Advice on first NAS build

[LocalIdentity]

Hi guys, first time building a NAS for home media storage and torrent client. Built a gaming PC for myself earlier this year but don't really have a good grasp on the server/NAS specific hardware requirements for a NAS build.

What I have so far:

CPU: I̶n̶t̶e̶l̶ ̶X̶e̶o̶n̶ ̶E̶3̶-̶1̶2̶2̶0̶ ̶v̶6̶ ̶Q̶u̶a̶d̶-̶C̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶K̶a̶b̶y̶ ̶L̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶P̶r̶o̶c̶e̶s̶s̶o̶r̶ ̶3̶.̶0̶G̶H̶z̶ ̶8̶.̶0̶G̶T̶/̶s̶ ̶8̶M̶B̶ ̶L̶G̶A̶ ̶1̶1̶5̶1̶
Intel Xeon E3-1230 v6 Quad-Core Kaby Lake Processor 3.5GHz 8.0GT/s 8MB LGA 1151 (edit 1)
CPU Cooler: N̶o̶t̶ ̶s̶u̶r̶e̶ ̶i̶f̶ ̶I̶ ̶n̶e̶e̶d̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶
Noctua - NH-U9S 46.4 CFM CPU Cooler (edit 3)
Motherboard: S̶u̶p̶e̶r̶m̶i̶c̶r̶o̶ ̶-̶ ̶X̶1̶1̶S̶A̶E̶-̶M̶ ̶M̶i̶c̶r̶o̶ ̶A̶T̶X̶ ̶L̶G̶A̶1̶1̶5̶1̶ ̶M̶o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶b̶o̶a̶r̶d
Supermicro - X11SSM-F Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (edit 1)
Memory: 2x 16GB DDR4 (1x16G) Crucial 2133Mhz ECC Unbuffered Server Memory CT16G4WFD8213 (not sure if I need more)(edit 4)
Storage: 5x Hitachi - Deskstar NAS 4TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Case: N̶o̶t̶ ̶s̶u̶r̶e̶
Fractal Design - Define R5 (Titanium) ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: S̶e̶a̶S̶o̶n̶i̶c̶ ̶-̶ ̶G̶ ̶5̶5̶0̶W̶ ̶8̶0̶+̶ ̶G̶o̶l̶d̶ ̶C̶e̶r̶t̶i̶f̶i̶e̶d̶ ̶S̶e̶m̶i̶-̶M̶o̶d̶u̶l̶a̶r̶ ̶A̶T̶X̶ ̶P̶o̶w̶e̶r̶ ̶S̶u̶p̶p̶l̶y̶
CORSAIR RMx Series RM550X 550W 80 PLUS GOLD (edit 2)
Boot: 2x SanDisk Ultra Fit 32GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive (SDCZ43-032G-G46)

W̶a̶s̶ ̶p̶l̶a̶n̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶b̶u̶y̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶C̶P̶U̶ ̶o̶f̶f̶ ̶e̶b̶a̶y̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶a̶r̶o̶u̶n̶d̶ ̶$̶1̶0̶0̶ ̶c̶h̶e̶a̶p̶e̶r̶ ̶a̶l̶t̶h̶o̶u̶g̶h̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶s̶u̶r̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶a̶ ̶g̶o̶o̶d̶ ̶i̶d̶e̶a̶.̶
(edit 1) Found the E3-1230 chip from a retailer for $60 more than the E3-1220, and feel like it's a safer bet to go with a retailer over ebay
(edit 2) The corsair has a 5 year longer warranty for $12 more
(edit 3) Pretty sure I have everything now. Thanks everyone for your help! Will provide an update once it has been built!
(edit 4) Got another stick of RAM as it was on sale for $70 cheaper than everyone else

The main use for this will be to stream my ripped Blu-Ray movies (40000kbps) to my Nvidia shield via Kodi for playback and possibly via Plex in the future. Will also be used as the main torrenting machine (torrent client suggestions) as it can be left on 24/7 and use Raid Z1 for the 5 drives.

I'm in Australia btw so I don't have as large a range of choices compared to the US.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have now built the NAS and am starting to get a grasp on all the features that it comes with. I've really enjoyed building this and learning about FreeBSD, jails, Linux and network architecture but know that this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Thanks, everyone that responded to my post and giving me advice on the hardware components that I should choose and for providing your opinion on why it was a good choice.

I've enjoyed learning about jails, FreeBSD and all the different networking architectures far more than I initially thought. It hasn't been without some struggle, but in my opinion, that's half the fun. Thanks again everyone for your help!

 

[BigDave]

Is this model available in Australia? I would recommend it over the X11SAE-M model.

https://www.newegg.com/global/au/Pr...cription=X11-SSm-F+supermicro&N=-1&isNodeId=1

Memory: 16GB DDR4 (1x16G) Crucial 2133Mhz ECC Unbuffered Server Memory CT16G4WFD8213 (not sure if I need more)

That would be determined by your usage, at current prices, you can always add more later...:D

 

[LocalIdentity]

Is this model available in Australia? I would recommend it over the X11SAE-M model.

https://www.newegg.com/global/au/Pr...cription=X11-SSm-F+supermicro&N=-1&isNodeId=1


That would be determined by your usage, at current prices, you can always add more later...:D

It is available for $400 AUD ($100 more than the other board)

What advantages does this one have over the one I originally listed?

 

[Stux]

It is available for $400 AUD ($100 more than the other board)

What advantages does this one have over the one I originally listed?

26$ more by my reckoning

http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=X11SSm-f&spos=1
http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=X11SAe-m&spos=1

316AUD vs 290

IPMI is worth 25$

 

[Evertb1]

Hi guys, first time building a NAS for home media storage and torrent client. Built a gaming PC for myself earlier this year but don't really have a good grasp on the server/NAS specific hardware requirements for a NAS build.
Boot: 2x SanDisk Ultra Fit 32GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive (SDCZ43-032G-G46)
.

If you can afford it I would go for an SSD as boot device. Your own proposed motherboard offers a sufficient number of Sata connectors. You can find small ones of good brands for a really decent price these days. I haven seen a lot of discussions and threads about failing USB sticks. Personally I prefer a single SSD above mirrored USB sticks. But I have been one of the people with an above average number of failing sticks. Mind you, a lot of people are happy enough with their USB boot devices but the failure rate is worth a discussion.

@Stux recommandation for the motherboard: IPMI is really nice to have. It makes a real headless server possible and and you can easally manage the server over your network.

 

[Stux]

Also, SAE-M is a work-station board. It will require a GPU to be used. Either using up the PCIe slot, or as an integrated one in the CPU.

The SSM has a VGA adapter on board as part of the BMC/IPMI unit, and will not require a GPU, thus you can use a XXX0 CPU instead of XXX5 and save a few bucks.

And the IPMI means you can remote control your system completely through an ethernet cable. Even to configure the bios and turn it on/off.
And the IPMI means you can control your systems fans through scripts....

Also, the SSM has 2 8x PCIe slots and a 4x slot. The SAE has a 16x and a 4x and a useless PCI slot. And if you put a GPU in... you're down to one slot... vs the 3 on the the SSM.

Two 8x slots is more useful than a 16x slot in a FreeNAS scenario... for example, 2 HBAs and a 10gbe NIC could be added and all would function at near fully bandwidth.

The SAE has an m2 4x slot though. You could use an adapter on the x4 slot on the SSM if you wanted.

The SAE also has useless audio support. It does have USB3.1 though.

And finally, the SSM supports SATA-DOMs. Two of them.

So, to get dual SATA-DOM support, up to 2 extra PCIe x8 slots, no need to get a GPU, and IPMI/iKVM support for true lights out management... all for $26.

A bargain ;)

 

[Stux]

BTW, speaking of "bargains"

The E3-1230v5/v6 is a significant performance boost over the E3-1220v6 as it adds HyperThreading, which in media applications can add up to about a 60% improvement... for substantially less than 60% more $$.

That almost never happens in Intel land, where they normally charge double for 25% more.

 

[Evertb1]

BTW, speaking of "bargains"

The E3-1230v5/v6 is a significant performance boost over the E3-1220v6 as it adds HyperThreading, which in media applications can add up to about a 60% improvement... for substantially less than 60% more $$.

That almost never happens in Intel land, where they normally charge double for 25% more.

Sold! You convinced me. :) Though personally, if I would update to X11xxx if would prefer the
X11SSL-CF. I like the on-board SAS controller.

 

[LocalIdentity]

Also, SAE-M is a work-station board. It will require a GPU to be used. Either using up the PCIe slot, or as an integrated one in the CPU.

The SSM has a VGA adapter on board as part of the BMC/IPMI unit, and will not require a GPU, thus you can use a XXX0 CPU instead of XXX5 and save a few bucks.

And the IPMI means you can remote control your system completely through an ethernet cable. Even to configure the bios and turn it on/off.
And the IPMI means you can control your systems fans through scripts....

Also, the SSM has 2 8x PCIe slots and a 4x slot. The SAE has a 16x and a 4x and a useless PCI slot. And if you put a GPU in... you're down to one slot... vs the 3 on the the SSM.

Two 8x slots is more useful than a 16x slot in a FreeNAS scenario... for example, 2 HBAs and a 10gbe NIC could be added and all would function at near fully bandwidth.

The SAE has an m2 4x slot though. You could use an adapter on the x4 slot on the SSM if you wanted.

The SAE also has useless audio support. It does have USB3.1 though.

And finally, the SSM supports SATA-DOMs. Two of them.

So, to get dual SATA-DOM support, up to 2 extra PCIe x8 slots, no need to get a GPU, and IPMI/iKVM support for true lights out management... all for $26.

A bargain ;)

@BigDave +
Thanks for the help. Have changed the motherboard to the SSM version. IMPI definitely seems to be worth the money as well as no need for the graphics card.

BTW, speaking of "bargains"

The E3-1230v5/v6 is a significant performance boost over the E3-1220v6 as it adds HyperThreading, which in media applications can add up to about a 60% improvement... for substantially less than 60% more $$.

That almost never happens in Intel land, where they normally charge double for 25% more.

Just looked into the price and the $80 difference seems like it is definitely worth it, especially since I'll be heading to the 4K Blu-Ray realm sometime in the future.

Also, any idea of a good case?

 

[LocalIdentity]

Is this model available in Australia? I would recommend it over the X11SAE-M model.

https://www.newegg.com/global/au/Pr...cription=X11-SSm-F+supermicro&N=-1&isNodeId=1


That would be determined by your usage, at current prices, you can always add more later...:D

I just realised that the RAM I chose is not on SuperMicros tested RAM list. Should it matter?

 

[Stux]

I just realised that the RAM I chose is not on SuperMicros tested RAM list. Should it matter?

Crucial is the retail brand for Micron. It should be fine.

BTW, if the Corsair RM550x is cheaper, I'd recommend that. Great PSUs the RMx range, with a 10 year warranty. Not disparaging the Seasonic, but the RMx's are great (have 4 of them now).

http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=Corsair+rm550x&spos=1

 

[LocalIdentity]

Crucial is the retail brand for Micron. It should be fine.

BTW, if the Corsair RM550x is cheaper, I'd recommend that. Great PSUs the RMx range, with a 10 year warranty. Not disparaging the Seasonic, but the RMx's are great (have 4 of them now).

http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=Corsair+rm550x&spos=1

The Corsair is $12 more but gives an extra 5 years warranty. Think I'll go with that

 

[Inxsible]

IPMI is worth 25$

Having used it for BIOS upgrades + installation of FreeNAS, pfSense, remote monitoring all without having to switch my monitor and keyboard between machines and having to lug up the servers from the cabinet 2 floors down in itself is worth it. Plus you get remote management features, SNMP, SMTP options in case something goes wrong, plus many more things.

My Tyan S5533 even allowed a BIOS upgrade from within the IPMI webui for free. Something Supermicro charges extra for (X10 and above). X9 single CPU boards don't even have that option sadly. Multi-CPU X9 boards have that option, but again you have to pay extra for it. I believe it's $20 just to be able to upgrade your BIOS via IPMI.

I would never buy a "server" board without IPMI.

IMO, it's worth a lot more !!!!

 

[LocalIdentity]

Having used it for BIOS upgrades + installation of FreeNAS, pfSense, remote monitoring all without having to switch my monitor and keyboard between machines and having to lug up the servers from the cabinet 2 floors down in itself is worth it. Plus you get remote management features, SNMP, SMTP options in case something goes wrong, plus many more things.

My Tyan S5533 even allowed a BIOS upgrade from within the IPMI webui for free. Something Supermicro charges extra for (X10 and above). X9 single CPU boards don't even have that option sadly. Multi-CPU X9 boards have that option, but again you have to pay extra for it. I believe it's $20 just to be able to upgrade your BIOS via IPMI.

I would never buy a "server" board without IPMI.

IMO, it's worth a lot more !!!!

Thanks for the info. Seems like something that makes remote management a hell of a lot easier. All I need now is a decent case to hold everything and maybe a CPU cooler. Suggestions?

 

[Evertb1]

Thanks for the info. Seems like something that makes remote management a hell of a lot easier. All I need now is a decent case to hold everything and maybe a CPU cooler. Suggestions?

Starting with the CPU cooler: Any good air cooler for the 1151 platform will do. And if you want to get fancy (and spending more mony then is needed) you can always buy a AIO liqued cooler. But realy, air cooling is your best bet for you server. It offers al the cooling you need and the price range is great. And if you buy at least a midi tower case you can house almost any cooler that is on the market. Personally I am charmed with the cooling solutions of "Be Quit!" (I have a dark rock cooler) but really there are at least 5 or 6 realy great brands out there. If you google something like "best air coolers 2017" you get enough hits to keep you occupied for a couple of hours. To start you of: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-cpu-coolers,4181.html

Selecting a case is really something that is a combination of personal preference and what is needed to house your build. With your choice of motherboard some of the really fancy NAS-like cases are out allready, as most of them are build to hold a mini-itx motherboard. There are some exceptions but they come with a cost of little room to work with, cooling difficulties etc.

Some things you might think over:

• Is looks important?
• Do you want a consumer grade case or a more professional case?
• Is the all over build quality important?
• (midi) Tower or rack
• Disks hot swappable or not
• Number of disks that can be housed
• Noise level (how much noise is acceptable for you)
• Ease of service (room to work with)
• Available budget
• Etc.

If I needed to call a brand and model and took the following things into concideration:

• Consumer grade is OK
• Good build quality
• Silent
• Reasonable priced
• Good looks (to me)
• No hot swap needed
• Plenty of room
• Easy to work with

It would be a Fractal Design Define R5. But really that is just one out of many.
Good luck with your "hunting" :)

 

[Ericloewe]

For small server cooling the Noctua 90mm coolers are pretty much the best technical choice (they're overkill, yes, but they're small enough to not require special care when moving). Pricing is on the high side, compared to cheaper 120mm coolers with crap sleeve bearing fans, but the quality is much better and cooling performance is similar.

 

[LocalIdentity]

For small server cooling the Noctua 90mm coolers are pretty much the best technical choice (they're overkill, yes, but they're small enough to not require special care when moving). Pricing is on the high side, compared to cheaper 120mm coolers with crap sleeve bearing fans, but the quality is much better and cooling performance is similar.

Thanks for the advice. Added it to the list.

Starting with the CPU cooler: Any good air cooler for the 1151 platform will do. And if you want to get fancy (and spending more mony then is needed) you can always buy a AIO liqued cooler. But realy, air cooling is your best bet for you server. It offers al the cooling you need and the price range is great. And if you buy at least a midi tower case you can house almost any cooler that is on the market. Personally I am charmed with the cooling solutions of "Be Quit!" (I have a dark rock cooler) but really there are at least 5 or 6 realy great brands out there. If you google something like "best air coolers 2017" you get enough hits to keep you occupied for a couple of hours. To start you of: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-cpu-coolers,4181.html

Selecting a case is really something that is a combination of personal preference and what is needed to house your build. With your choice of motherboard some of the really fancy NAS-like cases are out allready, as most of them are build to hold a mini-itx motherboard. There are some exceptions but they come with a cost of little room to work with, cooling difficulties etc.

Some things you might think over:

• Is looks important?
• Do you want a consumer grade case or a more professional case?
• Is the all over build quality important?
• (midi) Tower or rack
• Disks hot swappable or not
• Number of disks that can be housed
• Noise level (how much noise is acceptable for you)
• Ease of service (room to work with)
• Available budget
• Etc.

If I needed to call a brand and model and took the following things into concideration:

• Consumer grade is OK
• Good build quality
• Silent
• Reasonable priced
• Good looks (to me)
• No hot swap needed
• Plenty of room
• Easy to work with

It would be a Fractal Design Define R5. But really that is just one out of many.
Good luck with your "hunting" :)

Added the fractal to the list. Has a ton of drive spaces and plenty of room for everything. Thanks for the lengthy response!:D

Is there anything else that I should add to the list. cables etc.?

 

[Inxsible]

Most likely you should get all the cables with the motherboard (sata) and with your PSU(power). But depending upon your choice of case, you may be in a situation where you need to buy additional cables.
For example, I was given the advice here on the forums to buy different SATA power cables than the ones that came with my power supply, because of how my case - Node 304 - aligns the drives. You may need adapters (molex to sata or extenders etc) based on your PSU, number of drives and the case.

Don't worry about that before you buy your PSU, motherboard and case.

 

[Evertb1]

The RM 550X has 3 connectors for Periphirals and Sata. It will have 2 cables with 3 x Sata power connector and 1 cable with 4 x molex (and a floppy adapter). So you will be able to power 6 Sata devices. But it is possible to order extra cables in the Corsair shop with 4 x Sata power connectors (I have done so because I don't like using adapters if I can avoid it). They are very reasonable priced (cheaper then most adapters). If you don't need the molex cable, ordering one of those would give you 10 Sata power connectors. And you can think of other combinations. It took Corsair 2 days after ordering to deliver them as they used the local representative to sent them (I live in the Netherlands). But you should also be able to find a retailer in order to avoid shipping costs.
http://www.corsair.com/en-eu/ribbon-style-sata-cable-with-4-connectors-type-3-short-cable
http://www.corsair.com/en-eu/ribbon-style-sata-cable-with-4-connectors-type-3-850mm

 

[LocalIdentity]

The RM 550X has 3 connectors for Periphirals and Sata. It will have 2 cables with 3 x Sata power connector and 1 cable with 4 x molex (and a floppy adapter). So you will be able to power 6 Sata devices. But it is possible to order extra cables in the Corsair shop with 4 x Sata power connectors (I have done so because I don't like using adapters if I can avoid it). They are very reasonable priced (cheaper then most adapters). If you don't need the molex cable, ordering one of those would give you 10 Sata power connectors. And you can think of other combinations. It took Corsair 2 days after ordering to deliver them as they used the local representative to sent them (I live in the Netherlands). But you should also be able to find a retailer in order to avoid shipping costs.
http://www.corsair.com/en-eu/ribbon-style-sata-cable-with-4-connectors-type-3-short-cable
http://www.corsair.com/en-eu/ribbon-style-sata-cable-with-4-connectors-type-3-850mm

I think I should be fine with the supplied cables, as I only need 5 for the hard drives and the distance from the motherboard to the drives shouldn't warrant longer cables. Thanks for the info though:)