Rob_Esc Posted April 20, 2008 Share Posted April 20, 2008 Hi all! I've never built a system completely from scratch, but I've replaced drives, graphics cards, chips, etc., so I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty. My current PC is attached to an HDTV as my HTPC, but I'm running out of HDD space fast. I've read many posts here and at AVSForum regarding unRaid builds, and I'm anxious to get one up and running. Since this will be my first attempt at a server build, please review the parts I have chosen. My main concern is that the MB is compatible (won't have any boot/NIC issues). I would add the Intel PRO PCI-e NIC if it would increase performance. Part Description Cost ~ $500 Mother.......GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3R LGA 775 CPU...........Core 2 Duo E4500 Allendale 2.2GHz Memory......A-DATA 1GB DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Graphics.....EVGA GeForce FX 5200 128MB PCI PSU............SeaSonic M12 SS-600HM 600W Case...........Undecided (could use some good suggestions) I thought maybe COOLER MASTER Centurion 590 RC-590-KKN1-GP Black I'll most likely be starting with 2 WD 1 TB "green" drives, with a Seagate 1 TB as parity to start - adding more drives (and a controller if req'd) later on down the road. Any help or comments are greatly appreciated. Link to comment
Rob_Esc Posted April 20, 2008 Author Share Posted April 20, 2008 As an alternate (and less expensive) system, I was considering the following: Part Description Cost ~ $300 Mother....... ECS 945GCT-M/1333 (V3.0) LGA 775 Intel 945GC (integrated graphics) CPU...........Pentium 4 631 Cedar Mill 3.0GHz 2MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Memory......Crucial 1GB (2 x 512MB) DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Graphics.....EVGA GeForce FX 5200 128MB PCI PSU............Thermaltake TR2 W0070RUC ATX 430W with COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW case Link to comment
WeeboTech Posted April 20, 2008 Share Posted April 20, 2008 My recomendations. ABIT AB9 PRO (There is a rebate) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813127004 cheap pcie video card (got miine on eBay for $15.00 Centurion 590. http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?action=post;topic=1848.0;num_replies=1 1 extra cooler master 120MM fan (tape the other open vents up). I have the centurion 590, I love it. With this case you can fit in 9 drives very easily. The AB9 Pro can have 9 internal drives and 1 external drive. 3 of the internal ports are port multiplier capable, therefore you can turn those 3 into 15 later on. Processor: Your P4 processor choice has a TDP of 89W! The conroe-l is 35W and the comments say it is faster?? FWIW, it will be fast enough and save you money in the long run. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116038 I would certainly pick any conroe chip over a P4 in a heart beat. Even the allendale in the first choice! My 2.6Ghz duo core 2 Conroe only pulls 65 watts. My quad pulls 90W (just to give you an idea of power vs efficiency Your cost savings in the long run are heat and wasted electricity. I love the 590 case, but I also use 5.25 trayless removable trays too. So with 1 case, 9 trays and a motherboard that supports 9 drives, I'm all set for a mini system. If I need to go to 15 drives, I'll worry about that later. As far as PS, Choose 500 or higher for 9 drives. Memory vs bus speed, Choose the highest you can afford, the more data you can push through the memory and cpu the faster the system runs. It's hardly ever CPU bound. Link to comment
Guest Sparkie Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 Hi Rob, Your first parts list looks great. I have an Abit AB9 Pro and the Gigabyte Board you've listed. I settled on the Gigabyte board for my unraid. The Gigabyte is better built and install went much smoother than the Abit. Both are great boards, you won't go wrong either way. If you havent installed a CPU before, there are some things you'll want to consider... 1) When applying pressure to the CPU Heatsink don't be afraid of the board flexing. Intel specs that the the motherboard will flex when installing. they engineered it for a tight fit. You'll want to push the 4 pins on the heatsink down in a cross pattern like tightening down lugs on a car tire. When installing the CPU Heatsink push one of the two pins closest to the I/O back panel first. This way the last pin will leave you more clearance to apply the intense pressure needed to make the last pin click in place. Once again, don't be shy with that last pin. 2) As Weebotech describes, the power consumption of the Allendale is quite a bit. But on the other hand, if your not overly concerned about power consumption it is wise investment for futureproofing. Unraids technolgy may require more and more horsepower so you may want the headroom. 3) Buy whatever drives are cheapest per GB. I think 500 gig drives are cheapest per GB right now. Good luck. Link to comment
SSD Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 3) Buy whatever drives are cheapest per GB. I think 500 gig drives are cheapest per GB right now. I'd don't quite agree with this. You can only get so many drives in your array, and you want to make them count! I would not put < 750G, even if the $ / gig is a little higher. The 750G Seagate is $129 incl shipping from Newegg - great drive at great price. I'd also consider getting a 650W+ PSU. Drives pull considerable current when they are spinning up. You need a PSU that can handle the simultaneous pull of all your hard disks. I have a 550Watt PSU and hope I can add one more drive before maxing it out (that will be 14 drives and pushing it). I think 650Watts would safely get you to 17, maybe 18-19. Link to comment
Rob_Esc Posted April 27, 2008 Author Share Posted April 27, 2008 Thanks for the help, guys! I never really considered power consumption on the CPU - good point. Also, I'm inclined to stick with 1 TB drives. I'll let you know what kind of system I end up putting together. Link to comment
Rob_Esc Posted May 11, 2008 Author Share Posted May 11, 2008 Finally got everything up and running unRaid Pro Part Description Flash..........Lexar JumpDrive FireFly 1GB Mother.......Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3R LGA 775 CPU...........Core 2 Duo E4500 Allendale 2.2GHz Memory......A-DATA 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Graphics......re-used Dell OEM nVidia 8300 GS PCIe PSU............Corsair CMPSU-650TX 650W Case...........Cooler Master Centurion 590 Backplane....2x Athena BP-SATA3141B 4in3 Drives..........7x Seagate 7200.11 ST31000340AS 1TB data & parity 1x Seagate 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB cache UPS............APC XS 1300VA LCD This gives me a 6TB server to start, with room for another 4in3 backplane/4-port SATA card for later expansion. System runs around 90 watts during parity check. All that's left is to fill it All the help is greatly appreciated. I am learning a lot about Linux from the Gurus here! Link to comment
SSD Posted May 11, 2008 Share Posted May 11, 2008 Congrats! Looks like an excellent setup. You were smart IMO to go with the 1T drives. Might want to check out this thread, though, concerning the Athena backplanes ... http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=1920.msg14211#msg14211 Link to comment
WeeboTech Posted May 11, 2008 Share Posted May 11, 2008 Why did you go with the 4 in 3 rather then the 5 in 3 ? (just curious) Link to comment
Rob_Esc Posted May 11, 2008 Author Share Posted May 11, 2008 ...concerning the Athena backplanes ... http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=1920.msg14211#msg14211 Yeah, I read that thread....just after I finished installing the Athenas. The Seagates seem to slip right in with no problem, though. Why did you go with the 4 in 3 rather then the 5 in 3 ? (just curious) Three reasons. I like the look of horizontally stacked drives. I thought they might run a bit cooler (floating between 39 - 43 degrees now). I don't realistically need more than 12 drives. My current total combined data is only about 3TB. Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.