First Build with Old/New Hardware

[Stewie26]

I recently started looking into getting a NAS system for media streaming thru Plex to my TV and laptop. I also wish to backup my media which includes tons of movies, music etc. I currently have 6 WD drives with all the media spread out on those drive, they are all different sizes totaling 14TB . What I wish to achieve is backup all those files and be able to stream movies thru Plex.

The hardware is listed below of which I have the CPU, Mobo, RAM, I have not yet purchased the PSU or HDDs. After reading thru the forums and researching I believe I will need ECC RAM so I have linked that as well. I would appreciate any changes or recommendation based on your experiences or if I should do anything differently.

The Hardware:
CPU: AMD FX 8150 with a stock cooler from Ryzen CPU
Mobo: Asus Crosshair V Formula
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2x8) DDR3 1600Mhz
or
RAM: 2x Crucial 8GB DDR3 ECC Registered 1600Mhz
PSU: EVGA SuperNova 750W
HDD: 6x WD Red 6TB NAS
Case: Corsair 750D Airflow Already have this as well.

 

[kdragon75]

I dont think that CPU will run ECC RAM...

 

[ChriZ]

This CPU may (or may not) run ECC Ram.
The listed motherboard, however, will not work with Registered Ram..

 

[rvassar]

That CPU doesn't support ECC RAM. Even if it did, registered ECC memory generally only works in server motherboards where the large number of memory slots requires steps to control the "electrical fanout" of the signals used to communicate. This necessitates an additional access step, selecting the bank of memory to communicate with, that standard motherboards do not perform.

 

[Chris Moore]

CPU: AMD FX 8150 with a stock cooler from Ryzen CPU

Do you have some special reason for wanting to use this? There have been reports of problems from the few people that have tried so far.
The most reliable results are achieved with Intel hardware. I could give you some pointers if you want.

 

[Chris Moore]

The hardware is listed below of which I have the CPU, Mobo, RAM,

You should have done some homework before you bought hardware. I hope you can send it back. You should.

 

[Stewie26]

Thank you all for your inputs especially with the ECC RAM issues. The hardware was purchased back in 2011 when I built the PC. However, I thought I could re purpose it into a media/backup server. Do you guys think I could just use the RAM I already have or that will not work with FreeNas?

I would really appreciate if you guys could point me in the right direction. Thanks

 

[Inxsible]

Do you guys think I could just use the RAM I already have or that will not work with FreeNas?

FreeNAS works fine with non-ECC RAM.
It's just not recommended especially if you are buying hardware for the build. ECC doesn't cost much of a premium over non-ECC.

But if you already have the hardware, there is no harm in running FreeNAS on non-ECC hardware. Give it a whirl. If it works, you will have saved money, if not, then you can buy proper server grade hardware.

What you cannot do however is mix ECC hardware with non-ECC hardware. That is just not gonna work.

 

[Chris Moore]

The hardware was purchased back in 2011 when I built the PC.

This is used hardware that you are trying to find a new purpose for. You could give it a try. It isn't ideal for FreeNAS, but you can get your feet wet and see if you like it, then buy a better system later. You know, once you are hooked. ;)

I have not yet purchased the PSU or HDDs.

PSU: EVGA SuperNova 750W
HDD: 6x WD Red 6TB NAS

Only 6 drives, you don't need that much power. You can easily manage with a 550 or possibly even a 450. The dives are fine, but I personally prefer the Seagate drives. I like the way they output SMART status for monitoring drive health. I always feel like the WD drives are just not monitoring all the things they should because there are so many things they don't report that the Seagate drives do.

Any other questions?

 

[Chris Moore]

Some things to look at so you know more about how it works:

Slideshow explaining VDev, zpool, ZIL and L2ARC
https://forums.freenas.org/index.ph...ning-vdev-zpool-zil-and-l2arc-for-noobs.7775/

Terminology and Abbreviations Primer
https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/terminology-and-abbreviations-primer.28174/

Proper Power Supply Sizing Guidance
https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/proper-power-supply-sizing-guidance.38811/

When you are ready to put it all together...

Uncle Fester's Basic FreeNAS Configuration Guide
https://www.familybrown.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=fester:intro