Raj's Prototype Designs [Discussion Thread]

[Rajahal]

Sorry, but I don't test S3 sleep as part of my motherboard selection.  There are a number of factors that affect S3, not just the motherboard (for example, some SATA controller cards can prevent S3 on a motherboard that otherwise supports it).  Most modern motherboards do have an option for S3 sleep, but the question is if the rest of your system will play nice as well.  I've found that allowing your drives to spin down is enough in most cases.

[Apex77]

Raj,

 

If I was to start building a 5-Drive budget build right now, what mobo would you recommend at the current time (Feb 2012)?

[Rajahal]

Raj,

 

If I was to start building a 5-Drive budget build right now, what mobo would you recommend at the current time (Feb 2012)?

 

Assuming your goal is to be able to upgrade to the 10 or 15 Drive Budget at some point in the future, I would recommend the ECS A885GM-A2 (V1.1) that is currently on sale for $50 after rebate.  This board has the potential for up to 20 drives, and has proven quite reliable in all of my tests.  All of the other budget boards I've been testing have incompatible network cards, so the ECS board is your best bet at the moment.

[KYThrill]

New 20 Drive Budget Board announced!  See here.  Now here's hoping this one stays on the market for a while!

 

Edit: I've also updated my 20-24 Drive Prototype Builds to make use of this new budget board.

 

It occurred to me that this board will work just as well for smaller 15 drive servers, but the ATX form factor may be an issue in some cases.  What do you think?

 

You may have saw me post in the deals forum, but did you test with two Supermicro MV8's?  A user with this Mobo reports issues with two MV8's installed.  If that is the case, it wouldn't be suitable for a 20 drive build.

[prostuff1]

New 20 Drive Budget Board announced!  See here.  Now here's hoping this one stays on the market for a while!

 

Edit: I've also updated my 20-24 Drive Prototype Builds to make use of this new budget board.

 

It occurred to me that this board will work just as well for smaller 15 drive servers, but the ATX form factor may be an issue in some cases.  What do you think?

 

You may have saw me post in the deals forum, but did you test with two Supermicro MV8's?  A user with this Mobo reports issues with two MV8's installed.  If that is the case, it wouldn't be suitable for a 20 drive build.

See my reply there

[KYThrill]

New 20 Drive Budget Board announced!  See here.  Now here's hoping this one stays on the market for a while!

 

Edit: I've also updated my 20-24 Drive Prototype Builds to make use of this new budget board.

 

It occurred to me that this board will work just as well for smaller 15 drive servers, but the ATX form factor may be an issue in some cases.  What do you think?

 

You may have saw me post in the deals forum, but did you test with two Supermicro MV8's?  A user with this Mobo reports issues with two MV8's installed.  If that is the case, it wouldn't be suitable for a 20 drive build.

See my reply there

 

Any tips on how to diagnose a bad MV8?  If it spins up/down all drives, reads SMART data, and operates with no errors (and stable), what else could you do to diagnose it?

[prostuff1]

Any tips on how to diagnose a bad MV8?  If it spins up/down all drives, reads SMART data, and operates with no errors (and stable), what else could you do to diagnose it?

Welcome to the world of hardware issues.  About the only thing you can di is by another SASLP and start switching stuff around.

[flimflamman]

I'm about ready to purchase this 12 drive unit... It's my first build. I'd appreciate any comments or suggestions. I'm going to use this to run plex media server which is why I have upgraded the CPU/ram. I'm planning on using all 3tb drives.

 

I'd like to have a cache drive but I'm not sure what the requirements are. I see a lot of ppl using 2.5inch drives. Can someone recommend me a drive or solution for a cache drive.

 

Also, what would be the fastest way to transfer data from my hfs+ drives -Mac format. I have an external enclosure that has esata. Is there a good solution to transfer via esata or should I just do it over the network. I have a ton of data (like 12tb+) so speed is important haha. Could I even just put the drives in unused slots in my unit and transfer that way? I'll probably only start with 6-7 drives.

 

I've seen a lot of people use the i3 2100t with the  Asus P8H67-M LE REV 3.0 motherboard - this is more expensive but would it offer an advantage to my current choice below?

 

Here's my list:

 

Unraid server

 

Case:$80

AZZA Helios 910 Black / Red interior Japanese SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811517007

 

Bays:$210 (3x$70)

NORCO SS-400 4 Bay 3.5" SATA or SAS Hot Swap Rack Module

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816133035

 

Power supply:$45

CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 (CMPSU-430CXV2) 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026

 

Motherboard:$65

ECS A885GM-A2 (V1.1) AM3 AMD 880G SATA 6Gb/s ATX AMD

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813135272

 

CPU:$80

AMD Athlon II X3 455 Rana 3.3GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Desktop Processor ADX455WFGMBOX

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103911

 

Ram: $30

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL8D-4GBHK

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231180

 

Expansion card:$110

SUPERMICRO AOC-SASLP-MV8 PCI Express x4 Low Profile SAS RAID Controller

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816101358&Tpk=supermicro%20aoc%20saslp%20mv8

 

Breakout cables:$20(2x$10)

0.5m 30AWG Internal Mini SAS 36pin (SFF-8087) Male w/ Latch to SATA 7pin Female (x4) Forward Breakout Cable - Black

 

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10254&cs_id=1025406&p_id=8186&seq=1&format=2

 

Hard Drives:$230x?

HITACHI Deskstar 0S03230 3TB 5400 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145493

 

Cost of unit:$620

[Rajahal]

Looks like a good kit, I don't see any red flags or anything that should give you issues.  Keep in mind that unRAID 4.7 doesn't support 3 TB drives, you'll have to use one of the 5.0 betas.  The more expensive i3 based kit will likely end up being slightly more power efficient, so you'll save a few dollars per year in electricity costs.  I'm not as familiar with the Asus board, so I don't know if there are any particular issues there.  The specs look fine.

 

A cache drive can be pretty much any drive you like.  2.5" or 3.5" doesn't matter, some people just like using 2.5" drives installed internally so that they don't have to use up one of their drive bays.  If you have an old, smaller drive laying around (maybe 500 GB or less), that is what I would recommend as a cache drive.  If you are going to purchase a new drive, I would suggest either the cheapest drive you can get your hands on, or an SSD.  Which you choose would depend on how you plan to use the drive.  Plex itself doesn't require a cache drive, but if you plan to download data directly to the server, then a cache drive is a good idea.  This thread spells out the rest of the pros and cons of using a cache drive.

 

I would say go for your current list!

 

[sadkisson]

Hey Raj I basically built the pro version of your 15 drive box with the azza helios 910 box that is shown in your production 15drive build under products -> 15drive build. I still need to get the hot swap cages for this box and i was wondering what drive cage you used in that production box you have pictured or if you have any ideas on which cage i should go with.  Im using the supermicro x9scm-f-o mb I am aware any of them will be tight and I will have to bend down the tabs in the 5.25 drive bays.  I am just wondering if your suggested norco ss-500 or the icy docks will fit in this box.  Your picture in the production model does not appear to be any of those. Do you also mind suggesting the correct cables for your suggested cage. Appreciate your hard work it led me to build my unRaid box.  Thanks.

[Rajahal]

The Norco, Icy Dock, and Supermicro cages will all fit in the Azza 910 case (after you flatten the tabs, of course).  The ones in the photo are the Norco SS-500.  These cages just came back on the market and are available at Newegg and other retailers for about $90 each, which is considerably cheaper than the other two options.  I've got a hunch that these new cages are going to use the new tray style, just like the newest version of the Norco rackmount cases.  I just ordered three of the Norco SS-500s yesterday, they should arrive tomorrow.  If they are indeed different, I'll post a review in the Greenleaf blog.

 

The cables for each cage are going to be identical.  They are all identified in my Greenleaf Prototypes Blog.

 

I would also highly recommend flattening the tabs in your Azza case BEFORE installing any of the electronics.  It is all too easy to slip and damage the motherboard or some other vital part.  Best to modify the case before installing anything else.

[Rajahal]

New Blog Post up!  Haven't found a new 15 Drive budget board for unRAID 4.7 yet, but I've found a few that work flawlessly with 5.0-beta-14.

[jeff.lebowski]

I'm working on a spreadsheet to compare the costs of converting to a system that allows for up to 24 disks. It's a ton of work, and my SharePoint assignment needs to get done today...

 

Here it is!!!

[Rajahal]

You seem to be ignoring the cost of the CPU - keep in mind that the Budget and Beast builds as you have laid them out take different CPUs with a price difference of around $70...

[jeff.lebowski]

You seem to be ignoring the cost of the CPU - keep in mind that the Budget and Beast builds as you have laid them out take different CPUs with a price difference of around $70...

 

Oh snap! Thanks for noticing. I apparently skipped right over that part of the lists you made.

[zeerow2k]

Raj, first and foremost, i have to thank you a bunch for your detailed blog.

i must have gone through the prototype builds 100 times over before deciding on the build that was right for me.

i went with the 12 drive budget build but opted to be safer with the cx500v2 and went with 4gb of ram.

 

the only problems i ran into was having to bend the tab on the supermicro card to get it to install correctly and having to read through the comments on newegg to disable INT13.

 

again, just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to put together these prototype builds!

you helped me more than you know.

[Rajahal]

You are very welcome, I'm glad you benefited from my efforts!  If you haven't already, please consider a small donation to the blog - much of the new hardware that I test (especially the budget motherboards) are partially funded through donations.  Best of luck with your server!

[Frozone]

Hi Rajahal,

 

First of all, Thx for Your Blog. It helps a lot to find hardware for an unraid Server.

 

I have seen You had as a Budget Board the ASUS M4A78LT-M. But now its crossed out.

Is it still good, or did You have some problems with it.

 

Its the cheapest board I can find here in Switzerland and I want to use it with an ATHLON II X2 240E to have some power for VM Ware Server.

I am planing to use unraid 5.x with 3TB drives (starting with 8 and later go to 12HDDs).

 

 

[Influencer]

I believe that motherboard is crossed out due to it is out of stock in the US.

[Rajahal]

I believe that motherboard is crossed out due to it is out of stock in the US.

 

Correct.  If you can find it in Switzerland, go for it!  It is a great board.

[yobuddy]

I'm building the 24 Drive Budget Build (rackmount) build and have a few questions.  I'm using the ECS A885GM-A2 (V1.1) MB and bought the optional fans

 

Nexus PWM Series D12SL-12PWM 120mm Case Fan x 3 

ARCTIC COOLING ACF8 Pro PWM 80mm Case Fan x 2

 

I'm having trouble figuring out how to power the fans.  The MB has two 3 pin case fan connectors, but the only 4 pin connector is for the cpu fan.  I can't seem to find any 4pin to molex or sata power connectors or splitters.

 

Also, I put in two of the Silicon Image SIL3132 cards but it looks like only one of them are recognized. 

 

Any ideas?

 

Thank you

[Bungy]

I was just putting in an order for these too when I saw your post. Your fan supports 3 and 4 pin power inputs so either of these will work.

 

Molex (5.25 Male) / (3.5 Female X2) , DC Y CBL. Power Cable - 8in 

 

Molex (5.25 Male) / (3.5 Female) Int. DC Power Cable - 6 Inch

[yobuddy]

I was just putting in an order for these too when I saw your post. Your fan supports 3 and 4 pin power inputs so either of these will work.

 

Molex (5.25 Male) / (3.5 Female X2) , DC Y CBL. Power Cable - 8in 

 

Molex (5.25 Male) / (3.5 Female) Int. DC Power Cable - 6 Inch

 

Awesome, Thank you.  It's been a long time since I put together a computer and I thought I ordered the wrong controller cards as well.  I didn't realize you could put shorter pci-e cards in the longer slots and had to google around to find out I wouldn't fry anything.  Things were so much easier with PCI as ISA cards

[novc]

hey, thanks for all the advice everyone.

 

so i'm getting close to ordering my stuff, but wanted to run a couple things by you. currently i'm thinking the 3 drive micro sever, and just wanted to hear your thoughts.

 

i'm going to have this on as a 24/7 machine, and use primarily to stream to plex on tv/ipad. also would be interested in potentially using sickbeard/couch patato, and lastly be able to back my mbp up to it.

 

in terms of my media needs, i don't see them as being extremely onerous.

 

not entirely sure if i need the hot bays... any other substitute suggestions? any other component upgrade/ideas you have based on my needs?

 

also, what kind of drive configuration would you recommend?

 

thanks

[Rajahal]

hey, thanks for all the advice everyone.

 

so i'm getting close to ordering my stuff, but wanted to run a couple things by you. currently i'm thinking the 3 drive micro sever, and just wanted to hear your thoughts.

 

i'm going to have this on as a 24/7 machine, and use primarily to stream to plex on tv/ipad. also would be interested in potentially using sickbeard/couch patato, and lastly be able to back my mbp up to it.

 

in terms of my media needs, i don't see them as being extremely onerous.

 

not entirely sure if i need the hot bays... any other substitute suggestions? any other component upgrade/ideas you have based on my needs?

 

also, what kind of drive configuration would you recommend?

 

thanks

 

The single hot swap bays for the 3 Drive Micro Server are cheap enough that I would recommend them anyway, but you can save $30 and have a total of 4 internal bays by using this Cooler Master unit instead: link.  Swapping drives will this unit will require much more time and effort, as the entire cage needs to be removed from the server every time you need to do any drive maintenance.  You could even forgo the drive cage entirely and use the internal drive mounts, but then you may need to add additional fans to keep your drives cool.  Again, I highly recommend the hot swap drive bays as long as your budget allows it.

 

To stream anything you'll need a dual core or better CPU.  You can simply upgrade to an Athlon, but if you want to keep power consumption down, you might want to consider an Intel i3 build.  It will cost more up front, but cost less to run due to lower power usage and heat production (which means less fans and fan noise).