First PC Build Validation & Suggestion

[marcusone]

Also for those that are in the thread reading and want to save time; the SAS cards usually need a "forward breakout cable" (SAS connector to 4 SATA connectors).  I'm not sure why there are "forward" and "backward" when they look the same to me, but I assume the SAS connector is a bit more complicated and so requires different wires when going from one to the other depending on the devices.

 

This is what I used to clear up my confusion: SAS to SATA cables: Forward or Reverse Which, Where, Why

 

Thanks! that was a good read and what I kinda figured was happening (just too lazy to look it up )

[JTCA]

OK this is what I'm looking at now.

 

 

Qty. Product Description Total Price

1 SUPERMICRO MBD-X8SIA-F-O LGA 1156 Intel 3420 ATX Intel Xeon X3400/L3400 series Server Motherboard $239.99

3 Seagate Barracuda ST3000DM001 3TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $674.97

3 SUPERMICRO AOC-SAT2-MV8 64-bit PCI-X133MHz SATA II (3.0Gb/s) Controller Card $284.97

1 Intel Core i3-2100 Sandy Bridge 3.1GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623I32100 $124.99

1 G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000) Desktop Memory Model F3-17000CL9D-8GBXM $79.99

1 NORCO RPC-4224 4U Rackmount Server Case with 24 Hot-Swappable SATA/SAS Drive Bays $399.99

 

I will probably not purchase the supermicro controller card since with only initially needing 3 drives, they can be connected direct to the board.

Thoughts, opinions, recommendations?

[Ford Prefect]

OK this is what I'm looking at now.

 

 

Qty. Product Description Total Price

1 SUPERMICRO MBD-X8SIA-F-O LGA 1156 Intel 3420 ATX Intel Xeon X3400/L3400 series Server Motherboard $239.99

...mobo socket does not match processor listed below...use i3-540 or greater with 1156 socket here.

 

3 Seagate Barracuda ST3000DM001 3TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $674.97

...just to make sure: this will give you 6TB net storage plus parity disk,

 

3 SUPERMICRO AOC-SAT2-MV8 64-bit PCI-X133MHz SATA II (3.0Gb/s) Controller Card $284.97

...not sure about that card...is this a PCI-X slot?...check with mobo for slot-types here (all PCIe, not PCI-X isn't it?)

With your plans for growth (3 pcs. of that card), i'd check the no. of slots on the mobo as well).

 

1 Intel Core i3-2100 Sandy Bridge 3.1GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623I32100 $124.99

...CPU socket type and mobo socket mismatch !!

 

1 G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000) Desktop Memory Model F3-17000CL9D-8GBXM $79.99

...you NEED server-class memory with these SM motherboards plus CPU, even for an i3 build...that means all ECC memory...no desktop memory....check with mobo specs if registered/unregistered memory is supported or both

SM boards are picky about memory...check kingston ram compatibility/recommended models or check in the forum once you have decided on your mobo+CPU combo.

[Johnm]

I'll confirm what ford said....

 

it is a mismatch of incompatible parts.

 

you would want the AOC-SASLP-mv8.

 

Server RAM,

 

Different mobo or CPU so that they match.

[marcusone]

For instance I'm getting to upgrade my system and give me more drive options:

 

SUPERMICRO MBD-X8SIL-F-O Xeon X3400 / L3400 / Core i3 series Dual LAN Micro ATX Server Board w/ Remote Management

(Has 2 PCI-e 8x and 1 PCI-e 4x) so can take 3 of the below cards.

 

SUPERMICRO AOC-SASLP-MV8 PCI Express x4 Low Profile SAS RAID Controller

 

Intel Core i3-540 Clarkdale 3.06GHz LGA 1156 73W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics BX80616I3540

 

Crucial 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) ECC Unbuffered Triple Channel Kit Server Memory Model CT3KIT25672BA1339 (Edit: Saw this an an issue: it seems the motherboard takes DDR3 in pairs, rather than triplets like most desktop boards - guess I'll have an extra ram chip )

 

(If anyone sees issues with the above, jump in )

[JTCA]

Wow, missed that. Forgot to change the processor when I changed the board. Also missed that the card was a pci-X. I spent hours trying to find a replacement pci card. Thanks to marcusme and JohnM for the suggestion, forgot that I could look at SAS connectors as well. So here is where I am now.

 

 

Qty. Product Description Total Price

1 SUPERMICRO MBD-X8SIA-F-O LGA 1156 Intel 3420 ATX Intel Xeon X3400/L3400 series Server Motherboard $239.99

3 Seagate Barracuda ST3000DM001 3TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $711.00

3 SUPERMICRO AOC-SASLP-MV8 PCI Express x4 Low Profile SAS RAID Controller $329.97

1 Intel Core i3-540 Clarkdale 3.06GHz LGA 1156 73W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics BX80616I3540 $99.99

1 Kingston 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) ECC Unbuffered Server Memory Model KVR1333D3E9SK2/8G $74.99

1 NORCO RPC-4224 4U Rackmount Server Case with 24 Hot-Swappable SATA/SAS Drive Bays $399.99

 

 

Looking at my research I'm estimating almost 900w with all 24 drives in. Agreed? Now on to figure out the power.

 

 

 

[Johnm]

you could save about $80 by only purchasing 2 AOC-SASLP-MV8's and getting a cheap 2 port PCIe sata card from monoprice.

 

you could also save some cash by going with LP drives instead of 7200's unless you NEED the performance.

 

I didn't double check your RAM, make sure that is what the Kingston site says to use.

[marcusone]

Looking at my research I'm estimating almost 900w with all 24 drives in. Agreed? Now on to figure out the power.

 

According to http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

You would only need 600W'ish (depending on other components/fans/etc in your case) (it also includes a 30% PSU aging factor).  So the Corsair used in Limetech builds should suffice.

 

That said, a high end 900W supply should last "forever"

 

 

[JTCA]

Marcusme,

  Does that include 24 hard drives or just the 3 I'm initially purchasing?

[marcusone]

Marcusme,

  Does that include 24 hard drives or just the 3 I'm initially purchasing?

 

I used 20 "regular" SATA drives - that was the max they have, and 4 "Green" drives.  Go to the site and try with your settings (as number/size of fans can make a difference as well).

[JTCA]

Marcusme,

  Does that include 24 hard drives or just the 3 I'm initially purchasing?

 

I used 20 "regular" SATA drives - that was the max they have, and 4 "Green" drives.  Go to the site and try with your settings (as number/size of fans can make a difference as well).

 

Checked it out and included some fans. Still looks right around that number which would also match what I have read from others who have put together a rig with this many drives.

[marcusone]

I don't think you can go wrong with a 900W (the most important part is the quality of the PSU, then of course make sure it has enough Amps on a Single 12v rail - so you don't have to worry about which rail in a multi rail PSU has X amount of Amps drawn from it).

 

Corsair or Seasonic (which builds most of Corsair's from what I have read lately) are both super options.

[Johnm]

I am running 750's in both of my 4224's. (seasonic golds)

 

I will point out that I am running almost all green drives. 7200's might need more juice.

[Ford Prefect]

...don't have experience with that many drives in one box

but the most power will be needed when the system gets

switched on or when drives are spinning up.

At least for the Add-On controllers you normally can configure

spin-up groups (like telling the card not to spin up more than

2-4 drives at a time, with a delay of 5 secs for example).

 

That should do the trick and a 750W should suffice for a build that large.

 

[Ford Prefect]

...two other remarks:

 

- the IGP inside the i3 is not needed with the -F version of the supermicro boards

- the i3 will not allow for an ESXI build, because it lacks the vt-d feature

  The smallest 1156 socket XEON that would match will be the X3430 (quad-core 2.4GHz), which probably is double price to the i3.

 

[JTCA]

- the i3 will not allow for an ESXI build, because it lacks the vt-d feature

  The smallest 1156 socket XEON that would match will be the X3430 (quad-core 2.4GHz), which probably is double price to the i3.

 

This is will not be an EXSI build. Just an unraid server used to store media.

[Ford Prefect]

...never say never ...just wait for the point in time when you will be diagnosed with UCD 

[JTCA]

Ok, Long time no see. Been pretty busy lately. Here is where I am with a Powersupply. How does it look? Thoughts? Am I missing something?

 

 

Qty. Product Description Total Price

1 SUPERMICRO MBD-X8SIA-F-O LGA 1156 Intel 3420 ATX Intel Xeon X3400/L3400 series Server Motherboard $239.99

3 Seagate Barracuda ST3000DM001 3TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $711.00

3 SUPERMICRO AOC-SASLP-MV8 PCI Express x4 Low Profile SAS RAID Controller $329.97

1 CORSAIR Professional Series HX1050 1050W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Power ... $219.99

1 Intel Core i3-540 Clarkdale 3.06GHz LGA 1156 73W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics BX80616I3540 $99.99

1 Kingston 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) ECC Unbuffered Server Memory Model KVR1333D3E9SK2/8G $74.99

1 NORCO RPC-4224 4U Rackmount Server Case with 24 Hot-Swappable SATA/SAS Drive Bays $399.99

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[Johnm]

possibly overkill on the PSU. but hey. ok..

 

Any particular reason for the X8SIA over the X8SIL?

[marcusone]

possibly overkill on the PSU. but hey. ok..

 

Any particular reason for the X8SIA over the X8SIL?

 

I second that... also curious as to the X8SIA... the X8SIL is a bit cheaper to.  I doubt you'd ever use the extra PCIx1's, but I guess there is 1 extra PCIx8.

[JTCA]

PSU was all that showed up on new egg after filter by single rail, 12 sata power connectors, modular, and main 24 pin connector. I chose the corsair since most people rate  them as high quality. As far as the motherboard, I picked it because I need to support 24 drives in the 4224. Granted unraid only supports 22. 2 controllers with 8 ports + the 6 onboard would give me 22. So I wanted to have another just in case I needed the additional 2 disks and unraid began support it or for anything I might want to add later.

[marcusone]

PSU was all that showed up on new egg after filter by single rail, 12 sata power connectors, modular, and main 24 pin connector. I chose the corsair since most people rate  them as high quality. As far as the motherboard, I picked it because I need to support 24 drives in the 4224. Granted unraid only supports 22. 2 controllers with 8 ports + the 6 onboard would give me 22. So I wanted to have another just in case I needed the additional 2 disks and unraid began support it or for anything I might want to add later.

I would imagine you can't go wrong with either board

But, just FYI:

The X8SIL has 3 PCI-e, so 3x8 port SAS controllers = 24 + 6 onboard = 30 drives.

The PCIe 4x slot will still run 8 drives no problem (assuming your using standard SATA drives) as the bandwidth is more than enough for current drive speeds.

 

 

[JTCA]

PSU was all that showed up on new egg after filter by single rail, 12 sata power connectors, modular, and main 24 pin connector. I chose the corsair since most people rate  them as high quality. As far as the motherboard, I picked it because I need to support 24 drives in the 4224. Granted unraid only supports 22. 2 controllers with 8 ports + the 6 onboard would give me 22. So I wanted to have another just in case I needed the additional 2 disks and unraid began support it or for anything I might want to add later.

I would imagine you can't go wrong with either board

But, just FYI:

The X8SIL has 3 PCI-e, so 3x8 port SAS controllers = 24 + 6 onboard = 30 drives.

The PCIe 4x slot will still run 8 drives no problem (assuming your using standard SATA drives) as the bandwidth is more than enough for current drive speeds.

 

Right but  2x8 PCI-e + 6 Onboard = 16 + 6 = 22 Drives. I guess I could do a 2 port card for the last 2 drives. But I was trying not to mixup the controllers and speeds to much. Like, I figured that trying to use the pcie 4x would drag the overall performance of the unraid set down to its performance level.

[marcusone]

PCI Express 1x 250 [500]* MB/s

PCI Express 2x 500 [1000]* MB/s

PCI Express 4x 1000 [2000]* MB/s

PCI Express 8x 2000 [4000]* MB/s

PCI Express 16x 4000 [8000]* MB/s

PCI Express 32x 8000 [16000]* MB/s

 

So on PCI-e 4x its 1000MB/s (in one direction) / 8 drives = 125MB/s per drive (only SSD and Raptor drives make it to that or above).

So if your using Green drives, or regular desktop drives, the 4x slot won't be your bottleneck.

 

Which is good because I just remembered you wanted to use the SUPERMICRO AOC-SASLP-MV8 cards with are 4x anyways.

Unless you get some M1015's which are 8x.

[JTCA]

PCI Express 1x  250 [500]* MB/s

PCI Express 2x  500 [1000]* MB/s

PCI Express 4x  1000 [2000]* MB/s

PCI Express 8x  2000 [4000]* MB/s

PCI Express 16x  4000 [8000]* MB/s

PCI Express 32x  8000 [16000]* MB/s

 

So on PCI-e 4x its 1000MB/s (in one direction) / 8 drives = 125MB/s per drive (only SSD and Raptor drives make it to that or above).

So if your using Green drives, or regular desktop drives, the 4x slot won't be your bottleneck.

 

Which is good because I just remembered you wanted to use the SUPERMICRO AOC-SASLP-MV8 cards with are 4x anyways.

Unless you get some M1015's which are 8x.

 

Good point. So looking at how much this is costing, I was starting to ask myself, why build what I have spec'd verses just buying one of the lime-tech MD-1510 servers? Ignoring the fact that I would have more available disk space.