New unRAID build, Motherboard advice.

[casaluma]

Hi,

 

For weeks now i've been thinking about building an unRAID server for myself, but the only thing holding me back is the choice of Motherboard.

On the Hardware Compatibility wiki pages i've found one I really like, but I'll need some more info from the users of this forum to actually buy it.

The one i'm talking about is the:

 

Asus P5E-VM DO

 

I love it because it has: onboard video, gigabit ethernet & 6 SATA connections (more than enough for now)

 

Is there anyone that has this same board or has experience building a server with this board? Please help me decide!

(I couldn't find anything on the forum) If you have other MB's that have more or less the same specs if this one doesn't work, I would also like to know this.

 

this will be my whole setup (without MB):

 

- Cooler Master Elite 330 Case

- Antec EarthWatts EA-380EC 380W

- Celeron 440 2.0Ghz

- Kingston 2GB (KVR800D2N6/2G)

- 3x Samsung Spinpoint F1 1TB HD103UJ

- 2x Lexar Firefly 2GB (for unRAID)

 

Hopefully this gives you enough info.

 

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Lucas

[speeding_ant]

Hey mate,

 

I'd recommend not going with the ASUS, just because I know a lot of people have had issues with them. Gigabyte make good boards, albeit without the specs you are talking about. I've got a GA-EP35-DS3, and it works flawlessly. You only need a cheap VGA card, or pull one from another PC temporarily. Then you can run headless without issue. It has full 3Gb/s 6 ports SATA, plus decent gigabit ethernet. Then just run a cheap opened box Intel CD. They run far cooler than the AMDs and are way more reliable in my experience. Remember to buy the ram in matched pairs.

 

I'd also go for a higher rated PSU, maybe around 500W - 80+ efficiency, if you plan to run 6 drives or more.

 

Andrew

[casaluma]

Thanks Andrew for the quick reply!

 

I Have a question about that GA-EP35-DS3. In the Hardware Compatibility pages I see the GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3R and that one looks promising..

8 6 SATA, gigabit ethernet & onboard video. (this is wrong on the Hardware Compatibility pages!)

Yours is not on the list? and what is the difference between these two?

Can I keep all the other stuff in my list and just change the MB? Does the RAM and processor work on this MB?

I myself am going to dig a little deeper also, thank you.

 

I'm still interested to know IF there are any users that have in fact used the ASUS P5E-VM DO successfully!

 

Lucas

[SSD]

HERE is a post by LimeTech that indicates that they have some experience with the P5E VM DO motherboard.

 

The fact that that author mentions using the board is a positive.

 

I have the P5B VM DO, the "standard" MB that has shipped with many of the LimeTech pre-built systems.  Although similar in name, it has a few advantages over the P5E VM DO version

1 - It has 8 SATA ports (7 SATA + 1 eSATA) rather than 6 with the P5E

2 - It's PCI-E slot is an x4 slot vs the x1 slot in the P5E

3 - As the standard board, it undergoes significant testing with each new release vs an unknown about of testing with the P5E version

 

They both have onboard graphics, which is a positive.

 

The P5B VM DO is a bit hard to find, but can still be had, albeit at a premium, HERE.

 

I might recommend looking at the Abit AB9 Pro.  It  has 10 SATA ports (9 SATA + 1 eSATA).

 

Good luck!