First Time Build - Advice needed

[RXWatcher]

I am struggling with finding the right mix and I could really use your advice.

I am a linux admin by trade but 100% newbie on FreeBSD. I have a fully enclosed, full height rack at home(used for Cisco switches at the moment as I'm studying for my Cisco certs).

I did my homework and I read the hardware sticky..I actually printed it out :)

My current needs/wants: Enough drive space to support my media collection and future growth, Plex Media Server to transcode movies(probably 3 streams max).

• Based on the Hardware thread I started looking at Supermicros with plenty of disks and I found this.

This server fit the bill..comes pre-populated with Xeons, etc and all I would need to do is maybe get a SAS2 card and drives. The concern with it is the redundant 1200 watt power supplies. They will consume a lot of power. I estimate that even at 20% used we're looking at $240/year in power just for that machine. Thats a lot for a home NAS.​

• So I freaked out about power which led me to a Synology DS1815+ with a NUC to handle my transcoding needs. My buddy has one and loves it but I'm concerned I will lose control of it since its more of a consumer device and I am concerned about the bit-rot issue since it doesnt have ZFS or BTRFS. I do get a set and forget(unless alerted) kinda deal.

• My third option is almost identical to this thread except putting in a modern Xeon instead to give me the ability to transcode.

What do you guys think? The geek in me wants to do the Supermicro rack server but I'm concerned that its a bit old so reliability might be an issue and those 1200watt power supplies will make it expensive to run 24x7.
The Synology uses very little power but I'm locked into that ecosystem, the link to that thread seems promising.

Can you please give me some feedback?

Thanks!
-Jim

 

[BigDave]

I agree, the server board is old, in fact the NICs may not be supported, check the hardware compatable lists for that chipset number.
The power is old and inefficient as well. I think you would end up unhappy if you bought the server you linked to.
There are lots of members in here who house their stuff in rack cases, I sure they'll chime in with some thoughts.

 

[Ericloewe]

That server will probably work fine, but be a power hog. NICs should be no problem, Intel's drivers haven't changed in a while, besides adding support for newer controllers.

Of course, a new build is the most popular option and the one that involves the least hassle.