January 28, 201115 yr Greetings all, as you can see this is my first post. I came across Unraid recently while reading through some AVS forum threads and it looked to be a good solution for my HTPC needs. I'm just planning the setup for my forthcoming HTPC based on a mac mini or imac and I'm still working out those details, but in the meantime I'm going to build a small 5-6 drive Unraid server to feed HD content to my AVR, etc. I was drawn immediately to the 5 Drive miniBox build posted here and here. I like the smallish form factor and I think it will provide me with ample storage for some time to come. Predictably, I have a host of questions. I've never built a PC, though I have added memory, drives, cards, etc. to quite a few in the past and can hopefully surmount any difficulties with research and support. Unfortunately I have no idea which components are suitable! Here's where I'm stumped: I've seen two MOBOs suggested for this build: BIOSTAR A760G M2+ and ZOTAC GF6100-E-E. The first is no longer offered at Newegg and the second requires a SATA card for the 5th drive as it has only 4 onboard SATA connectors. I've scrolled through the approved board list here but won't pretend to understand more than half of what I see. Is there a decent micro ATX board that passes muster with Unraid, fits into the Rosewill chassis, and offers 6 SATA ports? The power supply for this setup seems rather beefy. Is it worth exploring a lower wattage PSU to save a few bucks and energy consumption or does the CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 CMPSU-430CX 430W provide the best bang for the buck? It looks as though this build wants ~275w or so, but that assumes I'm using the online calculators I've stumbled across correctly. Can anybody point me to a tutorial or walkthrough for the beginner? I found a couple vids in the Newbie section and will watch those first. I'm sure there are things I haven't considered... like whether I need to source additional cabling, etc. Thanks! Recommended Build Specs: 5 Drive miniBox Mobo: ZOTAC GF6100-E-E CPU: AMD Sempron 140 RAM: Kingston 2GB DDR2 800 PSU: CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 CMPSU-430CX 430W Case: Rosewill R101-P-BK SATA Expansion Card: 2 port SATA2 Serial ATA II PCI-Express RAID Controller Card (Silicon Image SIL3132) Hot Swap Drive Bays: SUPERMICRO CSE-M35T-1B Black 5 Bay Hot-Swapable SATA HDD Enclosure Hard Drives: Green drives (5400 rpm or 5900 rpm), such as WD Green, Samsung EcoGreen, and Seagate LP Cost: $320 + shipping + cost of hard drives Capacity: 8 TB Expandability: Expandable to the 6 Drive miniTower with replacement of the hot swap bays and case.
January 28, 201115 yr Hello, and welcome to unRAID! As you might imagine, I'm a bit biased about the 5 Drive miniBox, so take my advice with a grain of salt If you live in the US, you can get the Biostar A760G M2+ from here. I recently ordered 3 of these motherboards from their eBay store, and the 2 I've tested so far are working just fine. I was going to buy out their last two as well, but I suppose I shouldn't be so greedy While I had one of the Zotac boards run flawlessly for 6 months, I then later had two of them die on me simultaneously. So...I'm not sure I trust them too much anymore. We'll see what happens when I get my two replacement boards in about a month. I chose the PSU because it was the cheapest one I could find that didn't compromise quality. You certainly could get away with a smaller PSU, but for a good quality one you will end up paying way more than you would for the Corsair model. If you do end up shopping around for a new PSU, look for one that has a single +12V rail with at least 15A. For cabling, look no further than monoprice.com. Again assuming you live in the US...Motherboards tend to come with one or two SATA cables, so you should only need to buy 3 or 4 more. Check out the 'Configuration Tutorial' in my sig. Best walk-through we've got. Also, I'm reconsidering my use of 5-in-3 drive cages. The red ones in my original miniBox prototype have poor airflow. The Supermicro ones have loud fans. The Icy Docks are too expensive. I just today ordered a Norco SS-500 that I plan to test out against the other models. I'm hoping that this one will be the best of all worlds once I replace the reportedly loud fan. If you aren't in too much of a hurry, you might want to wait for a bit to see how my test results turn out. Also, I'll just throw it out there....I still have the miniBox you see pictured in the prototype thread minus the drive cage (which I deemed to be low quality anyway). I would be willing to sell it to you with the drive cage of your choice...and you could own a part of history
January 28, 201115 yr Newegg has these ASUS M4A785-M 'open box' for 48.99 each: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131595R Looks like an ideal MB for unraid.
January 28, 201115 yr Looks like it, yes, but there's been a lot of users who have had trouble with that board. I'm one of them. I had two defective boards in a row before I gave up and got a refund. Those boards are also very finicky about which flash drives they like to boot from. So in general I would avoid them.
January 28, 201115 yr Looks like it, yes, but there's been a lot of users who have had trouble with that board. I'm one of them. I had two defective boards in a row before I gave up and got a refund. Those boards are also very finicky about which flash drives they like to boot from. So in general I would avoid them. Crap....I suggested that board to someone recently. Ill have to see if he ordered yet.....
January 28, 201115 yr Don't feel bad, I used to recommend that board left and right. Then I did my own testing...
January 28, 201115 yr Just built a box with an Asus M4A78LT-M. Seems like a pretty good, cheep board. Only thing I've noticed is that unRAID bitches about ACPI.
January 28, 201115 yr Only thing I've noticed is that unRAID bitches about ACPI. Any Linux Kernel would (assuming it is the same version as unRAIDs)... it just not an unRAID thing. The board manufacturer has not done something to spec with ACPI and the Kernel is working around it. Check for an update to your BIOS and go from there.
January 29, 201115 yr Author Thanks for the responses! I chose the PSU because it was the cheapest one I could find that didn't compromise quality. You certainly could get away with a smaller PSU, but for a good quality one you will end up paying way more than you would for the Corsair model. If you do end up shopping around for a new PSU, look for one that has a single +12V rail with at least 15A. Also, I'm reconsidering my use of 5-in-3 drive cages. The red ones in my original miniBox prototype have poor airflow. The Supermicro ones have loud fans. The Icy Docks are too expensive. I just today ordered a Norco SS-500 that I plan to test out against the other models. I'm hoping that this one will be the best of all worlds once I replace the reportedly loud fan. If you aren't in too much of a hurry, you might want to wait for a bit to see how my test results turn out. Also, I'll just throw it out there....I still have the miniBox you see pictured in the prototype thread minus the drive cage (which I deemed to be low quality anyway). I would be willing to sell it to you with the drive cage of your choice...and you could own a part of history I also read that someone had suggested the Antec EarthWatts Green EA-380D Green 380W (or a similar PSU) as it has an open vent facing the cage fan and might be able to move warm air a bit better. And it's on sale... It seems as though the air venting from the back of the drive cage should get pulled through the PSU and out the back? I was looking at the Norco too, from your build post. I am wondering how it fits with the MOBO as it looks to be 1.5" deeper than the other cage? I'm definitely curious to see how it works for you. I like the price. I'd love to own a piece of history but I have to admit I'm sort of excited to build my own. Send me a PM if you like, I'm open to possibilities. I've also been eyeballing the HP Microserver mentioned in a few other threads, though buying a ready-made box takes some of the fun (and posssibly swearing) out of the equation, LOL.
January 29, 201115 yr I am using an MSI 880GMA-E53 and while not cheap, has some nice features. It has been rock solid for me so far. It has 8 SATA ports onboard.
February 4, 201115 yr Author Rajahal have you had a chance to look at the Norco 5-in3 you ordered to see how it fits and/or vents? I was concerned about its fit with the MOBO since it's quite a bit longer than the red ones you originally installed. I'm not fussed about a loud fan, that's easily remedied. I really want to order all the bits but I'm a little gunshy on that SATA backplane!
February 5, 201115 yr Rajahal have you had a chance to look at the Norco 5-in3 you ordered to see how it fits and/or vents? I was concerned about its fit with the MOBO since it's quite a bit longer than the red ones you originally installed. I'm not fussed about a loud fan, that's easily remedied. I really want to order all the bits but I'm a little gunshy on that SATA backplane! I am not positive on the details but I know he does like them quite a bit. He mentioned that the build quality is good and being able to get to the fan fairly easily is a plus. I am not sure about the fit in a miniBox type build so Rajahal will have to comment on that aspect. I know he plans on on doing a writeup and comparison between a couple of different models he has tried. He or I will let you know when it is ready for public viewing!! ^stay tuned for more related stuff.
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