It finally happened, replacement build help need

[Concelor]

Wow, it seems forever since I posted anything on these forums

Read a lot, but Unraid has been rock solid for almost 5 years!

Well that’s all changed an now it’s time to once again ask the experts

 

So some history, years ago I decided I wanted an amazing storage solution and unraid was it

So using an old PC build I built myself a little unraid box

Now the hardware it was built upon was already 2+ years old meaning now it’s pushing 7

 

Saturday I lost connection with the box

Thinking it was the key, I replaced that, still no good, thinking it was the router, I replaced that, thinking it was the memory (24 hr memtest proved that wrong)

Thinking it was the drives scanned them clean

So I think it’s the hardware itself

 

Now I know you guys are the best and I could post logs, and more than likely you could help me find a solution

But the hardware is pretty old, so it’s time to update

Following the forums over the years I have seen a lot of ideas, builds and everything but could never find one that matches what I need plus it’s been almost 5 years so I have forgotten a ton of UNRAID stuff, hence this post

 

Usage wise:

So right now I have a 6 drive unit adding (more has always been the plan but prices still haven’t gotten to pre Thailand flood levels of yester-year.)

All I use it for is storage and video streaming, no VMs, servers etc.

MI only ever stream to one unit at a time, normally a raspberry Pi HTPC

All my vids right now are 1080p, though eventually I may upgrade to 4k stuff (but first I’ll need a new TV)

 

Hardwire wise:

What I’m looking for is low power (no reason to go overboard) right now I’m using an old gaming rig so I have a 500W power supply for 6 drives…I think that’s a little excessive, but not sure

A nice hot swap case that can be stored in that basement, again right now it’s a standard ATX case:

Currently my server sits next to my gaming rig, but I’d like to see it downstairs in a cooler environment and out of sight

Everything can be wired to the network, and I’d prefer that

Cost I’d like to stay cheap (especially with a new gaming rig in the works) but at the same time quality

 

Thanks in advance for all the suggestions

[CHBMB]

I'm no hardware expert, but I have to say that's a great post on your requirements, I'm sure one of the "hardware" guys will be along shortly to help.  Might be useful to specify AMD vs Intel and have you given thought to consolidating your hardware, you could potentially run Unraid and your Gaming Rig on the same hardware using a VM, might save a quid or two.

 

 

Only other thing is whereabouts in the world are you? Some stuff is harder to get outside of the US.

 

Good Luck with your new build and consider posting a build thread for us all to admire. 

[Concelor]

Thanks

So I'm an intel guy from birth, but that's because no one has ever been able to tell me why AMD is better, though I'm always open to seeing the other side of arguments

 

Location wise, I'm in Michigan so I have access to most anything in the world, the US does seem to have the least amount of restrictions

[WinHac]

Michigan also, Looking to upgrade my box as well.

[CHBMB]

Michigan also, Looking to upgrade my box as well.

 

Probably best to start your own thread and give details of what you want to do with your box.  For instance if you look at my sig you can see how my hardware means I can run VMs (Vt-d support & 32GB RAM) but if you just wanted a basic NAS then you could get by with far more modest hardware. 

[CHBMB]

Thanks

So I'm an intel guy from birth, but that's because no one has ever been able to tell me why AMD is better, though I'm always open to seeing the other side of arguments

 

Location wise, I'm in Michigan so I have access to most anything in the world, the US does seem to have the least amount of restrictions

 

I'm an Intel guy as well pretty much for the same reason and I tend to "understand" their processor naming convention better so just find it easier.

 

How many drives are you looking to have in total (both now and in the future) Hotswap essential or desirable? What form factor mobo and case.

 

My feeling with building I think three or four Unraid machines is that I've never regretted getting hardware with specs better than I need but no getting stuff that can cope with my future uses because it's cheaper I have always regretted.

 

The i5 I think is a good price point between cost and performance.  Don't know your home circumstances at the moment but as I've got married and moved house my needs have expanded, and I have found increasing use for my Unraid machine beyond what I initially thought so may be worth bearing in mind..

[archedraft]

Cost I’d like to stay cheap (especially with a new gaming rig in the works) but at the same time quality

 

It sounds like it is too late for you to make a gaming VM instead of having two computers?

 

If you already bought a brand new gaming computer then I would suggest the following:

• Intel i5 with both VT-x & VT-d (just in case you ever decide to play with VM's (you never know))
  
• 8GB of RAM will due but I would highly recommend 16GB
  
• Your 500W power supply seems reasonable
  

 

If you still have the option of considering building a gaming VM then we can really have some fun, or another thought; if you just built a new gaming computer you could consider making it an unRAID server and then running a Windows VM ontop of that, depending on your PCs specs.

 

[Concelor]

So to try to answer all the questions posed

Eventually I see a system with 10 or so drives and two spares on hand

But as it is I"m content with what I have now though have been having to "Sophie's Choice" some of my older content in liu of newer stuff

Hot swap makes it easier but not essential

I do petrabyte storage solutions at work, but those are far more business than what I need at home

Case Ideally I'd love to take a server and mount it to the basement ceiling below the router, so horizontal, but I'd love it to stay quiet and cool more than anything

I honestly don't see me doing any VM stuff at home so really plans around that are overkill

Like I said a raspberry pi is usually my goto streaming device so I'm not overkill when it comes to watching a rerun of Hogan's Heroes on the HTPC haha

 

I haven't built my new gaming rig yet, waiting for the new intels this month so I could do a VM

But here's one of the aspects of Unraid I get lost in these days hence me asking you all

When I say gaming rig I mean Metal Gear 5, GTA 5, etc

I have liked building stand rigs in the past because it may be days or weeks when I don't play games so i keep the behmoths powered down and it saves electicity

What are teh benefits of doing a VM?

[Concelor]

Looking at new gaming rig parts I started to realize I'd have a bunch of left over parts from my current machine

Would a recycled i5 2500K be a good heart to build a new Unraid body around?

[Concelor]

So I think I will build a separate gaming rig and server systems

Mostly because I need to get the server up and running ASAP...i miss my media

As I begin to research this

Is there a difference between getting a server motherboard vs standard one?

Does the price difference justify it?

 

Also I think, and hence the question an I3 should cover my needs but for those who really push the limits of Unraid, for a rock solid Media Storage System what are the ideal (price vs function) processor families I should be investigating?

Because my thinking (and if I'm wrong please correct me) the processor determines the board which determines controllers which determines power supply which in turn determine if I can buy a few more drives when all said and done lol

[HellDiverUK]

You might want to read: http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=42436.0

 

I have to say I'm pretty impressed with the AMD A-series APU, and there's some nice boards with excellent expansion possibilities, and they're cheap.  An A8 and board is about the same price as an i3 CPU alone.

[Concelor]

So looking at that thread, great info but once we hit AMD land I get a little lost

But the gist of it the best chipset for the buck is the A88X

http://www.microcenter.com/product/446584/FM2A88X_Killer_FM2_ATX_AMD_Motherboard

 

And the way AMD works if I wanted to have some video output the chip would need a GPU so something like this am I understanding AMD world?

 

http://www.microcenter.com/product/427566/A10_7700K_38_Ghz_Black_Edition_Boxed_processor

 

Locally my microcenter I could get that set for 140 is that a good base?

[HellDiverUK]

So looking at that thread, great info but once we hit AMD land I get a little lost

But the gist of it the best chipset for the buck is the A88X

http://www.microcenter.com/product/446584/FM2A88X_Killer_FM2_ATX_AMD_Motherboard

 

And the way AMD works if I wanted to have some video output the chip would need a GPU so something like this am I understanding AMD world?

 

http://www.microcenter.com/product/427566/A10_7700K_38_Ghz_Black_Edition_Boxed_processor

 

Locally my microcenter I could get that set for 140 is that a good base?

 

The A4/A6/A8/A10 APUs have a GPU built in.  The FM2 Athlons don't. 

 

The A-series' GPU can be passed through to a VM, too, which is a massive bonus compared to Intel which can't pass through the iGPU.

[Concelor]

So after reading a ton of threads and seeing whatever one here recommends I think I've put this build together

I like it because if I gathered everyone's experience right, it will be a rock solid NAS but it has room to grow as a VM/gaming rig if I choose to fiddle with  that cool aspect later.

All advice, changes, or questions are always a welcomed thing

 

Processor - AMD A10 7700K 3.8 Ghz Black Edition

Board - ASRock FM2A88X Killer FM2

RAM - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL

Power Supply - I'll carry over my existing Thermaltake 500 for now then later this year i'll go with:

                        SeaSonic M12II 520 Bronze 520W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS 12V v2.91 SLI 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply

New Parity Drive (hence the wait on the power supply) - WD Red WD40EFRX 4TB IntelliPower 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" NAS Internal Hard Drive - Bulk

Case - I have a Antec 900 that is old but still such a nice case (might splurge and finally get that third drive cage)

 

So what do you guys think

Solid?

Spending too much?

Not enough?

 

 

[jumperalex]

I'm going to suggest picking a motherboard that allows ECC memory. The nice thing about AMD land is that compatible motherboards can be foudnf or decent prices. In fact "all" ASUS boards (maybe asrock as well) support ECC. The memory itself is not much of a premium but is considered a good idea if you move into virtual land and just good insurance for a data server.

 

See my sig for my build.

 

FWIW, if you want to consider ever passing through your video you will need a stand-alone card. For that reason you might still consider an FX cpu and for now go with a nice cheap PCI  video card (http://www.amazon.com/ATI-Rage-8MB-Video-Card/dp/B000G6U2W4). I say PCI because it will leave PCI-e open for SATA card, but if your point is to eventually plug in a more capable video card for gaming then just go with a low end PCI-e card right now.

 

Again, if you want to go gaming in the future, the build-in graphics of the A-series will be wasted unless that problem has been solved by LT and I missed it or I'm conflating two different things (on-board video vs. on-CPU video)

[mr-hexen]

I've been reading that the GPU built into a AX CPU can be passed to a VM...?

[jumperalex]

If that is true, then awesome. Of course they will never hold a candle to a discrete card, but that is then up to the OP to decide of course.

 

My main recommendation, though not often discussed on the boards, is to go with ECC memory where possible and AMD makes that possible on the cheap compared to intel systems (same for full VM support).  It just seems like a worthwhile extra layer of protection for our protected arrays.

[mr-hexen]

If that is true, then awesome. Of course they will never hold a candle to a discrete card, but that is then up to the OP to decide of course.

 

For gaming or other video intense applications (i.e. photoshop?), absolutely.

 

But for a Kodi client, iGPU would work just fine!

[jonp]

I've been reading that the GPU built into a AX CPU can be passed to a VM...?

Where?

[mr-hexen]

I've been reading that the GPU built into a AX CPU can be passed to a VM...?

Where?

 

Here: http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=42155.msg404026#msg404026

and here: http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=42436.msg403717#msg403717

and here: http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=42418.msg403538#msg403538

[jonp]

I've been reading that the GPU built into a AX CPU can be passed to a VM...?

Where?

 

Here: http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=42155.msg404026#msg404026

and here: http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=42436.msg403717#msg403717

and here: http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=42418.msg403538#msg403538

Interesting. Thanks for linking. I honestly have no AMD systems to test with, but that's definitely something worth noting in the docs if it can be consistently proven to work!!

[jumperalex]

 

I honestly have no AMD systems to test with,

 

A minor oversight I'm sure   I mean I know you can't have EVERY system iteration out there, but that seems like a chunk to skip [shrug]

[Concelor]

So I did it

And want to thank everyone this board and the links have been a huge help if not a bit too much information...and when is that a bad thing

 

but now I have a slew of new questions I can't seem to find anywhere on the board (i may not be wording them right) so I'm hopign the help doesn't stop now that I've upgraded lol

 

I ended up with an 830FXe chip

An asus M5A99FX board

And 8GB of DDR3 ECC Ram

 

So onto my questions

My current gaming rig is an i5 2500k, still a great chip but I know from reseach my new unraid CPU is better

Also in the current gaming system is a 660TI

And 16GB of DDR3 ram

 

It dawned on me after listening to a lot of you

Can I take the 660TI and the 16GB and place it in the unraid then make a virtual machine that will be better than the stand alone i have?

Answer: It sounds like it

 

But a few noob questions

1) In unraid menu I see how to create a VM, and read the guide, turning that option on, does that affect my shares and setup as it is...will l lose stuff?

 

2)I have 8GB of ECC DDR3 (it cost a butt load too) is it really better than non-Ecc or can I return it, use that money on a bigger parity drive and use the 16GB and be perfectly happy (Note: at no time will I be watching a movie and using the gaming VM at the same time)

 

3)So I've given you, the gurus, the specs.  Will a VM gaming rig be near identical if not better to the experience we're having now on the existing system

 

4) I've got a few SSDs for specific games, natural selection 2, civ 5, and defiance (yeah yeah you can judge, but I love the show, and the game is fun...if you like the show haha) can I utilize those in the VM specifically for the gaming slice?

 

[CHBMB]

So I did it

And want to thank everyone this board and the links have been a huge help if not a bit too much information...and when is that a bad thing

 

but now I have a slew of new questions I can't seem to find anywhere on the board (i may not be wording them right) so I'm hopign the help doesn't stop now that I've upgraded lol

 

I ended up with an 830FXe chip

An asus M5A99FX board

And 8GB of DDR3 ECC Ram

 

So onto my questions

My current gaming rig is an i5 2500k, still a great chip but I know from reseach my new unraid CPU is better

Also in the current gaming system is a 660TI

And 16GB of DDR3 ram

 

It dawned on me after listening to a lot of you

Can I take the 660TI and the 16GB and place it in the unraid then make a virtual machine that will be better than the stand alone i have?

Answer: It sounds like it

 

But a few noob questions

1) In unraid menu I see how to create a VM, and read the guide, turning that option on, does that affect my shares and setup as it is...will l lose stuff?

 

2)I have 8GB of ECC DDR3 (it cost a butt load too) is it really better than non-Ecc or can I return it, use that money on a bigger parity drive and use the 16GB and be perfectly happy (Note: at no time will I be watching a movie and using the gaming VM at the same time)

 

3)So I've given you, the gurus, the specs.  Will a VM gaming rig be near identical if not better to the experience we're having now on the existing system

 

4) I've got a few SSDs for specific games, natural selection 2, civ 5, and defiance (yeah yeah you can judge, but I love the show, and the game is fun...if you like the show haha) can I utilize those in the VM specifically for the gaming slice?

 

Personally I'd return the ECC RAM if it's expensive and use what you've already got.  I haven't set up a gaming machine in unraid as I'm not a gamer.  But I have used other VMs and they don't affect your array.  As for swapping SSDs, not sure how I'd go about that but I guess a hotswap bay and unassigned devices plugin (not sure it's V6.1 compatible at the moment though)

[mr-hexen]

If that 16GB of ram is 2x8GB chips I'd return the ECC ram too.

 

The SSD's can be used, but be warned that they will be formatted for use in unRAID.

 

Frankly, you've got all the parts you need to try this, so why not?

 

Answers to your questions

1) You will not lose stuff.

 

2) If its 2x8GB then I would. If its 4x4GB I wouldnt.

 

3) I would expect the same performance when setup properly. Your video card is the bottleneck here.

 

4) Yes, but they will be wiped when added to unRAID.