BUILD Noob X10SL7 Build

[wsen]

Looking to build a NAS for the neuroscience lab I work in. This will be one of two places we will backup our data every night. I've tried to select good components (while trying not to allocate lab funds unnecessarily), so we can end up with a reliable system that performs well. Input on this potential build will be much appreciated.


Mobo: SUPERMICRO MBD-X10SL7-F-O
RAM: 4 X 8 GB crucial (2 X CT2KIT102472BD160B)
Case: NZXT Source 210 ELITE (http://www.nzxt.com/product/detail/117-source-210-elite-case)
Processor: Intel Pentium Processor G3220
PSU: SeaSonic S12G S12G-650 650W
Thumb drive: SanDisk Cruzer 16GB USB 2.0
Extra HDD cage: Cooler Master 4-in-3 Device Module Cage
HardDrives: 10 X Western Digital Green 4TB (1 vdev - Raidz2)

Notes:

2 reasons I have selected that Mobo: plenty of SATA ports (counting the SAS ports), it has been used by several of you and some of its issues have already been troubleshooted by you.

I've heard some concerns about the SAS chip on this motherboad getting too hot. I'm hoping between the two fans the case has and the one in the 3-in-4 drive cage, there will be good circulation. Any comments?

For PSU I am also considering a SeaSonic S12II 620 Bronze as it has a lot of SATA and Molex connectors and would save some money. I want something that is very reliable, and I have heard that although the Gold rating actually refers to energy efficiency, a Gold rated PSU will likely be better constructed overall. Is there truth to this, or am I just as well off going for the bronze, if I am not too concerned about energy efficiency?

Sounds like I will have to reconfigure how the intellipower thing works on those WD greens (thanks for that post, CyberJock).

Any thoughts on the best way to get those drives. Is it safer to get 2 drives from 5 different places? I've heard that it may be better to get drives at a store, rather than having them shipped, is there any truth to that?

Thanks!

 

[Ericloewe]

The S-12Gs aren't bad, but the G-Series is a bit better, modular and Gold rated, for a small premium. I highly recommend the G-Series. 550W should suffice, though. Even 450W would be okay. (The conventional wisdom you quote is mostly true, but Gold is the new default rating these days. Only older or cheaper stuff is rated below gold, usually)

If you feel paranoid, buy two batches from separate places. Shipping isn't a problem, typically. You'll definitely want to burn them in anyway, so defective ones will be very quickly noticed (there's a guide for that in the guides section). Keep a spare (also burned-in) handy to quickly replace failing drives in the future and all should be good.

If you'll be serving several users, I'd suggest an upgrade to an i3 43xx, if the extra cost isn't much of a burden. The G3220 should be ok, but the i3 gives you more flexibility.

I don't own an X10SL7-F, but I imagine decent airflow (good fans in a typical ATX case) should be enough to cool the LSI 2308. If your drives stay below 40ºC, I imagine the controller will stay at an acceptable temperature.

 

[wsen]

Thanks for your help!

We've decided to go with an i3-4350 and to upgrade the case (http://www.enermaxusa.com/case_eca3280.php), so there are fans blowing directly over the drives. Will get an extra drive - thanks for the tip!

 

[Ericloewe]

Thanks for your help!

We've decided to go with an i3-4350 and to upgrade the case (http://www.enermaxusa.com/case_eca3280.php), so there are fans blowing directly over the drives. Will get an extra drive - thanks for the tip!

Word of caution:

The processor requires the 2.0 BIOS. If your board does not come with the 2.0 BIOS or newer, you'll need an older (non-Haswell Refresh) CPU (Like the G1820) to flash it first.

 

[wsen]

Thanks for the heads up!

 

[ThaDraGun]

I'm trying to figure out parts myself.
It says the case holds 8 X 3.5" drives, but you're ordering 10...
Am I reading the specs wrong, or you have the other 2 setup a certain way?

Did you get your motherboard yet? interested in the same one, but dont know where to find one with the newer bios.

 

[vikingboy]

Watch out with the S12 PSU, it has two rails rather than one big one which is ideally what you want for ten drives. I run a G-550w with ten reds and it works fine.

S12 has two 12v rails, each with 18A
http://www.seasonicusa.com/s12.htm

G550 has one rail of 45A
http://www.seasonicusa.com/G-series-450-550-650.htm

You can easily double molex connections with cheap splitters from ebay/e-retailers etc.

Edit: I tried to find my images of the S12 box which incorrectly states its a single rail PSU, it isn't.

 

[wsen]

The Cooler Master 4-in-3 Device fits 4 drives into the space of the 3 5.25" bays.

I haven't got any of the stuff yet - we're waiting on our IT department for approval. I am planning on borrowing a pre-refresh Haswell processor from them if it comes with the older BIOS.

Thanks for the heads up on the PSU. We decided to go for the 550w g series, so we should be good.

 

[vikingboy]

One other suggestion, if you want to use 4 or 5-in-3 bay converters, look for one with SGPIO support, i.e Supermicro's. It reduced the chances of pulling the wrong drive if (when!) you have a failure, assuming your motherboard supports it. Its not necessary, you can match up serial numbers with correctly labelled drive enclosures but my experience is most errors are when a human is involved so reducing any complexity is a good thing. Im not 100% sure that mobo supports them, but if it does, its an added bit of failure proofing.

 

[Ericloewe]

One other suggestion, if you want to use 4 or 5-in-3 bay converters, look for one with SGPIO support, i.e Supermicro's. It reduced the chances of pulling the wrong drive if (when!) you have a failure, assuming your motherboard supports it. Its not necessary, you can match up serial numbers with correctly labelled drive enclosures but my experience is most errors are when a human is involved so reducing any complexity is a good thing. Im not 100% sure that mobo supports them, but if it does, its an added bit of failure proofing.

FreeNAS doesn't have a method of driving those LEDs, as far as I know, so SGPIO wouldn't help much.