melvin

I'm starting to put together my build, but I've run into a problem when trying to verify my two Hitachi drives are detected. I receive this message: ata1: SATA link down (SStatus 0 SControl 300) ata3: SATA link down (SStatus 0 SControl 300) ata4: SATA link down (SStatus 0 SControl 300) ata2: SATA link up 3.0 Gbps (SStatus 123 SControl 300) I went into the bios and saw that both drives are recognized although one says it's an IDE drive. I removed/disabled them from the boot order just in case. When I view the system on my notebook I can only see one drive. My parts include: MSI 880GMA-E53 AM3 AMD 880G http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130308, which has 8 SATA ports IcyDock 5-in-3s Hitachi 2TB 5k3000 (2x) Lexar Firefly 4GB drive AMD Athlon x2 If someone could point me in the right direction I'd appreciate it.

I'm not sure if I'm reading the specs right, but take a look at the ASUS M4A87TD/USB3 http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-M4A87TD-USB3-DDR3-Motherboard/dp/B003ICWAV4/ref=sr_1_7?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1299866721&sr=1-7 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131651&cm_re=ASUS_M4A87TD%2fUSB3-_-13-131-651-_-Product

Ordered one. anyone have a suggestion/deal on a motherboard for this?

I think I found an AMD II x2 at, of all places, Salvation Army. The motherboard may need to be replaced because it only has 4 sata ports and I'm not even sure it turns on. They told me I could bring a power cable and screen in and check it out before I buy it. The mobile rack I was speaking of are from amazon http://www.amazon.com/Kingwin-3-5IN-Sata-Mobile-Rack/dp/B00126U0VA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299564545&sr=8-1. They're similar to what you have on your budget 9 drive build. Mod edit: fixed broken link

I chose the i3 for the power consumption, integrated graphics, and because I thought it could handle any extra work I threw at it. My thinking was that I needed some extra processing power to convert my DVD's and iso files to 1gb .mkv files in the background, while I let my family watch a movie. My plan was for a maximum of 12 drives, but I went to 11 since I decided on using the mobile racks in addition to the cooler masters. After a great deal of thinking i realized I really did not need the icy dock 5-in-3s. I don't plan on swapping the drives out constantly since I plan on buying 2TB drives as I need them. And if I ever think about going into the 15 disk range I figure it would be a new build anyway. Maybe I'll look into an AMD processor since they seem a whole lot cheaper and with regards to power consumption it's not that big of a deal. I am actually in the process of building myself a desktop as well, which i've given myself a $750 budget for. For that I'm using either an i5 or i7 (waiting to see if there will be any combos when the sandybridge mobo start showing up). Should I just convert everything through this desktop and then transfer the data by way of the mobile rack?The 4gb of ram is actually a purchase of 2x4gb sticks that I was planning on splitting between unraid and my desktop build. btw, I've found viewing all these components and all your builds to be a form of geek porn which I cannot look away from.

I've been trying to put together a list for my first build, but I'm pretty stumped when it comes to a motherboard and the SATA expansion card. I'm planning on building this as I feed my hoarding addiction with plans to convert my DVD collection, torrent a television episode or two, watch a hd movie every now and then, and do daily backups of several computers. My budget tops out at $600, but of course I'd like to keep it at as low as possible therefore most of my purchases are from tigerdirect and amazon (I swear it's only for the free shipping, not trying to stiff the state of any taxes). I'm buying everything except for the case and the PSU. I've already sacrificed the trayless 5-in-3 hot-swaps as much as I wanted them in favor of the cooler master 4-in-3 and a mobile rack. My plan was to keep the mobile rack free to pre-clear drives in the futureand maybe even use it to transfer some of the iso files i have sitting on another drive. My building experience is limited since I've only built from kits, so I'd appreciate any input. Also, I haven't looked too closely at the AddOns but UnMenu and UnTorrent are on the list so far. CPU: Intel Core i3 540 LGA1156 Motherboard: (Intel H55HC Motherboard)http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5587168&CatId=5195 or (Intel DQ57TM Motherboard)http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6346527&CatId=5323 RAM: 4 GB DDR3 1333 Case: AZZA Helios 910 Black Japanese SECC Steel ATX Case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811517007 Drive Cage(s): COOLER MASTER STB-3T4-E3-GP 4-in-3 Device Module Hardisk Cage (2), Mobile Rack for 3.5 inches SATA HDD - Open Frame (3) Power Supply: CORSAIR 430W SATA Expansion Card(s): 2 port SATA2 Serial ATA II PCI-Express RAID Controller Card () http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10407&cs_id=1040702&p_id=2530&seq=1&format=2 Cables: SATA Cables. Any ideas on something that won't make the inside of the case look like a jungle? Flash Drive: 2 GB SanDisk Cruzer Micro using a StarTech USB A to USB Motherboard 4-Pin Header F/F 2.0 Cable, 6" (USBMBADAPT) http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-Motherboard-4-Pin-Header-USBMBADAPT/dp/B000IV6S9S/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1299477681&sr=1-2 Parity Drive: 2 TB Hitachi 5K3000 Data Drives: 2 TB WD Green EARS which I need to find jumpers for (4), in the future I'll be using all green drives Cache Drive: 500 TB WD Blue