BUILD Synology DS415+ Nas killer for same price ~$600

[Zorin1]

I am thinking about building a FreeNas server. I am look for at least a 5 bay small form factor cases. I would like to boot off a small SSD, looking to put in around four 3 /4 TB drives. Is it possible to build the server without the SSD and HDs for $600? I might want to put Plex on it and be able to do one transcoding on it. I would also like for it to be low power if possible.

I have tried to pick out the components and have given up. I'm about to give up trying and that is why I have come here for help. If I can't build something for around $600, then I may as well just by the Synology DS415+. I really hope someone can help me.

 

[danb35]

See Dell T20 or Lenovo TS140. Add RAM and you're good to go.

 

[Robert Trevellyan]

The base model T20 is currently $179 on dell.com.

 

[Zorin1]

See Dell T20 or Lenovo TS140. Add RAM and you're good to go.

I like the T20 except that it only supports 4 drive because it only had 4 sata ports.

 

[danb35]

So use a USB stick for the OS.

 

[Robert Trevellyan]

I like the T20 except that it only supports 4 drive because it only had 4 sata ports.

It's designed to accommodate up to two 2.5" drives in addition to four 3.5" drives, which lets you install an SSD boot device if you want to. You just have to add a suitable HBA.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkDhNT7PbOw

 

[religiouslyconfused]

For HBA card, you can use the IBM ServeRaid M1015 flashed to IT mode. That card is not too expensive, and works well with FreeNAS once flashed to IT mode where instructions are on this forum.

 

[religiouslyconfused]

So use a USB stick for the OS.

Or two.

 

[Robert Trevellyan]

For HBA card, you can use the IBM ServeRaid M1015 flashed to IT mode.

True, but since the case only accommodated 6 drives, it's somewhat of an overkill solution.

 

[religiouslyconfused]

I have read that SYBA cards also work with freenas.

 

[Zorin1]

I have read that SYBA cards also work with freenas.

Great that is good to know. I think that I am about to buy the T20. I thought about it last night and I think that I will populate it with four 4TB drives. I was thinking about getting an SSD but not sure how big of a drive I should get. I would like for Plex to put it temp files on that drive. I am still trying to figure out how all the jail stuff works. I am thinking that I might have to play with it to understand it. I was thinking that I would like the Plex to have only read access to the media files. I read a post so where, where someone got into this guys NAS and wiped out all his files. Not sure if this will be a problem for me since I don't intend to open it up to the outside. But I never know when my son might delete something by mistake. So I like to take precautions.

 

[religiouslyconfused]

Rocket 640L is a great option if you want a cheap card for FreeNAS and you can get one for very cheap.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816115114

You can even get it on eBay for even less than the price on Newegg!

 

[nightshade00013]

Here is the thing about budget cheapo cards, they will work till they don't. The recommendation to use HBA cards are there for a reason. If you want to trust your data to a 15 or 20 dollar card by all means do so but if you are sinking money into a system so that you can protect your data it's not the wisest idea.

And a raid card is not a HBA, FreeNAS plus raid = pulling a linustechtips.

 

[Robert Trevellyan]

Fair enough, but the Rocket 640L is not a RAID card. It will do RAID0 or RAID1 if you insist, but by default it is a straight-through HBA and plays nicely with SMART in FreeNAS. Besides, in the T20 you would only use it (or the PEXSAT32 that Dell lists as an accessory for the T20) for your 2.5" drive(s), which would be your boot device. An M1015 would indeed be overkill in a T20.

 

[Zorin1]

I went ahead and bought the T20, also bought 32 gigs of ECC memory. More than what I think that I need.

 

[RichTJ99]

Which CPU did you get?

 

[Robert Trevellyan]

also bought 32 gigs of ECC memory

You won't regret this.

 

[Zorin1]

Which CPU did you get?

Pentium G3220 @ 3GHz, I went on the cheap side. I could not get Dell to make me a T20 with the Xeon with a barebone system. I did not want the hard drive or the memory since it was not ECC.