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A plan for an ASUS WS C246 PRO build

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Hi all, first post. :)

 

I want to offload my Plex server and nzb solution from my Win box onto unraid. 

I'm planning a build with the following components:

  • MB ASUS WS C246 PRO
  • CPU Intel Core i7 9700
  • RAM 2 x 16 GB 2666 DDR4 Non-ECC
  • SSD SAMSUNG 1 TB 970 EVO Plus MZ-V7S1T0BW for cache
  • HDD 4 x 8TB Western DigitalRed WD80EFAX
  • CASE SilverStone CS380 
  • POWER LC Power Super Silent Series LC6650

 

Three questions:

  • Is there anything here that is out of place?
  • Would you recommend an LSI controller card instead or is the C246's included 8 port solution enough?
  • How about a 10GbE card?
44 minutes ago, Forty Two said:

Is there anything here that is out of place?

No, looks good.  I have a very similar build with the same case, a C246 motherboard, 8TB WD Red/White disks, etc (details in my signature)

 

44 minutes ago, Forty Two said:

Would you recommend an LSI controller card instead or is the C246's included 8 port solution enough?

Until you have a need for more than 8 SATA ports, the MB ports are great.  In fact, they are better for SSDs than most LSI HBAs as they support TRIM on SSDs where many LSI (or other chipset) based solutions do not.

 

44 minutes ago, Forty Two said:

How about a 10GbE card?

Do you have a 10Gb switch or are you just planning on direct connecting a desktop machine to the server each with a 10Gb card?  The truth is that unless you are transferring between fast/NVMe SSDs, you are really not going to see much of a speed benefit from 10Gb Ethernet.  Any reads/writes to the spinner-based array are not going to come anywhere close to 10Gb speeds.

Edited by Hoopster

FYI - you might want to consider some of the CS380 case mods documented in this thread.

 

They really improved case airflow and drive cooling.

  • Author

On the switch, maybe, a CRS305-1G-4S+IN down the line. Although I don't really think I would need one in my usage scenario.

Thanks for the CS380 tips. Throwing in a couple of Noctua fans etc is not a problem. 

 

  • 2 weeks later...

I have the same motherboard, except for mine is the Pro/SE version, which has an IPMI interface with the BMC ASPEED AST2500 chip for remote monitoring and KVM. Pretty neat feature for a server as it allows you to run 100% without a monitor and a keyboard attached to it.

 

Oh, and I run an i3 9100 so that I can use 2x8GB ECC DDR4 2400 ;)

Edited by Blaz0r

  • Author

I can only find the /SE version on ASUS's website for the micro ATX (C246M).
Can you send me the link for the /SE version for the full ATX one? 

Mine is mATX infact. I'm not an expert on ASUS WS mobos, but maybe it's true that /SE variants come only in mATX form factor.

  • Author

I chose the pro version because it has two m.2 connectors, so I can mirror the cache. 

  • 2 weeks later...
  • Author

A couple of notes:

 

The drive cooling is indeed a slight problem. I have made some mods and added two slim side fans. 
I plugged the cage coolers into the two cage plugs, as instructed by the manufacturer.

I'll see how the temperatures go. I might make some other modifications.

I can't get the case fans to register with the Dynamix System Temperature plugin. I've tried adding modprobe nct6775 to the go file.

It might be due to some BIOS setting? 

 

The USB kept getting unmounted from the internal USB port. This might have been due to the fact that I it has been exported as a share. 
Anyway, I turned off the export setting and moved the USB to the back panel. This seems to have solved the issue. 

 

 

  • 2 months later...

So is it confirmed the ASUS WS C246M PRO will do HW transcoding with the iGPU?

  • Author
3 hours ago, DrMcBlarg said:

So is it confirmed the ASUS WS C246M PRO will do HW transcoding with the iGPU?

It will, if the processor has an iGPU. 

  • 2 months later...

Just wondering if anyone has this board and if they have been successful to get it to recognize a SAS HBA LIS 9201-8i or something similar?

I have a couple of them that I purchased from the ArtOfServer on ebay which come already flashed with IT Mode p20. The cards seem to get recognized in my other PC but no matter what options I seem to try in the BIOS I can't seem to get it to pick it up. Only thing I see is green LEDs.

I have tried removed all nvme/sata/usb drives and just having the PCI card installed and I don't see it picking up anything. I'm just wondering if anyone else has happened to have any luck or similar trouble with this board?

My actual setup which is working fine at the moment using the onboard SATA/m.2. My plan was to expand with the PCI cards.

WS C246 PRO (updated to the most current BIOS)

i3-8100 using iGPU

32GB DDR4

2x 1TB NVME

8x 14TB WD Shucked

  • 1 year later...
On 9/27/2020 at 9:02 AM, Forty Two said:

I can't get the case fans to register with the Dynamix System Temperature plugin. I've tried adding modprobe nct6775 to the go file.

It might be due to some BIOS setting? 


I have the same problem. Have you already found a solution?

  • Author
34 minutes ago, barra_baha said:


I have the same problem. Have you already found a solution?

It currently works for me, and that without the solution oulitined here:

Hope that you solve this. 

5 hours ago, Forty Two said:

It currently works for me, and that without the solution oulitined here:

Hope that you solve this. 

Thanks! I found already a solution (adding nct6775 to the kernel), but I think I'm going to use your suggestion/fix

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