First-time builds, with some questions

[kangwenhao]

Hi, this is my first time building a NAS (I've built a gaming PC before, but nothing server-related), so I'm a little nervous, and I've got some questions.

I currently have about 10 TB across several external hard drives (videos, game backups, pdfs, all sorts of stuff), with no backup or redundancy, and no good streaming/filesharing capabilities. I'd like to move to a FreeNAS server with plenty of room to spare, so I'm thinking 8x4TB, with two disk redundancy, which should leave me with 24 TB (did I do that math right?). Hopefully this will last me a good decade or more. I would like the ability to transcode Plex streams to at least two devices at once (more would be nice, but not essential).

Following the hardware recommendations, I looked at the Supermicro X10SL7-F, which would give me plenty of room for 8 drives + an SSD for the OS, but it maxes out at 32 GB of RAM, which is the bare minimum for a server of this size (1 GB per TB, right?), and I'm a bit worried about starting out at the maximum, with no room to expand. I also looked at the Supermicro X11SSL-cF, which offers the same number of ports, but with 64 GB max RAM, but it's over $400, compared to ~$200 for all the other parts I've looked at. So that left me with two options, as below:

Option 1:
Motherboard: Supermicro X11SSM-F-O Micro ATX
CPU: Intel Core i3-6300
RAM: 2x Crucial 16GB DDR4-2133 ECC

OR, Option 2:
Motherboard: Supermicro X10SRL-F
CPU: Intel Xeon E5-2603 V4
RAM: 2x Crucial 16GB DDR4-2133 Registered ECC

Either way, I'd also be including:
Case: Fractal Design Define R5
PSU: SeaSonic G Series 550W 80+ Gold Semi-Modular
CPU fan: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
HDDs: 8x WD Red 4TB NAS 5400 RPM

The problem with option one is that it has exactly 8 SATA ports, meaning I can't use an SSD for the OS. My problem with option two is that it's ~$200 more expensive than option one. So I suppose my main question (aside from the usual "Will it FreeNAS") is, is having the SSD worth the extra ~$200 + cost of the SSD? Would some sort of expansion card on the X11SSM-F-O to add an SSD be cheaper than jumping to the Xeon? (if so, what card do you recommend?) Or should I perhaps revisit the X10SL7-F, and just not worry about not being able to add more RAM? Do I need the power of the Xeon E5 to do 2+ plex transcodes at once, or is the i3 good enough?

Also, any pitfalls/obvious bonehead errors in either setup? If I end up including an SSD, what do you recommend? Will I need some more case fans for the Define R5? (if so, recommendations?)

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

 

[Ericloewe]

Would some sort of expansion card on the X11SSM-F-O to add an SSD be cheaper than jumping to the Xeon?

An LSI HBA would probably be cheaper.

(if so, what card do you recommend?

Check the hardware recommendations guide.

Do I need the power of the Xeon E5 to do 2+ plex transcodes at once, or is the i3 good enough?

Depends. 1080p should be fine, people say.

If I end up including an SSD, what do you recommend?

Cheapest SSD from either Toshiba, Intel, Samsung or SanDisk.

 

[Stux]

I would prioritize the 64GB ram cieling.

Just use a pair of USB boot devices.

 

[Dice]

Option 2 gives you humongously better upgrade possibilities due to the 512GB max RAM.
I would've checked in on that option.
Though, it also sort of implies you are at some point interested in adding another vdev or 2 with larger drives sooner or later.
I tell you, nothing sucks more than sitting back with a problems indicating low RAM and ...you already maxed out.

 

[SweetAndLow]

Don't get a dual processors CPU. Get a single, it will be cheaper and better. I'm referring to option 2 which is the best option to choose.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[Dice]

Another upside of option 2 - in a couple of years you'll find stupidly fast CPU's on ebay for cheap, when data centers renews their gear. Your suggested option 1 does not have quite the remotely comparable leverage in that regard.

 

[thedirtmerchant]

FYI, I got my X11SSL-CF from Serversdirect.com for just over $300