new to building a computer

[absolutfotboll]

Hi,

I am new to building a computer but I thought it would be fun to try to build a FreeNas server in my limited free time. I would like the computer to mainly serve as a media server (Plex) but would also like it to be able to backup my wife and my computers.

I've glanced through the hardware recommendation guide and have developed the following list of parts:

Supermicro X11SSL-F
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v5
SuperChassis 731i-403B
Crucial 16GB DDR4-21300
I have already have the HDs.

Before I purchase these pieces, I thought I would check with the exerts to make sure these components would work well together and see if I'm missing anything. Thoughts? Thank you in advance for the help.

 

[Chris Moore]

I haven't checked the chassis, but that's a side issue. have you considered used hardware for the cost savings?

 

[absolutfotboll]

That's a good idea. I am definitely open to it to help save costs.

 

[PhiloEpisteme]

That's a good idea. I am definitely open to it to help save costs.

My first build I went all new, my second build I went all used except memory and HDD. I don't regret either but my wallet certainly appreciates the used build. :)

SuperChassis 731i-403B

How many total drives to you need and want in the future?

Also, what will you use for the boot drive(s)?

 

[Bozon]

I have a question about that case. It seems like a huge case for only 4 drive bays plus a couple of 5.25 bays. Can you get expansion cages to hold more drives? I looked around but didn't see anything.

 

[absolutfotboll]

Thank you for all the feedback and questions. I really appreciate everyone taking the time to help me. :)

My first build I went all new, my second build I went all used except memory and HDD. I don't regret either but my wallet certainly appreciates the used build. :)

Good to know and will keep that in mind, especially with a young family.. :)

How many total drives to you need and want in the future?

Great question.. to be completely honest with you, I'm not sure. I had an FreeNAS server running on old Dell OptiPlex machine with one teribyte hard drive which wasn't enough so I imagine I will need at least two drives at this moment. However, in the future as I gather more media content, I imagine I will need more than two drives which is why I chose a motherboard that could handle more as my media content/storage backup grew.

I have a question about that case. It seems like a huge case for only 4 drive bays plus a couple of 5.25 bays. Can you get expansion cages to hold more drives? I looked around but didn't see anything. Also, what will you use for the boot drive(s)?

Great question. I am not sure. I was not sure which case I wanted or needed so I went with a recommendation from the SuperMicro website which was "gold star" for efficiency. Do you have any recommendations for a case?

To answer your question about boot drives, I plan on using a USB thumb drive which is what I used previously.

Thank you again everyone for your feedback. Much appreciated! You have all been very helpful.

 

[PhiloEpisteme]

I had an FreeNAS server running on old Dell OptiPlex machine with one teribyte hard drive which wasn't enough so I imagine I will need at least two drives at this moment.

To really get the benefits of FreeNAS and ZFS you'll want to use enough drives for at least RAIDZ1 but ideally RAIDZ2 if your budget allows. If you're not familiar with these terms check out the links in the resources section, such as this one, to understand them and why they are beneficial.

However, in the future as I gather more media content, I imagine I will need more than two drives which is why I chose a motherboard that could handle more as my media content/storage backup grew.

Any motherboard with PCI slots can support many drives. The onboard SATA controller and ports are convenient but they don't really limit how many drives you can run. To run more drives than you have SATA ports for you'll need a Host Bus Adapter (HBA), also often referred to as a SAS Controller. Again, I recommend that you do some reading on what an HBA is, how it is different than a RAID controller, and why you generally wouldn't want a RAID controller. Here is an LSI-9211 from ebay that will easily run 8 drives without any additional hardware (except cables). And if you need more drives than that here is a sas expander card you could add that, in combination with the 9211, can run 24 drives with no other hardware (except cables).

The other component limiting how many drives you can use is your case. If you get a case which holds 4 drives and you want 6 you obviously can't fit them all into the same case. Of course, you can get a larger case or put the drives in a different, so-called JBOD enclosure, and run them that way. But, it might not be a bad idea to get a case that will hold at least 6 drives. There are tower cases on the market that can easily be made to hold 12 drives for less than 200 dollar new (not counting power supply or extra HDD trays)

Great question. I am not sure. I was not sure which case I wanted or needed so I went with a recommendation from the SuperMicro website which was "gold star" for efficiency. Do you have any recommendations for a case?

If you want flexibility to grow I would recommend either the Fractal Design Define R5 or R6. Both cases hold a ton of drives but they don't come with a power supply and you'll have to buy a few extra HDD trays. Thus, they are a bit more expensive than the supermicro case you mentioned. You can also find a server chassis that will hold 16-24 drives for ~250 on ebay with a little bit of searching. Those chassis also often come with PSUs and all of the HDD trays and fans which helps mitigate the cost. If you're sure you'll never need that many drives you can get something smaller, of course. I would recommend a chassis that will support at least 6 drives since 6 drives in RAIDZ2 is a nice combination of parity, performance, and total storage space. The case you mentioned could be made to hold that many drives with 5.25" HDD brackets.

To answer your question about boot drives, I plan on using a USB thumb drive which is what I used previously.

Lost of folks used to do that. The general advice lately is to go with an SSD. SSD's reliability as compared to a USB drive's can save you some headaches with only a very minor cost bump. You'd be fine with a 32GB or 64GB SSD I imagine.

If you buy a used motherboard, cpu, HBA etc hopefully it'll give you enough room in your budget to get a case and HDDs that will fit your needs.

Oh, and also, don't forget about backups. FreeNAS and ZFS won't be able to protect your data if something catastrophic were to happen to your machine. Backups are essential.

 

[absolutfotboll]

Thank you, @PhiloEpisteme, so much for all the information and helpful resources. I really appreciate it.

Thank you everyone for taking the time to respond to my question. I have a lot to think about and research before I finalize the case and set up. :)

 

[Bozon]

Thank you for all the feedback and questions. I really appreciate everyone taking the time to help me. :)



Good to know and will keep that in mind, especially with a young family.. :)



Great question.. to be completely honest with you, I'm not sure. I had an FreeNAS server running on old Dell OptiPlex machine with one teribyte hard drive which wasn't enough so I imagine I will need at least two drives at this moment. However, in the future as I gather more media content, I imagine I will need more than two drives which is why I chose a motherboard that could handle more as my media content/storage backup grew.



Great question. I am not sure. I was not sure which case I wanted or needed so I went with a recommendation from the SuperMicro website which was "gold star" for efficiency. Do you have any recommendations for a case?

To answer your question about boot drives, I plan on using a USB thumb drive which is what I used previously.

Thank you again everyone for your feedback. Much appreciated! You have all been very helpful.

The R5 or R6 a couple of favorite cases on this forum. Some people have mentioned that they like the R5 a little bit better but it is an eBay only at this point.

For boot drives I picked up some used intel 80 gig SSDs for my future build from ebay. I bought 2 at $30 a piece