I built this rig because I was running out of storage space in my HTPC and it doesn't have any free drive bays.  It's not a real performer, but it is a lightweight in power usage!  All of my systems are named after Greek deities and the Nesoi were goddesses of islands.  Sounds like a good place for long term storage to me....

 

Build Specs

 

Build OS:

unRAID Plus 4.5.6

Current OS:

unRAID Plus 4.6

CPU:

Intel Atom D510

Motherboard:

SuperMicro MBD-X7SPE-HF-O Level 2 Tested, syslog available here

RAM:

Kingston KVR667D2S5/2G

Case:

Cooler Master 590

Drive Cage(s):

Cooler Master STB-3T4-E3-GP

Power Supply:

Corsair CX430

Fans:

2x Enermax UC-12EB 120mm Case Fans in front, case fan in rear.

Parity Drive:

Western Digital WD20EARS-00J

Data Drives:

3x Western Digital WD20EARS-00J

1x Seagate ST31000523AS

1x Seagate ST31000340AS

Capacity:

10TB total, 8TB usable

Primary Use:

Video storage, lan backup, general digital hoarding

Likes:

Quiet, low power, IPMI on motherboard is a boon

Dislikes:

The price?  The addiction?

Add Ons Used:

unMenu, rsync, screen

 

 

Power Measurements

 

Note, these measurements were taken with a modified power cable and a DMM with an accuracy of ±(3.0% rdg + 5 digits).  I wouldn't use the numbers for a journal publication, but they should give any one interested an idea of the power used by this rig.  I didn't take a measurement for during a parity check because I didn't want to leave the server running power through the meter for an extended period of time.

 

AmpsWatts

 

Power off:

0.078.4

Power on:

1120

Boot:

0.672

Idle (drives down):

0.2732.4

Idle (drives up):

0.4857.6

 

 

Pictures

 

 

 

No powered on photo, the only light you would see is the single blue LED.  I took all the visually disturbing fans out  

 

 

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I have that same case, but I took the plastic outside off of the upper fan so I could keep the mesh look from top to bottom. If I recall it was only 4 screws.

 

Man that mother board is tiny. Man I like it.

Nice rig, one question are your drives up/down swapped? Hard to believe it would be pulling more power with drives spun down. I am a mechanic though so my thought process is usually off.

I have that same case, but I took the plastic outside off of the upper fan so I could keep the mesh look from top to bottom. If I recall it was only 4 screws.

 

Man that mother board is tiny. Man I like it.

 

Yeah I pulled the thing apart to pull out the blue fan.  Computers are meant to be silent, sit in the corner, and not distract me!  It lives in my living room next to the TV cabinet so the blue was very distracting when trying to watch a movie with the lights off.

 

The MB looks soooo out of place in a full tower case

 

Nice rig, one question are your drives up/down swapped? Hard to believe it would be pulling more power with drives spun down. I am a mechanic though so my thought process is usually off.

 

Yep, they were bass ackwards.  No matter how many times I proof a document something still gets through.  Thanks for the catch!

Impressive power numbers and build.

Will three of those drive cages fit in that machine?

 

 

Will three of those drive cages fit in that machine?

They should.  I only have one so I can't say for 100% sure, but it's a 3 bay cage and there are 9 drive bays.

Do you think cooling would be an issue with three of the bays like you have up top?

 

Would it be possible to use three of the OEM 4-bay cages and leave all three fans in front (or replace with ones w/o LED's)?

Do you think cooling would be an issue with three of the bays like you have up top?

 

Would it be possible to use three of the OEM 4-bay cages and leave all three fans in front (or replace with ones w/o LED's)?

AFAIK only the 5-in-3 cages cause problems in this case.  The 4-in-3 cages should fit without issue.

The 4-in-3 cooler master cages fit perfectly fine in the CM590.  I just put together a build for a customer that uses 3 of them in the case.  They slide in and out very nicely.

AmpsWatts

 

Power off:

0.078.4

Power on:

1120

Boot:

0.672

Idle (drives down):

0.2732.4

Idle (drives up):

0.4857.6

 

I really hope your measurements are wrong because that's bloody amazing! It's a real shame this motherboard costs so much ...

Here's another atom-based board that is a bit cheaper:

 

SUPERMICRO MBD-X7SLA-H-O

 

That open box deal is pretty good too.  Power usage should be pretty similar between these two boards.  The big downsides of this cheaper one are only 4 SATA ports and no IPMI.  Plenty of PCIe expansion ports, though.

I really hope your measurements are wrong because that's bloody amazing! It's a real shame this motherboard costs so much ...

 

BOOO I hope they are right   Like I said, I used a modified power cable and put an el cheapo DMM in series to take the measurement.  Even so, I would expect the values to be within +-10% so they are still 'good enough'.  I may be able to call in a favor and borrow an actual power meter from a friend in a lab at school, but it depends on what kind of research he is working on right now and if they have any spares they could let sneak out of t he lab for a day or so.  If I am able to get more accurate measurements, I will update the thread.

 

Also, Tom posted his measurements on a similar rig here and they line up pretty well with mine!

 

It is a shame that the board is ~$200, but I looked at it as a long term investment and the IPMI is worth the boards weight in gold.  I attached a monitor and keyboard to the box for the initial setup and since then haven't had to bother.  I can get a console on the box, initiate power up/down from anywhere I have internet access and my VPN key

Remember that that board comes with the CPU as well. Pretty cheap all in.

 

 

I really hope your measurements are wrong because that's bloody amazing! It's a real shame this motherboard costs so much ...

I really hope your measurements are wrong because that's bloody amazing! It's a real shame this motherboard costs so much ...

 

BOOO I hope they are right   Like I said, I used a modified power cable and put an el cheapo DMM in series to take the measurement.  Even so, I would expect the values to be within +-10% so they are still 'good enough'.  I may be able to call in a favor and borrow an actual power meter from a friend in a lab at school, but it depends on what kind of research he is working on right now and if they have any spares they could let sneak out of t he lab for a day or so.  If I am able to get more accurate measurements, I will update the thread.

 

Also, Tom posted his measurements on a similar rig here and they line up pretty well with mine!

 

It is a shame that the board is ~$200, but I looked at it as a long term investment and the IPMI is worth the boards weight in gold.  I attached a monitor and keyboard to the box for the initial setup and since then haven't had to bother.  I can get a console on the box, initiate power up/down from anywhere I have internet access and my VPN key

 

Just to confirm your measurements are aligned with my X7SPA-HF build:

http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=6712.0