Hi all! I'm looking to build an unRAID server.  I'm hoping someone can look at the components I am planning on getting and provide some feedback on whether they will work.  I'm going to use an old NZXT Apollo case I have, and the same for some harddrives I have before I get some 2TB's.  I'm planning on starting small, maybe 3-2TB drives and 1-2TB parity.  Eventually if I get the hang of it and as my needs grow I plan on upgrading the case.

 

 

Motherboard - GIGABYTE GA-MA74GM-S2 AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 740G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

CPU - AMD Athlon II X2 240 Regor 2.8GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail

RAM - OCZ Gold 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2G8002GK - Retail

PSU - CORSAIR CMPSU-750HX 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

 

 

Thanks for any input!

Here's my thoughts:

 

Mobo: Looks good and should be compatible with unRAID, however, it only has 4 onboard SATA ports, not 6.  That may not seem like a big deal now, but in the long run you will be glad to have the 2 extra high-speed ports.  If you never see yourself going above 4 drives (1 parity + 3 data), then that board is fine.  If, however, you expect that some day you may want more than 4 drives, find yourself a mobo with 6 onboard SATA ports.  It will be a bit more expensive, but it will be worth it.

 

Here's the cheapest Gigabyte board with 6 onboard SATA ports: link

I'm also quite fond of Biostar boards: link

 

CPU: That CPU will certainly work, but it seems like overkill to me.  Do you plan on running unRAID stock or with add-ons?  If you plan on using CPU-intensive add-ons, such as video encoding, then the CPU you linked is a good choice.  If you plan on running unRAID stock or with very light add-ons, then I recommend the AMD Sempron 140.  It's cheap, low power, and unRAID loves it.  I can personally vouch for it, since I'm running one in my server as we speak.

 

RAM: There's nothing wrong with that RAM, it will certainly work.  However, I would recommend using a single 2 GB stick of RAM instead of a matched pair of 1 GB sticks.  Here's why: if you plan on running unRAID stock or with minimal add-ons, then 2 GB of RAM is plenty, and that one stick is all you will need.  However, certain add-ons such as torrents will benefit greatly from increased RAM.  If you plan on running torrents, I would recommend using 4 GBs of RAM (2 x 2 GB) (the speed doesn't matter, only the size).  For this reason, I would recommend getting one of these Kingston 2 GB sticks now, then picking up another one later if you decide to add torrents or some other RAM-intensive add-on to your unRAID server in the future.  You may be thinking 'but dual channel RAM is faster than single channel RAM'.  This is true, but unRAID doesn't care...and you won't notice the difference.  Getting a single stick now gives you more potential to upgrade in the future if you care to.

 

PSU: Unless you plan on building a monster 15-20 drive server, then a 750 W PSU is definitely overkill.  I currently run 8 drives (mostly green, but some aren't) on a 380 W PSU.  Corsair is definitely top-of-the-line, but if you want to save some money the Antec Earthwatts series are very good quality as well.  Depending on how many drives you want to support (think long term), I would recommend either the 380 W Antec Earthwatts (the PSU I'm currently running), or the 400 W Corsair, or maybe even the 450 W Corsair if you need a little extra juice.

 

Case: As for a potential future case upgrade, the Cooler Master CM-590 is by far the most popular case in the unRAID community.  LimeTech even took the hint and build its newest server, the RB-1200, out of this case.  Take a look at the case's 5.25" drive bay configuration and you will see why it is so popular.  It is also very compatible with many different types of SATA backplanes and hot swap bays.

Thanks for taking the time to supply the info.  Much appreciated!