BUILD System planning - motherboard and CPU advice please

[Gareth123]

Hi all,

I'm planning to install a home network and build a NAS server. My original plan was to build a small PC running Arch Linux and use a SW or HW based RAID 10. Then, I stumbled across ZFS and found FreeNAS which looks like a far better solution. Having read up on both for a few days, I'm now planning to use FreeNAS and run a 4-disk RAID-Z.

I've a few questions regarding appropriate choice of CPU and motherbord. Here's some background on my requirements and plans at the moment.

My main requirements for the NAS are:
1. Low idle power
2. Must cope with one disk failure
3. Initially at least 2 TB of usable storage (expected to grow quickly)
4. Sufficient performance to support:
+ streaming two or more 2x HD-quality videos
+ internet downloading at 60Mbit
5. NAS-hosted Usenet downloading & processing
6. possibly IPTV recording when services become available
7. 24/7 operation
8. Media streaming using CIFS / DNLA etc.
9. The NAS is going to be in a cupboard so I'm not worried about physical size nor noise.
10. The ability to add another 4-disk RAID-Z in the future

System components I'm thinking of getting:
1. 4x 3TB WD RED in RAID-Z
2. 8 or 16GB ECC RAM

My main question is which CPU and motherboard to purchase. ECC RAM is recommended but this significantly limits the number of suitable motherboards in especially for Intel CPUs. Cheaper Intel motherboards don't appear to support ECC but some cheaper AMD ones do. So, after trawling the internet for a few days, it seems I have three options.

1. Spend quite a bit extra for an Intel Xeon / server motherboard e.g. a SuperMicro with either an Intel Xeon or newer Core i3 CPU and ECC memory.

2. Use a AMD motherboard (e.g. Asus M5A97) with ECC support with a low-end AMD CPU (e.g. a dual-core Sempron X2 190 2.5GHz) and buy a Intel gigabit NIC card.

3. Ditch the requirement for ECC memory and get a cheaper Intel-based system - perhaps an Mini-ITX Atom. I'm hesitant to do this.


I'm having a tough time deciding between options 1 & 2 and have a few questions:

Would the performance of the Sempron x2 190 be adequate for my needs and is there another low-power AMD CPU which is more suitable?

I option 2 may be more reliable but are there any other reasons to choose option 2 over option 1?

Have you got any other feedback?

Thanks,
Gareth

 

[hibble]

A Intel NIC is very much recomended. my new build relteck did ~70MBs but 100>110Mbs with a simple PCI Intel card.

ECC Some sware by it, but i have never seen the point for a home build if you can save decent money. For a office SAN hosting databases and users home folders i would insist on it. I have DVD coppies my irecratable critical files, rest is media which can be replaced if it corupts. Never noticed a file coruption in 4+ years. ZFS though has corrected disk errors during its weekly scrubs. If it makes almost no difrence in total price the question becomes why not.

My new build was a FM2 AMD A4-5300, GA-F2A85X-D3H motherbord (8 sata ports suporting hot swap) and 32GB non ECC RAM for me it came in at just over 1/2 price of a super micro + I3 processor and 32GB of ECC RAM. Runs my existing 4disk raidz1 + mirror+ mirror pool very well and the savings pay for the electrisity for atleast 2 years.

option 3 would probably strugle based on the requrements you list.