Naldinho

Thank you everyone for all the help. I have a much better idea of what I need now -- also computers have gotten a lot more complicated and the number of variants is much greater than when I was younger and into them.

Thanks to all three for the help. The only VM with pass-through will be the Windows 10 VM. The other two are just going to be accessed by VNC or something similar. The E3-1275v5 and E5-2620 v3 are only $100 difference and the i7-5820K is right in the middle and has ACS and a considerably higher passmark so it comes down to is ECC something that matters for my use -- if not the i7-5820k seems like the correct choice.

I'm fairly new to this as well but while I have been reading a lot I have seen several people mention that Supermicro boards are very picky about RAM. The RAM you are using is not on the tested list http://www.supermicro.com/support/resources/mem_exclude_DDR3_135V_135V.cfm that doesn't mean it won't work only that it isn't on the tested list. Given how picky people claim these boards are it might be worth trying the RAM from the list. I have had plenty of desktops that were supposed to take X amount of RAM fail to post with certain types of RAM and then work fine with other brands.

Thank you. So something like the E5-2620 v3 would be good? I'm completely new to VMs -- do cores need to be assigned in pairs? If no I think the XP machine would be just one and probably the Linux machine as well. Given the cost of the processor not sure if it wouldn't make more sense to build a simple unraid NAS without VMs + a new Windows 10 i5 Skylake and then just use two random old machines for the LAMP and XP desktops

I started a topic in Hadware but figured I might get a better response here. This is how the build is going to be used. Small NAS (6Tb-9TB using 3TB drives) Windows 10 VM -- always on, no gaming, typical productivity software and Photoshop / Corel Draw Linux VM -- always on -- headless -- LAMP -- run a small site that is internal only php/sql very night use Windows XP VM -- always on -- headless -- used for some software that just doesn't play well in 64-bit environments A few dockers but nothing with transcoding -- I'm building a second unraid server for media. What kind of CPU should I be looking at? I was thinking Xeon E3-1230 originally but the more I read the more I'm going in circles -- basically stuck on Xeon vs i7 and if Xeon v3 vs v5. Can someone please point me in the right direction.

Thank you for the response -- learning about formats is on the to do list. Eventually I'll spend some time organizing that to get things into the best format to minimize load. It has been something I've needed to do for a while as I have a LG TV that has issues with some types of audio. --------------------- Been doing more reading -- when people talk about virtualization and running a Windows or Linux machine on 2 cores are they using the unRAID server as their desktop computer as well? That is a different understanding of what I thought was meant. Basically I currently have a few virtual machines on my desktop for using old software that doesn't work well 64-bit Windows. I then have two Linux machines on older PCs that I remote into when I need to use Linux. My assumption was that all of this would move onto my unRAID but that I would still need a desktop computer. If I can actually use the unRAID server as my desktop by just adding a gfx card and an SSD to the correct CPU/motherboard combo then that changes things as I was about to buy a new desktop computer as well. Can someone confirm that my new interpretation is accurate.

I've been playing with the idea of a unraid build for a while but finally hit the point where I can't procrastinate any further. Was hoping the good people here could point me in the right direction -- I've been reading for two days and mostly going in circles. Build #1 Small NAS (6TB-9TB) A bunch of VMs (various o/s) but they won't typically be working at the same time -- just basically stuff I power up use and shut down I would like them to be responsive when in use. An internal web-server so probably Ubuntu + LAMP -- running 24-7 but light use. Probably a couple of dockers but no media transcoding. This is for a small business so no high demanding games -- but could see a OwnCloud, Crashplan, OpenVPN, FTP server, maybe a SQL server. 1) What CPU would someone suggest for something like this? 2) Does having dual-LAN matter on the motherboard? 3) With the Xeon processors v3 Haswell and v5 Skylake CPUs with the same part number have similar specs and similar prices -- if I went Xeon my natural tendency would be to go with the newer v5 is that the correct choice? Build #2 Media Server -- lots of storage + PlexServer + a few dockers for media stuff As long as I go with Passmark 5000 or greater I should have no issues with up to 2 streams -- my only question is would I benefit in anyway from Skylake?

Plex is doing transcoding. I have an LG tv and it can accept files without transcoding but not DTS sound. With DTS sound Plex should just transcode the sound not the video but for some reason it tried to do both and thus the buffering issues. I could just convert all the files to AC3 and then they get served with no transcoding but if for $100 more I can just buy a CPU that makes that unnecessary then I will.

I don't know much about modern CPUs so I just looked at benchmark ratings and price and kept going until the jump in price to get to the next level was higher than I deemed worth it. I thought the processor might be overkill but I am currently running Plex server on a Windows 7 machine with a Q6600 and I am getting buffering issues with 1080p if the file also has DTS sound. Since I want to have the ability to stream multiple files I figured I'd need a processor with at least 2x the rating of the Q6600.

Going to be ~12 drives but I want the option to expand to 20. I plan to run Plex server with a lot of large 1080p files. Most of the time the server would only be streaming one of these but I would like the ability to stream two and maybe three if possible. I also plan on running some additional add-ons (if available) SABnzbd, Sick Beard, CouchPotato, FTP server, a torrent app, etc but I have to look at what is available. The Plex demand is the biggest concern as none of these seem all that demanding. This was the build I was considering Antec Twelve Hundred V3 Black Steel ATX Full Tower Unbeatable Gaming Case http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129100 ASUS M5A78L-M LX PLUS AM3+ AMD 760G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131795 AMD FX-8120 Zambezi 3.1GHz Socket AM3+ 125W Eight-Core Desktop Processor http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103961 CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139021 Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104173 If this acceptable? ------------------ I also have three general questions. 1) Is it better to have just a server and run all your apps on a separate machine? 2) Is there any benefit to having a 6GB controller? 3) There seems to be conflicting information on the ability to use 3TB drives. Can you use them and get full use of the space?

It is an LG TV so it is not DTS compatible. I did some researched and all I found was that it is a pretty common problem that people with LG TVs get buffering issues. It appears that the Plex server is transcoding both the audio and video (I though it should only be doing audio) and running at 100%. I am just assuming that a faster CPU will resolve the issue.

I have gone through the wiki with suggested builds and compatibility of motherboards and none of the Linewire official boards are available. I plan to run the Plex server which I have tested on my desktop and I am having issues with 1080p DTS files on a Q6600 but 1080p AC3 files work fine. I figure a better processor is likely a solution. I have no idea what a proper CPU is but I rather be on the overpowered side. I would like to have 9-12 drives -- most likely 10. I would prefer if it was possible to use 3TB drives but not 100% necessary Any suggestions on motherboard?