(New Build) Questions around first build using Asus Z10PA-D8 Motherboard.

[Shackman_Aark]

Hi All,

 

New to the world of Unraid and planning my first build. Been reading and learning for the last few weeks on here then started to build a parts list, but here’s my back story. 
 

I have a a Synology 5 bay NAS that has served me well however it is nearing 8 years old and although currrently trouble free I started to plan for an upgrade. 
 

I run a Unifi network at home and have a UDM pro that I would be able to leverage 10gbps networking as well at some point in the future. 
 

Current Requirements: although I don’t have a plex server at the moment I’m hoping to build one up as a means to host family videos/ photos as well as Home Assistant, NVR, docker apps for for automation of file sync to cloud for backups. I currently have a monument photo management device that will then backup to a nas and then to cloud. I also run some lab servers for work that include a dc and approx 4 other vms. 
 

Now comes the build around the Asus z10pa-d8. I am currently running an Esxi host on a server build using the same motherboard with a single Xeon e5 v4 cpu. While building a complete new parts list around a w680 chipset realized I might get a better bang for buck on the board by transferring it into a bigger case, add 2 newer CPU’s (second hand). Motherboard has 9 sata ports but limited on nvme. Which then brought me to the option of getting a gen 4 Asus hyper m2 card that can handle 4 x nvme (I thinking 2 by 1tb ) for cache. 
 

So the plan was to transfer the motherboard and cpu into a Fractal Design Meshify 2 case with 2 upgraded CPU’s or even source the same e5 v4 CPU’s and upgrade to water cooling on both cpus with 32 gb of ram (possibly 64 gb ) but also slot in a m2 card to get the nvme’s in for cache. And at some point a video card only if necessary and a 10gbps NIC as well. I will reuse my current drives from my synology as most of them are fairly new, all 6 TB WD nas drives, with a plan to upgrade at a later date. I would likely create 

My concern now is from research the motherboard has pcie gen3 and not sure how the nvme would fair paired into a pcie card. 
 

Given my story and my need for a few VMs as well what flaws do I have in my theory that I may have missed. 
 

Thank You!

[Bastioned]

Hi mate! I see you are currently running ESXi on the Asus z10pa-d8 and I was thinking about building a similar setup, and hoped you could clarify on some things, if I may ask of course:

1. What ESXi version are you running?

2. Did you require special tuning so that ESXi could detect built-in network adapters?

3. About the built-in VGA, is it only for IPMI, do I need a dedicated graphics card, or will that one suffice?

 

Thanks mate!!!!!

[Shackman_Aark]

Hi @Bastioned,

 

Sorry forr the late reply.

I believe I started with Esxi 5.5 (5.6) and did update to ESXi 6.x I believe.

I did not make BIOS changes/ tuning for the NICs.

No graphics card needed. I did however get the IPMI card on Amazon which has made it easier with Out of Band Management.

 

Link: https://amzn.asia/d/fkxnQDC

 

Hope that helps.