I'm a relative long time unRAID user.  I built a box back when 4.7 was the latest & greatest.  It's based on one of the servers that Lime Technology offered for sale.  Supermicro mobo, Intel Q8300 instead of the Core2Duo, a couple Adaptec controller cards, a couple 5 in 3 cages, & 4GBs of DDR2.  It has served me well for the better part of a decade along with half a dozen software upgrades thru version 5 --- 1 or 2 issues along the way, but nothing I couldn't find a solution to in these forums (an incredible resource btw, made up of very helpful & smart users).

I knew once I made the jump to 6 with all it's new features & functionality, it was going to be time to look at upgrading hardware as well.  Docker seemed like a fantastic addition that would make life easier, but the real draw was the new support for hosting virtual machines.  I saw it as an opportunity to consolidate several machines in my network.  Aside from using it as a file server, a place to store backups, & a media server (Plex), it seemed to be an incredible opportunity to virtualize my personal PC, a whitebox, & most likely a Raspberry Pi I use as an OpenVPN server.

I understand that when users typically ask for hardware suggestions, how they use their server & budgetary concerns are typically the two biggest factors involved.  So let me say that I intend to continue to use the new build in the same role as the old -- the roll as file & backup server isn't very taxing.  As a media server, I would like for it to be able to handle 4 or 5 streams concurrently, with maybe 3 of those requiring transcoding at a time.  I would like to be able to virtualize at least 1 Windows 10 instance. Despite not doing any hard core gaming, I would like to be able to if I so desired. I understand that a high-end GPU that is passed thru to the VM does most of the heavy lifting & I'm pretty comfortable in making that decision, but any input is welcomed. On top of the Windows 10 instance, maybe a couple Linux distros from my whitebox (that's really all I use the whitebox for - no heavy lifting - just enjoy playing with different virtual appliances & distros.  That tends to be how I learn quickest.  Creating a virtual sandbox, playing with it until it breaks, then starting all over again.).

From a financial standpoint, I don't have a set budget, per se, but I really don't want to drop 4 or 5 thousand into this build. However, I do understand to make it perform the way I would like probably won't be cheap.

I have gone back & forth between a dual proc mobo with a couple Xeon E5 v4s, or perhaps 1 v5 with the opportunity to add the 2nd at some point later on?  Or would I be better off going with a high end Core i7?  The Core series I am pretty familiar with. If I knew that was the best route for me to go, I would appreciate the input from this community and would certainly do the research on what was suggested, but I would feel pretty confident picking out a processor/motherboard combo.  However, I am brand new to the server grade components.  What I know about them I have learned by reading the forums here.  I would definitely appreciate some assistance in what components I should be looking at.  The only thing I have figured out with certainty is that attempting to learn to about the server grade components is like learning a different language.  I feel like I did 15 years ago when I decided I was going to teach myself how to build a computer.

HELP !!!!!

 

I would like to go ahead & say thank you for reading my dribble.  I appreciate you taking the time, & I appreciate your input as well.  

For all the things you want to do I would definitely suggest a dual processor setup. What motherboard and processors, that's a tougher question to answer. I would suggest you write down a list of features you want in a motherboard such as ECC RAM support, number of onboard SATA ports if you plan to use them, IPMI support, onboard SAS controller or not etc. As for the processors I think if you wanted to start off with just one then at least a six core would be a good start, if two then definitely two six cores would do it. You are going to be somewhat limited in your case choices though going with a dual processor board so bare that in mind, if that is a problem then you could always consider a single processor ATX board however I think you would then want an 8 core processor. There are deals to be had on eBay and many users here have bought there processors there.

Ashman, I appreciate you taking your time to respond. Please forgive me for not being detailed enough in my original post.  It was late & I felt I had rambled on long enough.

I was really under the impression that with a server grade motherboard & processor(s) that ECC RAM was a given, maybe not an absolute necessity, but that it wouldn't make sense to not go with ECC.  I have no issues with utilizing onboard SATA ports, controller cards, or both - I just want to go with what's fastest.  Currently, I have my data drives connected to the Adaptec controller & my parity & cache drive using the onboard ports.  Is there a better way I should have it set up?  Once you start talking about SAS & IPMI, single threaded cores vs double threaded, Xeon SR0KQ, ES, QS, B2, core steppings ...... I get lost in all of it.  It's not that I'm completely oblivious to all of it, although I readily admit that until I began doing the homework on this upgrade there are aspects of both server grade processors & motherboards that were new to me.  It's that I just don't know enough about how they all work together.  My fear is picking a processor & due to my ignorance, picking a motherboard that has features that I can't take advantage of.  Or vice versa.  Unlike software or a VM that can be erased & re-created, dropping a couple grand on parts, them not working how I need or intend & being stuck with them absolutely scares me.

Originally, I looked primarily at passmark scores, knowing I needed about 2000 per transcoded stream, but had no idea how the VMs played in to those requirements.  So between reading in these forums & a bit at Intel's website, a little searching at newegg.com, & little Google-fu, I absolutely confused the crap out of myself. I literally spent hours reading & was confused enough about how it all worked together that I felt like I knew less when I was done.

I understand that moving to server grade parts means moving to a server chassis as well.  I assume that means I just need to make sure that everything will fit, but also take into consideration the build quality of the chassis & cooling.

I've haven't really looked at the offerings on eBay.  I have primarily been to newegg & similar server supply websites to try to find out what's available.  The thought of buying used scares me a bit.  I have read enough stories of crap being passed off on eBay as 'quality parts', & I'm sure part of that fear is founded in not being exactly sure about what I'm looking at or exactly what I'm looking for.  I wouldn't rule it out altogether, but would certainly prefer new .... & the warranty that comes with new.

Again, I do appreciate your time & your input.

No worries. The only mistake you can make when it comes to a processor in my opinion is to under provision, so if you bought a four core processor and found you needed more cores, there really isn't much you can do but either replace it or add a second processor. With dual processor boards you have to have two identical processors, they can't be different in terms of model or number of cores which is something to keep in mind if you buy a dual processor board and start out with only one processor. ECC is usually an option and in some cases not, some boards force you to use ECC. I am not against ECC if you have the budget for it then get it. IPMI is a feature many server boards offer and it has to do with monitoring and remote console capability, so you can actually remote into your server and get to the console screen and work on it as if you were sitting in front of it, the monitoring features are nice and you can set up alerting as well, so if a fan dies and the temperature gets too hot it will alert you, or if it detects a failure in one of your pieces of ECC RAM, it will tell you. SAS controllers are much like raid adapters, some boards have them built into them with raid capability, its a nice to have but not a need to have in my opinion. I understand your trepidation when it comes to looking at used equipment on eBAy but there are many experienced people here who have been buying off eBay for years and they can help you with advice until you feel comfortable with the knowledge of what you want. Certainly warranty is important, I seldom buy used drives because I feel for the price difference I would rather have a two, three or five year warranty if the drive fails. When it comes to other components however, motherboards can die but its a pretty rare thing in my experience, I guess it comes down to how much risk you are comfortable with.

Thank you.

I still have yet to take another look at any motherboards.  I have always taken the approach of deciding on a processor first & then building around that.  Frankly, in this pursuit, I find the selection of the right motherboard to be more intimidating than the processor.  On the bright side, going with a dual processor build, it certainly narrows the field.  I have found this endeavor to be enough intimidating enough.  I can't imagine trying to select one if the variety was as large as that of typical desktop build.

I was looking at possibly 2 x E5-2620v4s. That would give me 8 cores on each processor & a passmark of about 17000.  I know that would work just fine for what I would like to be able to do with Plex, but am uncertain if it will allow me to have a couple VMs running the same time Plex is transcoding. That being said, I don't want the VMs to just be able to run, but to run with some speed - the Windows 10 VM being the primary concern.  The desktop build that the VM is going to replace is running an i7-4770k with a TB of SSDs - I don't necessarily need it to be as fast, but I certainly don't want it to be much slower.  The linux VMs I'm not as concerned about because I'm just not on them as much & can shut them down when not in use.

I will also sit down this evening & take a look on eBay to see what I could purchase with the same monies.  I'm not going to completely rule out buying used but am certainly hesitant.  What are your thought on that processor, & do you think they would provide the horsepower to do what I'm trying to accomplish?

I value your input.