hebens

I had a very similar problem but it got solved when removing in Media Center Mast the “inspect and record video file details” feature as Media Center Master got stuck on some files in the scanning process un my unRAID server. I did not use to have this problem until recently and it might be a default feature that got recently introduced in Media Center Master. I hope this helps!

Got one too. Nice deal!

Thank you fitbrit. I picked up another two. I have never had any problems with these drives...

HITACHI Deskstar 5K3000 HDS5C3020ALA632 (0F12117) 2TB 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145475

I recently built a system using GIGABYTE GA-890GPA-UD3H board which is similar, I believe (it is full ATX and has 8 SATA ports, but AMD based as well). I had no problems setting things up using five 2TB drives, but I am using unRaid 4.7 and have not included an SATA extension. The HBA was disabled by default. You can find a list of components I used at http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=12425.0.

I built the described system this past weekend, without the SATA extension and using just one of the three drive cages. Things went smoothly and I have now four disks running. I am sure that the hick-ups I encountered were related by my errors: (1) initially I did not format my USB stick correctly and could not boot the system, (2) the system froze on me once during an overnight copy and simultaneous build of the parity disk, and (3) after including an additional disk the system did not properly start up after a soft reboot, but came up again on the hard reboot. Re the hardware, a few items to note are: (1) The SuperMicro drive cages come with SATA cables and hence there is no need to buy additional ones (I actually ordered some cables from MonoPrice, but they forgot to pack them). (2) While the drive cage comes very close to the motherboard, I do not foresee any issues putting three of these cages in the case. (3) To use the top drive cage in the Lian Li P50 case, however, I will need to file down / bend in some ledges that are in place to hold 5¼ bays. Next to putting in two additional drive cages and the SATA controller, I need to deal with the noise of the system. I have not spent any time on the latter, but hope the mobo bios can handle this. Anyway, thanks again for all your help! Heiko

For anyone following this thread and interested in a similar system, you can find the components I outlined in my first post at http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=15954852. However, I made some very small changes -- I chose a slightly faster CPU (but it is still a 65W dual core) and chose 1 x 4GB RAM instead of 2 x 2GB RAM. Best, Heiko

Whaler_99 / Rajahal, Many thanks for your prompt reply – this has been a great start to my unRAID experience. I will certainly just start up with one of the Super Micro hot swap bays to see how it fits (and return it should it not) and will certainly also pick up some extra SATA cables. I need do a bit more research on the MB and SATA expansions. I am actually not planning to buy the SATA expansion right away to keep things simple at the beginning (and hence the attraction to the Mobo as it has 8 SATA ports). Should I buy that very expansion I will remember to buy two of the forward breakout cables. Thanks again for all your help. I will likely purchase the items over the next days and keep you updated on my progress. Best, Heiko

Please see the below list of items I intend to purchase (and items I already have) in order to build my first unRAID system. Here are a few considerations that went into this list: (1) Clearly the case is on the "high-end" and I am buying it mostly for the optics. (2) Should I be unhappy with unRAID (for some unforeseen reason), the below should allow me to build a fine WHS (realizing that the Mobo, CPU, RAM are clearly an overkill for unRAID) (3) I plan on starting up without the SATA expansion and rely on the 8 SATA ports that came with the MB (4) I see from the Wiki that the Samsung F4 is not recommended, but I unfortunately already own these drives, but will look into patching them. I would greatly appreciate you feedback on the system and whether you see anything that is known not to work in an unRAID system and anything that might be missing (skews, cables, etc). Many thanks! Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-890GPA-UD3H CPU: AMD Athlon II X2 250 Regor 3.0GHz RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM PSU: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-650TX Case: Lian Li P50 SATA Expansion: SUPERMICRO AOC-SASLP-MV8 PCI Express Hot Swap Drive Bays: Super Micro x 3 Cables for SATA Expansion: 3ware CBL-SFF8087OCF-05M 1 unit of 0.5m Hard Drives: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F4 HD204UI 2TB 5400 RPM (starting up with 2)