I have built an unRAID box with 15 drives! I had not even heard of unRAID two months ago.

 

Here's what I used, in case someone is wanting to build something similar:

 

Motherboard:

Asus P5B-VM DO ($120, Amazon)

 

CPU:

Intel Celeron 440 Conroe ($75, Newegg)

 

RAM:

1GB Kingston PC2 6400, (512MB X 2) ($30, Newegg)

 

Case:

CoolerMaster Stacker ($100, Fry's)

 

Power Supply: 

PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610W ($120, Newegg)

 

Backplanes:

(3) AMS 5-in-3's ($95/each, $285 total, Fry's)

 

SATA Controller, 8-Port: 

SUPERMICRO AOC-SAT2-MV8 ($100, Newegg)

 

Hard Drives:

(15) 750GB Western Digital WD7500AAKS ($155/each, $2325 total, Newegg)

 

and of course...

unRAID Server Pro USB Flash 2-Pack ($170)

 

GRAND TOTAL: $3,325 for a 9.55TB array, or about $.34/GB.

 

My level of experience is moderate. I've homebuilt a few Windows systems over the years, although I use OS X at home. I've never been shy about "popping the hood" on my machines, but my secret weapon (not so secret, really) is that I know how to ask the right questions to the right people (such as asking unRAID questions on this board). Check my older posts to get a sense of the minor bumps in the road I had.

 

I built my box in two steps: I first built it minus the SATA controller and only seven drives. I wanted to make sure that unRAID would work for me before investing in a SATA controller (in case I needed to build a RAID-5 solution). The seven drive configuration worked like a charm (after I ironed out the few kinks that I had), and so I added the controller and the last eight drives today.

 

If you're considering building one of these yourself, I say go for it. The less you know, the more you'll need to learn, but it's all quite doable and simple in the end. Don't get frustrated, take breaks and trust that it will all work out in the end.

 

Thanks to everyone! Now I'm off to continue ripping my DVD's to my tower! 

 

 

 

 

No problems with the Supermicro AOC-SAT2-MV8 card in a standard PCI Slot?

I think it depends on the motherboard if you want to know for sure.  But PCI-X cards often work in regular PCI slots, and this card is commonly used in that way.  I've seen many people on forums using this card in regular PCI slots.  It is recommended as a good PCI SATA solution (no built in RAID) because the controller chip is high quality.

Thanks for the great report!

No problems with the Supermicro AOC-SAT2-MV8 card in a standard PCI Slot?

 

I've had no problems with the Supermicro card. Using another user's suggestion, I placed electrical tape over the overrun of the card. All eight drives up and running without a hitch.

 

The only thing I wish is that the SATA connectors on the Supermicro card weren't so bunched up. It makes it impossible to use locking SATA cables, and I would have like to have used those. Other than that, the card is perfect.