Hello Everyone!  New to the boards and I'm excited to build my Unraid server! 

 

Since this is my first build, I'd love any feedback!  I'm using this as a media server primarily, running Plex Media Server and Transmission, but who knows what else I will use it for in the future.  As I gain more experience, I'll probably move on to using things like SABnzbd, Sick Beard, Couch Potato, APC UPS D and more.

 

Here are the specs:

 

CPU: Intel Xeon E3 1240 V2 Quad Core Processor 3.4GHZ 8MB LGA1155 69W Retail Box http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=74986

Motherboard: Supermicro X9SCL+-F mATX LGA1155 DDR3 ECC 2GBE IPMI 3PCIE 6SATA2 9USB2.0 Motherboard  http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=80282

RAM: Kingston KVR1333D3E9SK2/16G 16GB 2X8GB Kits DDR3-1333 CL9 DIMM ECC Dual Channel Memory  http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=66488

Case: Cooler Master Cosmos II XL-ATX Ultra Tower Case Black 3X5.25 13X3.5INT No PS Front USB & Sound  http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=67337

PSU: Corsair Enthusiast Series TX750M 750W ATX Modular Power Supply Active PFC 120mm Fan  http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=62826&promoid=1293

Parity Drive: Western Digital Red 3TB SATA3 64MB Cache 3.5in Internal Hard Disk Drive HDD  http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=74269

Data Drives:  2 x Western Digital Red 3TB SATA3 64MB Cache 3.5in Internal Hard Disk Drive HDD  http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=74269, and a bunch of different drives I have.  Some 2TB WD Greens, 750GB Seagate, etc.

Cache Drive: Western Digital WD Black WD5001AALS 500GB (I own it already)

Expansion Card:  2 x Supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8 8 Channel 3GB/S SAS/SATA RAID PCI-E Card Marvell 6480  http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=37999

Breakout Cable:  4 x LSI 3WARE Multi Lane Internal 0.6M MINI-SAS SFF-8087 to 4X Serial ATA Breakout Cable 0.6M  http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=36842

 

Yes, I know I'm probably going overboard here, but I like to future-proof, even though it makes no sense to try sometimes.  =) 

 

I chose that case because it holds 13 HDDs, plus I can add a 3X5.25 to 5X3.5IN rack for 5 more drives.  Was cheaper than buying an Antec 1200 with 4 x 3X5.25 to 5X3.5IN racks.  I don't want the Norco 4224, rather have a tower solution. 

 

Is there any advantage to getting 32GB of RAM or should I stick to 16?

 

I'm hoping to make use of IPMI, hence why I selected that motherboard.

 

Does anyone see any problems with this build?  Any suggestions?  Thoughts?  Like I said, I'm new to Unraid and very excited!  I take all suggestions seriously.

 

Thanks!

 

Looks like a great build, I'm sure it will be a beast.

 

In regards to the RAM, the only reason I can see to go with 32GB would be if you plan to do ESXi and run numerous VM's.  Otherwise 16GB, even running a bunch of plugins, should be plenty.

In regards to the RAM, the only reason I can see to go with 32GB would be if you plan to do ESXi and run numerous VM's.  Otherwise 16GB, even running a bunch of plugins, should be plenty.

 

Indeed - I run a multitude of plugins in 8MB.  However, do consider opting for faster memory - the Ivy Bridge CPU will support 1600MHz.

In regards to the RAM, the only reason I can see to go with 32GB would be if you plan to do ESXi and run numerous VM's.  Otherwise 16GB, even running a bunch of plugins, should be plenty.

 

Indeed - I run a multitude of plugins in 8MB.  However, do consider opting for faster memory - the Ivy Bridge CPU will support 1600MHz.

 

Thanks!  I will look into getting 1600 ram instead.