Prebuilt options and backplane question

[mpepin07]

Hi all, I'll try to keep this short. I posted awhile ago asking for recommendations, but have since reconsidered my hardware options and figured I'd make a new thread. I now think that a used 1U server running a Supermicro X9 motherboard will provide the best bang-for-the-buck for what I want to do (local backups, plex streaming, a few VM's, and generally learning more about FreeNAS). I have spent HOURS scouring eBay and to be honest I feel sort of overloaded at this point. I know this is asking a lot, but if someone with more knowledge than me could look at the options I am considering and let me know if I am overlooking anything, I would greatly appreciate it.

EDIT: I will be running four 4TB WD Red's in raidZ1. None of this data is critical.

Also, I've read the recommended hardware thread and learned that running hardware raid with FreeNAS is no-no. Most of the listings I see on eBay do not specify whether they use a raid card or simply an HBA, and I do not know how to find this out without having the server model number. Could anyone help me out with this?

EDIT AGAIN: I guess I am confused about how the backplane connects to the motherboard. As I understand it now, the TQ backplanes act as a sort of "pass thru" and go off of the motherboards SATA ports. The other possibilities are to use a RAID controller or an HBA. Is this correct? Is it safe to assume that most 1U's will use a TQ backplane since they only hold a relatively small number of drives?


Option1:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/UXS-Server-Intel-Xeon-E3-1270-V2-3-5Ghz-Quad-Core-16GB-RAM-Supermicro-X9SCM-F/153231424196?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2763.l2649#viTabs_0

Option 2:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Supermicro...ghz-4-Cores-16gb-4x-Trays-2x-PSU/233098749051

Option 3: (not 1U but, but leaves room to upgrade)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Supermicro...-V2-3-4ghz-Quad-Core-16GB-No-HDD/233102719381

Option 4: (this one is a bit overkill, but if I can get it for a good price, why not?)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Supermicro...630-2-30Ghz-32GB-300GB-1U-Server/401726989189

Again, thank you guys for your time.

 

[Chris Moore]

Why do you think you want a 1U srever?

 

[mpepin07]

I think that by time I piece to together a motherboard, cpu, ram, case and psu, it will likely cost more than a prebuilt. And since I will only be using four drives, a 1U with four bays will fit the bill. I am not dead set on this, but it does seem like the simplest option at this point.

 

[Chris Moore]

I think that by time I piece to together a motherboard, cpu, ram, case and psu, it will likely cost more than a prebuilt. And since I will only be using four drives, a 1U with four bays will fit the bill. I am not dead set on this, but it does seem like the simplest option at this point.

If you only want four drives, that is fine, but why a 1U form factor? They are usually quite loud because of the small diameter fans needing to run at high RPM to move enough air. Are you planning to rack mount this in a server room? If not, you could just get a FreeNAS Mini:
https://www.amazon.com/FreeNAS-Mini-Network-Attached-Diskless/dp/B00EQJ1BTU
Here is a review of one that gives a good level of detail:
https://cyberj0ck.wordpress.com/2014/05/05/my-review-of-the-freenas-mini-part-1/

 

[Chris Moore]

Option 3: (not 1U but, but leaves room to upgrade)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Supermicro...-V2-3-4ghz-Quad-Core-16GB-No-HDD/233102719381

If you want to stick with your options, they all look reasonable, but I would go with this 2U model because it should be less loud than the 1U models.

 

[mpepin07]

Those do look very nice but they are quite a bit outside of my budget (~$300-$400). As for the noise of the 1U, I am not too concerned as this will be mounted in a closet in my basement next to my router.

 

[mpepin07]

Oops, look like I posted before I saw this reply. Thank you for the feedback! I guess my only remaining concern is regarding how the drives connect to the motherboard. How can I tell whether this uses a RAID card or an HBA?

 

[Chris Moore]

Based on the missing slot cover, I bet this had a card in it that they took out and sold separately. You could get something like this to go in it an be able to use all six drive bays if you wanted.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-H310-6Gbps-SAS-HBA-LSI-9211-8i-P20-IT-Mode-Low-Profile-ZFS-FreeNAS-unRAID/162903881137

and you probably need a set of cables like this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-of-2-Mini-SAS-to-4-SATA-SFF-8087-Multi-Lane-Forward-Breakout-Internal-Cable/371681252206

 

[mpepin07]

Okay thank you. I will likely order this first and then the card and cables if needed.

Just out of curiosity, is there any general rule to know what kind of card is installed other than asking or getting a model number?

 

[Chris Moore]

Just out of curiosity, is there any general rule to know what kind of card is installed other than asking or getting a model number?

You can often look at the photos, if they are good enough, but on eBay auctions, you often need to rely on their description or ask questions. The problem with that, some of the seller really have no idea what they are selling. It is best to buy from a "known-good" seller. The Art of Server guy is a reliable seller.

 

[mpepin07]

Thats good info. Thanks for all the help Chris.