ECC NAS + All purpose server Build

[korupt]

My first post, hello everyone:) I've been wanting to build a NAS for a while now so here is my first attempt after reading some guides. I'm sick of loosing data and projects so I'm attempting to put an end to it.

The NAS will in the begging run FreeNAS bare metal, later it might develop into a lot more. I will also use it to trans-code 720p on the fly, ftp/media server and as my dev-box.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to satisfy my dev needs with FreeNAS (read navigate FreeBSD good enough to set up a full fledged dev machine the way I want it) so I would very much like this hardware to be compatible with vSphere Hypervisor (I've read all the threads where it says NOT to do it) to keep my options opened.

Parts will most likely be bought in Sweden. I'm not really looking for you guys to help me find the best deal, but rather make sure my novice ass doesn't select incompatible/bad hardware. I've included links to the "sotre"/compare website in case someone wanted more info on the specs

MB:
Asus P9D-M( 1450kr/220$) or Supermicro X10SLM-F (2300kr/350$). I'm leaning towards the Asus because the specs are quite similar and there is a 130$ gap for me. Is there a huge difference in quality here or what am I paying the premium for?
http://www.prisjakt.nu/produkt.php?e=2130780, http://www.prisjakt.nu/produkt.php?p=1794875

Ram:
2x Kingston ValueRAM TS DDR3 PC12800/1600MHz ECC Intel CL11 8GB (1700kr/260$).
http://www.prisjakt.nu/produkt.php?p=1377690

CPU:
Intel Core i3 4150 3,5GHz Socket 1150 Box (1000kr/152$)
http://www.prisjakt.nu/produkt.php?p=2571964

Case:
Lian Li PC-V352A (550kr/84$).
http://www.prisjakt.nu/produkt.php?p=956562

Disks:
3x WD Red WD40EFRX 64MB 4TB: 3x (4500kr/684$)
http://www.prisjakt.nu/produkt.php?e=2167793

Thoughts or ideas? Every reflection is welcome. If there is similar specs but a lot cheaper I would obviously prefer that but I think I'm doing quite good on the price considering the multi purpose use of the rig.

Best regards
k

 

[Ericloewe]

3 drives... Sounds like RAIDZ1, which is a bad idea. RAIDZ2 is preferred.

You might want to look at other Supermicro models, maybe they'll be cheaper. IIRC, the Asus doesn't even have IPMI.

 

[cyberjock]

I can buy 2 of those Supermicro boards for the price you quoted. Not sure where you are shopping, but that sounds like a total ripoff to me. Asus may may good desktop boards, but I stick with the tried and true Supermicro for servers.

Generally we split up the CPUs into two categories, simple and complex. Someone that just wants to share some files and nothing else can go with a G3220 or equivalent(which is about 1/2 the price of your i3). But, since you said transcoding I'd recommend you go with a full fledged Xeon. The E3-1230v2 will probably provide you with all the processing power you could ever dream of.

Everything Eric said is true also...

 

[korupt]

Seems that RaidZ2 is at almost twice as safe with no trade off other that that I have to buy another HD up front, to me, that seems like a good idea.

cyberjock, do you think there is enough of a difference between the E3-1230v3 and the i3 4150 to justify twice the price on the Xeon (where I live)? I know very little about server CPU architecture so not full aware the pros/cons.

Lastly I'll look more into the Supermicro as it seems that people have more confidence in their longevity. Worst case scenario is that I'll buy it in the US and shit it to Sweden with MyUS.

Thanks for the suggestions yet again guys, keep them coming if you don't mind:)
Best regards
k

 

[cyberjock]

I own an E3-1230v2. Does that answer your question?

The problem with the i3s is that while they have 'more power' than your standard pentium, you may have problems with transcoding and other CPU intensive tasks. So you can go with the i3, but you may find that it's just not fast enough for you. In that case you'll have to buy a second processor. On the other hand you can just go with the E3-1230v3 and never think about CPU needs again(that is, unless you try to stream a bunch of 4k streams or something).

 

[Ericloewe]

I've been looking around that Swedish site of yours, and as far as I can decipher, the X10SLL-F is much cheaper. Alternatively, at the same price point, you can get the X10SL7-F.

Let me explain the differences:

The X10SLL-F is the "basic" model. It already has everything you need for a great small server. Its biggest advantage over the Asus is that it has IPMI, which allows for remote management and comes with the bonus of not requiring a GPU for local configuration since the same chip also serves as a crude graphics adapter that's good enough for text mode. Otherwise, you'd need CPU graphics (which is damned expensive on the Xeons) or a separate graphics card for initial setup/future troubleshooting.

The model you chose, the X10SLM-F, has 6 SATA 6Gb/s ports (instead of 2 6Gb/s + 4 3Gb/s) and two extra USB 3.0 ports. Neither of these will be of much use in a FreeNAS server for home. This model is massively overpriced pretty much everywhere. Amazon.de had it at 210€ last time I checked, which is 30€ more than the X10SLM+-F [not a typo, their model names aren't very intuitive], which adds a second Intel i210 GbE adapter to replace the (presumably cheaper) second adapter in cheaper boards.

The X10SL7-F is essentially a X10SLM+-F with an added LSI SAS2308 controller that takes up 8x PCI-e lanes (that's why it has one less PCI-e slot than the cheaper boards) and supplies 8 SAS channels. This board is best suited to those who plan to expand and is frequently cheaper than buying a separate cheaper motherboard and IBM M1015 (which has an LSI SAS2008 - same thing, only PCI-e 2.0 instead of 3.0, no practical difference).


Aside from the question of the motherboard, you might want to wait a week or two for the Haswell refresh, as prices may drop on older processors/you may get a faster processor for the same price as the old version. They behave identically from what I've seen, but the newer models tend to add 100MHz to the base and boost clocks - no fix for the 32GB limit, unfortunately.