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[Ozymandias]

Hey there guys!

 

I've been trying to build a somewhat decent server for the past couple of months now. It seems that I will finally achieve my goal since the prices of the components that I was looking for are finally lowering to a point where it meets my needs. A brief list of what I'll be running on it is the following:

 

• Media Server ( haven't decided if Plex or JellyFin) - At the moment I'm only considering streaming to some family members. I reckon that the number may be around 4 simultanous streams (max peak). Whenever possible I'll direct play the stream to avoid transcoding the files.
• VM (Windows) - For regular browsing (when needed) and encoding tasks (video projects);
• PiHole (Docker)
• Bitwarden (Docker)
• PfSense (Docker)
• Minecraft Server (Docker)
• MariaDB
• Nextcloud
• Plexpy
• Radarr
• Sonarr
• OpenVPN

 

Here's what I currently have:

 

MOBO - Supermicro X10DAI-O - https://www.supermicro.com/en/products/motherboard/X10DAi

CPU - [Single CPU] E5-2695 v4 - https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/91316/intel-xeon-processor-e52695-v4-45m-cache-2-10-ghz.html

RAM - 4x16GB DDR4 RDIMM 2133p

Case - Supermicro 846

LSI - SAS 9266-4i/1GB - https://docs.broadcom.com/doc/12351959

Unraid boot device - Kingston Mobilelite g2 + 32 micro SD card (from Sandisk)

HDD's - Currently I have 3 My Elements 14 TB HDD's which I'll shuck.

 

What I don't have:

 

SSD - I was considering grabbing a Intel SSD DC P3700 2TB . What would be a good used price for these units? Since the board doesn't allow nvme connections, I either can go the usual SSD route (Samsung SSD 2TB) or then something that uses the PCI-E lanes) ...

GPU - I'm still waiting for a reasonable price for a board. I was looking over at NVidia Quadro P400 but in Europe there isn't that much offer (for reasonable prices - my budget would be 300 euros if possible).

120mm Fans - Considering replacing the fan wall with 3x NF-F12 industrialPPC-3000 PWM .

 

Main questions:

• Do you guys think that this GPU is perhaps a bit overkill for my need?
• Regarding the LSI board, does anyone know how can I flash it to IT mode? I've searched for a while and haven't came up with anything that I could use...
• Does anyone use these fans and can give me a feedback how loud they sound? I've seen video reviews that left me terrified. Initially I was looking to grab the NF-A12x25 PWM but I've seen that these may not get the correct air pressure into the case ...

 

Sorry for the wall of text guys! Really looking forward to finally build this machine! Your help will for sure guide me in this project ...

Edited December 28, 2021 by Ozymandias
Added links

[Golfonauta]

Hello Ozymandias,

 

it really looks like a nice build. It seem you don't really need anything to just build and start testing your server, so I would go that way. You will not be using a lot of drives initially, and Unraid at least as I use it use to have only one or 2 drives active most of the time (mostly cache drive and the drive you use for the VMs).

I would check the noise of other fans, like the ones in the PSUs included with that case, that are smaller and look like they will rev up and make some fancy noise.

It is worth checking all your noises and trying to low down the REVs of all your fans, maybe even the ones included are not that noisy at really low speeds. If you use a big CPU cooling solution maybe you can get rid of most of the airflow you will need with stock one.

So, at least from my POV, build and test first, then see what you need to upgrade.

 

BTW I also use Noctua in my builds but I have a Lian-li D-8000 that is a completely different beast, and I used to have a desktop based CPU, I have just bought an Epyc system for that case, and I will probably buy an Artic Freezer cooler because of Noctua not building onw with the correct orientation for my Supermicro board. I will share my findings.

 

Cheers