Overwhelmed... need budget low-perf build, other questions...

[sirwired]

Right now, I am simply overwhelmed by the amount of hardware available, and I really don't know where to begin.

 

This box will be used solely as a server for ripped DVD files to my Media Streamer.  As such, I don't need much bandwidth at all... almost anything that boots should do just fine.  I don't have an extremely large DVD library (maybe 150 or so), so a 12-bay case is probably overkill at this time.  To start, I was probably going to go with three 750GB SATA drives, with a general idea of eventually expanding to six drives total.

 

However, I am fairly price sensitive, as the final setup MUST pass the Wife Acceptance Factor.  It would also be nice if the server was quiet enough to stash behind the TV (14' away from the couch where I watch TV from.)  But I understand if this is not possible.  If it isn't silent, it at least needs to be fairly quiet, so the noise is not bothersome in whatever room it eventually gets stashed in.

 

What is the cheapest build I can get away with?

 

For CPU, I was going to use the Celeron 420, coupled with the cheapest 512MB or 1GB I can find.  For drives, the cheap, and ubiquitous, WD SATA 750's.

 

Beyond that, I really don't know what to do for the mobo, case, and PS.  (For instance, the popular CoolerMaster stacker is not going to work at a PS-less $120.  Nor is the P5E-VM DO mobo at $115.)

 

Lastly, what happens if I start with only a single drive?  Will it then just run without RAID protection?  If I do this, I can roll the server purchase in with the media streamer.  When I need more capacity, I would then purchase a couple more drives.

 

SirWired

[Joe L.]

Can't help you with the hardware issues... as you said, a lot of possibilities exist.  Most are not quiet, as the cases were designed for an office environment where fan noise is not as big an issue.    My unRaid server is in the basement, and I use MG-35 Media Players (nearly silent) in my bedroom and den to play the files on the server. 

 

I would not want the Coolermaster case in the bedroom, it is quiet, in fact quieter than some other tower case based machines in the house, but it still has about 14 fans spinning in it and it is huge.  Gigabit lan is nice, but my media players are only 100Mb, so you might get by with an older/less expensive motherboard. Add a 1Gig lan adaptor when funds allow.

 

I can tell you that unRaid will work with only one drive connected, but data on that drive will not be protected in any way since there is no parity drive. 

 

When you can find the spare change for a second drive, add it as the parity drive.  Add additional drives as you find sales.

 

Joe L.

 

[Billped]

By no means am I recommending my own config, but check out what I bought six months ago along with the price.

 

http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=701.0

 

You should also look at others' setups - pick one and copy it.  Some folks have built incredibly inexpensive servers, being really smart with sale items (cases, PSU,s and memory, especially - I can buy a case+PSU+memory for $60 right now.  Check out fatwallet, techbargains, slickdeals, etc.

 

In terms of noise, my setup is only a hair louder than the fan I have in my RP LCD TV (all fans in the case are set to low, temps are fine), so it would be acceptable in my TV room though it would be unacceptable to some.

 

 

Cheers,

Bill

[sirwired]

Well, this is what I have so far:

 

ARK 1012 Black/ Silver Steel MicroATX Mid Tower Computer Case 350W Power Supply - $31

Foxconn 945G7MC-KS2HV LGA 775 Intel 945G Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - $38

Intel Celeron 420 Conroe-L 1.6GHz LGA 775 35W Single-Core Processor Model BX80557420 - $44

2x512 generic memory - $23

2xSATA power adapters - $6

1 x WD 750 - $150

 

Total : About $300 + $30 shipping from the Egg.

 

And this certainly is a bargain-bin system, but I have a few questions about it:

1) Will that PS even come close to handling a full 6-drive load?  (1 internal 3.5 + 2 ext + a 4-in-3 enclosure)

2) Will that sound like a jet engine if it doesn't burn out?

3) Instead of buying a new, current, CPU + mobo, is there a reputable source online of discontinued CPU + mobo + mem combo that will work?  I don't need a system nearly this fast just to shovel DVD's over the wire, do I?  Of course, I would likely need to add a SATA card to some old board, bumping the cost back up.

4) I keep reading about Realtek NIC chips not working too hot... that been fixed yet?

 

SirWired

[Billped]

Another choice, saw this posted over at avsforum: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=983723

 

Regarding your above post, go with a better PSU.  350W is probably good enough, but not a crappy one (which won't really crank out 350W) and I have never heard of "ARK".  Also, old systems are no cheaper than new low-end systems unless you have the old one sitting around or someone gives it to you.  Based on some of the deals recently, I am convinced I could build an unraid (sans drives) for $200 or less.

 

Case+PSU = $50 (Fry's?  not sure where I saw this)

mobo+CPU = $80 (ditto)

GB memory = $10 (another freaky-cheap deal)

USB key ($10)

Any old craptastic graphics card ($20)

 

 

 

Cheers,

Bill

[sirwired]

If the case I selected won't work too well, can somebody suggest a specific, inexpensive, case and PSU that will?  (Unfortunately, there is no Fry's within a reasonable distance to me...)

 

I would like the case to have at least 3 5.25 bays so I can use a 4-in-3 cooled drive module, and a 120mm fan parked in front of the internal 3.5 bays.

 

For this much drive power, I reckon a single-rail 12V supply seems to be necessary, but I honestly don't know the wattage, or which manufacturers can be trusted to provide a useful one.

 

SirWired

[Billped]

Lots of good deals on Frys.com as well, though my favorite online site is newegg.com.

 

RE: PSU, antec, thermaltake, seasonic, corsair, ultra, ...

 

Look for reviews on sites such as silentpcreview.com, tomshardware.com, anandtech.com, etc.

 

Try this link.  Just beware that their primary concern is noise, not necessarily power output or overall quality.  Regardless, I doubt if they would recommend anything too bad.

 

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article699-page1.html

 

My 5-drive system peaks at under 300w when first cranked up, settling down to 150w when all drives are idling or about 200w (all values from my memory, btw) when drives are spinning (measurements are at the wall via my Zalman device).  The problem is that even a high-quality X watt PSU won't put out X watts to the 12V rail, so a bit of headroom is always a good thing (25%+).  Also, a good PSU will put out significantly more than its rated output for a short duration, so going too crazy isn't necessary.

 

 

Bill