First post, z800 questions

[sturgismike]

EDIT:  Looks like I got lucky. The system I received has the later boot block, so I can upgrade to 2 56xx cpus.  Also, though the listing didn't mention a second installed cpu, there it was.  Finally, modifying my question about passthrough, the system has a firepro 5800 installed in slot 2 so at least I know what one of my cards will be. (assuming it is possible to use the card that way) Off to research and read more.  Again, thanks for any suggestions anyone might offer.  

 

Hey, this is my first post, hoping for some guidance. 

First a slight bit of background.  My media collection has recently grown to the point where I had to find a storage solution.  I started with freenas, which is very nice, but as so many here seem to agree, adding storage to freenas piecemeal just doesn't work affordably. I ended up trying unraid, and so far am lovin it.  Here is the issue..  Currently i'm running on an athlon x2 with 8G memory, which runs surprisingly well, but I'm discovering that its not a great option for much experimentation.  Toss plex on there, and a few other containers and it just doesn't have the oomph. (I did install a pci gig eth card which helped some things, but I just don't have enough processor to really TRY things)  

So I bought a z800 that should be here tomorrow, link to the specific machine below. 
z800

So my first question is the onboard storage controller settings.  Based on research, I can choose either the raid + ahci mode (and NOT use raid of course) but i'm not sure the smart data will pass through so that unraid can see it.  I think I read.. Somewhere that a person had successfully flashed the onboard controller to IT mode, but i'm rather afraid of bricking the thing.  So, which would be the better choice for unraid?  Straight sata mode limited to 4 connectors?

Here is a little info re: the onboard.
###
onboard sata controller
SATA Emulation—Sets the SATA emulation mode with the following options:
RAID + AHCI—both the RAID and AHCI OPROMs execute. This emulation mode is the default and offers the best performance and most functionality.
IDE —offers standard SATA supports (four ports only).
#######

 

I also picked up one of these: H310 flashed to IT mode

 

I couldn't get the exact cables I need for the way the z800 is set up, so I ended up with the 8087 to sata plug (IE to plug directly into a drive) and then bought a couple SATA Socket to SATA Socket Extension Coupler Adapters to make it work until I can pick up a better set of cables.  I only bought 2 because I'm unsure how well the couplers are made, so if anyone is interested I'll report on that once I get them in.

 

Ok, so this is the beginning of my actual questions.
#1 based on the pcie slot list below, if I want to run 2 video cards for passthrough, they should go into slots 2 and 5, correct?

 

#2 what affordable low to mid range cards will work well for passthrough? The only game I really play is UO, so a high end card would be wasted, but it shouldn't be a slug either.

#3 can I add an el cheapo card to slot 1 as primary for unraid to use? And if so, any recommendations for that card?   (there is a card in the sys now but I've no clue yet what it is

 

#4  I think the onboard storage controllers are linked to the pcie lanes used by slot 7. IF I can confirm this, and still want to use the onboard too, should I avoid plugging the H310 into that slot?  

 

#5  Since I'll only be able to plug 2 drives into the H310 at first, would it make sense to put the 4tb red parity drive, and the cache ssd on the add on card? (sata 3 vs sata 2 on the board)

#6 Once I have the cabling situation resolved so that I can use all 8 ports on the h310, it would make sense to just disable the onboard and hook all drives to it, correct? And possibly add another card if I end up with more than 8 drives, rather than use the onboard?

 

#7 just occurred to me.. I doubt that the power supply in this machine is the 1100 watt, more likely the 850, would this badly hamper my choice of video cards and max number of drives?  

 

#8 just popped in to my head too.. If using passthrough so that I can have a couple vms running local to the machine, is it possible to plug in keyboard and mouse to the current ports and assign them to pass through that way, or does one need to have a separate usb controller for each? (Argh! 2 more slots gone?)

 

########## Slot configuration
Slot 1 - PCIe2 x8(4)
Slot 1 option ROM download (Enable or Disable)
Slot 2 - PCIe2 x16
Slot 2 option ROM download (Enable or Disable)
Slot 3 - PCIe x8(4)
Slot 3 option ROM download (Enable or Disable)
Slot 4 - PCIe2 x16(8)
Slot 4 option ROM download (Enable or Disable)
Slot 5 - PCIe2 x16
Slot 5 option ROM download (Enable or Disable)
Slot 6 - PCI 32/33
Slot 6 option ROM download (Enable or Disable), and latency timer and speed
Slot 7 - PCIe2 x16(8) -- onboard uses these lanes?  
Slot 7 option ROM download (Enable or Disable), and latency timer and speed
##########

 

Thanks for any and all input/recommendations/suggestions.  Normally I'm pretty good at figuring things out, but for some reason tossing a server grade machine into the mix, and the research overload I've subjected myself to, right at the moment my brain is mush.  

Can't wait till I can upgrade to dual cpus! Probably the 5520, though i'm kinda hoping it'll take the 56xx series.  (I swear, the tinkering is more fun than the using)

[sturgismike]

The z800 is working great.  Got the h310 working fine (after using the electrical tape trick), drives shifted over. CPUs upgraded to  5670s. Haven't added additional GPUs yet because of crypto currency based inflation. Really impressed with unraid, its works really well.  (And thanks to fix common errors, and tips and tweaks my writes to the array are pretty darn zippy now) 

 

EDIT:  I should have known better than to tempt fate.  One of my old 2tb drives just failed. Oops.