Buying the last few parts for my first unraid server

[wisem2540]

So Far I have a norco 12 bay hottswap case and 2u power supply, and 4x 2TB, 1x 1.5TB ( only 2TB of data to move)

 

So because of this, I do not anticipate needing more than 12 drives anytime in the near future.  Im thinking I may have bought a bit too big of a case, but it was on sale 20% off, so it wasnt much more than the 6 bay that was not on sale...

 

So this is all I have left...

 

Board - ASRock A770DE+

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157226

 

CPU Dual Core Athlon 3.0

 

Controller

SUPERMICRO AOC-SASLP-MV8

 

Flash Drive

I would like to use a Sandisk Cruzer Fit.  The low-profile design seems ideal for unraid

 

Obviously I still need the SAS cables and I plan to use a reverse breakout to utilize for 4 sata ports on the board. (giving me 12 total)

 

I am sure I can find a PCI video card laying around and I have 400+ sticks of 512MB DDR2, so I can put up to 2GB of ram in here at no cost.  I am trying to decide if

I should stop being cheap and just opt for 8GB of ram at 35 bucks or so.  Ive been buying in stages so I can catch sales and keep the cost down.  Any advice?

 

just an FYI, this will be a home file server and a media server for three media center clients.  I plan to use a Poweredge 1850 for my Media Center frontend.  I wanted to virtualize MCE on unraid, but it looks like a huge PITA.  I still need windows to manage my Mymovies DB and to serve as something for my xboxs to connect to (MCE)

[Rajahal]

That motherboard looks OK, but one with onboard video would be better (an onboard video card will use less power than a PCI one).  I would start with 2 GB of RAM since it is free, then upgrade the RAM at a later date if you find 2 GB constricting.  Chances are you'll be happy with 2 GB and not need to upgrade.  You should also be fine with a single core CPU, but the dual core is OK too.

 

The SASLP is on sale right now: http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=17016.0

 

Finally, I agree that the Sandisk Cruzer Fit looks like a great unRAID flash drive based on the low profile size.  The Verbatim Clip-It is another great choice that is a bit cheaper.

[wisem2540]

will I notice any performance differences with a single core sempron?  I guess with it being a file server it shouldnt matter.  Just trying to balance cost with planning for the future