Recommendations for FreeNAS Build with i5/i7 Performance?

[theprez]

Hey All--

Been reading the forums and found a few excellent build example threads but all seem to rely on slower/less powerful Xeon processors.

Current State:

Using a QNAP TVS-471 which I modified from an i3 to an i5 - it now comfortably transcodes content which will be a large function of the FreeNAS build. Lots of family - and lots of different devices which requires transcoding. The i3 that came with the QNAP wasn't up to snuff, the i5 handles it with a little breathing room...i7 would probably be ideal.

So back to FreeNAS - I'm exploring building my own NAS but need some motherboard recommendations that would provide similar i5/i7 performance while supporting ECC in a compact physical case (4 to 5 drives max).

As an example, this guys site was almost perfect for my needs (http://ramsdenj.com/2016/01/01/FreeNAS-Server-Build.html) but the CPU and motherboard won't work in my case.

Any help?

Thanks

 

[SweetAndLow]

The CPU you want doesn't support ecc ram that is why no one uses them. Also the Xeon build are probably just as powerful if not more than a i5/i7 build.

Example: e3-1231 v3 is about the same as i7 6700 when it comes to passmark.

 

[Ericloewe]

Xeon E3s are equivalent to i5s and i7s, depending on the model.

slower/less powerful Xeon processors.

What on Earth gave you that idea?

 

[theprez]

Thanks all -

My plan is to use the equipment below....are these good choices?

Which SATA ports do I use on the motherboard for the actual storage drives? It seems some are faster ports than others.

Supermicro X10SL7-F
Intel Xeon E3-1276 v3 Quad-core

 

[danb35]

Which SATA ports do I use on the motherboard for the actual storage drives?

Whichever you like. Spinning rust can't come close to saturating SATA2, much less SATA3.

The E3-1276 is most likely overkill, and IIRC includes a GPU that will be useless to you in this application.

 

[jgreco]

Too slow for you? Go grab an X10SRL (~$250) and an E5-1650v3 (~$550) and 128GB DDR4 (~$600) and you'll have a machine impossibly larger than any i5 or i7. That'd likely be the recommended design around here.

You can get socket 2011 in mini-ITX such as http://www.asrockrack.com/general/productdetail.asp?Model=EPC612D4I#Specifications but you'll be limited in terms of expansion, and I wouldn't call it a good idea.

 

[theprez]

Whichever you like. Spinning rust can't come close to saturating SATA2, much less SATA3.

The E3-1276 is most likely overkill, and IIRC includes a GPU that will be useless to you in this application.

I'd have to see if I can find it again but I read on here that certain SATA points use a different controller - so I wasn't sure if there was a preference on which SATA ports to use based on the controller (not just the speed - sorry, I should have reworded my question better - it's around speed and controller).

Thanks

 

[diedrichg]

You need a Passmark score of 1500 - 2000 (720p, 1080p respectively) PER simultaneous transcode. Head to http://m.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html to find your ideal processor. Matching a uATX LGA 2011-v3 with a v3 or v4 processor will be the most difficult task along with determining how much you want to spend.

 

[Luckyji]

solution--> http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/Xeon/D/X10SDV-F.cfm
128gb ecc ddr4
satadom for boot
throw in a SAMSUNG 950 PRO M.2 512GB for l2arc

 

[danb35]

I'd have to see if I can find it again but I read on here that certain SATA points use a different controller

They do, but on the X10SL7 that isn't a factor. On some of the ASRock boards, some of the SATA ports use a Marvell controller, which has been known to cause some problems. On the X10SL7, six ports are standard SATA ports, and the remaining eight are SAS ports provided by an onboard SAS controller. You can connect your drives to any combination of those ports.