First FreeNAS Build - Looking for Advice

[jea001]

Hi all,

After studying my options and reading through these forums the past several weeks, I am looking at building my first FreeNAS server to replace my current 2 bay NAS. I want to use this NAS for three things:

1. Storing files I do not want to place in cloud storage
2. Back up destination for the computers on my home network (2 desktops, 2 laptops)
3. Storing my movie collection and simultaneously streaming (including transcoding) via Plex Media Server to up to two devices in 1080p.

I have settled on most of my components, but have questions regarding my processor and motherboard choice. The option I am leaning towards is the SuperMicro X10SDV-4C-TLN2F with an embedded Xeon D-1521. However, I am not certain if the embedded Xeon will meet my use case, so the second option I am considering is the ASRock Rack E3C236D2I with a Xeon E3-1220 v5 (or v6).

I would like to have a NAS that will meet my needs for the next 5 to 10 years with little to no upgrades required while remaining relatively efficient and quiet. Which one of those options would work best? Is there another option I am not considering that would work better?

Here is the list of the remaining components for my NAS. I am comfortable with these decisions, however, if you have suggestions, I am open to them as well.

• Case: Fractal Design Node 304
• Storage Drives: 6 x Western Digital Red 4TB
• Boot Drive: SanDisk Ultra Fit 32GB
• RAM: 2 x Kingston ValueRAM 16GB DDR4 ECC UDIMM
• PSU: Corsair AX850 (I already own this PSU, I am looking at replacing it eventually with the Seasonic SS-460FL2)

Thanks in advance for your help, I appreciate it.

 

[CraigD]

Do you really need that much CPU for 2 1080 Plex streams? A G4560 has a PassMark of ~5000

Get bigger 8TB drives if you can, you will collect more data than you think

Have Fun
PS The PSU will be a tight fit

 

[Stux]

The ASRock is limited to 32GB of RAM, where as the Xeon D board supports up to 128GB... worth considering.

The Xeon E3-1220 is a 3-3.5Ghz part with 4 cores and no hyperthreading. Its worth considering the 1230 if you are considering the 1220, as for a reasonable price increase you get hyperthreading, which for plex will probably give you up to 60% extra performance. This is about the best deal intel offers ;)

Meanwhile, the Xeon-D 1521 is a great little processor, 4 cores, and hyperthreading. Its basically the 1230, but clocked a bit slower at 2.4-2.7 Ghz.

I'm considering a Mini-ITX build myself, and I'm leaning towards a Xeon-D because I want 64GB+ of ram expansion capability.

If you are planning a 5-10 year build, then you may want to consider one of the XeonD boards which have 10gbe built in, as you only have one PCI slot, and you very well might want to use that for an HBA in the future to add 8 or more drives to your initial six.

edit: ahh I see you're looking at one with 10gbe :), also the ones with a + after the core name, ie 4C+ have a fan on them. If you don't get one with a fan, then you will need to add a little fan to the heatsink... say a noctua.

Anyway, I would never recommend a Pentium to someone who wants to do multiple 1080p streams from Plex, at a minimimum, you should go for an i3.

Have you worked out the relative build costs with either route (and the new 1230v5/v6) route.

32GB of ram will be a limiting factor if you decide you like playing with VMs on your little 8 thread NAS ;)

Meanwhile, 8TB drives are more than twice the price of 4TB drives... so that decision is up to you.

 

[Stux]

Edit:

Supermicro X10SDV-4C+-TLN4F Motherboard Mini-ITX SoC w/ Intel Xeon D-1518 4-Core, Single Socket FCBGA 1667

This seems to be the same as the 4C-TLN2F, except its got the fan, and 2 bonus 1gbit ethernet ports. You could run a firewall on the spare ports.

 

[jea001]

Thanks for the input. Based on the comments, it sounds like the embedded processor is more than powerful enough to do everything I wanted and then some. Mentioning VMs has definitely given me food for thought for something fun to experiment with.