After many months of research I'm ready to start my first build. 

 

Goals:

• Stable NAS environment. Will be accessed from a variety of clients mainly via SMB.  I've never used Plex but I see some potential in the future.
  
• Central place to run SABnzbd, Sick Beard, CouchPotato, Headphones, Torrents
  
• Headless and as compact of form factor as possible
  
• Ability to create a variety of VMs.
  

Proposed equipment:

• Motherboard - SuperMicro MBD-X10SLH-F-O
  
• CPU - Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3
  
• Memory - 16GB Samsung M391B1G73BH0-CK0
  
• Case - Fractal 804
  
• PSU - undecided. 
  
• SSD - 256GB Samsung 850 Pro Series.  Will be used for cache and VMs
  
• HDD - 2 x Toshiba 5TB PH3500U-1I72.  Once for parity and one for data.  I'll be adding several old HDDs I already own to the array too
  
• License - Plus (will be using the lasest V6 beta)
  

Questions:

• In a previous thread, I asked for some advice on SuperMicro X10 motherboards but didn't get any replies.  Is this a reasonable choice?
  
• The E3-1231 seems to be the cheapest, newest (released in 2014) Xeon that supports VT-d.  I notice that it doesn't have embedded graphics though.  The next most expensive Xeon, the E3-1246 v3, does have graphics.  I know the X10SLF-F has a graphics chip.  With virtualization, I'm confused if I need the graphics on the processor or not.  Looks like about a $30 difference.
  
• Is the Pro model of the Samsung SSD worth it?  Could probably save $30 with the non-pro version
  
• Am I going to regret not getting 2 SSDs for a cache pool?
  
• The Toshiba 5GBs seem like a pretty good value when compared with other 7200rpm drives.  I know that 7200rpm uses more power than 5400rpm and probably not necessary in a NAS that is mostly reads but $140 seems like a good price.
  
• By going with server grade parts, it seems double the cost of the memory and the motherboard, for a total of about $200 extra.  Seems like a fair trade off to get features like IPMI and ECC memory.  The cheapest haswell non-xeon processor (again that was release in 2014) that supports VT-d is the i7-4790 and it's more expensive than the E3-1231. Is that the correct line of thinking or are there other options I'm not considering?
  
• I'm looking for recommendations for quality modular power suppy.  I understand this isn't something to scrimp on, but I'd like some recommendations for best value
  
• Any ideas for a slimline, slot blu-ray drive for the 804?  Would like the ability to rip movies from the server.
  
• The 804 comes with 3, 3-pin fans.  Will I want to get separate 4-pin fans?
  

I don't have the need for a huge quantity of storage right now, but I would like the ability to expand in the future.  I'm mostly just interested in a centralized box that can server a variety of my needs.  Depending on sales at any given moment, I'm looking at about $1500.

 

Thanks for taking the time to look and I look forward to reading any comments.

If you look in my signature you will find a similar build.

 

I would say that first you need to decide maximum number of disks you are going to use. The motherboard has 6 SATA ports so if you need more than that in the future you might use another motherboard or just add a PCI card with more ports later.

 

The number of disks is also important when you select PSU.

 

The fans in the 804 have three fixed settings and are powered directly from the PSU so you will not get any fan speed monitoring. I have modified this with 3 separate fan regulators where I set a fixed speed but still do fan speed monitoring trough the motherboard.

 

Even if I have cash pool with 2 disks I believe you would be fine with just one, you can always upgrade later. I am using Samsung 840 EVO and that was not the best decision I ever made.

https://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=27855.msg366396#msg366396

 

 

That motherboard will not fit that case.

The fans in the 804 have three fixed settings and are powered directly from the PSU so you will not get any fan speed monitoring. I have modified this with 3 separate fan regulators where I set a fixed speed but still do fan speed monitoring trough the motherboard.

 

I'd love to learn how you accomplished that.

The fans in the 804 have three fixed settings and are powered directly from the PSU so you will not get any fan speed monitoring. I have modified this with 3 separate fan regulators where I set a fixed speed but still do fan speed monitoring trough the motherboard.

 

I'd love to learn how you accomplished that.

I am using 3 x Zalman Fan Mate 2. One used for the CPU fan, one for two fans in the power supply section and one for two fans in the motherboard section. They are powered from the Fan connectors on the motherboard. Simple and cheap but works…

That motherboard will not fit that case.

The Node 804 is a micro ATX chassis so I can’t see why it shouldn’t fit?

right, i keep forgetting that uATX = mATX. Why the heck do they have two naming conventions for the same friggin size. 

right, i keep forgetting that uATX = mATX. Why the heck do they have two naming conventions for the same friggin size. 

No worries! I have done the same a few times… 

right, i keep forgetting that uATX = mATX. Why the heck do they have two naming conventions for the same friggin size. 

 

MicroATX is shortened to mATX. 

 

Micro (symbol µ) is a unit prefix in the metric system denoting a factor of 10?6 (one millionth). The prefix comes from the Greek (mikrós), meaning "small".  So, microATX ends up bastardized to uATX.

Thanks for all the replies.  Any opinions about the processor?  Should I be considering anything other than the Xeons?  What about PSUs?

I like that processor, that's what I just put in my replacement desktop system at home.

 

For the PSU, some folks have recommended going with a small form factor (SFX) unit even though the Node 804 will accomodate some ATX power supplies.  You probably won't need anything bigger than 350 W, but something a little more powerful won't hurt.  The advantage SFX gives you is improved airflow inside the case.  The down side is that there are only a few models to choose from, and based on Newegg reviews there is no perfect PSU in this form factor.

 

The nice thing about systems that have a much lower TDP compared to years past is that the PSU efficiency doesn't matter so much.  A system averaging 60W running with a PSU at 80% efficiency will only draw 72W from the mains.  A system averaging 90 W with a PSU at 90% efficiency will draw 100 W.  What I'm trying to say is that a 80+ Gold PSU will be more efficient than an 80+ bronze PSU, but at low power consumption it may not be worth it economically.  So if you find a bronze PSU that meets all your other needs then buy it.