Mini ITX - Node 304

[slang103]

Just before I pull the trigger, does anyone have any comments:

 

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/slang103/saved/FLzH99

 

CPU Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core $215.98

Motherboard Gigabyte GA-H97N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 $123.95

Memory Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 $86.99

Storage Western Digital Red 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM $126.98

Western Digital Red 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM $126.98

Western Digital Red 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM $126.98

Case Fractal Design Node 304 Mini ITX Tower $79.99

Power Supply Silverstone 450W SFX12V $64.79

(keep in mind pricing is in Canadian Dollars)

 

This is the evolution of a build I had a thread for quite a while ago. I didn't get the chance to build it then and parts have changed since... so this is the plan now. The goal is for a multi-home crash plan backup for photos/vids etc. AND a Plex server that can transcode multiple streams at once.

 

Thanks!

[tritron]

I would go with larger node case I got mine for 54$ from newegg. Larger case will let you install 12 hard drives so that is 72tb of space.

[Chugiak]

I see that PC Part Picker has flagged a potential incompatibility between your PSU and case.  Silverstone has a small form factor PSU that might work better:

 

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/silverstone-power-supply-st45sf

 

[EDIT] Doh!  That's the same one.  My bad.  I'm curious why it flagged an imcompatibility, you might want to delve into that.

[mr-hexen]

its generally listed as non-compatible because SFX mounting is different then ATX. In this case, the PSU comes with the required adapter plate and the part picker doesnt know this.

[slang103]

Yes, the SFX PSU in a small rig like this makes the most sense. With the mounting accessory it isn't a big deal.

I can't blame pcpartpicker for flagging all SFX supplies as incompatible... I don't expect it to know every little attachment and piece in every computer product lol.

[slang103]

So with all that talk of the power supply... Due to everything else being available locally except the SFX power supply, I ended up going for a great deal I got on a Corsair CS Series CS450M Modular Power Supply. Couldn't argue with plus gold and it fits in the build just fine (yes cozy). I would have been more worried if I had any intention of putting a full size graphics card in (or any independent card for that matter).

 

So far so good, array is up and working fine (well parity is still only at 5.4% but I can't see why there would be a problem). As this is my first unRAID build, I hope it's everything I dreamed it would be . This is of course a test to see if I should get the paid key.

 

Thank you to all the eyes who looked over the build.

[chickensoup]

Pics or it didn't happen.

 

Kidding.. but seriously.. got any photos? It's why everyone comes to the UCD thread! :-)

[gundamguy]

Just before I pull the trigger, does anyone have any comments:

 

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/slang103/saved/FLzH99

 

CPU Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core $215.98

Motherboard Gigabyte GA-H97N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 $123.95

Memory Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 $86.99

Storage Western Digital Red 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM $126.98

Western Digital Red 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM $126.98

Western Digital Red 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM $126.98

Case Fractal Design Node 304 Mini ITX Tower $79.99

Power Supply Silverstone 450W SFX12V $64.79

(keep in mind pricing is in Canadian Dollars)

 

This is the evolution of a build I had a thread for quite a while ago. I didn't get the chance to build it then and parts have changed since... so this is the plan now. The goal is for a multi-home crash plan backup for photos/vids etc. AND a Plex server that can transcode multiple streams at once.

 

Thanks!

 

Looks good. I am a fan of these Mini builds.

 

I also built a Node 304 Unraid Box ealier this year. I used a slightly different MOBO but also with 6 SATA III ports.  I also decided to go with the Intel I3-4130T 2.90 Dual Core CPU because of its energy efficiency, have had no problems yet with Plex transcoding of HD streams, but thankfully I have room to grow if desired. Your CPU should be no problem for your desired purpses.

 

One thing that bugged me about my Node 304 build (and most Mini-itx builds) was due to limited HD bays at most you are going to have 1 Parity Disk and 5 Data Disks (with no Cache). Almost immidately after finishing my build I discovered just how useful and awesome Cache disks are.  However I also wanted to have 5 possible data bays (2 are still empty) to maximize my storage space and didn't want to give one up for a Cache drive which needed to be at most 500 GB. My solution was to buy a Apricorn Velocity Solo x1 off of Amazon and an 250 GB SSD and have my Cache in my PCIe slot and not taking up a drive bay. I wasnn't 100% sure this would work but did a little research on the chipset included and went for it.  Plugged it in and it Worked without any additional effort on my part. Note if you are thinking of doing the same the Velocity Solo x2 has faster read and write speeds but uses the Marvel 9182 chip which I'm not sure is supported by the Linux Kernel used in Unraid... yet.

 

Overall I like how my Unraid box looks and functions. It had to be small, make little noise, and look good because I live in an apartment with my wife so it was going somewhere it would be seen but not heard.

 

[slang103]

Great suggestion Gundam, thank you.

 

Chickensoup, I want you to know that in my quest to get pics as requested, I bumped the power button killing a mostly complete parity and stopping my media library transfer about 3/4 of the way through... sigh...

 

Anyways, I ended up routing many of the cables in an arch elevated off the mobo to try and keep airflow unrestricted.

 

The "modular" part of my full size modular power supply definitely didn't really matter as i'll pretty much be using all of the cables anyways. It also doesn't leave room for a large graphics card but that is no skin off my back. So while it is less pretty on the inside, it is efficient lol.

 

Forgive my lack of ninja wire management skills.

[chickensoup]

Chickensoup, I want you to know that in my quest to get pics as requested, I bumped the power button killing a mostly complete parity and stopping my media library transfer about 3/4 of the way through... sigh...

 

I accept no responsibility for said reboot but do empathize with you

 

Looks good though, how are you finding working in an ITX case? I've built a couple but not a lot.

[mr-hexen]

My solution was to buy a Apricorn Velocity Solo x1 off of Amazon

 

Oooh this seems like the perfect companion card to add on to a MB with 6 sata ports when installed in the Lian-Li Q25.

 

 

Q25 Drive Support is 5 in hot swap bays + 2x 3.5" drives on the bottom plate.

 

Adding that Apricorn card adds 2 SATA and an additional drive slot! Perfect!

[garycase]

The Apricorn card does indeed look like a good option for a Q25B with a 6-port motherboard.    Lets you use 7 3.5" drives, and add an SSD for a cache.

 

As for the power supply used in this build -- I think you'd have found it FAR better to stay with an SFX unit.    Full ATX power supplies in a mini-ITX case are not only cumbersome to work with; but also significantly restrict the airflow that you should have in the case.    A better choice would have been the Silverstone 300w SFX unit.

http://www.amazon.com/Silverstone-Tek-Factor-Supply-ST30SF/dp/B00FA4KP8S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418285316&sr=8-1&keywords=silverstone+300w&pebp=1418285315414

[mr-hexen]

The Apricorn card does indeed look like a good option for a Q25B with a 6-port motherboard.    Lets you use 7 3.5" drives, and add an SSD for a cache.

 

Indeed. I will be going this route for my setup when needed.

[excaluber]

That's pretty interesting, I never saw anything like that Apricorn card before.  I ended up buying a IBM 1015 card for my build, but I may have gone that route if I had known about it.