NAS Build advice

[Mr Del D]

All

I have been browsing the boards for a couple weeks, trying to learn a few things so I can build a unRAID server. (Actually found unRAID through the XBMC forums.) I will probably build the system using the v5.0beta software so I can use 3T drives. Current plan is to start with 3 – 3T drives, a 750Gig Cache drive (old 2.5” laptop drive) and parity drive 3T (think that’s right), with the ability to expand out to approx. 8 – 10 data drives. (Do I actually need all that space atm, not in the least, but doesn’t hurt to plan ahead LOL.)

 

I typically build a computer from the ground up every 3 – 4 years and upgrade or modify my existing computers during that time. (Typically video cards, ram and power supplies.) I have built several computers for family, both budget builds and high end gaming rigs (those are usually mine, go figure…). This would be my first attempt a building a server or even having one in the house. The main use it will see is for a media server for movies and music, so I am planning on using WD green drives or Hitachi drives (whichever are cheaper).

 

I am trying to stay on a budget of around $500 (more or less) for the server, any money I save can be used to purchase drives or go toward the HTPC that I am also building. I am willing to go over this amount, especially if I cannot use any of the old components listed below, but not more than $750 or I will be within the wife’s agro range and bad things will happen……..One last item, I have a limited amount of space for the server, so would like to keep it to a mid-tower case. The “computer room” is a remodeled wet bar which is literally 5’ X 8’ room, that has my desk and chair, with my main computer under the desk.

 

I have an old computer sitting around and so my first question is should I use this system or just spend a few bucks on more recent hardware. I know I will probably need to buy additional ram and at least one SATA controller card. (There are only 4 SATA connects on the board.) This board is compatible with unRAID, but I don’t mind spending a few bucks if its going to prevent future headaches down the road.

 

Old Computer components (Noticed I forgot to add the CPU)

 

Pentium 4-2.6C GHz Retail (HT)

 

ASUS P4C800 Deluxe (875P Chipset - http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_478/P4C800E_Deluxe/

 

2 X 512-MB Corsair TwinX XMS DDR400/PC3200LL - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145450

 

THERMALTAKE W0019+PFC 480W - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153011

 

Thermaltake Highest Xaser II A5000C Chassis (Pictures on Thermaltake site are not the best, I couldn’t find any better internal pictures on the web, but I will continue to look if they are required, see below.) - http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/product/chassis/fulltower/xaser2/5000c.asp

 

Next question is in regards to the case. There is a 4 drive converter at the Thermaltake site for $129, which would make the case hold 10 drives. (Maybe 11 if you squeeze one under the converter.) (There are no dust filters on the case, so I would have to add those.)

 

I have been looking at this case NZXT Tempest 410 , which has 8 - 3.5” bays (tool less) already and an 3 – 5.25” bay which (hopefully) you can fit a Norco SS-500. (This would be a future purchase when needed.) Cost $160.00US and total drives would be 13. Does anyone have experience with this case manufacture? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146081

 

Also, there is the Fractal Design Define R4, which I have seen mentioned on this site and the XBMC site several times. With the addition of a Norco SS-300, total number of drives would be 11 and cost about $175.00US. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352025

 

Any advice would be appreciated and thank you for your time.

 

Well after looking at other builds on the site, I am getting the impression that a Pentium 4-2.6C GHz is not going to be enough. I will wait until the new ivy bridge i3 come out next week and then update with another build.

 

Take care

 

Del

 

[joshpond]

Sorry only had a quick read as I'm on my phone so there may afew mistakes but I'm pretty sure the p4 board won't run 3T hdds.

 

Might be a new build. Otherwise i would use the old hardware to start with then upgrade later if you need to but i wouldn't spend money on the old stuff unless you can carry to the new build.

 

Josh

[Helmonder]

If you can first build with spare hardware so you can check out if unraid is for you... If you run with it and like it, an upgrade might be worthwhile, depends on what you want to do with the system..

[Frank1940]

With regard to your computer case.  You might want to have a good look at the thread in this section on cases with 5.25" drive bays top to bottom.  If you are planning on using more than (say) six drives, you are going to end up with a rat's mess of cables  (both SATA cables and power cables) inside the case.  The connections to SATA drives are not the secure things in the electronic universe and, when you have to change a drive, you stand a good chance of disturbing a previously secure connection on another drive.  This will cause you another problem in addition to the original one.  As the number of drives increase, you really want to use drive cages so you can simply slip a drive in-and-out without opening the case. 

 

You should state whether you want any other services on your unRAID other than file serving.  If file serving is your only intended use, you could easily get a AMD sempron CPU and motherboard for about $110US.

[Mr Del D]

All,

 

Thank you for your replies. (I was OOO this week and had limited time to get online.) To be honest I think I will just go with a newer build, I just think it will be a lot less headache in the future.  Additionally, since HHD are the most expense part of the build, I would rather just go with all 3T drives, so I don’t have to worry about room in the future. Joshpond addressed one of my major concerns, that the board will probably not support 3T drives. (Or I would have to buy SATA cards, which would be about the same price as a new MB and CPU.)

 

As for a NAS server for media applications I really have not read anything but good reviews about unRAID. I really don’t see a better application out there for the price and I don’t have a problem with doing the homework required to build the system.

 

Helmonder and Frank1940 – Other than storage for music, Movies, and misc. storage (about 1.5T of work data), I don’t know enough to know how else I would use the NAD. I have read that you can run Sickbeard and other programs from the Cache drive, but I am not sure if I will set that up or just run it from the HTPC or my main computer. I currently have 350ish DVD, Blu-ray movies that would be ripped to the server. (Researching that process this weekend, but will probably use AnyDVD and another program (Handbreak??) to rip the DVD/Blu-ray to the server.)

 

Frank1940 – I have been looking at cases for weeks and still have not pulled the trigger. (I tend to OCD on projects (you should see my deck) and research them to death. Currently I believe 6 – 8 drives would be enough (including Cache drive), but I would like to have room to expand if it is needed. Due to my limited space, I like the Fractal case as it has lots of room and it’s silent (as silent as a case can get anyway). I was going to use locking SATA cables with the internal 3.5” bays and a NORCO 300 in the top 2 X 5.25” bays. (There is also room for 2X 2.5” drives behind the MB tray, but I am not sure you can use a standard spin drive or only SSD drives. This is where I was going to place the Cache drive, which is a 750Gig 2.5” spin drive.)

 

Again, thank you for your time. I have to goto Canada for a couple weeks and will post a build once I get back in the states (Ivybridge will be out by then too).

 

Take care,

 

Del

 

[Mr Del D]

Hello all,

 

Have been doing some additional research and finally got down to a combination of existing parts and new parts. Currently once the system is complete there will be 8 – 10 3T drives, a parity and a cache drive.

 

As I mentioned earlier, I may run some add-ons from the server but not 100% positive. (SABnzbd/CouchPotato/SickBeard)  (I really don’t know enough about add-ons yet to say for certain, but want to have the system robust enough to handle them.)

 

I have probably reconfigured this setup half a dozen times (no kidding) and finally got it down to these parts.

 

Existing parts:

 

Antec Nine hundred (existing gaming case)

 

6 Gig Corsair DDR3 1600

 

COOLER MASTER Silent Pro M700 RS-700-AMBA-D3 700W

 

750 Gig 2.5” 5200 rpm Drive (laptop drive I replaced with an SSD drive earlier this year.) The current plan is this to be the cache drive.

 

(The Ram and power supply were purchased in 2010 and in the case until about 6 months ago, will replace the case with a new Fractal case.)

 

New Parts:

 

ASUS P8B75-M/CSM LGA 1155 Intel B75 $79.99 (Main reason I picked this MB over the Supermicro board was $$.)

 

NORCO SS-500 5-Bay 89.99 X 2 = $180.00

 

SilenX EFX-08-15 80mm 8.99 X 2 $18.00 (To replace the noisy Norco fans)

 

SUPERMICRO AOC-SASLP-MV8 $110.00

 

Other than a the general approval that the above items will play well together, I need to know if I should go with a Intel Core i3-3220 Ivy Bridge 3.3GHz processor or if I could get by with a Intel Celeron G555 Sandy Bridge 2.7GHz . If there is going to be a noticeable difference using the Celeron, then I would feel better getting the i3.

 

Total cost is about $550 US, including the Fractal case.

 

Additionally, can you put a 2.5” drive in the Norco housing? If not, then I am going to have to attach the cache drive someplace else in the case, as I don’t want to take up an extra drive bay. Any suggestions here would be great.

 

I think thats about it for the moment. Thank you for your time.

 

 

Del D

[Andrewch]

I'm here looking for build advise too so I cant help you much there. But what I can say is that Ive had great results ripping my DVD collection with MakeMKV and compressing with Handbreak. Let us know what program you end up going with.

 

BTW, the R3/4 is just about the best looking case out there i recon.