MOBO for i7-4770K + 20 disks


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Hi guys,

 

I am about to upgrade my UnRAID server that I mainly use as a remote Plex Server (server is located at my office and not at home).

 

Here is what I currently have:

* i3 CPU (upgraded from a dual-core) which is not enough for my Plex transcoding needs

* 8 SATA discs inside a Rosewill RSV-S8 connected to a PCIe x1 card (very slow parity checks - 15mb avg) - I am upgrading this card to a Rosewill RC-218 which is x4 hoping that speed will get better

* 8 SATA discs connected to a SuperMicro AOC-SASLP-MV8

* 4 discs connected into MOBO SATA ports (current MOBO is a cheap Foxcomm)

 

This is what am looking at:

* i7-4770K CPU - I need more, more transcoding power :)

* keep my same discs and cards (AOC-SASLP-MV8 + RC-218)

 

And optionally (not a must have):

* 2 additional MOBO SATA ports (for cache and spare disc pre-clear)

* dual NIC

* 1 additional PCIe port (x4 at least) for further expansion

* PCI slot for NIC (in case internal NIC is not detected by UnRAID)

 

Notes:

* power consumption not an issue for me

* I am using v5.0 but looking to upgrade to v6 to use VM features

 

I am having a really hard time picking one up at Newegg (I am in the US now but in 2 weeks I will be back to South America so there's no room for mistakes) - I am very afraid about drivers support on UnRAID, specially in regards to disc detection and parity check errors (I won't be able to test this here before I head back home)

 

Budget wise, I am willing to spend up to $200 in this MOBO (I was hoping to find something for less than $100 but then I found out that would be impossible :( and also unwise from me to have such CPU running in a cheap MOBO)

 

What MOBO would you guys recommend for me?

 

Really appreciate your help!

 

Regards,

chopeta

 

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I agree you don't want to go "cheap" with the motherboard.

 

This is a good choice:  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132046

 

It has 3 PCIe x16 slots (one runs at x4 speed) ... so you'll have plenty of room for your x4 Rosewell card (which should indeed give you a very nice speed boost) plus the SASLP-MV8 and a spare x16 slot for any later expansion.

 

If you don't need the 3rd PCIe x16 slot, and would prefer a uATX form-factor, go with this instead:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131990

 

It still has 2 PCIe x16 slots, and is a smaller and more compact motherboard (I've used it for several builds).

 

Also, don't buy a 4770K ... just get the 4770.  There's a very minor difference in performance, and if you ever want to use passthrough with a VM, you'll be glad you have vt-d support (the 4770k does not support this).    If you want a bit more performance, get a 4790 or 4790k (the 4790k DOES have vt-d support -- this is the maximum performance Socket 1150 CPU currently available).

 

 

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Big thanks G!

 

Just ordered the ASUS Z87-PRO (V EDITION) on Amazon Warehouse Deals for $130 bucks :)

 

I didn't knew about the missing VT-x on the 4770K, very important detail.

 

Just ordered the 4790K - someday I may decide to do some overclock :)

 

In 2 weeks when I get back home I will assemble everything and post the results here.

 

Thanks once again!

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The 4770k does support vt-x,  it doesn't support vt-d (passthrough).

 

But the 4790k supports both, and is also a faster CPU, so it's a much better choice.    I doubt you'll ever need to overclock it ... but with that motherboard and that CPU you certainly have the option  :)

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

My Plex is located in my office and my devices are at home. I play from Android and Chromecast and always need subtitles. Transcoding is a must for me (I didn't need it when my server was at home). I just got back today, I hope to have time this week to connect everything :-)

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Glad it's going well.    You'll be very happy with the performance of the 4790k.  I'm not an overclocker, so really don't need the "k" version -- and haven't bought them in the past due to the missing vt-d support;  but now that Intel's added that with the 4790 units, my next CPU will be a 4790k unless they release something even faster in the next couple months (building a new system for my wife when we get back from a trip next month).

 

 

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  • 3 years later...

As noted, this CPU does not support passthrough. Although a valid question about the motherboard, asking this particular user with the 4770k, which is intentionally hobbled with no vt-d support, may not get you an answer. Although others using this motherboard with non-k versions of a Haswell CPU may be able to answer.

 

My educated guess it's that this MB would passthrough just fine.

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