garycase Posted April 30, 2014 Author Share Posted April 30, 2014 ... has anyone successfully installed any linux distro and managed to get it booted up? ... i have managed to boot unraid from a USB with no problems at all. You are, I presume, aware that when you boot to UnRAID you ARE running on a Linux distro This board doesn't have any problem running Linux ... you may need a BIOS update and/or to change some BIOS settings. What version is your current BIOS? ... and what CPU do you have installed? Quote Link to comment
frostbite Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 Thanks for your quick reply! I have upgraded the BIOS to version 1005, i'm running an i3-4130 CPU @ 3.40GHz. Under BIOS/Boot/Secure Boot i have: Secure Boot State: Disabled Platform Key (PK) state: unloaded OS Type: Other OS Under BIOS/Boot/CMS i have: Launch CMS: Enabled Boot Device Control:Legacy OPROM only Boot from Network Devices: Ignore Boot from Storage Devices: Legacy OPROM first Boot from PCI-E/PCI Expansion Devices: Legacy OPROM first I then have my hard drive as the first boot device. I have no problem booting unraid from the USB, but i can't boot off the hard drive. I think there may be an issue with this board and secure boot, i have googled and found this: http://www.rodsbooks.com/efi-bootloaders/secureboot.html . Maybe i've just done thing simple wrong, but i can't see what? Thanks for the help Quote Link to comment
J.R. Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 Great thread! Planning an Unraid NAS build with this case but having trouble narrowing down the MB/CPU. Hoping for some input. Case - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112339 (Hoping this goes on sale for some of the steals I've seen in this thread...) PSU - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256097&cm_re=SILVERSTONE_SFX_ST30SF-_-17-256-097-_-Product The hard drives will be two WD 2TB Green drives (already in use in a QNAP) and a WD 2TB Red that I already own. Any future drives will be the Hitachi Deskstar 4TB to expand the array. I'm also considering using an older 160GB drive I have as a cache drive. I don't plan on going to more than 1 cache drive, 1 parity and four storage drives total. I do have a couple 1TB WD RE2 drives but I'll may put those in the Qnap to sell it. Motherboard options (are they still "the best"?) ASUS H87I-PLUS - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132032&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&PageSize=10&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&IsFeedbackTab=true#scrollFullInfo SUPERMICRO MBD-X7SPE-H-D525-O - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813182242&cm_re=X7SPE-_-13-182-242-_-Product If I go with the Asus it's either cheap but less efficient Celeron or more expensive but more efficient i3 Celeron - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116999 i3 - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116947 I'm leaning towards the Celeron as it's much cheaper and the system will be at or near idle most of the time anyway. Thoughts? Obviously the Asus/Celeron is the best on the budget, what are the selling points to going with the other more expensive options (i3 and Supermicro MB)? I also found this board: JetWay JNF99FL-525-LF - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813153212&cm_re=JetWay_JNF99FL-525-LF-_-13-153-212-_-Product ...but it seems to be hard to source and obviously there's less community support with it. I plan on using it primarily as just simply a NAS for music, movies, photos, documents etc but will also need torrent and print-server abilities. It will be serving a PC, Tablet (Android), a couple of smart phones and a WDTV live media box. Quote Link to comment
J.R. Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 FYI to anyone in the Ontario area. Canada Computers has the case on for $71.88 but in store only. I tried my damnedest to get them to ship me one to BC but no luck http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=6_631&item_id=041652 Quote Link to comment
garycase Posted January 15, 2016 Author Share Posted January 15, 2016 This thread has been dormant for a good while, but I've had several PM's in the last few months asking me what hardware I'd use if I was building another Q25B system today, so I thought I'd add a post with my thoughts as of Jan 2016 ... First, I still really like the Q25B and wouldn't hesitate to use it for a new system -- but it IS a bit difficult to find these days. Availability seems to fluctuate from week-to-week ... I noticed today that there are a few available on Amazon [ http://www.amazon.com/Lian-Li-PC-Q25B-Aluminum-Mini-ITX/dp/B0065SKNNK ], but this seems to change every time I look. So the first thing to do if you want to do a Q25B build is to get the case in hand As for components for the build ... the following are generically what I'd suggest using with it (note that there are several very similar choices for motherboards, so no one board is "THE" board to use) ... Motherboard: A server quality (i.e. Cxxx chipset) board, such as this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157466 Memory: 16GB of ECC memory ... something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA4M53GP4245 CPU: A Xeon E3 1200 series CPU. Don't skimp here -- you'll never regret having "too much" CPU "horsepower", but may very well wish you had more ... especially if you plan on running some virtual machines. I'd suggest an E3-1230v3 or higher. The 1230v3 is a nice "sweet spot" in terms of performance vs. cost: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116906 Power Supply: A quality SFX power supply is the only thing to use. Do NOT attempt to stuff in an ATX unit, notwithstanding Lian-Li's assertion that it's designed for one. I'd use this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA4S82D13468&cm_re=Silverstone_450-_-17-256-084-_-Product That's it ... a few SATA cables and a flash drive and you're ready for UnRAID, with enough "horsepower" to run v6 with virtualization very nicely. As for the flash drive, the 16GB SanDisk Ultra Fit is an excellent choice. [ http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Ultra-Low-Profile-Flash-SDCZ43-016G-G46/dp/B00LLEN5FQ/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1452884988&sr=8-5&keywords=ultra+fit ] The only add-on you might want is an additional 2-port controller, as the case can actually hold up to 8 drives very easily [7 3.5 or 6 3.5 and 2 2.5]. But with modern 6-8TB drives, it'll likely be a while before you need more than the 6 drives the motherboard I listed can support. Note that the case will actually hold an extended mini-ITX board like this unit if you want to avoid any possible need for that extra controller: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157486 This board has 14 SATA ports AND supports 4 memory modules, so you could have 32GB instead of the 16GB limit of the board I noted above. I have NOT used an extended ITX board in any of the Q25B builds I've done, but several folks on this forum have used this board and have indicated it fits just fine. Quote Link to comment
ljm42 Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 Funny, you have almost exactly described my system. (Then again, you helped me pick the components, so I guess that isn't too strange!) If I were buying today I would get the extended ITX board so I could have both a video card and more hard drives. I don't think that was an option back when I was building. Quote Link to comment
garycase Posted January 16, 2016 Author Share Posted January 16, 2016 Agree -- the extended ITX board has 3 nice advantages: (1) Support for all the drives you could possibly "stuff" in the case [Realistically, you could put 6 3.5" drives and 4 2.5" SSDs in the case without any problem, but I can't envision any more than that]; (2) Support for 32GB of RAM; and (3) An available PCIe slot that you could use for a video card, if you wanted to pass through a card for a VM. Note that it's an x8 slot, but it's open-ended so will hold an x16 card; and it's also a PCIe v3 slot, so the bandwidth will be PLENTY even with only 8 lanes. Quote Link to comment
Smackover Posted February 13, 2016 Share Posted February 13, 2016 garycase, what are your thoughts on this motherboard, vs the extended mITX ASRock board? Seems like they are comparable, except this new one has 8 SATA, and supports the 1151 socket. Quote Link to comment
garycase Posted February 14, 2016 Author Share Posted February 14, 2016 garycase, what are your thoughts on this motherboard, vs the extended mITX ASRock board? Seems like they are comparable, except this new one has 8 SATA, and supports the 1151 socket. This board looks PERFECT => 8 SATA ports so you can max out any mini-ITX case; Xeon E3v5 support; ECC memory support; a PCIe x16 expansion slot; etc. The only "nice to have" feature it doesn't have is IPMI => which the 14-port extended ITX Socket 1150 board DOES have, but the 14-port board has an x8 expansion slot. A tough choice ... although I'd probably go with the new Socket 1151 board for the x16 slot, support for the newest Xeon E3 generation; and 8 SATA ports supported directly by the chipset. Quote Link to comment
mr-hexen Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 Damn unread reply notifications. I wish I didn't just read those two new posts... Quote Link to comment
Smackover Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 garycase, what are your thoughts on this motherboard, vs the extended mITX ASRock board? Seems like they are comparable, except this new one has 8 SATA, and supports the 1151 socket. This board looks PERFECT => 8 SATA ports so you can max out any mini-ITX case; Xeon E3v5 support; ECC memory support; a PCIe x16 expansion slot; etc. The only "nice to have" feature it doesn't have is IPMI => which the 14-port extended ITX Socket 1150 board DOES have, but the 14-port board has an x8 expansion slot. A tough choice ... although I'd probably go with the new Socket 1151 board for the x16 slot, support for the newest Xeon E3 generation; and 8 SATA ports supported directly by the chipset. Well thanks for the input. Went a head and ordered the ASRock C236 WSI Mini ITX. Now I just need to pick a CPU (thinking the Xeon E3-1275 v5) and order some RAM Quote Link to comment
garycase Posted February 17, 2016 Author Share Posted February 17, 2016 The E3-1275v5 is an excellent choice. As for RAM ... I didn't realize how difficult it is to find unbuffered DDR4 ECC modules ... they're VERY difficult to find, and apparently only currently available in 8GB modules. A pair will give you 16GB, which should be plenty ... but clearly it'd be nicer if 16GB modules were available so you could simply max out the board at 32GB. I'm sure more will be available in the relatively near future, but for now, here's a link to the 8GB modules I found: http://www.kingston.com/us/memory/search/Default.aspx?DeviceType=7&Mfr=ASR&Line=Motherboard&Model=93677&Description=Kingston_ValueRam_Memory_Server_Premier_Memory_HyperX_Memory_for_ASRock_Motherboard_C236_WSI Quote Link to comment
Smackover Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 This kit should work, shouldn't it? It doesn't appear to be widely available, but it can be ordered direct from Crucial. http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/ct2k16g4wfd8213 Quote Link to comment
garycase Posted February 17, 2016 Author Share Posted February 17, 2016 Yes, that should work fine -- not sure how I missed that, as I did look at the Crucial site Quote Link to comment
talmania Posted February 22, 2016 Share Posted February 22, 2016 Damn unread reply notifications. I wish I didn't just read those two new posts... Same here!! Although in my case it was the bumping that got my attention! I've now gone from "let's replace my G6950 to an x3470" to "OMG BRAND NEW BUILD TIME!!" Quote Link to comment
yippy3000 Posted February 22, 2016 Share Posted February 22, 2016 The Crucial one works. I have it in the sister board to that (E3C236D2I, basically trades 2 SATA for an M.2 and IPMI) and it works great. I bought mine from amazon.com here http://amzn.com/B017UGK94S Quote Link to comment
adrenalkrysis Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 I've been finding it hard to source a PC-Q25 here in Aus for a reasonable price What is everyone's opinion on the PC-Q26? Quote Link to comment
mr-hexen Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 Lian-Li has announced a slightly larger Q25 case called the M25... looks interesting! http://www.tweaktown.com/pressrelease/10496/lian-li-announces-pc-m25-chassis-plethora-drive-mounts/index.html Quote Link to comment
garycase Posted February 28, 2016 Author Share Posted February 28, 2016 The M25 is a nice looking case, but it's MUCH larger than the Q25B ... holds micro-ATX motherboards (or, of course, the smaller mini-ITX). Quote Link to comment
spencers Posted February 29, 2016 Share Posted February 29, 2016 Lian-Li has announced a slightly larger Q25 case called the M25... looks interesting! http://www.tweaktown.com/pressrelease/10496/lian-li-announces-pc-m25-chassis-plethora-drive-mounts/index.html Nice! Good to finally have a similar option for mATX boards! Quote Link to comment
garycase Posted February 29, 2016 Author Share Posted February 29, 2016 It's more than just "announced" => they're available NOW http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112524&cm_re=Lian_Li_Mini_itx-_-11-112-524-_-Product Quote Link to comment
talmania Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 The M25 is a nice looking case, but it's MUCH larger than the Q25B ... holds micro-ATX motherboards (or, of course, the smaller mini-ITX). I was excited to hear about this and a bit disappointed that a closer look revealed no substantial difference in the number of 3.5" drives it could support. I guess I was hoping for too much! Quote Link to comment
trurl Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 The M25 is a nice looking case, but it's MUCH larger than the Q25B ... holds micro-ATX motherboards (or, of course, the smaller mini-ITX). I was excited to hear about this and a bit disappointed that a closer look revealed no substantial difference in the number of 3.5" drives it could support. I guess I was hoping for too much! You can get more expansion slots in micro-ATX than in mini-ITX. Quote Link to comment
garycase Posted March 3, 2016 Author Share Posted March 3, 2016 It's more than just "announced" => they're available NOW http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112524&cm_re=Lian_Li_Mini_itx-_-11-112-524-_-Product ... Well, it WAS available a few days ago => just tried to order one and see that it's not only "out of stock", but is now listed with a "... may not be restocked " note. Hope that's only temporary => but I can't find ANY reseller that has them at the moment. Quote Link to comment
tdallen Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 I was excited to hear about this and a bit disappointed that a closer look revealed no substantial difference in the number of 3.5" drives it could support. I guess I was hoping for too much! Take a look at the pictures on the Lian Li site. There is a drive cage that mounts to the bottom slide out panel that accomodates 2x3.5" drives. It looks like you may be able to attach more than one of them to the slide out panel. The drives wouldn't be hot swap but you can get at least 8 3.5" drives in there, and maybe 9 (mounting two of the addin drive cages). Quote Link to comment
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