Need some help with deciding on motherboard (+ SATA Controller)

[Falc410]

Hi,

 

I'm trying to build my first unRaid Server and I'm having sleepless nights over the decision which motherboard to buy. I'm planing to use the Silverstone DS380 as Case since it got 8 Hotswapable Slots and another 4 Slots for 2.5" HDDs http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=452&area=en

I plan to keep at 7 HDDs, although if the need arises I might purchase another 3. I really don't want to go past 10 HDDs, rather replace them with biger ones then. So I think 8-10 SATA ports should be sufficient. Well lets keep it at 8, since the 2.5" HDDs use low power but have poorer space / money ratio than the 3.5" ones. And they would need to be fixed mounted in the case.

 

Currently I have a i3 2100T (Sandy Bridge) on a MSI H67MA-E45 and a Fractal R2 case which in Theory should also fit 8x 3.5" but it's a pain in the ass to replace a HDD in there.

 

Next requirements are:

- Suspend-to-RAM (S3) because I only need the Server active for a couple of hours each day. Most Server Mainboards do not support this unfortunately. I was thinking about implementing a schedule script that powers off and on the server but of course that's not as flexible. Currently if I need my Server it's available within less than 5 seconds and uses little to no power.

- Not mandatory but very nice to have: Enough Processing Power to convert a single 1080p Stream on the fly for Air Video (to be streamed to iPad)

- Optional: IPMI - since the Server sits in a remote room with no keyboard / monitor connected. Currently I use Windows Remote Desktop but that only works when the system is up and running. If there is an error I can do nothing but wait or hook up a monitor to it and hope that it works.

 

Main Use for the Server is to provide Backup Storage for various Windows and Mac Clients and of course hosting the media library to be streamed to XBMC (no conversion need here).

 

Now the DS380 case only fits M-ITX Mainboards - that cuts down the selection to quite a few. Also I don't have much experience when it comes to SAS/SATA Controller cards. In the past I had horrible experiences with Raid Controllers where the drivers didn't work, use a lot of power, drives lost from the Array for no reason and so on. With unRaid at least I don't need a Raid and I don't need top-notch performance, just the added SATA ports and the ability to check SMART values, spin down disks and so on.

 

I have evaluated the following Mainboards, but none seems to be the holy grail:

 

Supermicro X7SPA-HF-D525: A little older and great info to be found on the forums. Seems to work with IPMI, S3 and everything. A bit pricey for old hardware at 200€ currently and not sure if the CPU is enough for Air Video Server. Would need extra SATA Controller

Supermicro A1SAi-2550F: Again extra SATA Controller needed, good performance and IPMI but no S3

ASRock C2550D4I: Enough SATA Ports, IPMI but again no S3

ASUS H87I-Plus: A Desktop Board, so no IPMI but S3. Also SATA Controller needed, plus new CPU (some Haswell Celeron should be enough).

 

Even tough my current Desktop setup has been running (or rather been in standby) for a couple of years, I would have liked to purchase server-grade hardware that lasts 5+ years. Not sure a desktop mainboard is the correct choice than.

 

I have been primarily looking at Mainboards with a lot of SATA ports already since I wanted to purchase a cheap SATA (non raid) controller card for the remaining 2-4 SATA ports. However maybe it makes for sense to purchase a better controller with 2 SSF-8087 ports to connect all 8 HDDs to it and get another mainboard with less SATA ports.

 

The most economical approach would be to keep my existing case and hardware and just purchase another controller card but that would also mean more trouble with migrating my data (currently 7TB that needs to be copied to some temporary location then). So I favor purchasing new hardware and a new case.

 

Sorry for the wall of text, still I hope to get some feedback since I just can't decide and keep browsing review and shopping sites all day and night for two weeks now.

[garycase]

The new Silverstone case is VERY nice ... I also plan to buy one as soon as they're available in the US.

 

Given your requirement for S3, I'd go with a Haswell board (the Asus board is very nice) and just add a 2-port (or 4-port) controller card.  A Celeron would be okay, but I'd be inclined to go with a Core i3 to provide a bit of additional processing headroom.    [A $60 Celeron G1820 scores 2905 on Passmark;  a $125 Core i3-4130 scores 4860]

 

 

 

[Falc410]

Can you recommend any 4 Port Controller Cards? There are very cheap 2 SATA Ports Cards available but with 4 Ports I can hardly find any. I only found some Raid Controllers which are quite expensive.

[garycase]

Can you recommend any 4 Port Controller Cards? There are very cheap 2 SATA Ports Cards available but with 4 Ports I can hardly find any. I only found some Raid Controllers which are quite expensive.

 

I haven't used this card, but it should work fine:  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816124060

 

It's a PCIe x2 card, so it will have enough bandwidth for 4 ports.    As long as you're using a motherboard with an x4 or x16 slot, it'll work just fine.

[garycase]

Another alternative is the trusty old Adaptec 1430SA card ... it's no longer available, but if it's flashed with the latest firmware it supports > 2TB drives (i.e. 4TB, 5TB, etc.) and is an excellent card for UnRAID.

 

You can find them on e-bay for $40 - $50

 

It's a PCIe x4 card, so be sure you have a slot for it if you get one.

 

[jbartlett]

I'm using these SATA-2 cards in two UNRAID boxes, one in each (though you can put more than one in a box).

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816124050

 

PCIe x4 interface. Has one 1 star rating but I've never had any issues with these. Note while there's 6 ports, if you enable the external ports, it will disable two internal ports.

[marcusone]

I'm using these SATA-2 cards in two UNRAID boxes, one in each (though you can put more than one in a box).

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816124050

 

PCIe x4 interface. Has one 1 star rating but I've never had any issues with these. Note while there's 6 ports, if you enable the external ports, it will disable two internal ports.

 

I think your better off getting an M1015 off ebay for about $100 and some breakout cables from monoprice. A little bit more $ but much better and more community support.

 

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