First Unraid Build - Thoughts/Suggestions?

[kkt12]

Hello, been reading the forum for a bit but have decided to start a build thread hoping for some advice or guidance. Great forum by the way! 

 

I mostly want a basic Unraid server, to stream music/video via XBMC to my computer. Low heat, low power.  But I would also like to have a strong enough build that I can experiment a little bit with using addons. I'd also like to mount the UNraid USB internally.  Budget is pretty flexible, not looking to 'go crazy' though.

 

I've gone ahead and bought three of the HDs I wanted, as they were on sale and I also got a promo code:

 

DRIVES - 3 x Seagate NAS HDD ST4000VN000 4TB HD

 

This is the case and PSU I'm looking at:

CASE - LIAN LI PC-Q25B Black Aluminum Mini-ITX Case

PSU - SILVERSTONE ST45SF-G 450W SFX12V 80 PLUS GOLD Modular PSU

 

and I'm not sure yet about the CPU/mobo/RAM. I'm looking at:

 

CPU - AMD A6-5400K Trinity 3.6GHz FM2 65W Dual-Core Desktop APU AD540KOKHJBOX

MOBO - ? (something mITX)

RAM - I think the RAM I already have should serve well, but am open to suggestion

 

 

Items I have lying around

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB RAM (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) F3-10666CL7D-4GBRH

AMD Athlon II X4 640 Propus 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core CPU

XFX HD-567X-ZNF3 Radeon HD 5670 1GB 128-Bit DDR5 GPU

Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Case

[garycase]

Silverstone has recently released a new 300w SFX power supply that's a better choice for the PC-Q25B builds.  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256097

 

If you want low-power consumption but enough CPU "horsepower" to run a few add-ons, this is a good choice:  http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?p=MB-A1S27F  Note, however, that it uses SODIMMs, so you'd have to buy memory for it.

 

If you want to use your existing RAM and the CPU you listed, this would work:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130664

... but it only have 4 SATA ports, so you'll need an add-in SATA card if/when you want to go beyond 4 drives.

 

[kkt12]

Silverstone has recently released a new 300w SFX power supply that's a better choice for the PC-Q25B builds.  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256097

Thanks for the tip! Wondering what makes it a better choice; is it due to just the cost/lower power rating?

 

If you want low-power consumption but enough CPU "horsepower" to run a few add-ons, this is a good choice:  http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?p=MB-A1S27F  Note, however, that it uses SODIMMs, so you'd have to buy memory for it.

A bit out of my price range I'm afraid.

 

If you want to use your existing RAM and the CPU you listed, this would work:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130664

... but it only have 4 SATA ports, so you'll need an add-in SATA card if/when you want to go beyond 4 drives.

 

What do you think of this one?

ASUS F2A85-M PRO FM2 AMD A85X (Hudson D4) mATX

It has 7 sata ports, which is the max for both Unraid Plus and this case. And USB 3.0 too, a plus for me.

 

[garycase]

Thanks for the tip! Wondering what makes it a better choice; is it due to just the cost/lower power rating?

 

80+ power supplies are more efficient when operating above 20% of their rated power [the 80+ certification measurements are taken at 20%, 50%, and 80% loads].    For a 300w power supply, that's 60w;  for a 450w supply, that's 90w.    So your system is much more likely to operate in the power supply's most efficient range with a 300w supply.

 

 

What do you think of this one?

ASUS F2A85-M PRO FM2 AMD A85X (Hudson D4) mATX

It has 7 sata ports, which is the max for both Unraid Plus and this case. And USB 3.0 too, a plus for me.

 

Nice motherboard -- but it's a micro-ATX unit;  FAR too large to fit in an ITX case    You need a mini-ITX motherboard 

 

 

 

 

 

[garycase]

If you want 6 SATA ports, you'll need to buy a new CPU, as I don't believe there are any FM2 boards with 6 SATA ports.

 

Personally, I'd buy this:  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132032

 

... and one of these, depending on just how much "horsepower" you want:

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116950  (Passmark = 3242)

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116946  (Passmark = 4860)

 

[FYI your current A6-5400k scores 2181 on Passmark]

 

[garycase]

FWIW, the last system I built with that motherboard used a Core i7-4771  => Passmark = 10084 

[kkt12]

How does this build look?  PC Partpicker stated there were incompatibilities; only the first one really concerns me.  I think it's wrong but I'm not certain:

 

• Lian-Li PC-Q25B Mini ITX Tower Case and Silverstone 300W 80+ Bronze Certified SFX Power Supply are not compatible.

• Asus H87I-PLUS Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard has an onboard USB 3.0 header, but the Lian-Li PC-Q25B Mini ITX Tower Case does not have front panel USB 3.0 ports.

 

 

CASE - LIAN LI PC-Q25B Black Aluminum Mini-ITX Case - $105

MOBO - ASUS H87I-PLUS LGA 1150 Intel H87 Mini ITX Motherboard - $113

CPU  - Intel Pentium G3220 Haswell 3.0GHz LGA 1150 54W Dual-Core CPU - $70

PSU  - SILVERSTONE ST30SF 300W ATX12V 80+ BRONZE PSU - $55

RAM  - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB RAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) - Free

HDD  - Seagate NAS HDD ST4000VN000 4TB HD x 3 - Free

 

Total = $343

 

Hmm, was trying to keep it to $300 or less...

[garycase]

Your PC Partpicker site is WRONG about the compatibility.  The problem is that Lian-Li lists the Q25B as compatible with ATX power supplies (which is a real stretch on their part -- it CAN use a couple of shorter ones, but it's VERY crowded when you do so ... an SFX unit is a MUCH better choice).

 

They're correct that the Q25B doesn't have front-panel USB ports ... but that's irrelevant for this use.

 

I presume your "free" memory and 4TB drives really means you already have them 

[Otherwise post a link -- I'd like some of those free 4TB drives !!  ]

 

[kkt12]

I presume your "free" memory and 4TB drives really means you already have them

 

Correct, though I can appreciate your interest in finding free 4TB drives 

 

One cause for concern with this build is that some people are reporting issues using this CPU/Mobo combination:

 

Does not work with G3220 - Despite what Asus's website says' date=' it does not work with G3220. I get no DVI out and no way to upgrade the BIOS.[/url']

 

DO NOT BUY FOR A G3220 - Absolutely does not work w/ G3220. BIOS 306 works' date=' but hangs on every single reboot and must be power cycled. 701/702 which officially supports the GS3220 bricks the system (no video) and no combination of "crash free" recovery does anything.[/url']

 

[kkt12]

What about this AMD Mobo/CPU combo?  Would save about $43 dollars off the Intel combo above, and *seems* like it would be powerful enough:

 

MOBO - ASRock FM2A78M-ITX+ FM2+ / FM2 AMD A78 (Bolton D3) Mini-ITX Motherboard - $85

CPU - AMD A6-5400K Trinity 3.6GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) Socket FM2 65W Dual-Core APU - $55

[garycase]

One cause for concern with this build is that some people are reporting issues using this CPU/Mobo combination:

 

I suspect ... but clearly can't confirm ... that the two folks who posted notes r.e. issues with the G3220 had boards with outdated BIOS versions that didn't support the chip.  This is, of course,  an unfortunate situation, as you can't update the BIOS without a CPU    [FWIW, the new Asus boards with "BIOS flashback" overcome this catch-22 => they can flash the BIOS with no CPU installed !!  ... unfortunately there's no mini-ITX board with this feature (yet) ]

 

I did find a set of benchmarks for the board with several CPU's, including the G3220 ... so clearly it DOES work with that CPU.  http://openbenchmarking.org/s/ASUS%20H87I-PLUS

 

I'd hope that any board you buy now would have at least the v701 BIOS (or later) ... since it was released last August, with several newer versions since then; but it's possible you would not. 

 

I would not, however, switch to a lower-powered AMD build (the G3220 is more than 1.5x the power of an A6-5400).    I'd just buy the combo you've listed -- it's almost certain that any motherboards being shipped now have a recent enough BIOS to support that CPU.

 

 

[mrow]

What about this AMD Mobo/CPU combo?  Would save about $43 dollars off the Intel combo above, and *seems* like it would be powerful enough:

 

MOBO - ASRock FM2A78M-ITX+ FM2+ / FM2 AMD A78 (Bolton D3) Mini-ITX Motherboard - $85

CPU - AMD A6-5400K Trinity 3.6GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) Socket FM2 65W Dual-Core APU - $55

 

 

If $43 bucks is going to break the bank then go for it. But AMD is really a waste of money these days. They are totally uncompetitive in terms of performance per dollar and power consumption.

[kkt12]

Thanks a ton for the assistance throughout this thread!

 

I would not, however, switch to a lower-powered AMD build (the G3220 is more than 1.5x the power of an A6-5400).

 

If $43 bucks is going to break the bank then go for it. But AMD is really a waste of money these days. They are totally uncompetitive in terms of performance per dollar and power consumption.

 

I'm definitely inclined to go with the Intel, but I'm wondering how many watts on idle these two combos have? I do want to play with addons and whatnot, but, realistically, this thing will mostly just sit around humming away in the corner. 

 

It looks like the ASUS H87I-PLUS doesn't have a mobo USB connection, so I was looking at this:

StarTech USBMBADAPT 6in USB A Female to USB Motherboard 4 Pin Header

However, the mobo only has the two power connections. One is for the CPU fan and the other I'm guessing is for a case fan?  But the case comes with molex adapters for the fans, so I should just be able to connect them both to the PSU and then connect the USB header direct to the mobo?

 

It also seems like there's some debate as to how to best wire this case's HD swap cage up with SATA cables.  There was a thread about it but I felt dizzy after reading it. 

I think I gathered that I want 3 10" SATA cables and 2 8" SATA cables? and that 4 should be right-to-right and 1 should be right-to-straight (but what length should that one be?)?

 

I see few heat complaints for this case, but I'm the paranoid type and am going to look into some cooler (and quieter!) fans. Not sure what the specs on the stock fans are? Really just want something a "step above" stock.

 

Was looking at some Noctua's but they're pretty pricy. and brown.

Noctua NF-P12-1300 120mm Case Fan

Noctua NF-P14 FLX 140mm Case Fan

[DoeBoye]

Items I have lying around

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB RAM (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) F3-10666CL7D-4GBRH

AMD Athlon II X4 640 Propus 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core CPU

XFX HD-567X-ZNF3 Radeon HD 5670 1GB 128-Bit DDR5 GPU

Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Case

 

Just out of curiosity, have you considered a build around the parts you already have? That chip is not "low-power" by any means (watts), but it's certainly has more than enough oomph (power-wise) for a media server with plugins. I'm running an Athlon x4 600e, and have no issues serving up 1080p 30Mbps HD streams to my XBMC boxes, as well as running a number of plugins...

 

If you're trying to save money, looks like all you're missing is a psu and mobo...  The money you save on electricity on a more efficient system might be offset by the money you save upfront by not buying a new case/cpu...

 

EDIT: re: power-use: My system with 15 drives and an ssd uses around 90w on idle and 110w when serving up content.

[mrow]

Intel is going to use a lot less power at idle as well.

 

Noctua fans are pricey but totally worth it. Nothing else on the market can move as much air that quietly. I replaced all the fans in my case with them and it was absolutely worth it.

[dirtysanchez]

That case has no issues with heat, even with the stock fans.  That said, I did upgrade mine to the Noctua's you linked above, but for noise reasons and not heat.  They are EXCELLENT fans, well worth the money.  FYI, I wouldn't call the stock fans loud by any means, but I wanted the case virtually silent.

 

For comparison, my system (in sig) runs about 33W idle, and that's with an Ivy Bridge CPU and the IB version of that same Asus mobo.  The Haswell CPU's are even more efficient and should run closer to 30W total system draw.

 

Also, the USB header you linked DOES NOT attach to a motherboard fan header (even though both are 4-pin).  Fan headers are only for fans.  You would need to attach it to a motherboard USB header.  That motherboard has 2x USB 2.0 headers.

[kkt12]

Just out of curiosity, have you considered a build around the parts you already have?

I have, but I'm more interested in my building my own custom NAS from scratch. I listed the parts anyway as it was suggested to do so in the "Read this before posting a 'new build' thread" thread, but I think a friend of mine is going to buy them for his first pc build.

 

Noctua fans are pricey....I replaced all the fans in my case with them and it was absolutely worth it.

 

I did upgrade mine to the Noctua's you linked above, but for noise reasons and not heat.  They are EXCELLENT fans, well worth the money.  FYI, I wouldn't call the stock fans loud by any means, but I wanted the case virtually silent.

 

Thanks for the input guys.  But what specific fans did you use? I was looking here on Newegg but their branding and model numbers are totally confusing.

[garycase]

It looks like the ASUS H87I-PLUS doesn't have a mobo USB connection

 

It doesn't have a Type-A port, but it has 3 motherboard USB headers, each of which supports 2 USB ports.    Two are USB2, and one is USB3.    You can easily plug your flash drive in internally by using one of the cables you noted above.

 

[garycase]

Just noted dirtysanchez also commented on the internal USB headers ... sorry for the duplication.

[He didn't mention the USB3 header though  ]

 

[kkt12]

Just noted dirtysanchez also commented on the internal USB headers ... sorry for the duplication.

[He didn't mention the USB3 header though  ]

 

is there an advantage to running UNraid off of a USB 3.0 flash drive?  I would think so, but maybe it's so negligible as not to matter. since the LIAN LI PC-Q25B has multiple USB3 headers and no USB connection in front, using an internal header wouldn't interfere with my ability to use USB3 from the back, right?

 

maybe with something like this:

StarTech 2 Port Internal USB 3.0 Motherboard Header Adapter Cable

 

and after doing more reading I think these may be the best Noctuas for this case? the "FLX" ones:

 

Noctua NF-S12A FLX 120mm Case Fan

Noctua NF-A14 FLX 140mm Case Fan

[dirtysanchez]

Just noted dirtysanchez also commented on the internal USB headers ... sorry for the duplication.

[He didn't mention the USB3 header though  ]

 

is there an advantage to running UNraid off of a USB 3.0 flash drive?  I would think so, but maybe it's so negligible as not to matter. since the LIAN LI PC-Q25B has multiple USB3 headers and no USB connection in front, using an internal header wouldn't interfere with my ability to use USB3 from the back, right?

 

maybe with something like this:

StarTech 2 Port Internal USB 3.0 Motherboard Header Adapter Cable

 

and after doing more reading I think these may be the best Noctuas for this case? the "FLX" ones:

 

Noctua NF-S12A FLX 120mm Case Fan

Noctua NF-A14 FLX 140mm Case Fan

 

There is a speed benefit, but it is negligible.  Since unRAID runs from RAM, the filesystem is read from the flash during initial boot only.  It would make it boot faster, but we are talking a second or two at best.  That's why I didn't mention the USB3 header in my earlier post, as it's not worth the additional cost IMHO.  The internal headers are additional USB ports and are meant to be connected to case USB ports, so using them does not prevent you from using the ports on the back of the mobo.

 

I used the NF-A14 FLX and the NF-S12B FLX.  The links are in my build thread (click link in sig) towards the bottom of the first post, below the pictures.

 

 

[kkt12]

CASE  - LIAN LI PC-Q25B Black Aluminum Mini-ITX Case - $105

MOBO  - ASUS H87I-PLUS LGA 1150 Intel H87 Mini ITX Motherboard - $100

CPU    - Intel Pentium G3220 Haswell 3.0GHz LGA 1150 54W Dual-Core CPU - $68

PSU    - SILVERSTONE ST30SF 300W ATX12V 80+ BRONZE PSU - $55

RAM    - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB RAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) - Free

HDD    - Seagate NAS HDD ST4000VN000 4TB HD x3 - Free

FAN/F  - Noctua NF-A14 FLX 140mm Case Fan - $24

FAN/R  - Noctua NF-S12B FLX 120mm Case Fan - $20

ACCSY1 - SanDisk Cruzer Fit SDCZ33-008G-B35 8 GB USB Drive - $9 

ACCSY2 - StarTech USBMBADAPT 6in USB A Female to USB Mobo 4 Pin Header - $4

ACCSY3 - OKGEAR 10" GC10AKM22 SATA 6Gbps Cable, Right Angle to Right Angle x 4 - $11

ACCSY4 - OKGEAR 10" OK10A3RK12 SATA 6Gbps round cable, Straight to Right Angle - $5

 

Total - $407 including shipping (ordering from both Amazon and Newegg).

 

I think this thing is finalized! Your assistance has been much appreciated, thank you guys.

 

Gonna do some more random reading up on things before pulling the trigger, if anyone has any parting thoughts or wisdom I'm all ears. 

[dirtysanchez]

I've got nothing to add.  Looks like a solid build and you've done your homework.  Enjoy!

[kkt12]

FINALLY got my parts (or, almost all....missing one fan and one sata sable) and have been assembling today. boy, a build this small and cramped is really fun to work with >_<'

 

hopefully i can get a lil bit of help though.....i've done a few builds in the past but the last time was quite a while ago now!

 

one thing i'm not certain about is that the USB 2.0 connector ports on the mobo have 10 (er, 9?) pins and the USB header I purchased only has space for 4. the connector ports have 5 pins on top and 4 pins on the second row, so i'm guessing the header goes on that lower row of pins maybe....?

 

also, the power headers from the PSU....I take it that the two (one big, one small) on the same length of cable go into the large 24 pin slot? side by side?  and there are two additional 4-pin headers from the PSU...I can just pick one and use it with the  4-pin ATX12V port?

 

and the fans.....do I want to bother with the mobo chassis fan port or just run both with 4 pin adapters off the PSU?

 

many thanks for any advice 

[mrow]

If you want the system to be able to control the fan speed based on temperature you're going to have to hook them up to the motherboard. If you did get the Noctua fans they should come with some pig tails that let you choose between three different  speeds depending on the pigtail you use, but they will only run at that speed the whole time.