My Drobo 5N is full (5x4TB WD Reds) and when I looked at what it would cost me to change the drives out to 6TB I realized I needed to research alternatives (that and the horror stories of data loss after simple problems like the network plug failing). That's when I discovered unRAID!

 

My use is mainly for a Plex server with all the programs that go along with it (Sonarr, sabnzbd, Transmission, CouchPotato) and a simple file server as well as have some extra power if/when I decide to play around with unRAID's other possibilities without breaking the bank.

 

 

CPU: AMD FX-6300 ($98)

Mother board: Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 Micro ATX ($32)

RAM: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 2 x 4GB DDR3-1600 ($40)

PSU: Corsair Builder 430W ($20)

Case: Fractal Design Define Mini Micro ATX Mini Tower Case ($100)

PC Parts Picker: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/p7KchM

 

How does this look?

 

Additional questions:

• Why does it seem like most people use Intel vs AMD. My reasoning is purely in pricing. Is there something Intel offers when it comes to unRAID I haven't seen?
  
• Obviously the memory isn't ECC. Do I need ECC?
  

CPU: AMD FX-6300 ($98)

Mother board: Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 Micro ATX ($32)

RAM: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 2 x 4GB DDR3-1600 ($40)

PSU: Corsair Builder 430W ($20)

Case: Fractal Design Define Mini Micro ATX Mini Tower Case ($100)

PC Parts Picker: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/p7KchM

 

How does this look?

 

It's okay.    The only thing I'd definitely change is the power supply => the CX series is a very low-end PSU that isn't near as good as Corsair's TX, HX, and AX units.    It DOES work ... but a quality PSU is not something you want to skimp on for a fault tolerant server.

 

 

... Why does it seem like most people use Intel vs AMD. My reasoning is purely in pricing. Is there something Intel offers when it comes to unRAID I haven't seen

 

Performance and efficiency.    A mid-range Core architecture CPU [e.g. an i5-4670 will significantly outperform the FX-6300 while using less power (and thus running cooler) ... and does this with only 4 cores, which means the per-core performance is a LOT higher.

 

 

... Obviously the memory isn't ECC. Do I need ECC?

 

It's certainly nice to have fault tolerant memory on a fault-tolerant server ... but it's not a requirement.    If you limit your system to no more than 2 installed modules, unbuffered non-ECC RAM is reasonably reliable.

 

 

Thanks for your input. I'm reevaluating my processor (and thus motherboard) and power supply. I appreciate the help!

Dont buy a corsair psu - they are not what they used to be!

Go for a EVGA