BUILD First build - Parts check/advice needed

[MisterIce]

Hello fellow members,

I've been practising/playing around with FreeNAS for a while now and it's about time I start my first real build.

Because I don't want to have any parts mismatch I'm asking you, the more experienced people, for help. And if you have any tips for me, please let me know.

This is what I've come up with so far:

Motherboard: Supermicro MBD-X11SSH-F
CPU: Intel Xeon E3 1230v5
Memory: 4 x Samsung 16GB DDR4 2133Mhz
Boot: Mirrored Supermicro (SuperDOM) SSD-DM016
HBA: LSI 9211 8i (I know I need to flash to IT mode for S.M.A.R.T. control)
HBA: LSI 9201 16i
PSU: SeaSonic Platinum 860
Case: Rosewill RSVL4500
Storage:
Zpool01 -> 4 x 2TB WD Red Mirrored + Striped for speed and redundency for documents backup (3.6TB usable)
Zpool02 -> 10 x 4TB WD Red RaidZ2 for media/jails/etc. (31.1TB usable)

List update 12th of June '16.

If you have any remarks, please tell me :)

Greetings,

 

[DrKK]

Sounds fine. Certainly I don't see any reason to object to this build.

You might want to make sure that you're not over-doing the CPU or Memory. If you're serving mostly static documents and media to just a few users, then you probably don't need so much CPU. I find this is the #1 place where new builds make a mistake---probably 80%, or more, of new FreeNAS users could get by just fine with a Pentium-class CPU, and that is a substantial step down in price in most cases. (e.g., I use a G3220, and I am just about never over 10% CPU).

Also the RAM. It's borderline as for needing 64GB. You may be just fine with 32GB, and it is easy enough to start with that and see if your needs are met.

Of course, this is if money is tight. If money is not tight, then what you've put together seems excellent and more than enough for your needs.

 

[nojohnny101]

equipment definitely looks good. I would echo @DrKK and say unless your doing some serious virtualization or other heavy things, a Xeon is not necessary.

I have the Intel g3258 and it is great. I currently have a couple of jails, transcode plex often, and serve 3-4 concurrent users (mix of local and remote) for file storage. I see spikes of 40% every so often but most times <10% utilization.

Happy building!

 

[MisterIce]

Thank you both for your reply. The reason I thought I needed so much RAM was the '1 GB for every TB of storage' rule on the requirements page (although it says its a rule of thumb). But I agree with you @DrKK, I can start off with 32GB and add another 32GB later if necessary.

Indeed the Xeon is a bit much at the moment, but I am planning on some stuff in the future. And with a Xeon I won't have any worries.

But thanks again! :D

 

[DrKK]

Thank you both for your reply. The reason I thought I needed so much RAM was the '1 GB for every TB of storage' rule on the requirements page (although it says its a rule of thumb). But I agree with you @DrKK, I can start off with 32GB and add another 32GB later if necessary.

Indeed the Xeon is a bit much at the moment, but I am planning on some stuff in the future. And with a Xeon I won't have any worries.

But thanks again! :D

HOLD

do not buy.

I am confirming that your memory is correct, it does *NOT* appear to be compatible. Hold.

 

[DrKK]

ABORT ABORT ABORT

The RAM you have selected is "registered". The board ***DOES NOT*** say again DOES NOT support registered RAM. You need unbuffered/unregistered UDIMMs, not RDIMMs.

 

[MisterIce]

Ohhhhh, thank you very much for checking.

I thought that desktop grade RAM always was unbuffered/unregistered and ECC memory always being registered/buffered...

 

[DrKK]

Ohhhhh, thank you very much for checking.

I thought that desktop grade RAM always was unbuffered/unregistered and ECC memory always being registered/buffered...

negative sir. ECC RAM either is registered/buffered (RDIMM) or unbuffered/unregistered (UDIMM)

The supermicro X10 and X11 boards generally require UDIMM.

Which, by the way, not easy so easy to find in 16GB.....

 

[MisterIce]

Ok, so I have to go either for a different mobo or different memory?

 

[DrKK]

Well, 4x8GB of UDIMM ECC would be easy to find, if you think 32GB of RAM would be enough.

It probably will be. The 1GB per 1TB rule is just a...rule of thumb. Once you have 32GB, you're usually good clearly up to 50TB for standard pools that aren't doing anything special (e.g., no databases, etc).

Or you'd have to find 16GB UDIMM's. Which is hard, and expensive.

Or, you'd have to find a motherboard that supports 8 slots.

 

[MisterIce]

Looking for a motherboard was difficult enough lol.

I just went to the webpage of the motherboard and checked the memory list here

There it shows that the Samsung 16GB M391A2K43BB1-CPB is a compatible UDIMM.

Thanks a lot, you saved me a lot of money :D

Edit: Or do you say, switch to RDIMM because that will be a lot better?

 

[heloid]

You definitely do NOT want RDIMMs. Registered memory has additional chips between your chipset and RAM modules which help with scalability (more smaller chips on one stick) and stability but comes with a performance penalty and extra cost.
Your MB supports up to 4x 16GB unregistered (normal) memory sticks (UDIMMS) only and you don't need the features of registered memory anyway.

That Samsung 16GB UDIMM you linked, I can't see if it is ECC or not on that page, you might want to look closer before you buy. You want either 16GB (2x8GB) or 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 ECC 2133MHz UDIMMS. If you absolutely want 32GB and the 2x16GB kits are too expensive you could get a 4x8GB kit and use all 4 of your slots.

 

[DrKK]

UDIMM you linked, I can't see if it is ECC

It is ECC. To my knowledge, the monikers "UDIMM" and "RDIMM" are exclusively used in reference to server/ECC memory. One does not refer to U/RDIMM's in the non-ECC universe.

Also, @MisterIce , I am glad I could be of assistance. That is what we are here for, and we want you to have as nice of an experience with FreeNAS, as a new user, as possible.

Please keep us posted as to how your build progresses, sir.

 

[Ericloewe]

Or you'd have to find 16GB UDIMM's. Which is hard, and expensive.

Not in DDR4. DDR3 16GB UDIMMs are rare and expensive, but DDR4 16GB UDIMMs are reasonably priced and available from all reputable manufacturers (or reputable daisies, if I were to follow my phone's suggestions as I type this...).

Edit: Or do you say, switch to RDIMM because that will be a lot better?

They're not better, they're different.
Slightly slower, more expensive but allow for greater densities.

You definitely do NOT want RDIMMs. Registered memory has additional chips between your chipset and RAM modules which help with scalability (more smaller chips on one stick) and stability but comes with a performance penalty and extra cost.

RDIMMs aren't "more stable". They just need the registers to stay stable.

 

[DrKK]

DDR3 16GB UDIMMs are rare and expensive, but DDR4 16GB UDIMMs are reasonably priced and available from all reputable manufacturers

Fascinating! Why should they be more ubiquitous on DDR4 than DDR3?

 

[Ericloewe]

It is ECC. To my knowledge, the monikers "UDIMM" and "RDIMM" are exclusively used in reference to server/ECC memory. One does not refer to U/RDIMM's in the non-ECC universe.

I don't think anyone makes non-ECC RDIMMs, so that one is right out. As for calling non-ECC DIMMs UDIMMs, I think I've seen that.

Fascinating! Why should they be more ubiquitous on DDR4 than DDR3?

Mostly, because only Avoton supported DDR3 16GB UDIMMs.
When they originally showed up, they were made by this new, completely unknown company who claimed to have some secret sauce that allowed them to combine two 512MB chips and present them as one to the memory controller. I think they were basically fancy RDIMMs that were close enough to UDIMMs electrically to pass as UDIMMs.

Since then, 1GB chips have become commercially viable (and I do think there are real 16GB DDR3 UDIMMs out there now, but they're a recent development) - but since DDR3 has a very small market for such a thing, manufacturers focused on making 1GB DDR4 chips.

 

[Mirfster]

What do you read up on these things with your daily breakfast of something? ;)

/JK, nice info.

 

[Ericloewe]

What do you read up on these things with your daily breakfast of something? ;)

/JK, nice info.

I try to stay up to date on hardware. Here's a list of things I specifically do not follow:

• Low-end graphics cards
• AMD's endless steam of APUs, which are all rehashes of the broken Bulldozer uArch, despite several years of patchwork
• Low-end SSDs, except for big names
• Crap-grade SoCs (MediaTek and company)
• Big Iron stuff (except for the occasional read into Xeon E7)
• 31337 h4x06 motherboards, the cut corners are too depressing
• WD's ever-growing rainbow of HDDs (just yesterday I had to look up what the hell WD Golds were because I'd forgotten)

 

[Mirfster]

What about Justin Bieber and the Kardashians? C'mon.... admit it....

/End hijack. ;)

 

[Ericloewe]

What about Justin Bieber and the Kardashians? C'mon.... admit it....

/End hijack. ;)

You misunderstand. I meant computer hardware, not tools.