Migrating to new hardware : parts list sanity check, fan replacements for Fractal Node 804, auto fan control

[AlainF]

Dear community,

 

I am preparing my build list for upgrading my Unraid server and would like to leverage the hive knowledge to run some sanity checks and gather some input.

 

What I have and will be moving over to the new build are the following:

 

• 4 x 8TB 7200rpm drives (array with 1 parity) 
• 2 x 2TB Samsung SSDs (redundant cache pool)
• 1 x 256GB NVME (docker containers)
• The Flash drive holding Unraid (6.12.3 Plus)

 

The new rig will be built with the following (unless issues will be identified here):

 

• Case : Fractal Node 804
• Case fans (replacement) : 2 x Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black.swap (120mm) and 1 x Noctua NF-A14 PWM chromax.black.swap (140mm)
• Mainboard : ASUS PRIME B760M-K D4
• CPU : Intel Core i5-13500
• Memory : Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 RAM 32GB (2x16GB) 5600MHz CL36
• PSU : Corsair SF850L
• CPU cooler : Noctua NH-U12S chromax.black
• SATA 4-port PCIe expansion card : 10Gtek https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B09Y1PMZ2W/ 

 

The new build should be, in that order:

 

• Silent
• Energy efficient
• Powerful
• Room for future expansion
• Price efficient (currently all of the above would cost me less than 1000€ which is easily within my budget).

 

The main usage is all the *arrs, Plex, and 10~ish other utility docker containers (Pihole, Home Assistant, ...) and the occasional 1-2 VM's (no gaming).

 

Questions

 

1. Anything wrong you would see with these components?
2. I plan to replace/extend the fans provided with the Node 804 with the above Noctua PWM fans so that I will be able to control the case fan speed using "auto fan control". I have read that sometimes this needs a lot of trial&error to get up running correctly?
3. I was considering to get the Noctua NH-P1 passive CPU cooler for even less noise - any comments on that idea?

 

I am looking forward to your comments and recommendations!

 

Alain

[Lolight]

20 hours ago, AlainF said:

• Case : Fractal Node 804
• Case fans (replacement) : 2 x Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black.swap (120mm) and 1 x Noctua NF-A14 PWM chromax.black.swap (140mm)
• Mainboard : ASUS PRIME B760M-K D4
• SATA 4-port PCIe expansion card : 10Gtek https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B09Y1PMZ2W/ 

Why not to get a motherboard with six SATA ports and two M.2 slots?

Then you won't need to use a SATA expansion card until you expand to more HDDs.

 

The Node 804 comes with 3 fixed speed fans.

You can keep them in the motherboard's chamber, connected to the built-in 3-speed fan controller.

And then get Arctic PST PWM fans (P12-120mm x 2 and P14-140mm) which will connect to the motherboard's headers.

Those can be daisy chained, so even a single header can drive and control all three.

 

I read it's possible to control PWM fans via System Autofan and System Temp plugins according to HDD temps (requires a compatible driver).

But If it doesn't work then they'll be controlled by your BIOS fan settings.

[Lolight]

21 hours ago, AlainF said:

The new build should be, in that order:

 

• Silent

Your machine will not be "silent".

HDDs and fans will make noise.

[AlainF]

1 minute ago, Lolight said:

Your machine will not be "silent".

HDDs and fans will make noise.

 

Yes, for sure. Should have said "As silent as possible" 😊

[AlainF]

12 minutes ago, Lolight said:

Why not to get a motherboard with six SATA ports and two M.2 slots?

Then you won't need to use a SATA expansion card until you expand to more HDDs.

 

I really have trouble finding (i.e. features, price, deliverability) a mainboard that has six SATA ports. Maybe I was not diligent enough in my research - would you have any recommendations!

14 minutes ago, Lolight said:

And then get Arctic PST PWM fans (P12-120mm x 2 and P14-140mm) which will connect to the motherboard's headers.

Those can be daisy chained, so even a single header can drive and control all three.

 

The daisy-chain part is interesting, thanks!

[Lolight]

4 minutes ago, AlainF said:

 

I really have trouble finding (i.e. features, price, deliverability) a mainboard that has six SATA ports.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/

[AlainF]

43 minutes ago, Lolight said:

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/

 

Ah, well yes - for some reason when I used pcpartpicker on my phone I didn't get proper results. Tried again on the desktop now, and indeed found this mobo taht seems to tick all the boxes : ASRock B660M Steel Legend

[Lolight]

36 minutes ago, AlainF said:

 

Ah, well yes - for some reason when I used pcpartpicker on my phone I didn't get proper results. Tried again on the desktop now, and indeed found this mobo taht seems to tick all the boxes : ASRock B660M Steel Legend

It has a separate controller for 2 out 6 available SATA ports.

 

 

I think this one would be a better option - all 6 SATA ports run off the chipset:

 

https://www.asus.com/us/motherboards-components/motherboards/prime/prime-b660m-a-ac-d4/techspec/

[AlainF]

1 hour ago, Lolight said:

I read it's possible to control PWM fans via System Autofan and System Temp plugins according to HDD temps (requires a compatible driver).

But If it doesn't work then they'll be controlled by your BIOS fan settings.

 

Do you know where to find out about "compatible driver", knowing that my new mainboard will be an ASRock B660M Steel Legend?

[Lolight]

11 minutes ago, AlainF said:

 

Do you know where to find out about "compatible driver", knowing that my new mainboard will be an ASRock B660M Steel Legend?

There's a thread on this forum called Dynamix - V6 Plugins where you can ask for feedback on System temp and System Autofan plugins implementation success.

 

 

[AlainF]

1 hour ago, Lolight said:

I think this one would be a better option - all 6 SATA ports run off the chipset:

 

https://www.asus.com/us/motherboards-components/motherboards/prime/prime-b660m-a-ac-d4/techspec/

 

Aaah, yes! Good catch, many thanks! It's also a bit cheaper, so double-win 🙂

[Lolight]

2 hours ago, AlainF said:

 

Do you know where to find out about "compatible driver"

Just to add to it...

 

It's impossible to know before hand which temperature sensors are installed on any particular board.

Unless someone on the forums has the exact same mobo model and already run sensor-detect.

You'd need to try those plugins on your hardware first.

If they don't work then you'd need to detect your mobo's sensor chip and then research the forum if there's a solution.

[AlainF]

On 8/22/2023 at 12:18 PM, Lolight said:

Just to add to it...

 

It's impossible to know before hand which temperature sensors are installed on any particular board.

Unless someone on the forums has the exact same mobo model and already run sensor-detect.

You'd need to try those plugins on your hardware first.

If they don't work then you'd need to detect your mobo's sensor chip and then research the forum if there's a solution.

 

Am I wrong assuming that I wouldn't even need the sensors on the motherboard to control the fans based on the DISK temperatures? I could set a fan curve in the BIOS for some fans (CPU, some case fans) based on the board sensors, but then use autofan control to set other fans based on disk temps. So autofan control would need to know how to talk to the PWM controller on the board, but not read the temp sensors on the board....

[Lolight]

3 hours ago, AlainF said:

 

Am I wrong assuming that I wouldn't even need the sensors on the motherboard to control the fans based on the DISK temperatures? I could set a fan curve in the BIOS for some fans (CPU, some case fans) based on the board sensors, but then use autofan control to set other fans based on disk temps. So autofan control would need to know how to talk to the PWM controller on the board, but not read the temp sensors on the board....

Can't comment on the exact setup involved and inner workings of the System Autofan and System Temp plugins - didn't bother to install and test since my HDDs don't ever run hot under load.

My system fans reside on a separate fan controller (included with the case).

All three of my daisy chained HDD fans are attached to the motherboard's fan header and controlled according to a fan curve set in BIOS.

 

After experimenting a little with the BIOS fan curve to see what kind of noise my fans produce at different speed percentages, in the end I just left it at around 50% as far up the temp range as it had allowed me.

My HDD cooling fans don't ever need to be spun up - they keep HDD temps relatively stable regardless of load.

They flow enough of air at half speed without producing much of noise.

Edited August 24, 2023 by Lolight

[AlainF]

Hello!

 

Update - the build is done! See here : Migrated to new server - update and report on final build, and thanks! - Hardware - Unraid