First build (file storage, Plex server, VMs) request for comments/advice

[John Childermass]

Hello,

I'm planning a first-time FreeNAS build for home use. The intended uses are:

1. File storage (with Macs and Linux machines)
2. Plex server (I’d like to be able to handle some transcoding… maximum of 3 clients at once, usually fewer, mostly 720p video rather than, say, 4K)
3. I’d like to be able to run some VMs (mostly Linux) for general experimentation
4. Possibly using it as a Time Machine network backup destination (but it wasn’t clear to me how reliable this really is, compared to the official Time Capsule devices?)

Although to start with it probably won't get very heavy use, I would like to have some headroom to do more with the machine in the future. I'd also like to have the machine be quiet, if possible, and ideally not too power-hungry.

I assume that if I am starting with FreeNAS for the first time, I might as well use FreeNAS Corral, especially to have access to features such as bhyve for VMs. Is that right?

I’ve read the excellent hardware guide (thank you Ericloewe!), and would welcome any comments/suggestions on the following build:

Case: Fractal Design Define R5 (reused from an existing machine)

PSU: Seasonic X-650 (reused from an existing machine)

Motherboard: Either the SuperMicro X11SSM-F or the SuperMicro X11SSH-F
Does anyone have strong opinions one way or the other? The X11SSH-F is slightly easier for me to find, and I assume that sacrificing one PCI-e slot for the M.2 connector might give me a bit more flexibility in the future.

CPU: Either the Intel Core i3-6300 or the Intel Xeon E3-1220v5
The hardware guide suggests that the i3-6300 would be sufficient for transcoding and VMs, but should I consider the Xeon instead?
If I get retail CPUs, are the stock coolers reasonably quiet or should I plan to replace them with something else?

RAM: The SuperMicro tested memory list for these motherboards lists from 2133MHz and 2400MHz parts. Does it make any difference which I get?
I can get hold of a Samsung 16 GB ECC DDR4 DIMM SDRAM M391A2K43BB1-CPB and I thought I might start with a single module (for budgetary reasons) and add another one in the future. My reading of the manual for these motherboards suggests that using a single module is OK.

Storage: I already have a couple of WD Red 3TB drives (WD30EFRX) which I’d like to reuse.
I’m thinking of buying another 3 units, to have 5 in total, which I would run as RAIDZ2, i.e. for about 9 TB storage.

Boot device: I thought I would start with a basic USB flash drive, again for budgetary reasons, and consider an SSD (either SATA or M.2) or SATA DOM in the future.

Thank you in advance for any comments!

 

[MatthewSteinhoff]

Plex server (I’d like to be able to handle some transcoding… maximum of 3 clients at once, usually fewer, mostly 720p video rather than, say, 4K) I’d like to be able to run some VMs (mostly Linux) for general experimentation
CPU: Either the Intel Core i3-6300 or the Intel Xeon E3-1220v5

The Plex folks say you need 1,500 PassMark per 720p stream. The 6300 is 5,816 while the Xeon reaches 7,588. These are just rules of thumb and rough estimates, of course.

My guess is that your FreeNAS server will live long enough for you to want to watch 1080p video (2,000 per stream) and it should last long enough that you might want to transcode and watch 4K video (even more). And that's even before you launch your first VM.

If I were to change anything, it would be to put more horsepower under the hood. Certainly I'd go with the Xeon over the 6300 given your expected usage. I might even go with more power if you're really going to kick some VMs around.

On the other hand, if you're sure you're just going to do three streams and you're going to get bored with the VMs after a couple weeks, even the 6300 could be a solid choice.

Starting with 16GB RAM is fine. Whichever Supermicro motherboard you buy if fine. I'd buy whichever supported RAM is less expensive. WD Red drives are fine as is that configuration. If you have the SATA ports and space available (and it sounds like you do), I'd stay away from USB boot drives and maybe pick up a cheap SSD or conventional drive (conventional laptop drives are super cheap and plenty fast).

Cheers,
Matt

 

[thedirtmerchant]

I'm in the process of building (or at least researching the build) very similar to yours.

I've gotten plenty of good info from various people, peruse as you like HERE

 

[John Childermass]

Thanks MatthewSteinhoff and thedirtmerchant!

I'll think carefully about the CPU horsepower. Maybe the 6300 will be enough to start with, and I might upgrade the processor if I feel the need later. If I wanted to go for even more power than the E3-1220v5, I guess I would go for either the E3-1230v5 or E3-1240v5.

Thanks to thedirtmerchant for pointing me at your thread. I'll take a look at that too!