Mini ITX (again)

[tucansam]

I've read through some of the forum posts and I'm still unable to come up with a solution that isn't a ~$200 Supermicro.

 

Any low power, reliable, mini-ITX boards worth looking at with six SATA ports (pref 6gbps) and Intel NIC(s)?  I can find Asus E350s with all the SATA ports but Realtek NIC (jury is still out on that, right?).  Or Intel NIC but two or four SATA ports (and a PCI slot for me to add more... bottleneck). 

 

Found a Zotac AM3 with a PCIx slot and an Intel NIC, but I'm not overly confident in the brand.  Plus it uses DDR2 which isn't worth the price they're asking right now.

 

Any successful mini-ITX users out there care to share?

[Johnm]

I have several mITX server builds.

 

They are all pretty solid without any issues. Several have been running 24x7 for almost 3 years now.

 

3 are supermicro atom boards.

2 are Intel LGA 775 boards with C2D e6800's and a 2port PCIe sata card for 6 Sata ports.

[Rajahal]

The ZOTAC GF6100-E-E as recommended here is a solid contender.  For $30 (after MIR) you really can't beat it.  It is fully compatible with both unRAID 4.7 and the 5.0 betas (haven't tested it with the RCs, but it should work).  I've always paired it with low power Sempron CPUs, but dual core Athlons should also work.  I use one of these as my dedicated preclear/test server, and I have a spare on the shelf just because they are so cheap.

 

The biggest downside is that it has only 4 SATA ports, but the PCIe x1 slot allows you to add two more ports with no bottlenecks, and even more if you don't mind a slower parity check.

 

Another great option is the SUPERMICRO MBD-X7SPA-H-O, which I got lucky and found for $100 shipped on eBay.  I agree that the retail price is pretty high for that board, but considering all the features, the built-in Atom CPU, and the Supermicro quality, I think it is worth the high price.  I run my office production server off this board.

[garycase]

Rajahal,

 

I've been thinking about changing my UnRAID system to the SuperMicro MBD-X7SPA-H-O board that you're using.  It does seem like it'd be a great low-power board.

 

Since you're using this board, perhaps you can answer a couple of questions ...

 

(1)  What's the idle power draw when all drives are spun down?  (Preferably measured with a Kill-a-Watt)

 

(2)  Does Wake-On_LAN work correctly with this board?

 

(3)  Any "gotcha's" with UnRAID ... BIOS changes, etc. that are needed => or does it just boot as is?

 

This seems like a perfect board to pair with a LIAN LI PC-Q08B and six 2TB drives for a relatively compact 10TB server.    I'd be interested in any comments you have now that you've been using it for a reasonable length of time.

 

[Rajahal]

Hi garycase,

 

1) I've got a small 3 drive server built around this motherboard that is currently hosting backups for both my and several other businesses. With all drives spun down, it is currently pulling 28W (this is according to my UPS that is powering it, I can't take it offline to try a Kill-a-watt test at the moment).

 

2) I don't use WOL, so I can't comment, sorry. As the board is so low power already, I don't see any reason not to just run it 24/7.

 

3) None that I can remember, but to be honest, I first worked with this board over a year ago (maybe two), so I may have forgotten something. I do remember that the first board I got off eBay was defective, but Supermicro's warranty covered it and they sent me a replacement that has been running like a champ for quite a while.

 

Unfortunately I never tested this board with 3 TB or larger drives, but I would be surprised if it didn't work. Nearly all motherboards support 3 TB and larger drives as data drive, but only newer ones are able to boot from them. In unRAID, this is typically not an issue.

 

In short, I highly recommend this motherboard for unRAID.

[Johnm]

1) 32 Watts with 5 3TB drives at idle.

 

2) never tired it. As I recall, Supermicro stuff is not the best for sleep. They make their severs for 24x7. it might only support S2. the manual is online if you want to look.

 

3) mine have all worked out of he box. i am still running the bios they were shipped with.

 

I just got a bunch of ASRock mITX boards last week for a new project.. i love SFF PCs

 

[garycase]

Thanks guys.  I agree that at ~ 30w idle one may as well let it run 24/7.

 

I notice that the 3TB drives are on the D525 version of the board, but hopefully the D510 version supports them as well.

 

Supermicro gave a very vague answer to a question I sent to their tech support folks:  "... X7SPA-F using Legacy BIOS. With latest release BIOS, motherboard all to detect 3TB install on SATA ports correctly. However, when user plan to install OS either Windows or Linux, it will on show 2TB disk space usable after finish installation."    Not sure if this is a Yes or No 

 

I think I'll just buy one and give it a try -- worst case is I'll just use 2TB drives for this little server (which I had originally planned anyway).

 

[prtsmgr]

I notice that the 3TB drives are on the D525 version of the board, but hopefully the D510 version supports them as well

 

I think I'll just buy one and give it a try -- worst case is I'll just use 2TB drives for this little server (which I had originally planned anyway).

 

garycase, I have a board for sale if you are interested http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=22513.0

 

[Johnm]

Thanks guys.  I agree that at ~ 30w idle one may as well let it run 24/7.

 

I notice that the 3TB drives are on the D525 version of the board, but hopefully the D510 version supports them as well.

 

as far as unraid is concerned, the D510 will work fine with 3TB drives.

The board will not boot off a 3TB drive and the raid controller (ICH9?) will not build a software raid with them (that you dont need).

 

For just data drives, the 3TB will work fine. I have used the D510 as a preclear server for 2TB and 3TB drives just Fine.

[bcbgboy13]

If you are interested in miniITX solution with limited number of drives the best option is to buy the HP microservers N36L or the newer N40L (available on Ebay from $225 with free shipping).

 

You will get a nice small case, good and efficient small power supply, ECC memory support.

 

Check the dedicated threads here.

[Beer40oz]

Good read on Mini-ITX...

 

So garycase and tucansam what did you guys end up doing? 

[tucansam]

Well, I ended up building a full-size server in an Cooler Master tower I had laying around, and put a micro-ATX board in it with a low power AthlonX2.  My storage needs are only going to grow over time, and for the price of a Pro license, why limit myself to five or seven disks on a mini-ITX board?

 

I wish Lime had a more tiered licensing scheme.  I need the Active Directory support.  But I have room for 16 disks in my server and am only using six presently.  Room to grow, sure, but it will take a while.  If Lime had a license with Active Directory support and a ten disk limit (or eleven, two five-bay hot swaps and a cache drive) I would have gone that route.  Or six (one five-bay hot swap and a cache drive).  Or whatever.  Just something to bridge the gap between a handful of drives and 20+....

 

I think Lime needs to re-evaluate its tiered approach and add something in the middle.  Now, assuming storage prices drop (fingers crossed), I'll be torn between buying more 3GB or even 4GB drives and upgrading my existing disks, or buying more drive cages and adding more smaller disks. 

 

Having said that, as soon as I buy my Pro license (probably this weekend assuming my parity drive arrives and is in good health), the system will be up and running, with plenty of room for expansion, even though I won't need it for a while.

 

At the very least, if drive prices DO come way down, I can take advantage of the prices (before the next great calamity drives prices up) and buy a bunch of drives... and at least have a system that will support them.

 

Depending on how I set up the network in my next house, I am still looking at a mini-ITX solution, something with six drives, something small that I can use as a dedicated server for my own workstation.  But I won't be buying another 20+ drive Pro license to get it, only to use 25% of the drives, so Lime will have to come up with another option before I build another unraid server.

 

Finally, I would like to build a small test system/offline storage system, using some old hardware that I have laying around.  Again, it would be small, five to seven drives, and again, I'd only be interested if there were a mid-level tier in the licensing scheme.

 

[mrow]

Well, I ended up building a full-size server in an Cooler Master tower I had laying around, and put a micro-ATX board in it with a low power AthlonX2.  My storage needs are only going to grow over time, and for the price of a Pro license, why limit myself to five or seven disks on a mini-ITX board?

 

I wish Lime had a more tiered licensing scheme.  I need the Active Directory support.  But I have room for 16 disks in my server and am only using six presently.  Room to grow, sure, but it will take a while.  If Lime had a license with Active Directory support and a ten disk limit (or eleven, two five-bay hot swaps and a cache drive) I would have gone that route.  Or six (one five-bay hot swap and a cache drive).  Or whatever.  Just something to bridge the gap between a handful of drives and 20+....

 

I think Lime needs to re-evaluate its tiered approach and add something in the middle.  Now, assuming storage prices drop (fingers crossed), I'll be torn between buying more 3GB or even 4GB drives and upgrading my existing disks, or buying more drive cages and adding more smaller disks. 

 

Having said that, as soon as I buy my Pro license (probably this weekend assuming my parity drive arrives and is in good health), the system will be up and running, with plenty of room for expansion, even though I won't need it for a while.

 

At the very least, if drive prices DO come way down, I can take advantage of the prices (before the next great calamity drives prices up) and buy a bunch of drives... and at least have a system that will support them.

 

Depending on how I set up the network in my next house, I am still looking at a mini-ITX solution, something with six drives, something small that I can use as a dedicated server for my own workstation.  But I won't be buying another 20+ drive Pro license to get it, only to use 25% of the drives, so Lime will have to come up with another option before I build another unraid server.

 

Finally, I would like to build a small test system/offline storage system, using some old hardware that I have laying around.  Again, it would be small, five to seven drives, and again, I'd only be interested if there were a mid-level tier in the licensing scheme.

 

 

So what, $20 or $30 dollars more for a tier with 10 disks and AD support? At that price point you might as well just pay the extra money for the pro license... I think the current pricing scheme is just about perfect. No reason to add a bunch of different tiers and confuse people. It'll end up looking like Windows with a million different versions. Not to mention the price of a pro license is about the same cost as a single large hard drive. I think it's a pretty good deal.

[Beer40oz]

The ZOTAC GF6100-E-E AM3 is pretty old and no longer in stock. Any other mini-itx motherboards out there that work well? 

 

It's pretty hard getting some things in the EU...

 

The supermicro board is about $300 here.... SUPERMICRO MBD-X7SPA-H-O

 

I am just trying to find out what is available....

 

This intel board looks interesting it has 6 sata ports...

and someone here is using it.

 

ASUS P8H77-I LGA 1155 Intel H77

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131841

 

http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=18872.0

 

[dirtysanchez]

This intel board looks interesting it has 6 sata ports...

and someone here is using it.

 

ASUS P8H77-I LGA 1155 Intel H77

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131841

 

http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=18872.0

 

 

I'm using the P8H77-I also and it works great.  6 SATA ports and 1 PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot.  No issues whatsoever.  Click the link in my sig for the build thread.

[seanant]

The Intel DH77DF is pretty awesome board too.  Its only got 2+2 but thats all I need.  I got it before Thanks Giving with an i3-3225, both on sale and have not had a single problem what so ever.  The i3-3225 has the HD-4000 which is pretty awesome for watching moveis and TV>.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121597&Tpk=dh77df

[greenythebeast]

I might be biased, since I use this board myself, but I would say the best mini-ITX board out there right now is the FM2A85X-ITX from ASRock.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157357

 

7 SATAIII ports!!