haizman

I spent $20 for the single-core AMD low watt chip from NewEgg, not to shabby. I would expect only a negligible performance gain using dual-core vs single-core if only used to serve up storage (I'm not even sure if any version of Unraid is multi-core aware).

If your Wireless router has Gigabit (10/100/1000) ports in it's built in switch, and you intend to transfer big files between your unRaid box and other PCs in your house, then I would plug them all into it. Most older wireless routers usually have only 10/100 switch ports (same speed as the Popcorn Hour), so going from Gigabit to the PCH will not make things go faster. I have my main PC and unRaid box connected through a cheap Dlink 5 port Gigabit switch (using Cat-5E or Cat-6 cables). I do this because I transfer large files between the two. I have one cable going from the Dlink switch to my Wireless router (which only has 10/100 ports) to give all LAN computers Internet access.

I have to add that I recently built a new unRaid box from some old and new parts (new TB drives) for the primary purpose of hosting media files for my A-100 PCH. It has worked flawlessly with one exception - because I enable the disks to spin down to save energy (and less noise), sometimes it takes a few tries for the PCH to "wake up" the disk. This is minor as it only takes a few seconds. If you were building a new unRaid box I'd say make sure to pick a Mobo that has a proven NIC (in terms of streaming performance), but it sounds like you are purchasing a solution, in that case it should work as fast as expected (within the constraints of your switch, cables, etc).

I'm using a 45W AMD Sempron LE-1150 Sparta 2.0GHz 256KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 45W Single-Core Processor - Retail.

I am using this Gigabyte GA-MA78G-DS3H board. The on board Realtek 8111C Gigabit NIC works great and is very fast (I usually see 20 to 45 MB/sec transfer speeds). It uses the following chipsets - 1. North Bridge: AMD 780G 2. South Bridge: AMD SB700 It runs several drives in AHCI mode with no problems (I don't use the onboard mobo Raid). I had driver compatibility problems with FreeNas and this board, but I'm glad I found the unRaid product instead!

I'm getting great transfer speeds from XP to unRaid box - usually between 20 to 45 MB/sec!! XP box has Atheros AR8121 gigabit, and the unRaid box has Realtek 8111C gigabit chipset. This is going through a cheap Dlink DGS-2205 5 port Gigabit switch.