Got lian-li pcq25 case need recommendations for rest of it

[Southbark]

Well after months of trolling I purchased a Lian-Li pcq25 case. I want use the system as a Plex server pretty much I don't see any other use for the system I will have . I want to be able to store more movies  and tv shows  and music and stream to two Tv and when I Am away stream to my iPad.

 

The power supply I think a Corsair SF Series SF450 - 450 Watt 80 PLUS Gold Certified will be more then enough for 5 4tb hard drives.if it's not say something

 

What I need are motherboard and CPU  and ram recommendations I want to spend as little as possible but I I don't want to go cheap and regret it later. I plan to keep it for at least 4-5 years I hope

 

If your wondering why I picked the lian li it because I need something small and mobile at moments notice

[tdallen]

Well, the point at which buyer's regret kicks in is different for everyone.  If it were me, the things I'd be looking for are:

 

• Enough SATA ports to handle 5 array drives plus a cache drive.  So 6 is the minimum and more is great.
  
• Enough CPU to handle transcoding 2 1080p streams plus basic unRAID functions.  So a minimum of 5,000 Passmarks and more is great.
  
• You could run it with 4GB of RAM, but it's so cheap - I'd start with 8GB.
  

 

This would fit the bill:

 

An ASRock C236 WSI with a Core i3 6100 and appropriate RAM from the ASRock compatibility list.  There used to be more Haswell options but they're drying up and starting to cost more than the new Skylake parts...

 

Other things you can do:  ASRock and Gigabyte have slightly less expensive motherboard options with their gaming boards.  I wouldn't go much lower with the CPU, but you can certainly go lots higher - i3, i5, i7 and Xeon.  That motherboard gives you the option of ECC RAM which is always a great idea but does cost a little more.

 

By the way, I think your case choice and power supply choice are good ones.  You definitely want an SFF power supply in the PC-Q25b.

 

Hopefully that gets you started.

[garycase]

tdallen's suggestions are good choices => but be sure you buy ECC memory.  It makes no sense to buy a server grade board with a CPU that supports ECC and then not take advantage of error correcting memory.

 

[Southbark]

I have been with apple for a while what is a good low cost ecc memory? So it's  been awhile for me since I have built a computer.

 

Also a good CPU cooling fan?

[garycase]

I have been with apple for a while what is a good low cost ecc memory? So it's  been awhile for me since I have built a computer.

 

Also a good CPU cooling fan?

 

Depending on how much memory you want to install, buy 2 of any of the following:

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820242290

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820242165

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820242215

 

I'd probably pop in 16GB (a pair of the 2nd link above), which should be PLENTY for anything you're likely to do with this system.

 

[tdallen]

If you buy an Intel Retail CPU kit that includes a CPU fan it will be more than sufficient to do the job.  I used a Noctua NH-L9i in my last Lian Li build because I wanted something very low profile, but note that they've updated the description on this cooler to say that it's most appropriate for CPUs less than 65w TDP.

[garycase]

Agree ... the stock Intel cooler is fine.    The Noctua NH-L9i tdallen noted is a VERY good, and exceptionally quiet unit which would be better than the Intel => but the Intel is all you need and is not at all noisy, so there's really no reason to spend the extra $$

 

The 65w TDP limit isn't an issue with the Core i3 suggested above -- the TDP for that unit is well below that (51w).

 

[Southbark]

Had some issues with motherboard and had to return it. So I need another motherboard recommendation as the asrock is not in stock any more. So I need a recommendation of an in stock motherboard

[garycase]

The motherboard is in-stock at Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/ASRock-Rack-Motherboard-C236-WSI/dp/B01B96248O

 

... and on e-bay:

http://www.ebay.com/p/ASRock-C236-WSI-Mini-ITX-Server-Motherboard-LGA-1151-Intel-c236/1662018727

[Hoopster]

Had some issues with motherboard and had to return it. So I need another motherboard recommendation as the asrock is not in stock any more. So I need a recommendation of an in stock motherboard

 

You can also find the ASRock C236 WSI in stock at Superbiiz for $198 if you are in the U.S. (http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=MB-C236WSI).  Amazon delivers internationally or I would have bought it at Superbiiz.

 

Curious as to what issues you had with the motherboard.  I purchased the ASRock C236 WSI from Amazon (wasn't in stock at the time, but, they were taking orders @ $199.99) and scheduled to be delivered tomorrow or Friday.  Returns would be difficult as I am currently living in Mexico.  I hope I have no issues with the board. 

 

I chose the Xeon E3-1245 V5 CPU for my setup and 32 GB ECC RAM.  I figured I might as well max it out now since I always seem to find new uses for my unRAID server and wanted to have it ready for any future needs. 

 

[HellDiverUK]

Personally, I think ECC RAM is a pointless expense.  I've got 6 workstations at work that have been running close to 8 years 24/7 (old Dell Precision T5400 dual Xeon things), and they've never logged an ECC correcting.  6 machine each running for 8 years.  That's no ECC memory errors in 48 running years!

 

So, I'd recommend the following:

 

i3-6100,

Gigabyte GA-Z170N Wifi (it has 6 SATA ports and a M.2 slot on the back,

At least 8GB RAM.

 

I'd also recommend swapping out the 140mm fan in the front, while also losing the dust filter.  I also tend to not use the top fan, it's not at all required for a NAS box.  I've had great results from the Noctua NF P14s Redux 1200 http://noctua.at/en/nf-p14s-redux-1200-pwm fans, which are quiet and plenty of airflow. 

 

 

[garycase]

The BIOS in a motherboard that supports ECC will log detected ECC errors (i.e. uncorrectable errors) => but not single-bit corrections.  Those are simply corrected on the module with no other interaction.    I suspect there have been a LOT of single-bit errors corrected over those "48 running years" that you have simply not been aware of, thanks to the ECC 

 

Many single-bit errors result in strange behavior or crashes that folks just assume are "another Windows glitch" or just another "hiccup" that goes unexplained -- but in fact wouldn't have happened if the memory was error correcting.

 

The cost difference these days is very nominal to have that protection -- I simply don't agree that it's a "pointless expense."

 

[Southbark]

I accidentally ordered the wrong power supply I got the Corsair SF Series SF600 - 600 Watt 80 PLUS Gold Certified High Performance SFX PSU instead of the Corsair SF Series SF450 will it still work

[garycase]

Sure, it'll work fine.  Gives you more power than you need, but it's still a very nice unit.

 

[Southbark]

Well I after lots of dental work I got around to installing everything in the lian li case but un fortunately the sf 450 power supply is to small to even fit in the case. Even though people have told me it works in it the hole in the case is too big

[garycase]

Well I after lots of dental work I got around to installing everything in the lian li case but un fortunately the sf 450 power supply is to small to even fit in the case. Even though people have told me it works in it the hole in the case is too big

 

The Silverstone STX 450 fits just fine in the Q25-B using the SFX->ATX adapter plate it comes with.    Did you lose (or misplace) that adapter??    If so, you can simply buy one:  https://www.amazon.com/SilverStone-Technology-Universal-Bracket-RL-PP08B/dp/B01BYB33J8

 

[garycase]

Just realized you didn't buy the Silverstone STX unit => you bought the Corsair STX power supply.  Apparently it doesn't come with an adapter plate -- so all you need to do is buy the adapter plate I linked to above.  The STX power supply with that adapter plate fits FAR better in the Q25B than an ATX unit would.

 

 

[Southbark]

Found this can anyone confirm it will work

 

http://www.corsair.com/en-us/sfx-to-atx-psu-adapter-bracket

[garycase]

Yes, that will work fine.

 

It's just like the bracket that Silverstone ships with their SFX supplies.

 

Note that the after-market bracket Silverstone sells is slightly different => it positions the power supply towards the top of the hole, instead of centering it in the hole.  That's actually a slightly nicer location, as it leaves more "working space" below the power supply.

 

But either bracket will do the trick just fine.

 

[Hoopster]

I am using the Silverstone offset bracket Gary linked with the Corsair SFX 450 in the Lian-Li PC-Q25 case.  It is very nice in that it allows even more space between the PSU and CPU fan than the standard SFX to ATX centering bracket.  However, the Corsair bracket you found will also work.

 

When I bought the Silverstone bracket from Amazon, it was $16.99 (yes, I thought that was a bit steep), but, for only $8.99 now, I wouldn't think twice about getting it over the Corsair bracket at only $3 less.

[garycase]

I remember when you bought that bracket -- in fact, I had bookmarked it when I saw your original link, as I planned to use it the next time I did a mini-ITX build.    But I also thought $16.99 was steep -- it's definitely nice to see it down to $8.99, which is not only very reasonable, but low enough that I decided to replace the bracket in my current Q25B with one "just because"    [Ordered it right after I posted the note above.]

 

[Southbark]

ok i got the beast running but i cannot access the bios and there is no video through the hdmi port

[garycase]

Try the VGA port.

 

[Southbark]

I don't have anything with s vga port

[garycase]

I don't have anything with s vga port

 

Might be an interesting Catch-22 => I wouldn't be surprised if you have to change the default video in the BIOS to HDMI ... and possibly even enable it;  but to get to the BIOS you need to connect a display to the DSUB port (VGA).