Just completed my first FreeNAS build - ASRock Rack X470D4U & Ryzen 7, Antec P101 case

edge-case

Dabbler
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Nov 2, 2019
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After a few weeks of testing, it's ready to go with some real data.... :)

It will act as a main file repository, game storage, and media storage/server [via the official Plex plug-in], replacing a bunch of DAS units I previously used.
A secondary (smaller) FreeNAS that's almost finished will be looking after backups [of the main server, TimeMachine for Macs, backups for Windows PCs, etc..]

[The 10Gb NICs, DAC cables and switch arrived this week, so with single large files [e.g. a Windows 10 IOS of ~5 GiB] write transfers are now >750 MB/s, and reads >1.0 GB/s [my desktop has a 4 GB/s SSD].

System:
FreeNAS-11.2-U7
ASRock Rack X470D4U
Ryzen 7 1700
32 GiB ECC RAM : 2x Kingston KSM26ED8/16ME 16GB DDR4 2666
LSI 9211-8i 8-port 6Gb/s (IT-MODE) [purchased used from Ebay]
10Gtek X520-10G-1S-X8 - 10Gb NIC
Antec P101 Silent Case
Noctua NH-D15S CPU cooler
Seasonic Prime Gold 550W ATX PSU
6x WD Red (White Label) 8TiB drives. [with space for 2 more]

Running the drives as 3 mirrored pairs in a single storage pool.

10Gb switch - MicroTik CRS309-1G-8S+IN

Case is very large, but extremely functional, with loads of space and great cooling [3 x 120 mm inlet fans at front, and a 140 mm exhaust at the rear].
It's going to live in the corner of the basement, so size doesn't matter.

Photo with side panel removed. 2 of the 8 [3.5" HDD] slots are still open, as is the 5.25" at the top, and two empty 2.5" mounts on the other side of the motherboard bracket...
[Red light bleeding through at the bottom is from a Radeon VII gfx card in an open PC behind it.. ;-)]

IMG_2914.jpeg
 

edge-case

Dabbler
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Nov 2, 2019
Messages
28
Did you buy pro series CPU?
According to ASRock specifications, ECC is only supported with Ryzen Pro.
No, I wasn't able to find any at retail, however the ECC functionality is definitely working* on this board/RAM combo...
[*I'm actually RMAing the 2700 CPU based on the errors reported by MemTest86, and I and have a Ryzen 1700 in it's place right now. I created a seperate forum post on the topic].


Standard Ryzen processors [CPUs, but not the APUs] all have full ECC functionality, it's just not certified:

From the linked above:
Below is everything AMD had to say on the matter in their Reddit AMA.
ECC is not disabled. It works, but not validated for our consumer client platform.

Validated means run it through server/workstation grade testing. For the first Ryzen processors, focused on the prosumer/gaming market, this feature is enabled and working but not validated by AMD. You should not have issues creating a whitebox homelab or NAS with ECC memory enabled.

yes, if you enable ECC support in the BIOS so check with the MB feature list before you buy.
 
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andrwhmmer

Cadet
Joined
Jun 9, 2020
Messages
5
One Question concerning the NH-D15S and the X470D4U.

Are all RAM Slots usable, or are some blocked by the huge cooler?

Thanks!
 

andrwhmmer

Cadet
Joined
Jun 9, 2020
Messages
5
1592174249819.png
So I would say this is a classical case of how close am I to lose my ...
When fastened it makes slight contact with the DRAM Package, but nothing shorts out luckily and the whole thing works...
But damn cant we get 2mm more clearence from the RAM slots... *sigh*

The NH-D15S and the X470D4U do work together...
 

Ericloewe

Server Wrangler
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Feb 15, 2014
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Does Noctua's mounting solution force you to fit the cooler in that orientation, relative to the CPU? That bugs me a lot in a server.
 

andrwhmmer

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Jun 9, 2020
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It is not the mounting solution that dictates the orientation... It is again the sheer size. If one would change the orientation it would block 2(!) RAM Slots and would collide with the VRM cooling, so no way to do that... It annoys me too, but thermals are great.
 

Yorick

Wizard
Joined
Nov 4, 2018
Messages
1,912
According to ASRock specifications, ECC is only supported with Ryzen Pro.

Ryzen CPUs and Ryzen Pro APUs support ECC. The “Pro only” caveat is only for APUs.

How well that is implemented in BIOS is an ongoing concern, more around IPMI notifications. In testing (see elseThread), ECC on Ryzen worked and the OS could notify on bit errors.
 

Ericloewe

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It is not the mounting solution that dictates the orientation... It is again the sheer size. If one would change the orientation it would block 2(!) RAM Slots and would collide with the VRM cooling, so no way to do that... It annoys me too, but thermals are great.
Sure, but the smaller coolers, like the NH-D9L, might fit.
 

edge-case

Dabbler
Joined
Nov 2, 2019
Messages
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Does Noctua's mounting solution force you to fit the cooler in that orientation, relative to the CPU? That bugs me a lot in a server.
Sorry, just saw this.

Yes, since it's a server board, the socket is rotated 90 deg relative to a "normal" board, and the [Noctua] cooler has to be mounted in this orientation.

The clearance to RAM slots is OK for the primary two slots [I only have 2 DIMMs installed], but would like be tight to the 4th slot... image below
IMG_3522.jpeg
clearance to the
 

NickF

Guru
Joined
Jun 12, 2014
Messages
760
Why such a big cooler for a NAS?
To be clear, I have 2 of these, one of them is being used for FreeNAS and one for ESXI.
To be clear, this board has memory clearance issues with most coolers. I had to mod the stock coolers:
IMG_20200603_225656 (1).jpg
 

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andrwhmmer

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Jun 9, 2020
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I had mine already lying around, and my Ryzen 5 3600 actually enjoys every bit of cooling by turboing like crazy :D
 

pschatz100

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Mar 30, 2014
Messages
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Does Noctua's mounting solution force you to fit the cooler in that orientation, relative to the CPU? That bugs me a lot in a server.
I'm with @Ericloewe in this one. For tall server cases, I like consistent airflow front to back. I suspect a smaller cooler will still keep your CPU in an acceptable temperature range for the tasks you have identified.
 

Constantin

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May 19, 2017
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FWIW, I put a 120-50mm adapter on my stock embedded heat sink. I'd prefer a connection to the outside as a source for the air but that would require fab skills I don't have the time for right now. So it's sucking the air from inside the case and then I built a crude air shield out of cardboard to direct the air (and that of the other motherboard fans) into the single exhaust fan / hole in the back. Some day, I may build something better using plexiglass and plastic fasteners / glue.

Ideally, the box would be mis-shapen to increase air flow in critical areas, such as the HBA (it loves to run hot), the Optane module (42*C), and the CPU (32*C). Or a dedicated a blower to the CPU. The Supermicro shield didn't work for me at all.
 
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