Asrock E3C224D4I-14S into Silverstone DS380?


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I'm planning to upgrade my main server and using the current main server as backup. My objectives are the following:

  1. [*]small footprint, silent, low power for running 24h

[*]VT-D

[*]ability to run 12 docker

[*]Windows 7 VM (Apps: iTunes and Linn Kazoo Server)

I was inspired by these two threads: http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=31967.0 and  http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=32704.0.

 

I considered the Asrock C2750D4I first but the SATA issues were not making me comfortable using it as main unRaid system. Here is what I picked:

 

Parts list:

Case: Silverstone DS380

PSU: SilverStone SST-SX500-LG

Fans: 3 x Be Quiet! BL030 Silent Wings 2 PWM

Motherboard: ASRock E3C224D4I-14S

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230L v3 25W TDP

RAM: 16GB: 4x Kingston KVR16LE11S8/4K?F

Storage: just using the drives from my actual main server

Graphics Card: NVIDIA Quadro 2000

 

My main concern is the size of the mobo. Is anyone using it already in that case? Another question: is the mobo able to control the speed of the fans by using the Fan Auto Control Plugin?

 

Any further guidance? Thanks a lot.

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Anyone who has a DS380 ==>  If you simply measure the available "extra" space in the case where your motherboard sits, you can answer this question for Edgar.

 

The board he wants to use is 8.4" by 6.7".  The Silverstone specs note that this case works with both mini-ITX and mini-DTX boards.  A standard mini-ITX board is 6.7" x 6.7";  a mini-DTX is 6.7" x 8".    So if you're using a mini-ITX board, the question is whether there is an extra 1.7" of space along the back (where the I/O panel is) available for a wider board.

 

 

 

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I don't think that this is going to work. Please have a look at the pictures. I didn't ordered the PUS not yet and I think that this is the deal breaker...the mainboard is overlapping the space where the PSU is sitting.

 

EDIT: I can't add more pictures...annoying, this is the message: "Your file is too large. The maximum attachment size allowed is 192 KB." and my Macfinder is showing a size of 91kb.

IMG_0999.JPG.bbe4733c1603ad8398546c70f36ec6c2.JPG

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Certainly looks like it's not going to work.    I was a bit concerned about that (as I noted in my last post) ... I think the dealer just wanted to sell you the gear and ASSUMED it would fit okay [i can just hear the dealer "thinking" ...  "it's only 0.4" more than the mini-DTX boards it can hold"].

 

If the system was designed for an ATX power supply you'd be okay -- you could just use an SFX unit.    But according to the specs it's designed for an SFX unit, so I'm sure the power supply "hole" is only SFX size.

 

... thus it's simply not going to work !!    At least the dealer shouldn't give you any hassle r.e. returns, having given you clearly WRONG information that you based your order on.

 

 

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Just saw where you said "... I didn't ordered the PUS not yet ..." ==> I presume you meant PSU, so the answer to whether you have the power supply is no.

 

You could, of course, go ahead and get a 450w SFX PSU just to confirm that this isn't going to work -- you can use that PSU in any chassis, as it comes with an adapter to mount it in an ATX opening.

 

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Hi Gary, thanks for your comments and advise. I will talk to the dealer tomorrow. Funny enough, this time I was able to attach the second picture w/o making any change but I don't think it will provide any further insight.

 

Yes I meant PSU...however if I'm going to change my plan and go for a larger size mobo/case I will use a "normal board" e.g. the Supermicro X10SL7-F with the Xeon E3-1240L v3

 

The only issue with this board is: probably no S3 Sleep.

IMG_0998.JPG.d3f13e5bae0a12393233c8743952170e.JPG

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Read this thread, specifically this page.

 

http://www.techspot.com/review/826-silverstone-ds380-nas/page3.html

 

They mentioned they have reports of people using extended mini-ITX with the DS380. Suggest you hit them up to see what mods that are done??

 

Some DS380 users have also reported being able to squeeze the Asrock E3C224D4I-14S in with some minor modifications. That board supports Intel Xeon E3-1200 v3 series and Haswell i3, Pentium and Celeron processors for a more powerful option. However, expect to pay $290 and then factor in the cost of a CPU.
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Well, issue with the flexATX PSU's is that they are mostly having 2 rails and the 5V line has a max. of 70W.

 

I would really like to use the SILVERSTONE ST45SF-G 450W PSU which is equipped with single rail.

 

Another option: removing the 2.5" drive cage and move the SFX PSU to the left. There is plenty of space available. I might not even need to remove the cage, just consider to drill some holes for the PSU.

IMG_1001.JPG.9260d7b3be31dfad9cf9def517e04117.JPG

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Agree -- the Silverstone SFX unit is an excellent PSU.  The FlexATX units would not only require carefully distributing the power to ensure you're spreading the load between the rails; but are also lower capacity units.

 

It does look like you could mount the PSU "in and left" a bit if you had a bracket to shift the PSU a bit.  Since the system specs say it works with a mini-DTX motherboard (which is 8" wide), then you should only need a very small shift, since yours is 8.4" ... so a 0.4" shift should be enough.    Easier said than done, however, unless you happen to have a machine shop (or a friend with one)  :)

 

You may be able to mod the case with a Dremel & a drill ... but clearly you should be VERY confident that this is going to work for you before doing so, as that would obviously eliminate any ability to return it  8)

 

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... or you could simply switch to a mini-ITX motherboard, which would easily fit in the case without this issue.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157466

 

The problem with that is there are only 6 SATA ports, so the expansion slot would need to be used for an additional SATA controller card to go beyond 6 drives.    Whether that's an issue or not depends on whether you need that slot for some other purpose.

 

 

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Well, issue with the flexATX PSU's is that they are mostly having 2 rails and the 5V line has a max. of 70W.

 

I would really like to use the SILVERSTONE ST45SF-G 450W PSU which is equipped with single rail.

 

Another option: removing the 2.5" drive cage and move the SFX PSU to the left. There is plenty of space available. I might not even need to remove the cage, just consider to drill some holes for the PSU.

 

I think something like this http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817338120 would work.

 

Yes it's dual rail, but at 24A each you wouldn't run into any problems for eight drives on a single one of those rails.

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The Silverstone SFX unit is a VERY nice power supply -- I've used it on quite a few builds.    I'm sure there's room in the case for it ... the only real challenge is going to be figuring out a way to mount it that's stable and doesn't interfere with the motherboard.    Conceptually it seems like a set of 4 small 1" spacers that would screw into the PSU and the mounting holes on the chassis would let you shift the power supply 1/2", which should be all you need.    But finding something that will work for that is a challenge, unless you have access to a machine shop that can make them for you.

 

 

 

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Another option might be to mod the power supply case. If there's empty space, notch out where the motherboard would make contact.

 

Not sure I would want people to try this. You could very easily cause a fire if something contacted the internals of the PSU.

Yes that's true and given the position of the power supply it would most likely be on the power board side of the enclosure so it wouldn't work.

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Update: I have moved the PSU over to the left but it's sitting upside down. Seems that I need to Dremel a bit... :(

 

The issues I'm currently facing is that I can't see anything on my screen that is attached to the VGA connector of the board. I am afraid that the lack of an imbedded GPU of my Xeon E3-1240L v3 is the issue. Can anyone confirm?

 

I haven't planned to install a separate GPU. Would it be possible, to install a GPU temporarily, making all required installation steps, removing the GPU after all and just using IPMI in case I have to check BIOS settings etc....is that possible or need the GPU to be kept installed?

 

UPDATE: I can access the mobo via IPMI, so that's good...all 18 sensors seem to be ok. I only have PCI-e x16 GPU's at home but I need a version with PCI-e x8 and both of my GPU's don't show a picture (NVIDIA Quadro 2000 and Sapphire Radeon HD6450).

 

Do I really have to order such a GPU (the NVIDIA GT 720 has PCIe x8 connector) just to access e.g. the BIOS (..I can't even remember when I switched on my PC screen attached to my actual main unRAID server. Any advise?

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