BUILD Newbie virgin FreeNAS build critique

[Ben Squire]

Hi All,

My old Tranquil PC BBS2 is at capacity and become v.v.slow. I've decided to bite the bullet and build a brand new system and after hours & hours of research I've decided on the spec below.

I'm hoping some of the more seasoned forum members can critique it and have a stab at what sort of throughput I might expect?

The system will most likely be used for the following purposes:

• Movie, MP3, File storage
• Possibly a minecraft server
• Possibly a plex server (but this is a secondary concern)
• Time Machine backups
• Remote access (FTP should be fine)

Thanks for your help!
Ben

P.S. I considered an Intel Avatron Mobo, but struggled to find them in the UK...

Intel Core i3-4130T
Fractal Design Node 304
Arctic Cooling MX-4
Kingston ValueRam DDR3 1333 ECC DIMM 2x8Gb
ASRock E3C226D2I
SanDisk SDCZ33-008G-B35
Corsair CP-9020075-UK 450W CS450M Semi-Modular 80+ Gold
WD Red 4TB (x 4)

 

[DJ9]

Only thing I'd switch would be choosing some different non Kingston memory, since Kingston has been less than honest as of late.

Here's the QVL memory list on that motherboard.
http://www.asrockrack.com/general/productdetail.asp?Model=E3C226D2I#Memory QVL

Also, don't forget to use a UPS. ;)

 

[Ericloewe]

A few comments:

Low-power processors are a waste of time and money, unless you're limited by thermals (you shouldn't be) or power delivery (you're not). Regular, non-T processors will use as much power as idle as their T versions, but can work harder when needed.
Kingston is to be avoided, given their new knack for shady maneuvres.
Instead of a Corsair CS PSU, I'd go for a Seasonic G-Series. They're not much more expensive, but have a lot better build quality.

 

[mjws00]

Heh. Some quicker posters than me. Both are spot on.

That is a solid choice. Probably the best itx 1150 board. You should be able to max out 1GBe all day. Probably even both nics if serving up multiple clients.

Only consideration I see is, 2 memory slots (16GB max), and single PCIe... that may be a significant sacrifice if you intend to grow the platform. It does give you the tiniest of form factors, and that is the trade-off.

Enjoy.

 

[Ben Squire]

Thanks all for the speedy replies. I get the distinct impression I might not want to use Kingston memory...

I've swapped out the PSU and Processor for the following:

Seasonic S12G-450 450W 80+ Gold
Intel Core i3 4130

Just need to work out what RAM I can afford now.

I understand your point mjws00 about upgradeability. The only option I have here would be to get a different mobo and case (which makes the whole thing a bit bigger)... so many options!

 

[Ericloewe]

They also seem to have a new option, if the case will take slightly longer than standard miniITX boards.

 

[enemy85]

I have the same board and cpu, and 5 wd 3tb red and works perfectly with a seasonic g-360 psu...just need a splitter for the sata power cord if u need more than 4hd

 

[joelmusicman]

They also seem to have a new option, if the case will take slightly longer than standard miniITX boards.

Note that I don't think the Node 304 will take that board. I think there was another thread about that issue awhile back, but I'm too lazy to search for it myself...