Shunz

garycase, thanks!! a) I think I'll stick with the i3 for the moment - if I eventually do need the Xeon then I'll get one, and save a little first. (the RAM is sunk cost anyway, hhe) b) Indeed... I assumed the PSUs won't be too inefficient at 10-20% load, until I took a look at some of the detailed reviews at SilentPCreview. Efficiencies at the lowest loads are around 70%! I like the Seasonic Platinum. The only concern is, I won't be able to install these fanless system the way they are intended - the ventilation grilles facing UP, since the PSU in my casing will be on its side (images below). The only consolation I can get from overpowered PSUs (heck, even 520W can be overpowered for my system when its at idle) regarding the *in*efficiency % is that, despite gross inefficiencies, the power loss stays relatively constant for gold/platinum PSUs in the 500-600w range (http://www.silentpcreview.com/A_Better_Way_to_Compare_PSU_Efficiency). Damn, the SS-520FL is really tempting! Can I lay it without the grille facing up? d) Glad to hear - I can at least stick the greens in and put them to good use... From some threads, it mentions that blacks will be better if there are several disks being accessed at the same time.. I gotta evaluate whether that will happen often for my usage... e) Any issues with using the SAS ports off the LSI2308 controller? I hear it may cause issues for certain VM applications... f) Really tempted to use a 2.5" for a cache drive, since it'll save a 3.5" slot. With the black WD 750gb, I hope I'll get minimal deterioration to the write speeds... Warning label for PSU grille to face up: http://www.silentpcreview.com/Seasonic_Platinum_Fanless_520W_PSU Likely position of the PSU in the GD08: http://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/luke-hill/silverstone-grandia-gd08-htpc-case-review/all/1/

Will run unRAID v5, intending to slowly replace 7 JBOD drives of 3-4TBs. Will start off as storage only, mainly for use with Plex running on my main PC. I'm totally new to unRAID... Any comments and advice will be very much appreciated! Board: Supermicro X10SL7-F (Haswell-based C222 chipset, up to 14 SATA drives, IPMI KVM) - Purchased http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/Xeon/C220/X10SL7-F.cfm CPU: Intel i3 4150 (3.5ghz dual core HT) RAM: Crucial 16GB Kit (8GBx2) DDR3L 1600MT/s ECC UDIMM CT2KIT102472BD160B - Purchased and awaiting delivery http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-1600MT-PC3-12800-240-Pin-CT2KIT102472BD160B/dp/B008EMA5VU 8gb is probably much more than enough, but future proofing with 16gb, after reading up about plugins and VMs on unRAID v6 PSU: Corsair AX 760W http://www.corsair.com/en/ax760-atx-power-supply-760-watt-80-plus-platinum-certified-fully-modular-psu Probably a little overkill, but ain't gonna save here, getting a solid PSU, system is running 24/7. Chassis: Silverstone GD-08 (fits 8x 3.5", 2x 5.25", 2x 2.5") with rackmount ear kits - Purchased and awaiting delivery http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=331 Needed desktop-based chassis to fit into current space; a printer will be stacked over this chassis. UPS: Probably an APC 500-650va. Any recommendations? Accessories: 5x Noiseblocker NB-eLoop B12-1 120mm fan http://www.frozencpu.com/products/16916/fan-1046/Noiseblocker_NB-eLoop_B12-1_120mm_x_25mm_Ultra_Silent_Bionic_Blade_Fan_-_800_RPM_-_below_8_dBA_.html?tl=g36c15s60#blank 2x Noiseblocker NB-Multiframe M8-S1 80mm fan http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8397/fan-513/Noiseblocker_NB-Multiframe_M8-S1_80mm_x_25mm_Ultra_Silent_Fan_-_1200_RPM_-_6_dBA.html#blank Scythe Hard Disk Stabilizer II - HDD Noise Reduction (SCY-HDS2) http://www.frozencpu.com/products/3041/noi-07/Scythe_Hard_Disk_Stabilizer_II_-_HDD_Noise_Reduction_SCY-HDS2.html?tl=g34c273s852&id=tPSGixMR#blank Cat 6A cable, extra SATA3 cables Sandisk USB 16gb USB3.0 Need to get a Kill-A-Watt! (or whatever version they have here in Singapore) Storage: Parity Drive: 1x WD Black 4TB (on Intel SATA3 port) Cache Drive: 1x WD Black 2.5" 750gb (don't think performance will be affected at all if I plug this onto the SATA2 port?) To put the otherwise wasted 2.5" bay to good use, and spares me one 3.5" hdd bay Storage Drives: Probably starting off with 2x WD Reds. Still struggling with whether to use my existing greens that are currently in use. Mistakes/considerations: Mobo + CPU: Could have bought an Atom board and saved a pretty penny there Chassis: Should have taken longer to ponder through other options. Considered resting a tower on its side, but may not work out since I need to place a printer on top of the chassis. Questions: - CPU: Okay to get an i3 4150? - Advisable to update the bios? The Supermicro site advises against updating bios unless there are issues... - Any recommended bios settings? E.g. to turn off Aggressive Link Power Management? - Okay to plug the parity drive onto the intel SATA3 6gb/s ports? - There are 8x SAS ports on this board, using an LSI 2308 Comments: Heh thanks to Living Legend (http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=28916.msg258091#msg258091), who posted a vid from which I discovered IPMI KVM, making me decide to get a server-grade board. Nice cats! Heh was previously looking at consumer ASUS boards. Pictures Not much pictures for the moment except the board which I bought immediately as it was the only box available that day with the distributor.