gdourado Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Hello, How are you? My name is Gonçalo and I'm from Portugal. I've just recently came to kow Unraid and after reading a bit on the forum and the wiki, I've decided to build my Unraid server. I will be using it mainly as a storage server for my Macbook Pro. After reading some topics and browsing my local resellers, I came to the following parts list: - Motherboard: ASUS P7H55-M/USB3 - CPU: INTEL Core i3-540 - 3,06 GHz - CPU Cooler: NOCTUA NH-U12P - PSU: CORSAIR PC CMPSU-650TXEU - 650 W - RAM: OCZ PC Gold Low Voltage 2 x 2 GB DDR3-1333 PC3-10666 (OCZ3G1333LV4GK) - HDD: 3x WESTERN DIGITAL Caviar Green - 2 TB - 64 MB - SATA (WD20EARS) All I'm missing is the case. I'm thinking about the Fractal R3, but I don't know if it would be a good choice, because my idea would be to let the server grow over time adding more drives, and the R3 only takes 8. So, looking for sugestions here. As far as the other parts go, are they fully compatible with Unraid? Should I change any parts? Will I be able to run the server without keyboard, mouse and monitor? Look forward for your input so I can start assembling the server. Can't wait! Cheers! Link to comment
ohlwiler Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 It appears that the motherboard you specified only has a single PCIe x16 slot. Other motherboards in the same series have a x16 and a x4 slot (eg. Asus P7H55-M LE). Either motherboard should function fine with unraid. For cases it really depends on what is available in your country. The power supply can support 22 drives so I would recommend a case with more growing room. http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=9839.0 Link to comment
gdourado Posted January 12, 2011 Author Share Posted January 12, 2011 It appears that the motherboard you specified only has a single PCIe x16 slot. Other motherboards in the same series have a x16 and a x4 slot (eg. Asus P7H55-M LE). Either motherboard should function fine with unraid. For cases it really depends on what is available in your country. The power supply can support 22 drives so I would recommend a case with more growing room. http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=9839.0 Hello, Thank you very much for your reply. Unfortunately, I cannot find the board you mentioned here in Portugal. I can however find the Gigabyte GA-H55M-USB3. It has a pcie 2.0 x16 and a pcie x4. So, between the Asus and the Gigabyte, which would be better for Unraid? Less problems, better compatibility and so on. Asus: http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=MQ8YxXaDG7Thb93E&templete=2 Gigabyte: http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3444#sp From what I can see, the Gigabyte uses a different audio codec. They both have the same ethernet codec. From the complete specs, which would be better? Any experience with Unraid and Gigabyte H55 boards? Regards! Link to comment
Kaygee Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Asus has 6 Sata II ports and two Sata III ports. Single PCI-e 2.0 X16, two PCI-e 2.0 x1 slots. Gigabyte 5 Sata II ports, eSATA port and two Sata III ports. Single PCI-e 2.0 X16, single PCI-e x1 slot. I'd take the Asus board. 6/8 ports on board + 8 (x16) + 4 (x1) = 18 or 20 ports vs 5/7 ports on board + 8 (x16) + 2 (x1) = 15 or 17 ports. Being PCI-e 2.0 ports on the Asus they could perhaps support 4 port x1 cards should they become available giving a very respectable 22 ports. Fractal Designs XL takes 10 drives plus 4 x 5.25 bays if you can find one in Portugal. Link to comment
Rajahal Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 I agree with the above. As for cases, here's a few of my favorites to watch out for: Cooler Master Centurion 590 Antec 900 Antec 902 Antec 1200 Link to comment
gdourado Posted January 13, 2011 Author Share Posted January 13, 2011 Hi, Thank you very much for the input. As far as case goes, I think I will go with the CM 590 for the first setup. It is a good price, and can fit up to 12 drives using CM bay adaptors. As far as motherboard, I was reading the recommended builds on the wiki and came across the MBD-X8SIL-F. http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/Xeon3000/3400/X8SIL.cfm?IPMI=Y I can find this board here in Portugal. It is a bit more expensive than the Asus, but is it worth it? Does it build a compatible and stable Unraid system? Look forward to hear from you. Regards! Link to comment
gdourado Posted January 13, 2011 Author Share Posted January 13, 2011 Hi, It's me again. I just called the retailer and the super micro is way overpriced here. More than double the price of the asus board. And another matter is it requires ECC ram, which is also a lot more expensive. So, will the asus be a good board? Does it have any known issues of data corruption or incompatibilities? Thanks! Cheers! Link to comment
gdourado Posted January 13, 2011 Author Share Posted January 13, 2011 Hi, As far as cases go, I went to a retailer at lunch hour and saw a Nox Coolbay Basic: http://www.nox-xtreme.com/products_uk.php?cat=1&type=0&id=8&op=1 It cost half the price of the CM 590 and looks about the same. Would I be able to fit 3 CM 4 to 3 drive cages on this case? Anyone used it yet? Cheers! Link to comment
Rajahal Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 I've never seen that case before but it looks just fine to me. It should work with the CM drive cages too. Go for it! The Asus board should also be fine. Link to comment
rich.bingham Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 gdourado, I like that case! It looks like you could fit 3 CM 4-in-3 drive bays plus have extra room below the bottom bay for a small cache drive. I thought I'd mention that if you like the stock look of the case, the black plastic bezel on the cooler master drive bay is removable. On my CM590 I removed the bezel and the cages fit behind the stock screens and gave it a nice clean look. This case looks like the fit would be similar although you will have the oddball screen from the top bay unless you can find a replacement. Also on the CM 4-in-3's, if you don't like the blue LED fans, cut the blue wires on the spoke of the fan body (after you determine they work of course). Link to comment
gdourado Posted January 14, 2011 Author Share Posted January 14, 2011 Hi, Thank you for the replies! As far as the case go, I've decided. Found a sweet deal on a Sharkoon Rebel9 Aluminium edition: http://www.sharkoon.com/?q=en/content/rebel9-aluminum I realy like the looks, the black interior, cable management possibilities and the price is really sweet! So, the case is decided as is most of the hardware. My real doubt now is the motherboard and cpu combo. After readind some more here on the forum, I'm thinking of going AMD route... I'm thinking about the Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H: http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3516#sp It has two PCI express slots to allowfurther expansion and overall looks a sweet board. I'm thinking about pairing it with either an Athlon II x2 or x4. The rest of the setup would be: - PSU: CORSAIR PC CMPSU-650TXEU - 650 W - RAM: OCZ PC Gold Low Voltage 2 x 2 GB DDR3-1333 PC3-10666 (OCZ3G1333LV4GK) - HDD: 3x WESTERN DIGITAL Caviar Green - 2 TB - 64 MB - SATA (WD20EARS) What's your thoughts? Good? Or should I stick to the Intel i3? Cheers! Link to comment
Rajahal Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 It depends, which is more of a priority for you? Low power consumption? Expandability (adding lots more drives)? The ability to run add-ons? The i3 is the best available for low power consumption and the ability to run add-ons. You can also pair it with a mobo with plenty of expansion capabilities, but it will be more expensive (and may be hard to find in Portugal). The Athlon CPUs have higher power consumption and are still quite capable of running add-ons, and you'll be able to save money on a cheaper board with plenty of expansion. Personally I would go with the i3, but it is also much easier to find good boards to pair with it in the US. Link to comment
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