looking for System on a Chip

[99guspuppet]

I am looking for an SOC ( system on a chip ) based module to act as server hardware for the ServerOS “FreeNAS”. The SOC would have one or more processors suitable for NAS ( Network Attached Storage ) functions. The Processors could be ARM based or X86 based. The module would have >= 8GB of ECC RAM and >=1GB of Flash. The module would have the following interfaces ==> Gbit Ethernet , USB 3.0 , SATA , boot interface ….. I do not require video , keyboard , mouse, audio , …… Lower cost is desired. Power usage is not an issue. It is okay if a fan is required. Size of module is not an issue.

My apologies if this question has been answered before or is incredibly ignorant. Just point me to the answer.
#SOCFreeNAS

 

[cyberjock]

First, ARM is out of the question. There is no version of FreeNAS for ARM architecture.

Second, there is no SoC that I'm aware of that meets the minimum requirements. You'll find that very hard pressed considering the CPU and memory needs of FreeNAS. SoC usually is for extremely low power and low memory needs... neither of which FreeNAS really is.

You're literally asking for something like a Raspberry Pi with MUCH more powerful hardware and MUCH more RAM, not to mention hardware that is compatible.

So... "good luck"?

I wouldn't even try to look as the cost for such a SoC solution is no doubt going to be *extremely* expensive.

 

[Robert Smith]

The SoC would cost a few cents on a manufacturing scale, but you need to put a million plus dollars into development, first.

 

[enemy85]

Well...few cents...i don't think so!

 

[Ericloewe]

Even the closest thing (the mythical Intel Core SoC they've been promising for a two years now) would require a substantial motherboard and (most likely) external RAM.

You simply cannot make a single chip large enough to handle all you're looking for without yields dropping (both on the dies and the interconnects between the various components of the SoC). Ask again in 3 years and the answer may be different.

 

[kleinem]

Well if you are looking for an x86 alternative to a Raspberry, take a look at Intel NUC.
But don't expect it to be suitable for FreeNAS...

 

[messerchmidt]

the closest thing is the athlon 5350 on an asus am1 board (AM1M-A) as it allegedly supports ecc, but no one has been able to verify same. you will probably need an intel nic. Accordingly it is better to be safe and go the intel atom solution

 

[soulwise]

I have such a system but no ECC support and it's not a SOC. Running just fine for my needs, perfectly stable for a few months now. FreeNAS 9.2.1.8, Own cloud, PLEX and Transmission plugins, all running.
Config in my signature.

 

[pjc]

If what you're looking for is low power consumption, there's the E3-1220L V2, which only uses 17W max (at 2.3GHz!).

But any appreciable amount of ECC RAM will pull a fair chunk of power, as will your drives, which will need fans, which also consume power.

Given the intended purpose of FreeNAS, SoC is a solution in search of a problem. You need server-grade hardware, which is a lot more power-efficient than it used to be, but obviously won't compare to an embedded device. (Well, maybe in 5 years.)

 

[Ericloewe]

If what you're looking for is low power consumption, there's the E3-1220L V2, which only uses 17W max (at 2.3GHz!).

But any appreciable amount of ECC RAM will pull a fair chunk of power, as will your drives, which will need fans, which also consume power.

Given the intended purpose of FreeNAS, SoC is a solution in search of a problem. You need server-grade hardware, which is a lot more power-efficient than it used to be, but obviously won't compare to an embedded device. (Well, maybe in 5 years.)

Low-power processors don't use less power for the same workload (well, Core M processors will, since they're physically different). They just work less to stay within thermal constraints.

 

[pjc]

Right, I'm just pointing out that you can get quite a bit of workload with modern processors with very little (maximum) power consumption. When I first looked at building a real server, there wasn't any way to build one under 100W with 4 drives unless I got an embedded appliance. Now it's pretty easy, and I can even idle at 120W with 16 drives without too much trouble.

Far higher than SoC, of course, but you're not going to get the necessary workload with those systems.

In general higher clockspeed will help power consumption under light loads, since you'll race to sleep faster. As I recall the V3 of the chip has 4 cores, but a lower max clock speed, and a higher max TDP. But it's a newer architecture, so it might still come out ahead in terms of light-usage power consumption.