I decided to use a Lian li PC?-M25 case instead of the Q25 so I need some advice about what MB & PS to use. Most of the parts will be the same but I am all ears if you see something you don't like on the parts list.

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Qtrmeg/saved/dYJFf7

 

The only things I bought so far are the case & memory so it's easy enough now to change things. I do like the Xeon E3-1245 V5 because of onchip GPU & hyper threading, and I guess for a mATX MB I should go with Supermicro but I'm not sure which one.

 

I'm also not sure if the SFF power supply will still work in the larger case, but I prefer to use one and don't mind being the first to try.

 

Edit: I bought some more parts and updated the Parts Picker list.

Do you need a Xeon?  I have a PC-M25 and I stuffed an Asus H170M Plus board, 2x8GB DDR4-2400 DIMMs and an i5-6600K (obviously not overclocked).  You could swap that i5 out for an i7, and you're laughing.

PSU, as long as it is a branded one, is totally a personal thing. The general rule of thumb is to get one as close to your anticipated wattage need as possible without being under + as efficient as possible.

 

Motherboard is basically what your CPU + RAM combo needs and how many SATA ports. What RAM did you get?

PSU, as long as it is a branded one, is totally a personal thing. The general rule of thumb is to get one as close to your anticipated wattage need as possible without being under + as efficient as possible.

And bearing in mind that all psu's will lose the wattage they can handle as they age.  And the closer you run the power supply at its max output (ie: during monthly parity checks), the faster that aging is going to happen.

Do you need a Xeon?  I have a PC-M25 and I stuffed an Asus H170M Plus board, 2x8GB DDR4-2400 DIMMs and an i5-6600K (obviously not overclocked).  You could swap that i5 out for an i7, and you're laughing.

 

What does Need have to do with anything? Seriously though I wanted ECC mem and performance/price wise there isn't really an advantage to go with a Core I7 for a server. Then again what I don't know about computers would fill many books so I usually listen closely to what Gary says.

 

PSU, as long as it is a branded one, is totally a personal thing. The general rule of thumb is to get one as close to your anticipated wattage need as possible without being under + as efficient as possible.

 

Motherboard is basically what your CPU + RAM combo needs and how many SATA ports. What RAM did you get?

 

There's a link to everything on the Parts Picker list but I got Kingston DDR4 2133 unbuffered ECC memory

In about a week I should change the Title to M25 Build since I just finished ordering "everything" I need to get started, and I updated the Parts List. I only ordered a couple of drives since it will take so long to preclear them & copy data onto them that I can order the rest from hopefully different batches and for less $.

 

I went with the non-modular Bronze Silverstone SFF PS because I can make the cables disappear inside the case, unlike with a modular PS. Probably more significant in the Q25 case but I'm using 2 of these already and they have had zero problems.

 

I other thing I changed was I ordered a couple case fans, since I have had a Lian Li fan break apart. And credit where it is due, I stole the part numbers off spencers build. Not surprising since I have been stealing ideas off spencers builds, (and Dirty Sanchez'), since a year before I build my first NAS.

 

 

 

Looks like you've done well at picking the parts => I completely agree with using a Xeon and ECC memory (as I'm sure you know) ... and the SFX power supply will be just fine.    As you also already know, these small PSU's are oh-so-nice at proving MUCH more space for cable management; airflow; etc. and simply make for a much nicer-looking interior.

 

My next build will most likely use an M25 as well => I built a system for a friend a few months ago that we TRIED to get an M25 for; but it was out-of-stock at virtually ever US supplier (Newegg, Amazon, CDW, etc.) and after about 2 months we gave up and used a different case.    I see they're now available, so the next system I build will likely use this, as I think it's a nifty little case and has a bit more flexibility than the Q25.

 

The M25 works fine with a standard ATX PSU - much easier than the Q25.  I'm using a SuperFlower 350W ATX PSU in my M25, and there's as much room around the PSU as there is in the Q25 when using a 300W Silverstone SFX.

 

 

Looks like you've done well at picking the parts => I completely agree with using a Xeon and ECC memory (as I'm sure you know) ... and the SFX power supply will be just fine.    As you also already know, these small PSU's are oh-so-nice at proving MUCH more space for cable management; airflow; etc. and simply make for a much nicer-looking interior.

 

My next build will most likely use an M25 as well => I built a system for a friend a few months ago that we TRIED to get an M25 for; but it was out-of-stock at virtually ever US supplier (Newegg, Amazon, CDW, etc.) and after about 2 months we gave up and used a different case.    I see they're now available, so the next system I build will likely use this, as I think it's a nifty little case and has a bit more flexibility than the Q25.

 

Thanks, I was a little confused about the MB but I guess I figured it out. It has IPMI & VHD, 8 Sata and dual Lan. They had a quad Lan version I should have bought but oh well, too late to change it now.

 

When I saw what the new Unraid is capable of it just makes sense to use a mATX MB. I have a Q3 desktop & a Q25 NAS, and will soon have a M25. They all have one thing in common, their widths are all the same. The Q3 is a tiny little thing about the size of a 6 pack of bottles, and the relationship of the PS & MB is exactly the same as the Q25 & M25. The Q25 & M25 are exactly the same except that the M25 is raised the height of 2 PCI slots and it is lengthened enough to allow for the mATX MB.

 

I never thought I'd use anything other than a Q25 for this build but the M25 wins. I can get everything I like about the Q25 at a minimal size increase to allow for more capability. I'm actually surprised that Lian Li came up with this case because most of the time they are shooting themselves in the foot, design wise. Not that this case can't be improved, for one thing you will notice they are using the same bottom HD tray as the Q25 instead of lengthening it to allow for mounting 3 3 1/2" drives side by side. Very lazy. I don't have the case yet but it should handle more hot swap drives, some removable. This is unacceptable because, as I said, the M25 is exactly the Q25 changed in 2 directions, and everything else is the same. Except the price for the M25 is $180 and the price for the Q25 is $120. Ouch. Oh, I'd like to see 2 fans on the front of the M25.

 

The M25 works fine with a standard ATX PSU - much easier than the Q25.  I'm using a SuperFlower 350W ATX PSU in my M25, and there's as much room around the PSU as there is in the Q25 when using a 300W Silverstone SFX.

 

I'll have to see if that is true when the M25 gets here but I doubt it. Well, ok, the case will work fine with an ATX PS. The Q25 & the M25 have Great airflow, but not so much with my Q03 fanless desktop running a Core I5. Since the PS and CPU cooler are the only cooling in that comp wire management is important to maximize airflow, and the Q03 runs at low 40's. Since the NAS will cost at least 3 times that of the desktop I'd be foolish not to employ my best effort with that build.

 

I'm aware of what a full size ATX PS install looks like so let me show you what a SFF PS can look like. The first picture is from the side and the second is looking up towards the top case fan on my Q25 build. I'm not buying this case so I have more room to stuff wires.

 

 

Agree an ATX unit will fit much better in an M25 than it does in a Q25 -- but the size of an SFX is still a nice improvement that allows even more "working space" as well as more room to organize cables; better airflow; etc.

 

I've pretty much started using SFX units for everything -- regardless of the case size -- except for systems where I need high capacity PSU's (typically desktops where the user wants a very high end graphics card).

 

 

The M25 works fine with a standard ATX PSU - much easier than the Q25.  I'm using a SuperFlower 350W ATX PSU in my M25, and there's as much room around the PSU as there is in the Q25 when using a 300W Silverstone SFX.

 

I'll have to see if that is true when the M25 gets here but I doubt it.

 

So...I tell you something about a case I own and you say you doubt something I'm telling you about it?

 

Tell you what, why don't you stick your PSU where the sun doesn't shine?  There should be plenty of room there, because it seems your head is up there too.

 

Whoa guys ... no need to get nasty.

 

It's true that there is as much room between the ATX unit and the drive cage in an M25 as there is between the SFX unit and the drive cage in a Q25B; but there's certainly more room overall with an SFX unit, regardless of the case.

 

As you can see in the included pictures, there's 230mm between the rear panel and the drive cage in an M-25;  180mm in a Q25B.    Comparing the specifications of a 450w Silverstone SFX unit and a 350w SuperFlower unit, there's 45mm difference in the length => so there's indeed as much space between the end of the PSU and the drive plate with that unit in an M25 as there is between the end of a Silverstone SFX unit and the drive plate  in a Q25B => actually there's 5MM more 

 

HOWEVER, the cubic volume of the SuperFlower ATX unit is 2.36 times as much as the Silverstone SFX unit; so it occupies a LOT more interior volume ... so there's clearly more working space "around" the PSU => which is still nice to have.

 

Not worth getting hyper about the differences => some folks even think ATX units are fine in a Q25B.  It's just a matter of perspective.

 

 

The M25 works fine with a standard ATX PSU - much easier than the Q25.  I'm using a SuperFlower 350W ATX PSU in my M25, and there's as much room around the PSU as there is in the Q25 when using a 300W Silverstone SFX.

 

I'll have to see if that is true when the M25 gets here but I doubt it.

 

So...I tell you something about a case I own and you say you doubt something I'm telling you about it?

 

Tell you what, why don't you stick your PSU where the sun doesn't shine?  There should be plenty of room there, because it seems your head is up there too.

 

 

I didn't mean to give you the impression I thought what you said wasn't true. I have always been focused on using a SFF PS, (tunnel vision on my part), and my doubt was just that I needed to use an ATX PS instead of a SFF. The fraction of my post that you quoted was a screw up, and I'm sorry.

 

I do have to take issue with the part of your response that assumed that I have extra room up my arse for a PS after I managed to get my head up there. You should know as well as anyone that that is just not the case.

My apologies for being a bit short the other day.  No excuse for being rude.