Hello all,

 

I've decided to join the masses and build an actual media server, rather than just using an ancient desktop with a few eSATA docks attached. There's so much to consider, so please bear with me and my questions. I'm looking to model my build around the miniBox located here: http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=6257.msg61134#msg61134

 

Budget: I'm looking to spend no more than $350 on the server itself. I have $450 in Amazon GCs, so any parts that can be sourced from there are ideal.

 

Capacity: Based on the thread I mentioned, I think I'm limited to 5 drives in that case. However, if I'm mistaken, please let me know. From what I understand, I need 1 cache drive, 1 parity drive, and then 3 data drives. For the data drives, I have a full 2TB drive already available as well as another blank 2TB. What sizes should I be considering for the cache and parity drives?

 

Expandability: Not very important to me at this point, but if there's a way to fit more than 5 drives into this case, let me know.

 

Add-ons: Yes! I plan on using Serviio, SABnzbd, Sick Beard, Couch Potato, Transmission, unMenu, and probably others as I find out about them.

 

Green or 7200: I'm fine with using Green drives. Is there an advantage to using a 7200RPM drive for the cache drive?

 

Spare parts: As I stated earlier, I have 1 2TB drive that is completely full. I have an additional empty 2TB drive. I also have 2 1TB drives that have some stuff on them, but I can relocate that data if necessary. I also have many flash drives of varying sizes.

 

Potential Parts:

• Case: Rosewill R101-P-BK http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004FWJ348/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&smid=A3K929QT0IENFR $27
  
• PSU: Corsair CX Series CX430 430W http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0092ML1SC/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER $49
  
• Hot swap tray: NORCO SS-500 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001QAP6G6/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&smid=A364K5Y86J4MV2 $92.11
  
• Memory: Kingston ValueRAM 2GB 800MHz DDR2 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0012Y0QT8/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER $27
  

Total so far: $209.09

 

I'm not sure what to do regarding CPU and Mobo. The Mobo suggested in the miniBox build doesn't seem to exist anymore. Any suggestions? Also, is the Sempron 145 powerful enough for all the add-ons I'm going to be using?

 

Let me know what you guys/gals think and I appreciate your help and advice

I've decided to shift my build a bit and allow for some more power and expandability. Could someone give me some thoughts on this?

 

CPU:  AMD Athlon II X2 260 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($62.29 @ Amazon)

Motherboard:  ASRock 880GM-LE FX Micro ATX  AM3+ Motherboard  ($54.99 @ Amazon)

Memory:  Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1066 Memory  ($21.99 @ Amazon)

Case:  Azza Helios 910 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($69.99 @ Amazon)

Power Supply:  Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply  ($49.99 @ Amazon)

Total: $260.76

 

I'm leaving out the hot swap tray for the future perhaps.

If it were me I'd go ahead and get 8 GB of RAM.  The incremental cost is minor and if you're keeping upgrade flexibility in mind you may need the RAM down the road.

 

That's my newb $.02