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Thinking of building an unRAID server

Shivers

By Shivers
in Hardware

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Shivers Noob

Shivers

Posted
Posted

Hello guys, I'm new here, and new to all this unRAID business, been building computers for years (always gaming rigs) but never delved into this sort of stuff. I recently got myself a 2011 Mac Mini, I've sold my 1TB external HDD as it wasn't enough, I actually don't need a NAS as the content will only be getting played to the Mac Mini and nothing else, plus the server will be kept right next to the Mini under my plasma. I was going to buy a Drobo, but after reading up this seems like a better solution. I'll try and specify what I'm after...

 

- Don't need add-on's etc, it will be used solely for storing my Blu-Ray/DVD collection and streaming them to my Mac Mini (using Plex)

 

- Has to be quiet

 

- Has to have low power consumption

 

- Has to be stylish and in black (Really like the Fractal Array R2)

 

- Don't need an extreme amount of drives, will only be using 2-3 to start off with, would like for it to take a 4-6 since the Drobo has 4.

 

- I will only be using low RPM green drives, no 7200RPM+

 

- It has to be achievable for around £250, since that's what the Drobo was going to cost.

 

So far all I've got floating around is the Fractal case I mentioned, A Corsair CX430 (or the PSU that comes with the fractal case if it's good enough), possibly an AMD Sempron, 1GB of RAM...and that's about all I have so far, any help is much appreciated, thanks!

 

 

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prostuff1 Mentor

prostuff1

Posted
Posted

The fractal is a nice case.

 

We (GreenLeaf) have a smaller build with the following parts:

 

ZOTAC GF6100-E-E

AMD Sempron 140

Kingston 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 800

COOLER MASTER Silent Pro M600

LIAN LI PC-Q08B

 

The reason for the more expensive PSU is because it is modular.  In a case the size of the Fractal, or in our case the PC-Q08, it is difficult to place the extra cables places.  The modular PSU allows us to only use what cables are needed.

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Johnm Rising Star

Johnm

Posted
Posted

The R2 itself is a bit expensive, but you should still be able to build a server based on it for around or under 250 pounds.. A few people have built boxes based on the case and they look pretty nice.

 

 

I was about to mention the HP option.. a lot of bang for your buck. Especially in the UK.

 

also, there is this case in the UK that is pretty nice, but is limited to 4x 3.5" drives. http://linitx.com/viewproduct.php?prodid=12789

 

also, even if you spend a few buck more then the price of the drobo, you still end up with a "Server", not a glorified "NAS".

 

 

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mbryanr Collaborator

mbryanr

Posted
Posted

Possible Options?

LIAN LI PC-V351B Black

SeaSonic X series SS-400FL Active PFC F3 400W ATX12V Fanless 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular

 

if you wanted a power sipper

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/asus-e35m1-m-amd-hudson-m1-amd-e-350-dual-core-cpu-pci-e-20-(x16)-ddr3-1066-sata-6gb-s-matx

Review

http://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/zardon/asus-e35m1-i-deluxe-fusion-mobo-thermaltake-armor-a30-review/19/

 

Note:  It does use the troublesome Realtek 8111E currently being sorted out in the 5.0Beta series.

 

Something similar to this would be on my next build wish list:

http://www.tmc-online.co.uk/servers/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=586&idcategory=41 Chenbro 4-bay case

http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/ATOM/ICH9/X7SPA-HF-D525.cfm

 

but you could insert the

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gigabyte-Ga-d525tud-rev-1-x-Motherboard/dp/B004N66G7I

with the Realtek 8111E  :-\

 

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Shivers Noob

Shivers

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  • Author
Posted

Thanks for all the replies guys, been reading through all your posts, very interesting and helpful.

 

So far I'm now looking at:

 

- Case - Lian Li-PCQ08 (Around £100)

 

- CPU -AMD Sempron 145 (Around £28)

 

- Motherboard - Asus M4A78LT-M (Really not sure what to look for in a server motherboard) (Around £53)

 

- RAM - 2GB Corsair DDR3 1333mhz (1x2GB stick) (Around £11)

 

- HDD's WD Caviar Green 2TB's (Around £50 each)

 

- PSU Not sure yet, have a Corsair HX 650 Modular PSU that's about to be sent off for repair that I'm planning to sell (it was from my gaming setup), but seems complete overkill for powering a few HDD's considering it was used for a crossfire system with an OC'ed AMD 955. Looking for a sub-500w modular PSU that doesn't break the bank, Seasonic are great but sadly probably not within my budget if I go modular.

 

Looking at Raj's thread I'm to buy hot swap bays? Any help much appreciated as always, you've been great so far, nice community you guys have here :)

 

 

 

 

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Rajahal Mentor

Rajahal

Posted
Posted

The Asus M4A78LT-M is a great choice for a budget server.  I reviewed the board here and found it to be fully compatible with unRAID.  This board is now difficult to find in the US, so I'm glad it has found its way to the UK.  Grab it while you can!  Also, if you find a good source for it please let this guy know, as he's having trouble finding a good motherboard in the UK.

 

The case you've chosen does not support hot swap bays.  You could potentially put a single hot swap bay (like this) in the optical bay slot, but that's your limit.  If you want to use more than one hot swap bay, you need to choose a different case.

 

My general spiel on hot swap bays:

Hot swap bays are optional but recommended.  If they are outside your budget, don't worry about it, you can skip them or postpone them until you can afford them.  The addition of hot swap bays to a server changes it from a pet project that needs regular maintenance to an appliance that is more or less 'plug-n-play' (that isn't to say that things can't go wrong from time to time, but in general any HDD-related issue or maintenance will be far easier).  Swapping a drive out of a server that doesn't use hot swap bays takes more time, effort, and introduces ample opportunity to accidentally knock a cable loose, mix up the hard drive order, or cause other issues.  Swapping a drive with hot swap bays takes a matter of minutes and greatly reduces the chance of causing other problems as the case doesn't need to be opened at all.

 

Cooler Master makes a 630W modular PSU available for around $110 in the US, and Corsair just came out with this TX550M model that is $100 in the US.  You might want to shop around for both of those.  Those two are the least expensive modular PSUs that I know of.

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mbryanr Collaborator

mbryanr

Posted
Posted

 

So far I'm now looking at:

 

- Case - Lian Li-PCQ08 (Around £100)

 

 

- Motherboard - Asus M4A78LT-M (Really not sure what to look for in a server motherboard) (Around £53)

 

 

Will that motherboard fit in the case?  Sorry for the simple question...unRAID was my first build.

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neilt0 Community Regular

neilt0

Posted
Posted

Seriously, get a HP Microserver. I really don't understand why you'd get any other small form factor machine, especially with the rebate deal.

I agree, though the only benefit I see with build a SFF is that he can make it more powerful later down the line if he wants to.

 

CPU-wise, maybe. But, that case is only going to hold 6 or maybe 7 hard drives?

 

I'm a real power user, and the CPU in my Microserver is plenty fast for Transmission and nzbget simultaneously.

Maybe if you want to do transcoding (particularly if you want to do it in real-time), you'll need more CPU, but I prefer to do no transcoding and let my video clients do the work.

 

Also, that case is ITX/DTX? Will the mobo even fit?

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prostuff1 Mentor

prostuff1

Posted
Posted

 

So far I'm now looking at:

 

- Case - Lian Li-PCQ08 (Around £100)

 

 

- Motherboard - Asus M4A78LT-M (Really not sure what to look for in a server motherboard) (Around £53)

 

 

Will that motherboard fit in the case?  Sorry for the simple question...unRAID was my first build.

 

Good catch.  That board WILL NOT fit in that case.  The board I mentioned is a mini-itx which is what that case is designed to hold.

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mbryanr Collaborator

mbryanr

Posted
Posted

http://www.amazon.co.uk/HP-ProLiant-MicroServer-Gigabit-Ethernet/dp/B0042ORTWM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317324626&sr=8-1

 

see this as well:

HP ProLiant Microserver £100 Cash Back - Offer Extended 1st February – 30th September 2011

http://www8.hp.com/uk/en/campaign/proliantmicroserver/offer.html

 

this is the one with 1x250GB drive

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B004FPOLCO/ref=sr_1_2_olp?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1317324909&sr=1-2&condition=new

 

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Shivers Noob

Shivers

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  • Author
Posted

Thanks, oh wow so I only have a couple of hours then! Crescent have it but it's out of stock so guess I couldn't get the rebate with that? And if I'm not mistaken it has to be the 250GB model purchased to get the rebate?

 

So does that mean the best deal for me is to get it off an Amazon trader for around £250 which equals to around £150? Thanks and sorry for confusion.

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neilt0 Community Regular

neilt0

Posted
Posted

Here's what I'd do.

 

Get the 250GB unit. Make sure it's from an authorised dealer. You have another 24 hours (or longer if they extend it yet again).

DO NOT buy it from some dodgy geezer on Amazon if they are not an authorised HP dealer, as you will NOT get the rebate.

 

eBuyer have them in stock: http://www.ebuyer.com/253305-hp-proliant-athlon-ii-neo-n36l-microserver-100-cashback-633724-421

 

Be sure to print a receipt/invoice showing you bought it by end of September (they may extend the offer past end Sep, though).

 

You have plenty of time to claim the rebate, but just make sure to print off the invoice/receipt showing your purchase was before end of Sep.

 

Note that the 160GB unit does NOT have the rebate offer available, so you'd be daft to buy that. IMO.

 

Claim form: http://h41112.www4.hp.com/promo/proliantmicroserver/pdf/PA0023%20-%20£100%20off%20Microserver%20Offer%20Sep%202011.pdf

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