BUILD Need confirmation before buying parts please.

[lmannyr]

Home server for 3 desktops, 2 laptops, 3 iphones, 2 ipads, plex and ripping/transcoding DVD/Blu-Ray in the background, stores all videos and photos. Last for hopefully 10 years.

Server build - Parts List (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Hv24bv)

Case - Fractal f4 or f5 -
F4 Blackout - NewEGG $89
F5 Blackout - NewEgg $120


MB - Supermicro X10SL7-F
NewEGG $235

CPU - Xeon E3-1231v3
NewEGG $255

RAM - 32GB
Cruicial (ct2kit102472bd160b) 4 X 8GB $280

HD
WD Red 4TB x8 $150ea

PS
SeaSonic 450W 80+ Gold $53


Boot
2X16GB San Disk Cruzer Fit 2.0

 

[DrKK]

CPU sounds like it might be massive overkill. But other than that, what you've listed looks fine. Based on what you're saying, I think one of the i3's (which support ECC, by the way) gives you better value.

I assume $280 is for *TWO* kits of the RAM (which I believe is 2x8GB sticks)?

As for PSU recommendations, people get all pissy about that for some reason. Most of these guys have a ridiculous insistence upon Seasonic PSU's.

That being said, this looks like it's on sale, and would be excellent: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151139&ignorebbr=1

Boot devices: I think almost everyone here recommends that you use either a PAIR of good quality low-profile USB thumb drives, or a 64GB SSD. If the former, we all tend to recommend Sandisk Cruzer Fit 2.0, or Sandisk Ultra Fit, 2 piece at 16GB. If the latter, almost anything is fine--the el cheapo Samsung, or Sandisk, standard SSD.

 

[lmannyr]

DrKK,

Thanks for the reply. As for the XEON overpower... I don' want to build another machine for 10 years. Will the overpower help with future FREENAS upgrades and bigger movies over plex etc...?

For the Boot USB. You recommend 2 16GB of ether Sandisk Cruzer Fit 2.0 or Sandisk Ultra Fit?

the pcpartspicker is calculating about 288 watts. Will the 450W PSU be overworked at 50% load? Thanks.

 

[lmannyr]

For the Fractal Case r5, which 140mm fans is recommended to add and how many? Thanks

 

[DrKK]

I don' want to build another machine for 10 years

That's not realistic. You can't reliably future-proof out to ten years in something like the computer industry, sir. We can't predict what will be needed or necessary ten years hence. Ten years ago it was 2005. In 2005, an Intel Merom processor in a laptop seemed like it would be able to start World War III with its power, and 2GB of RAM seemed absolutely insane, with no conceivable reason that you would want it. Now it's a joke.

If your goal is to buy something that is going to be sufficiently spec'ed to be your NAS for over 5 years, and maybe 10, then I think you're fine both with your Xeon, and with the i3 that I recommend. After, it is a server, not a gaming box. Since I don't see you describing anything you are doing that would suggest you need a Xeon over an i3, then I would still recommend an i3. Newegg has an i3-4170 for $120 right now, and, provided your motherboard has the updated Bios, that should be fine. (The i3-4130, I believe, is guaranteed to be fine with all Bioses). This is a substantial (SUBSTANTIAL) savings over the Xeon.

As for the fans, fans are not a big issue in a spacious case with FreeNAS. You would probably be fine with whatever comes with the case. In any case, you can evaluate that later, and also add the fans later if you find you need them.

 

[lmannyr]

DrKK,

I appreciate your reply. Thanks for taking the time to post. What would make the need for a Xeon on a home server? Will the 450W PSU be sufficient? Thanks.

 

[Jailer]

What would make the need for a Xeon on a home server?

Plex serving multiple clients.

 

[DrKK]

Plex serving multiple clients.

well, even worse than that.

You'd have to have multiple clients, *AT THE SAME TIME*, all of whom required substantial *HD* transcoding and heinous Lanczos resizes (or codec->codec transcodings that had heinous complexity).

When I ran Plex, I did not require *ANY* transcoding, for example, so you want to make sure you actually need that.

I think it's safe to say that many of the guys on here *MASSIVELY* over-spec their CPU's for their use cases. As soon as someone mentions "Plex", then everyone says Xeon Xeon Xeon Xeon. I think there's a lot of wasted money. Some of those guys might need it, but I think the vast majority do not.

I streamed 3 or 4 Plex videos simultaneously on a G3220 ($50) and it barely registered on the CPU. There is a tendency among techie/computer guys to badly over-spec what they fundamentally need. Hot swap cages, Xeons, enterprise-class drives, SSD's for booting, etc. I guess it's part of being a tech guy that people tend to want awesome stuff. But for me, putting a Xeon in your build, as you've described, literally will offer no discernible benefit for you. You will literally not notice the difference between that, and an i3. So you will have wasted, what, $150+? I literally think that there isn't a single thing you're going to be doing where you will even notice one cent of value from the extra money you blow on a Xeon. Of course I don't know everything abotu what you're planning to do, but that's the way I see it from what you've said.

 

[DrKK]

And in any case, if I'm wrong, it's quite a simple matter to sell the i3 for $80 (taking a $35 loss or whatever), and buy the Xeon.

But, I'm not wrong.

 

[DrKK]

One caveat: "ripping", if by which you mean taking some VOBs and making a mp4 with something like Handbrake, then yes, obviously *THAT* will be WAY faster on the Xeon. But are you really going to be doing that? Who rips videos on their FreeNAS?

 

[DrKK]

DrKK,

Thanks for the reply. As for the XEON overpower... I don' want to build another machine for 10 years. Will the overpower help with future FREENAS upgrades and bigger movies over plex etc...?

For the Boot USB. You recommend 2 16GB of ether Sandisk Cruzer Fit 2.0 or Sandisk Ultra Fit?

the pcpartspicker is calculating about 288 watts. Will the 450W PSU be overworked at 50% load? Thanks.

This build will be NOWHERE even REMOTELY near 288 watts. That's a vast overestimate. If you stick with the Xeon, you're more in the 100-150W range, even when the thing is coring hard.

 

[lmannyr]

On the fence between WD 4TB RED Intelli power (5400rpm) and HGST 4 TB (7200). Thoughts?

 

[lmannyr]

This build will be NOWHERE even REMOTELY near 288 watts. That's a vast overestimate. If you stick with the Xeon, you're more in the 100-150W range, even when the thing is coring hard.

Thanks for that reply.

 

[lmannyr]

One caveat: "ripping", if by which you mean taking some VOBs and making a mp4 with something like Handbrake, then yes, obviously *THAT* will be WAY faster on the Xeon. But are you really going to be doing that? Who rips videos on their FreeNAS?

Yes, that is what I meant sorry for the confusion.

I hate the slow downs of ripping movies in the background on the desktop. So thought I could maybe run a batch of several movies at a time off the FREENAS. BAD IDEA???

 

[lmannyr]

Is this the correct model SanDisk?
SDCZ33-016G-A46

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...SDCZ33-016G-A46_-_16GB-_-20-171-766-_-Product

 

[Jailer]

One caveat: "ripping", if by which you mean taking some VOBs and making a mp4 with something like Handbrake, then yes, obviously *THAT* will be WAY faster on the Xeon. But are you really going to be doing that? Who rips videos on their FreeNAS?

Rip on the desktop to a cifs share, transcode in a Virtualbox VM with the transcoded files saved in their destination directory. I do it frequently.

 

[DrKK]

Is this the correct model SanDisk?
SDCZ33-016G-A46

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...SDCZ33-016G-A46_-_16GB-_-20-171-766-_-Product

Yes, except, I wouldn't suggest you buy it from that ghetto-ass 3rd party seller. Buy it directly from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005FYNSZA/?tag=ozlp-20

 

[lmannyr]

Perfect. Thanks. ALL parts are on order. Is there a FREE NAS install for dummies sticky around here somewhere? lol

 

[DrKK]

Perfect. Thanks. ALL parts are on order. Is there a FREE NAS install for dummies sticky around here somewhere? lol

There actually is. I wrote one that is quite popular.

I'll see if I can find the link.

 

[DrKK]

There actually is. I wrote one that is quite popular.

https://forums.freenas.org/index.ph...guration-for-small-freenas-deployments.27062/

That should meet your needs, brother.