BUILD Sanity Check - First Time Build

[AgentJuno]

Hello All,

I am new to the world of FreeNAS and have absorbed a ton of information over the past few weeks. I have assembled a list of components that I believe should provide me with a decent home-use build. At some point in the future, I may be running a Plex server with one or two streams at most.

Seeing as all the FreeNAS experts are conveniently located here, I was hoping to get some thoughts on my proposed build to make sure that I haven't misunderstood the hardware guides / recommendations. I may be able to spend a few more bucks on these components, but my budget is at the top end of what I have available.

Chassis / Case: Fractal R4
MoBo: Supermicro MBD-X10SLL-F-O
CPU: i3 4170
RAM: Crucial 16GB Kit (8GB+8GB) - CT2KIT102472BD160B
PSU - Corsair RM 450

I will initially only use 4 HDDs (WD Reds) in this box and may expand in the future.

I hope I haven't missed the mark anywhere. Your thoughts and comments are appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[Mirfster]

Looks like it would do fine to me. What are you leaning towards for the OS (USB or SSD)?

 

[anodos]

If you get the MBD-X10SL7 then you'll be able to add more drives at a later date without purchasing an HBA.

 

[David3D]

Hi there,

Welcome to the fold. You will want to reconsider your CPU choice. I remember reading somewhere i3's support ECC memory, but I'm not sure if that is a golden rule yet.

This is an edit, I wrote all about ECC, but it looks like the memory you have listed is ECC. Whether or not that CPU will take advantage is another story.

Western Digital Reds (the standard ones) lack what some consider to be necessary shock sensors for NAS use. RED pros have the shock sensors, but run hotter due to being 7200RPM rather than 5500. Some have had success with WD Green drives, but have re-programmed them to prevent early failure.

Good luck! :)

 

[anodos]

Hi there,
Welcome to the fold. You will want to reconsider your CPU and memory choices. Unless it's too early in the morning and I am reading wrong, you don't have ECC memory listed.

It's ECC memory

People have reported in the past that ECC memory is supported by the i3 CPU for some reason. I wouldn't risk it though.

Intel lists the CPU as supporting ECC. http://ark.intel.com/products/77490/Intel-Core-i3-4170-Processor-3M-Cache-3_70-GHz I don't see any reason to distrust Intel.

 

[Mirfster]

Yeah, the i3-4170 supports ECC. C'mon you thinking I wouldn't check before opening my big mouth? :D

 

[AgentJuno]

I think I will go with USB for the O/S for now. I may be able to squeeze in an SSD once my wife gets over her shock at the cost of this "toy".

It looks like I may have a hard time finding the PSU. I may have to substitute with a SeaSonic S12G-450. PSU availability in my area is a bit weak for some reason.

Are there any glaring upgrades I could make for a small increase in price ($75 or so)?

 

[anodos]

I think I will go with USB for the O/S for now. I may be able to squeeze in an SSD once my wife gets over her shock at the cost of this "toy".

It looks like I may have a hard time finding the PSU. I may have to substitute with a SeaSonic S12G-450. PSU availability in my area is a bit weak for some reason.

Are there any glaring upgrades I could make for a small increase in price ($75 or so)?

If you're planning to increase the number of drives in the system in the future (the typical way of doing this is creating a second vdev identical to your first one and striping the two), you may want to consider getting the 550W version of the SeaSonic PSU.

 

[David3D]

Yeah, the i3-4170 supports ECC. C'mon you thinking I wouldn't check before opening my big mouth? :D

Yea, edited my post after looking in to it more.

I've been doing a lot of reading too and one of the guides suggested i3 CPUs might be a lottery. Perhaps that was from years ago.

 

[AgentJuno]

Well, good news. I was able to get a few more bucks to allocate to the proposed system. Revised specs:

Chassis / Case: Fractal R4
MoBo: Supermicro MBD-X10SL7-F
CPU: Xeon E3-1220 V3
RAM: Crucial 16GB Kit (8GB+8GB) - CT2KIT102472BD160B
PSU: SeaSonic S12G-550

I think the above setup is a bit more future friendly and really only costs about CAD $250 more. In for a penny, in for a pound, I guess...

 

[Mirfster]

In for a penny, in for a pound, I guess...

You ain't seen nothing yet. Once bitten by the Hardware bug and FreeNas on top of that... Whoa Boy....

 

[AgentJuno]

You ain't seen nothing yet. Once bitten by the Hardware bug and FreeNas on top of that... Whoa Boy....

There is always money to be spent on better equipment! I suspect that while the MoBo change will not provide any performance increase (just room for expansion), that the processor change should make a big difference.

 

[Ericloewe]

Yea, edited my post after looking in to it more.

I've been doing a lot of reading too and one of the guides suggested i3 CPUs might be a lottery. Perhaps that was from years ago.

Pre-Haswell i3s were the subjects of a rather nasty misunderstanding. In a nutshell, ark said they did support ECC, but that was a mistake. Haswell and newer i3s do support ECC, according to Intel's revised statements.

That said, I'd feel a lot better if someone wrote an ECC error injection tool and didn't hide it behind a subscription fee. Hell, I'd be ok with paying a reasonable price for the tool, assuming I'd get updates for more than the measly year passmark will give you if you buy memtest86.

 

[AgentJuno]

Chassis / Case: Fractal R4
MoBo: Supermicro MBD-X10SL7-F
CPU: Xeon E3-1220 V3
RAM: Crucial 16GB Kit (8GB+8GB) - CT2KIT102472BD160B
PSU: SeaSonic S12G-550

Well, I managed to get an R5 case for $5 more and the SeaSonic G version for the same price...

Now comes the hard part: waiting for delivery...

 

[David3D]

Now comes the hard part: waiting for delivery...

I'm in exactly the same position. I'm waiting for 12 2TB disks, rails, chassis and switches for my latest build! I'm in agony.