Dell T20 vs Supermicro vs Intel or other ?

[zedo]

Hello,

This forum really helped alot ! But I still can't make up my mind on what is the best solution for my first FreeNAS build.

I want to use my NAS for storing files and Plex Server for maximum 2 video streams at once and maybe one small linux VM just for testing and playing. I think i might go with FreeNAS Corral, it looks awesome !! Great job !!!

I have a 3u rack case with 16 hot-swap front 3.5 HDD bays ( http://www.norcotek.com/product/rpc-3116/ ) I bought it a couple of years ago but haven't managed to find the time to find the best option for a home NAS server with good redundancy ( i think integrity is a big + for data redundancy along with RaidZ2/Z3 or Mirroring, you can have Z3 with no integrity and you cand still lose data in my opinion ) and low power consumption.

The options that i found for only the motherboard + CPU + RAM are:

1. DELL Poweredge T20 : Dell Motherboard + Xeon E3-1225 v3 + 4 GB ECC RAM + BONUS > 1 TB HDD + Case + PSU <| all for $250
   
2. Supermicro 1u Server : Supermicro X9SCL Motherboard + Xeon E3-1220 v2 + 4 GB ECC RAM + BONUS > 1u Case + PSU <| all for $240
   
3. Intel : Intel S1200BTS Motherboard + Xeon E3 - 12xx v2 + xx GB ECC RAM <| $90 for motherboard only + CPU/RAM. about $250 like the others
4. ? other ?

I am going to use only the components, the BONUS (case+psu) I will use for something else.

Power consumption is important !!
The power consumption for the T20 is about 20 W (Mobo+CPU+RAM+1 SSD), for the supermicro and the intel with same E3 -v2 cpu RAM and 1 SSD about 33 W , There is a 13 W difference.. that's 60% more, it may not be much but with a non-stop setup it counts + the electicity is getting pricey and pricey.

Basic specs:

1. DELL : 1 PCIe x16 + 1 PCIe x16 (at x4) + 1 PCIe x1 + 1 PCI | 1 GB intel NIC +some remote i think | 4 SATA |
   
2. Supermicro : 2 PCIe x8 + 1 PCIe x8 (at x4) | 2x 1 GB intel NICs +remote no iKVM i think | 6 SATA |
   
3. Intel : 2 PCIe x8 + 1PCIe x16 (at x8) + 1 PCI | 2x 1 GB intel NIC +no remote | 6 SATA |

The DELL has less in this case but not a big drawback a 1 GB NIC is enough for what i need even with a file transfer and 2 PLEX streams running at the same time (although unlikely) only 4 SATA is ok... i plan to get a HBA (or two for future upgrades ) anyway, as for the ports the 1 PCIe x16 at x4 speed will not make much of a difference for a HBA as i am sure it ca saturate 1 or more GB NICs. I think I can use a riser card for the 1 PCIe x16 to get two PCIe x8 if it would be really necesary in the future.
The Supermicro and Intel boards are mostly the same here, remote managing is not really a high requrement for me but it's nice to have but not need than to need and not have.

The HBAs i will use are forum recomanded either IBM M1015 or M1115 or DELL PERC H200 (if i can find an easy way to flash it...) + the best price i can get for them

The best motherboard i could find is the Supermicro A1SA7-2705F with 16 SATA + 1 SATA DOM port and 8 core ATOM and great power consumption but its sooo expensive at 500 euro ($530) +RAM.

Links for motherboards :

1. DELL : http://i.dell.com/sites/doccontent/...ents/PowerEdge-T20-spec-sheet.pdf?newtab=true
   
2. Supermicro : https://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/Xeon/C202_C204/X9SCL.cfm
   
3. Intel : https://ark.intel.com/products/53558/Intel-Server-Board-S1200BTS

Thank you in advance for the help !!

 

[Robert Trevellyan]

i might go with FreeNAS Corral

Don't do that - check the Announcements for why.

1. I'm very happy with my T20, but it's no longer a current product. The replacement is the T30. It's a very convenient solution.
2. Supermicro is the go-to brand for self-built in these forums.
3. No comment.

I'm sure you realize, 4GB of RAM is below the minimum requirement for FreeNAS.

 

[zedo]

I know Corral is not ready yet, I figured by the time I'll be done getting the parts, a stable version might be available.

The difference between the T20 and T30 is 2 more SATA ports and a newer Xeon E3-1225 v5 ( the diferencee between the v3 and v5 is 700 passmark points, 22vs14nm and maybe a little better power consumption ) other than that and a new board they are mostly the same ... oh the price is quite different i can get a used one (still under waranty) T20 for $250 and a new T30 is more than twice that.
I like the supermicro option too but the extra 13 W power consumption is equal to 1 HBA + the T20 has a newer CPU, i am only giving up 2 Sata ports and 1 extra NIC, not a deal braker.

Yes i know 4 GB is not enough for FreeNAS, I just listed what options I can get for a good price, for my needs 16 GB would be ok + the 4 GB from the offers would be quite enough.

 

[Kevin Horton]

I know Corral is not ready yet, I figured by the time I'll be done getting the parts, a stable version might be available.

Read this announcement. Some of the features that were in Corral will eventually appear in updates to FreeNAS 9.10, but Corral as a product based on the currently available software is dead. There is no guarantee of an upgrade path from the current version of Corral to either FreeNAS 9.10.3 (the next version of FreeNAS 9.10), or any future version of FreeNAS.

 

[zedo]

Oh, that is unfortunate.. it's nice that they will "merge" the two together, the UI in corral looks great, It's nice they are keeping that and many other features.

 

[Robert Trevellyan]

The difference between the T20 and T30 is 2 more SATA ports

I don't think that's correct. Mine has four built-in SATA ports, and an official add-on of a PEXSAT32 for two more, nominally to serve the two 2.5" drive bays. Are you seeing a different configuration for the T30?

I happen to think it's a very good fit for a modest home server or NAS.

EDIT: from the T30 spec sheet:

Up to 6 total SATA HDDs (4 x 3.5" SATA HDD + 2 additional 2.5" SATA HDD (w/expansion kit and optional controller card)

 

[zedo]

Yes ! sorry, i misread , both the T20 and T30 have 4 built in SATA ports. > Expantion card for more

 

[Linkman]

I'm pleased so far with my Dell T20. Especially with the $250 price point on the Xeon model, add some RAM, and it's a great small server. If four (4) drives is enough for you, it's a perfect small FreeNAS box with plenty of CPU.

If you're swapping to a larger case / PSU for more drives, still a good price point. Make sure that Dell mobo is using standard power connections, if you decide to go that way.

Can't speak to your other choices, unfortunately.

 

[Dice]

The Dell option seems to have a more recent architecture than your SM option, which makes me lean towards the Dell option.

 

[zedo]

Thank you Linkman and Dice for the reply.

Yes, the Dell is the best choice in my opinion, newer hardware, CPU (about the same performance, but more power efficient than the v2 xeon).

Linkman : yes i am swapping to a 3u case with 16 hdd bays ( http://www.norcotek.com/product/rpc-3116/ ) the power connectors for the motherboard are one 4 Pin and one 8 Pin.

I found a better option these past few days at about the same price-point, an Intel s1200rp se motherboard with Xeon E3-1230 v3 (4 cores 8 threads) with 4 GB RAM .

All the recomanded NICs you can find on this forum are Intel NICs and intel CPUs so why not an intel motherboard as well ?
I like this option more because of the little more powerfull CPU that i can dual-boot into Windows and use with renderig 3D scenes.

 

[Dice]

with 4 GB RAM .

You need at the very least 8GB.

 

[zedo]

I know, that's just what the mobo+cpu+ram + psu + what else the seller had in the case, in the same price range as a the other Dell t20 and supermicro. i plan to add at least 16 GB more, so 20 GB total for the time is just fine.

 

[Robert Trevellyan]

dual-boot into Windows

This is a horrible idea, not least because it means either the NAS or Windows isn't always there when you want it.

 

[zedo]

Why ? I can boot up Windows and do a rendering and then boot it back to freenas. why waste all that good CPU power :)

 

[SweetAndLow]

Why ? I can boot up Windows and do a rendering and then boot it back to freenas. why waste all that good CPU power :)

I hope your are joking.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[zedo]

Again... Why ? I try to offer a justification for most of the choices I make, it makes it more relevant when talking about specific things.

 

[SweetAndLow]

Freenas is not a system that should be turned off for extended periods of time. It's meant to be always on. It's a server that does a job and if it's not in it can't do it job. Things like smart tests, scrubs, backups and jails will not get the opportunity to run and that will put your data at risk.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[zedo]

I don't think keeping it off for a few hours or 1-2 days will make much of a difference since scrubs are usually made once a month for data integrity. It's not a thing that will usually happen regulary... I have another Dual Xeon E5-2650 with a total of 16 cores / 32 threads and 32 Gb of RAM just for rendering purposes, wich i keep off 90% of the time. In the event i need more computing power i can sometiemes (2-3 time a year) shutdown the FreeNAS system and use that CPU too for a few hours.

 

[styno]

In the event i need more computing power i can sometiemes (2-3 time a year) shutdown the FreeNAS system and use that CPU too for a few hours.

Then don't dual boot, just poweroff, diconnect the drives and boot from separate Windows media.