lanky8804 Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Hi, So i've been using a HP N54L and unRAID for a few years now and been extremely happy with this set up. However as my media collection expands my available space is running low, with it already having 3TB drives installed rather than replace them i quite fancy having a look at building a 24 bay setup. My primary uses are Plex and Time Machine. Plex does not transcode very often but i would like it to support about 3 streams all at once. The server will be placed in my spare room so noise needs to be taken into account and i would like to future proof it to a degree. It also needs a low power consumption. The initial build will include 4x3TB, 4x2TB, 1x1TB (TimeMachine) and 1x250GB (Cache). All of these drives i already have. This is what i am currently looking at purchasing: - X-Case 424 (Mini-SAS backplate, not interesting in the Pro version but will look at replacing 120mm fans to reduce noise, any suggestions?) - Intel i5 4690K 3.50GHz - ASRock Z87 Extreme 6 (10 x Sata III ports, looking for a MB with dual NIC, PCI expansion and internal USB if possible, any alternative ideas?) - Corsair RM 850W Fully Modular 80+ Gold Power Supply (will this be sufficient to power everything? can i go down to a 750W?) - 2 x 4GB RAM One big thing playing on my mind is how to get all 24 caddies hooked up. Initially i would only be using 10 but would like to get it sorted in my head. - Are there any disadvantages for connecting drives to MB using a reverse breakout cable? - Was looking at a SUPERMICRO AOC-SASLP-MV8 for control cards, is this the best value for money? - Really dumb question but do the controller cards need RAID of does unRAID sort all of this out for you? - Is it better to spend out on a MB with lots of SATA's or buy more controllers? Your comments and criticisms will be gratefully received. Thank you in advance. Alex Link to comment
Chugiak Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Just a few thoughts on your build... The i5 4690K is the unlocked version of the i5 4690. You may wish to overclock your CPU, but for purposes of stability and keeping power consumption to a minimum most folks will strongly advise AGAINST overclocking your CPU or RAM in unRAID or any other server role. Accordingly you can save a few bucks and get the i5 4690. That said, the silicon is the same between the 4690 and 4690K, but the packaging is a little different. There may be some small benefit to the 4690K at stock frequency, but If I were running at stock frequency I'd opt for the locked version and save $15. Could you provide a link to the case? Not sure if you're looking at the RM 424 Pro or an older 424. Of course I have no experience with either but it may help others who do to know which you're considering. My recollection from posts on similar Norco cases is that the installed fans are a little noisier than many folks prefer. You will want to know the sound characteristics of tha case and perhaps consider replacing the installed fans with quieter ones, such as Noctua fans. The Corsair RM 850 PSU has many reviews at the Newegg.com web site. High points for quietness but many commenters felt that cabling and quality control were inadequate. For about the same price the EVGA SuperNOVA 850 G2 has a much higher review rating. On RAM, you know what the intended use for the server will be, but I cringe at the thought of investing this much in a system and giving it only 8 GB. I understand that unRAID v6 and the dockers make much better use of spare RAM than v5 and below, so there will likely be realized benefit to going with a 16 GB kit. Link to comment
lanky8804 Posted June 19, 2015 Author Share Posted June 19, 2015 Thanks Chungiak Interesting about the CPU as I didn't have any intention of over locking it so will look at the cheaper chip. They seem to have removed non-pro link as it is getting a refresh ready for August (had previously emailed them), this is the link to the pro main difference is quality of fans and they can be controlled. It also has SGPIO. http://www.xcase.co.uk/4u-rackmount-server-cases/x-case-rm-424-pro-24-bay-hotswap-6gb-sgpio-backplane-single-or-redundant-psu-s-425-00-x-case.html PSU is a good call as you say much better reviews and can save some money Will consider 16gb if I can find a good deal. My N54L only has 4gb and works flawlessly which is why I only went for 8gb. Link to comment
Chugiak Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 unRAID itself is pretty frugal with the RAM. I'm still on v5 so don't have any firsthand experience to offer on v6, but I have the sneaking suspicion that you'll find a want, that soon becomes a need, that will make use of the spare processor cycles. It's just a thing with me, I always recommend building with as much RAM as you can afford. One thing to think about is the use of ECC memory. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ECC_memory It's a feature that many folks want in their server systems. I offer no opinion, other than to suggest you look into it before deciding on a platform. By the way, I just stumbled on this web page: http://ark.intel.com/search/advanced?s=t You can filter based on specific technology or features. Pretty cool! Link to comment
Chugiak Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Did you see this posting? RM 420 case for sale by a forum member. http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=40607.0 Link to comment
Chris Pollard Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 I have a couple of x-case 24 bay enclosures. The supplied 120mm fans are noisy and very high RPM so I replaced those with noctua 120mms. I was hoping to run without the 80mm back fan.... sadly this was not possible as some of the drives were hitting 50C so had to install some Arctic F8's in the back too. Still the temps on my Hitachi drives get to 45C. They run pretty warm anyway but this might not be acceptable to some folks. One of my servers is fully populated, I think the other has 14 disks in it right now. Overall the cases are good for the money but you aren't going to be impressed if you have any experience of enterprise class server hardware. imho 750w is overkill for the PSU. I'm using 650's in mine. Link to comment
lanky8804 Posted June 20, 2015 Author Share Posted June 20, 2015 Was looking at Noctua NF-P12 fans for the 120mm, are these a good alternative? Currently have my server to spin down disks when not in use so hopefully this will reduce the temperature. Does your 650W handle all 20 drives? Mine will be standard 3.5' HDD's running at 7200rpm, when i read a PSU thread i worked out i would need 850 minimum. Would be interested if it could go lower as will then save some power Link to comment
Squid Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 Mine will be standard 3.5' HDD's running at 7200rpm, when i read a PSU thread i worked out i would need 850 minimum. Would be interested if it could go lower as will then save some power Not necessarily. An 850Watt power supply does not draw 850 watts at all times. It only draws what is required. To determine whether or not you are going to save any $$ then you have to work out the actual draw of all the equipment, and the efficiency of the power supply at that wattage. Depending upon the efficiencies of the respective supplies at the wattage drawn, the 850Watt supply may actually save you more money than the 650. Link to comment
Chris Pollard Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 I have 24 drives running in my main system, mixture of different drives on a 650w PSU..... mostly it draws about 100-120w from the wall.... everything spun down. As squid says mostly you aren't going to be able to tell how much power a particular PSU will draw and what efficiency you will get. 80+ Gold certified for example is 88% efficiency at 20% load... which for my 650w is 130w..... slightly more than my system idles at normally.... and outside what they publish efficiency graphs for. (Corsair HX650W) I have those NF-P12's I believe, they are fine. like I say, the 80mm's at the back probably make the most noise. Link to comment
Chugiak Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Some of the more recent 80+ efficiency tests include 10% load. You can find them at http://www.plugloadsolutions.com/80pluspowersupplies.aspx For the most part this information falls into the 'nice to know' category, as I wouldn't choose one PSU over another based on it's 10% load peformance. Does the PSU provide the power you need at boot up and during parity checks, does it keep istelf cool and do so quietly? These would be my primary factors to consider. I admit though that I spend more time than is probably healthy calculating costs of operation at low wattages. :-) Link to comment
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