, you can get an i3 for ~100€.

 

[cyberjock]

You may say that AMD has a better price/performance ratio, but AMD systems often have weird quirks that make then nonviable. So be careful how much you think you are saving by going with AMD. A system that won't function isn't worth anything. Keep in mind that boards that have all the standard desktop stuff(built-in audio, USB3, etc) can cause their own problems as they can cause unexpected conflicts, not to mention the fact that they'll be sipping power 24x7 forever. Any of those proprietary features that Asus throws on the board(CPR, Turbo Key, etc) can also be problems for FreeBSD.

Just be warned that while you think you might be saving money now, you won't be saving money if you have to buy everything twice. I'm all about spending a little more if there's 100% certainty to not have a problem, which is what our recommended hardware threads cover.

 

[gpsguy]

While it's not a server class motherboard, it does work with ECC RAM. And your CPU supports ECC. We have several users on the forum using that mobo, including joeschmuck (a moderator).


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