Starting my first unRAID build

[GoldStig23]

Currently I've been running out of space on my 2x 2TB and 1TB drives on my main rig and decided it's time to build a NAS/Media Server. Originally I wanted to buy a Synology or a QNAP but reailzed 1080p files would probably stutter when streaming locally or on the go, and the expansion options were pretty expensive. Figured a unRAID NAS would be cheaper in the long run, with a more robust feature set.

 

For this build, I'd like to run unRAID (obviously) with probably 1 *nix VM for plex, sab, and owncloud and another VM for pfsense. I think it'll be doable with the dual NICS in the mobo, but I'm sure it'll take some tinkering.

 

Yesterday, I started buying some of the components for the build. Originally I was going to get a Pentium T4400, but saw there was an eBay daily deal for the i3 and I jumped on it, same with the SSD. I'm going to use the 6TB drive for parity and I saw that newegg has HGST 6TB drives on sale this weekend, so I might bite and grab another for when dual drive parity comes into the fold. Would I need the same make/model drive for that, or would I just need to make sure that they're the same size? The only other "concern" I have is whether to change to a Fractal Design Node 804 case. If I do move cases, I'll loose the ability to hotswap drives, which I don't see myself doing often tbh, but I would gain some more drive space.

 

Any thoughts/tips for a first timer?

 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($112.99 @ SuperBiiz)

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9i 57.5 CFM CPU Cooler  ($42.34 @ Newegg)

Motherboard: ASRock C236 WSI Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($197.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Memory: Kingston 16GB (1 x 16GB) Registered DDR4-2133 Memory  ($97.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($148.89 @ OutletPC)

Storage: Western Digital Red 6TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($240.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Storage: Western Digital Red 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($149.99 @ B&H)

Storage: Western Digital Red 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($149.99 @ B&H)

Case: Lian-Li PC-Q25B Mini ITX Tower Case  ($115.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Power Supply: Corsair SF 450W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply  ($89.99 @ Amazon)

Total: $1347.15

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-01 08:07 EDT-0400

 

 

[Bjonness406]

Why do you want to use a vm for plex, sab, and owncloud, when you can just use docker?

[GoldStig23]

Why do you want to use a vm for plex, sab, and owncloud, when you can just use docker?

 

I fell like it would be easier to set everything up, although that might change when I actually play around with unRAID. So at the moment, I guess it's a toss up on which method to use.

[Bjonness406]

Why do you want to use a vm for plex, sab, and owncloud, when you can just use docker?

 

I fell like it would be easier to set everything up, although that might change when I actually play around with unRAID. So at the moment, I guess it's a toss up on which method to use.

You should try out using docker before deciding I like it a lot better, and think it is easier to use

[tdallen]

Hi -

 

A couple of thoughts.

 

Dockers are lower overhead than VMs, you will definitely want to try them out.  The Skylake family has some issues being used for VMs under unRAID, but that is for IOMMU and device pass-through - I think you'll be fine if you choose to do lightweight VMs via RDP.  I wouldn't go with less than an i3 if you want to play with VMs.  16GB of RAM is a good amount for unRAID, Dockers, and a VM or two.  Though one stick of RAM is fine, you're generally better using two sticks of RAM on a dual channel setup - it's faster.

 

I'm not sure I see the point in buying both 6TB and 4TB drives.  If you are committed to 6TB, why not buy them exclusively?  That's also a better strategy if you are concerned about drive bays in the Q25.  Though I love the Q25, I'm not sure I'd start there if you are planning on dual parity since it can only hold 7 3.5" drives.  Regarding different brands, you occasionally see issues where one brand is seen as having a few more bytes than another, which can make things messy when picking the biggest one for parity.  For that reason I'd probably stick with the same brand for dual parity drives to make sure things match up.  Don't take that as gospel, though.  Both HGST and WD Red are well regarded.

 

Regarding cases and hot swap... I have sworn to myself that my next case will make it much easier to swap out drives.  The issue for me isn't so much hot swap as clean access to the drives.  A lot of setups require moving stuff around and significant risk of dislodging cables if you pull a drive.  Hot swap fixes that.  But, so do setups like the Fractal Design Define R4 and 5 where both sides come off and you can pass through the drive and cables.  The Node 804 is a very well regarded case, but it looks to me like the entire drive cage needs to swing out to get at a drive.  You might want to check out the new Lian Li PC-M25 if you are open to a slightly bigger case.  The Silverstone DS380 is another option with hot swap bays, though I'm not a fan of the cooling.  Silverstone also has well regarded SFF PSUs.

 

Sounds like a fun build .