My first unRAID - Silverstone GD08 with X10SL7-F

[Shunz]

Will run unRAID v5, intending to slowly replace 7 JBOD drives of 3-4TBs. Will start off as storage only, mainly for use with Plex running on my main PC.

 

I'm totally new to unRAID... Any comments and advice will be very much appreciated!

 

Board:

Supermicro X10SL7-F (Haswell-based C222 chipset, up to 14 SATA drives, IPMI KVM) - Purchased

http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/Xeon/C220/X10SL7-F.cfm

CPU:

Intel i3 4150 (3.5ghz dual core HT)

RAM:

Crucial 16GB Kit (8GBx2) DDR3L 1600MT/s ECC UDIMM CT2KIT102472BD160B - Purchased and awaiting delivery

http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-1600MT-PC3-12800-240-Pin-CT2KIT102472BD160B/dp/B008EMA5VU

8gb is probably much more than enough, but future proofing with 16gb, after reading up about plugins and VMs on unRAID v6

PSU:

Corsair AX 760W

http://www.corsair.com/en/ax760-atx-power-supply-760-watt-80-plus-platinum-certified-fully-modular-psu

Probably a little overkill, but ain't gonna save here, getting a solid PSU, system is running 24/7.

Chassis:

Silverstone GD-08 (fits 8x 3.5", 2x 5.25", 2x 2.5") with rackmount ear kits - Purchased and awaiting delivery

http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=331

Needed desktop-based chassis to fit into current space; a printer will be stacked over this chassis.

UPS:

Probably an APC 500-650va. Any recommendations?

Accessories:

5x Noiseblocker NB-eLoop B12-1 120mm fan

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/16916/fan-1046/Noiseblocker_NB-eLoop_B12-1_120mm_x_25mm_Ultra_Silent_Bionic_Blade_Fan_-_800_RPM_-_below_8_dBA_.html?tl=g36c15s60#blank

2x Noiseblocker NB-Multiframe M8-S1 80mm fan

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8397/fan-513/Noiseblocker_NB-Multiframe_M8-S1_80mm_x_25mm_Ultra_Silent_Fan_-_1200_RPM_-_6_dBA.html#blank

Scythe Hard Disk Stabilizer II - HDD Noise Reduction (SCY-HDS2)

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/3041/noi-07/Scythe_Hard_Disk_Stabilizer_II_-_HDD_Noise_Reduction_SCY-HDS2.html?tl=g34c273s852&id=tPSGixMR#blank

Cat 6A cable, extra SATA3 cables

Sandisk USB 16gb USB3.0

Need to get a Kill-A-Watt! (or whatever version they have here in Singapore)

 

Storage:

Parity Drive:

1x WD Black 4TB (on Intel SATA3 port)

Cache Drive:

1x WD Black 2.5" 750gb (don't think performance will be affected at all if I plug this onto the SATA2 port?)

To put the otherwise wasted 2.5" bay to good use, and spares me one 3.5" hdd bay

Storage Drives:

Probably starting off with 2x WD Reds. Still struggling with whether to use my existing greens that are currently in use.

 

Mistakes/considerations:

Mobo + CPU: Could have bought an Atom board and saved a pretty penny there

Chassis: Should have taken longer to ponder through other options. Considered resting a tower on its side, but may not work out since I need to place a printer on top of the chassis.

 

Questions:

- CPU: Okay to get an i3 4150?

- Advisable to update the bios? The Supermicro site advises against updating bios unless there are issues...

- Any recommended bios settings? E.g. to turn off Aggressive Link Power Management?

- Okay to plug the parity drive onto the intel SATA3 6gb/s ports?

- There are 8x SAS ports on this board, using an LSI 2308

 

Comments:

Heh thanks to Living Legend (http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=28916.msg258091#msg258091), who posted a vid from which I discovered IPMI KVM, making me decide to get a server-grade board. Nice cats! Heh was previously looking at consumer ASUS boards.

 

Pictures

Not much pictures for the moment except the board which I bought immediately as it was the only box available that day with the distributor.

 

[garycase]

Nice setup.  Some things you may want to consider:

 

(a)  The i3 is a nice chip, but since you're planning to run a few VM's (based on your comment about why you got 16GB or RAM), you may want to go with a chip that supports vt-d, just in case you need to do hardware passthrough => you may never need it, but without vt-d it's not possible.  I'd go with a Xeon if the cost isn't a show-stopper.

 

(b)  The power supply is nice, but remember that 80+ PSU's are far less efficient at power levels below 20% of their rated power.  Using a higher wattage like that means you'll NEVER be running in the 80+ range (your system is very unlikely to draw over 152 watts.  I'd use one of these:

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151122

 

or if you prefer Corsair:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139012

 

or even this excellent SFX unit, which is probably the best match to your actual power needs:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256084

 

... although clearly your options are likely limited, since you can't use Newegg.  Not sure what's conveniently available in Singapore.

 

©  The case is fine -- definitely a better choice than a desktop chassis on its side.  But with the limited space it has, I'd definitely go with an SFX power supply if you can get the Silverstone unit I listed above, as it will provide more internal room for airflow.

 

(d)  WD Reds are an excellent choice - in fact, I'd use them for your parity and cache as well.  The Blacks are marginally faster, but also use notably more power and generate much more heat (thus running hotter).  If you want to use your current Greens for data, that's fine ... but I would stick with Reds for all future purchases.

 

(e)  The Intel ports are fine for your parity drive.

 

[garycase]

Looking your list over again, I just noted you're planning to use a 2.5" drive for the cache -- that's fine, and if you already have the WD Black drive it's fine as well (notebook drives are lower-power than desktop drives)

 

[Shunz]

Nice setup.  Some things you may want to consider:

 

(a)  The i3 is a nice chip, but since you're planning to run a few VM's (based on your comment about why you got 16GB or RAM), you may want to go with a chip that supports vt-d, just in case you need to do hardware passthrough => you may never need it, but without vt-d it's not possible.  I'd go with a Xeon if the cost isn't a show-stopper.

 

(b)  The power supply is nice, but remember that 80+ PSU's are far less efficient at power levels below 20% of their rated power.  Using a higher wattage like that means you'll NEVER be running in the 80+ range (your system is very unlikely to draw over 152 watts.  I'd use one of these:

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151122

 

or if you prefer Corsair:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139012

 

or even this excellent SFX unit, which is probably the best match to your actual power needs:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256084

 

... although clearly your options are likely limited, since you can't use Newegg.  Not sure what's conveniently available in Singapore.

 

©  The case is fine -- definitely a better choice than a desktop chassis on its side.  But with the limited space it has, I'd definitely go with an SFX power supply if you can get the Silverstone unit I listed above, as it will provide more internal room for airflow.

 

(d)  WD Reds are an excellent choice - in fact, I'd use them for your parity and cache as well.  The Blacks are marginally faster, but also use notably more power and generate much more heat (thus running hotter).  If you want to use your current Greens for data, that's fine ... but I would stick with Reds for all future purchases.

 

(e)  The Intel ports are fine for your parity drive.

 

garycase, thanks!!

 

a) I think I'll stick with the i3 for the moment - if I eventually do need the Xeon then I'll get one, and save a little first. (the RAM is sunk cost anyway, hhe)

 

b) Indeed... I assumed the PSUs won't be too inefficient at 10-20% load, until I took a look at some of the detailed reviews at SilentPCreview. Efficiencies at the lowest loads are around 70%!

 

I like the Seasonic Platinum. The only concern is, I won't be able to install these fanless system the way they are intended - the ventilation grilles facing UP, since the PSU in my casing will be on its side (images below).

 

The only consolation I can get from overpowered PSUs (heck, even 520W can be overpowered for my system when its at idle) regarding the *in*efficiency % is that, despite gross inefficiencies, the power loss stays relatively constant for gold/platinum PSUs in the 500-600w range (http://www.silentpcreview.com/A_Better_Way_to_Compare_PSU_Efficiency).

 

Damn, the SS-520FL is really tempting! Can I lay it without the grille facing up?

 

d) Glad to hear - I can at least stick the greens in and put them to good use... From some threads, it mentions that blacks will be better if there are several disks being accessed at the same time.. I gotta evaluate whether that will happen often for my usage...

 

e) Any issues with using the SAS ports off the LSI2308 controller? I hear it may cause issues for certain VM applications...

 

f) Really tempted to use a 2.5" for a cache drive, since it'll save a 3.5" slot. With the black WD 750gb, I hope I'll get minimal deterioration to the write speeds...

 

 

Warning label for PSU grille to face up:

http://www.silentpcreview.com/Seasonic_Platinum_Fanless_520W_PSU

 

Likely position of the PSU in the GD08:

http://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/luke-hill/silverstone-grandia-gd08-htpc-case-review/all/1/

[garycase]

The SS-520FL is a VERY nice power supply.    I'd go with it ... the orientation you'll use in the case is fine.  It's vented on all sides; and the airflow in the case will be sufficient to help a bit more.  In addition, you'll be running it at a very low % utilization, so it's going to generate very little heat anyway.

 

The 2.5" WD Black 750GB will work fine as a cache drive.    But as I suggested earlier, I'd use a 4TB WD Red for parity instead of a black ... nearly as fast, uses a good bit less power, and runs a lot cooler.

 

 

[Shunz]

Your suspicion is justified - the fully modular high efficiency fanless PSUs below 600w are nearly impossible to readily find in Singapore, especially the fanless ones.

 

However, this review looks hopeful. The Corsair AX 760 has 84% efficiency at 40w loads

 

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Corsair/AX760/6.html

[Shunz]

The SS-520FL is a VERY nice power supply.    I'd go with it ... the orientation you'll use in the case is fine.  It's vented on all sides; and the airflow in the case will be sufficient to help a bit more.  In addition, you'll be running it at a very low % utilization, so it's going to generate very little heat anyway.

 

The 2.5" WD Black 750GB will work fine as a cache drive.    But as I suggested earlier, I'd use a 4TB WD Red for parity instead of a black ... nearly as fast, uses a good bit less power, and runs a lot cooler.

 

Heh, will probably have to ship the SS-520FL to Singapore...

[garycase]

Those are very good results for the AX760 -- it drops very rapidly from the Platinum certification level, but still stays over 80% until somewhere below 40 watts.  Not bad at all.

   

Even the very tiny load of the 5v standby power doesn't get below 69% efficiency.

 

If you can't find the Seasonic, then it's certainly a good choice.

 

 

[c3]

The AX760 maintains Platinum certification throughout the entire range. Platinum does not have a test below 20% and the AX760 reaches 90% well before the 20% power level. The AX760 is also fanless below 300W. So if your target operating load is ~152W (or even 100W), it will be noiseless (fanless) and over 90% efficient.

 

Also I would not worry about finding the Seasonic, if you can get the Corsair. The AX760 is basically the Seasonic 760XP2.

[Shunz]

Thanks gary, c3!

 

I've spent the better half of the past few nights doing up the system and routing the wires/cables (haven't posted any updates yet), but the system just doesn't boot up!

 

- Power on, no beeps, no POST, fans spinning

- IMPI connectivity works, heartbeat LED blinking, but general functions (e.g. sensors, KVM) not working

- Powered the system with all permutations of components plugged in (with/without CPU/RAM/fan-headers etc)

 

Hope its not the Corsair AX760 that's being incompatible...

 

Though there's several threads that suggests it could be the PSU...

http://forums.servethehome.com/index.php?threads/supermicro-x9dri-f-no-beeps-no-post.1282/

 

Gonna go on a short trip over the weekend, will be back to see what else I'm gonna do...

[garycase]

Any luck with this?  I just got back from a 2-week trip and saw your problem.  Hopefully it's not the PSU, but it's always possible that there's some compatibility issue (I've not seen those with Corsair's high-end units, however ... only with the low-end CX units).

 

Do you have both the ATX power and the CPU Aux power leads plugged in?

 

[Shunz]

Heh... No worries. Whoah, glad you had a nice trip! Where'd you go?

 

Its unlikely to be the PSU - I've tested it with with the existing PSU that my current PC is using (a Corsair HX 850); though I can't be that sure since both are Corsair PSUs.

 

Yes, both the ATX power and 8-pin CPU were plugged in. Also tried using non-ECC memory at the behest of the retailer's engineer.

 

I've sent the board for RMA-ing. However, during the process of packing the board, I bent 2 pins when I noob-mistakenly tried to place the black plastic LGA cover directly over the LGA array, instead of over the locking mechanism. Argh! So, instead of a 1-2 week direct-replacement process (immediate replacement if there are stocks), it is now a repair procedure that usually takes about 4 weeks.

 

Couldn't wait, ordered another board, which should arrive next week. Heh

 

A couple of images in the meantime...

 

 

Troubleshooting with the PSU from my current dusty PC

[garycase]

Ouch -- sorry to hear about the bent pins (and the hassle that causes).

 

Hopefully that's indeed the problem (seems very likely).

 

We were in Norway for the last 2 weeks -- took a Norwegian Fjords cruise (VERY nice ... and the weather was excellent).  Texas gets far too hot in June/July/August, so we always try to escape for at least half of that time.  [Doing a 2-week cross-Canada train trip in a few weeks).

 

 

 

[Shunz]

Naaa the pins was bent only during re-packing, which is AFTER all the troubleshooting and having the engineer asking me to bring it over for RMA-ing. Once it returns, he'll get the board fully tested for me.

 

I'm waiting for a new one anyway, heh.

 

Ahhh... Summer! It is always hot and humid where I'm from, so, I really missed the winter so much in Korea during my honeymoon in February. Whoah, Canada, heh talk about over-compensating for the scorching Texas weather!

[Shunz]

Heh, Gary, you're right - I kinda regret using the WD Black 4TB for my parity. There's nothing wrong at all about the performance, it is the acoustics that's too audible!! The first phase of the pre-clear has these regular typical grating sounds. The reds are either nearly inaudible.

 

Doing a 1-cycle pre-clear now, will do 2-3 more after I change the stock i3 cooler. Also, the intel stock coolers are so much more noisy than I expected!

 

Now I'm gonna consider selling my 4TB black and give a left arm for the HGST 6TB. Heh. Between the time of the first post and now, 6TB reds have just been announced. Perhaps a good time to bite the bullet now. Plus, the helium drives run very cool!

[garycase]

The helium-filled drives are definitely pricey; but the new WD Reds (not helium filled) are much more affordable.    Definitely what I'll be buying for any new drives I need in the next year or so.

 

Note that the 6TB WD Reds will actually outperform a 4TB Black in sustained transfer rate due to the much higher areal density.    The Blacks would still have slightly better access times (due to the higher speed) ... but not enough to matter.    I'd definitely stay with the Reds.