Threadripper 1920x and general noob questions

anonyj

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I'm new to FreeNAS, read most of the documentation, but still confused when it comes to selecting the right hardware. I have stumbled upon an offer for a
- AMD Threadripper 1920x
- Asrock X399 Taichi Socket TR4

I suppose these are good for a FreeNAS build for domestic usage, but I'd really like an opinion from the expert for the compatibility of these items.

I was wondering too if I needed a gpu to run this build, since the threadripper doesn't have integrated graphics.
Also, I'd really like to use ECC ram for this build, but only if truly compatible - there is this module Kingston Ktd-pe424e (https://www.amazon.com/Kingston-16-GB-DDR4-2400-MHz-ECC-Module/dp/B071S24N83/) that seems nice, but it doesn't appear in the list of the officially supported ram by the mobo (you can find it here). Is it supported? If not, which ram module should I go for that preferibly is available in Europe? Also, do you recommend ECC over NON-ECC?

I wanted my nas to be not more than 8 disk in size, all SATA. Are there any particular problems in choosing SATA over SAS? There are 8 sata ports on the mobo, so there shouldn't be any problem, right?

Sorry if I sound panicked, but the world of server hardware is kind of different from the consumer one I was used to. Thank you in advance.
 

Chris Moore

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- AMD Threadripper 1920x
- Asrock X399 Taichi Socket TR4
One of the nice things about FreeNAS is that it doesn't need the latest components. You could go with something a generation or two older and save some cash.
I know that hardware availability in Europe is not what it is in the US, but you might look at picking up a used server board similar to this one:

It comes with all the key components including memory and a CPU, and you might be able to find an even better price with a little searching
 
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Hey, just a few quick thoughts:
  1. The FreeNAS community hardware recommendations guide is a very good resource for wrapping your head around the server hardware universe, even if it's not quite up to date. For older, used hardware (which is probably the universe you're going to be shopping in), the advice is still quite relevant.
  2. Folks in the forums have had success with Threadripper builds, but I'd start by asking you what your intended use is. For simple file storage, TR is overkill. You can often get by with a recent Celeron, Pentium, or i3 for those tasks, as long as you have sufficient RAM. Folks typically want more CPU horsepower if they're doing lots of Plex transcoding (here's a good guide to the the hardware requirements for that), but the 1920x is almost too much power even for that--it can do something like ten simultaneous 1080p transcodes, which is more than most people will ever need. Unless you know you need that power--like if you have a large collection of 4K HDR content you absolutely need to transcode--a less powerful, more efficient, cheaper CPU will do you just fine.
  3. A recurring problem with Ryzen and Threadripper builds is consumer board compatibility with ECC. Many of them say they support it, but in practice it's a little touch-and-go. If you do end up going with that AsRock I'd confirm with someone who owns that board that it'll boot with ECC memory installed and that the ECC actually functions. If you decide you don't want to go with ECC, any of the memory on the supported list should work fine.
  4. However, I'd suggest that you make sure your build does support ECC. Folks have had success with non-ECC builds without apocalyptic consequences (and the famed scrub of death scenario is basically a myth), but non-ECC RAM leaves a relatively big hole where there can be errors that compromise data on disk. If you're using FreeNAS--and thus ZFS--you're using an operating system that devotes a lot of resources to ensuring data integrity. It doesn't make a lot of sense to undermine those efforts by engineering a point of failure into your hardware. Plus, capable server hardware is often cheap enough on the used market that the relative expense of ECC memory hardly makes a difference in the total build cost.
  5. You will need a video card for that motherboard, but not quite for the reason you might think. Once your system's set up and running, you'll be able to configure everything you need to configure through the web UI from another computer on your network. For setting up the system, though, you'll need a video card to see what's going on, configure the BIOS, and control the installation. This is a big reason server boards are popular in the community--they often have what's called an IPMI on them, which is basically a little Raspberry Pi-type computer built into the motherboard that lets you remotely edit BIOS settings, view the board's video output, and mount installation media remotely. It's designed for remotely configuring server boards that never leave their racks, but it's also damn handy for home use, especially if you don't have a spare video card.
  6. It's perfectly fine to use SATA drives--I'd say almost everyone running a FreeNAS system at home does it. SAS cards work with SATA drives, and can be used just fine with FreeNAS. There are some controller limitations you're going to want to be aware of, but the FreeNAS hardware guide I linked up above should be helpful with that.
If I were you, I'd pass on that Threadripper combo. Read the hardware guide, get a little bit more acquainted with the world of server hardware, and gauge what your needs are in the CPU department. If I had to guess, the right pick for you is probably going to be a Xeon E3 processor with a Supermicro X10 or X11 board, but a lot depends on your local market. Let us know what you're intending this build to do and we can absolutely provide some more feedback to help you pick some stuff that's more suited to your needs.
 

Chris Moore

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I was wondering too if I needed a gpu to run this build, since the threadripper doesn't have integrated graphics.
The FreeNAS local display is only text, so a sophisticated display is not needed, but you will need a little video capability to get the system setup. Most of the configuration of the system is done remotely once the system is on the network.
Also, do you recommend ECC over NON-ECC?
ECC is the best option for long-term reliability of the system.
Sorry if I sound panicked, but the world of server hardware is kind of different from the consumer one I was used to. Thank you in advance.
Please feel free to ask as many questions as you need. Plenty of people here to help.
 

Apollo

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I have 2 Threadripper builds, one 1900X running Freenas and my 2950X which is my personal PC running Window 10.
Both are running on the ASROCK Taichi X399 and both are using ECC.
Both system are using the following memories:

Kingston ValueRAM 16GB DDR4 2400 (PC4 19200) Server Memory Model KVR24E17D8/16

I don't think there is going to be memory compatibility issues because they conform to standard JEDEC specs.
Where it becomes more sketchy is when people are trying to push their system by overclocking the memory.

Since BIOS 3.80, ASROCK seems to have introduced support for 32GB per memory modules, but I couldn't get an official about the maximum capacity, it may be possible to reach 256GB RAM total.

The only drawback I find with the Threadripper is the lack for IPMI which is really useful to have as it allows you to turn your system on if it were to shutdown.
 

anonyj

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Thank you all for your answers and kindness. I know that in the FreeNAS there I soft spot for supermicro boards, but I'd like to go with something in-between consumer and server, for the eventuality I decide to repurpose the same hardware for other kind of setup (workstations, etc.). Also I'm spending 410€ for the CPU+mobo combo, so it's quite cheap for used products still in warranty.

The only drawback I find with the Threadripper is the lack for IPMI which is really useful to have as it allows you to turn your system on if it were to shutdown.

The ipmi lack isn't compensated by the presence of wake-on-lan? With a quick search I didn't find any problem with it working with FreeNAS.

Since BIOS 3.80, ASROCK seems to have introduced support for 32GB per memory modules, but I couldn't get an official about the maximum capacity, it may be possible to reach 256GB RAM total.

That's good to know, the specs sheet says that only 64gb are supported, do you confirm that or you didn't try to put in more than this amount of ram? Anyway, I don't plan to build a machine that uses more than that amount of RAM, but it would be very nice to know that the supports more than that.

Both are using: Kingston ValueRAM 16GB DDR4 2400 (PC4 19200) Server Memory Model KVR24E17D8/16

That's good to know, thanks. Also these too https://it.crucial.com/ita/it/x399-taichi/CT11003327 CT16G4WFD8266 seem to compatible, since it's simple UDIMM ECC ram.



The FreeNAS local display is only text, so a sophisticated display is not needed, but you will need a little video capability to get the system setup.

Yeah, and about that, are there cards incompatible with freenas, or I can just stick a gt 1030 or 710 in it and it will work?
 

Apollo

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The ipmi lack isn't compensated by the presence of wake-on-lan? With a quick search I didn't find any problem with it working with FreeNAS.
I never tried.


That's good to know, the specs sheet says that only 64gb are supported, do you confirm that or you didn't try to put in more than this amount of ram? Anyway, I don't plan to build a machine that uses more than that amount of RAM, but it would be very nice to know that the supports more than that.
When Treadripper came out, our IT guy got a hand on the 1950X and had it populated with 128GB RAM, so I now it works.
My 1900X has 80GB and my 2950X 64GB.
Just curious where you got the specs?


That's good to know, thanks. Also these too https://it.crucial.com/ita/it/x399-taichi/CT11003327 CT16G4WFD8266 seem to compatible, since it's simple UDIMM ECC ram.
UDIMM ECC as in Unbuffered ECC is what you have to get, so this is good.

Yeah, and about that, are there cards incompatible with freenas, or I can just stick a gt 1030 or 710 in it and it will work?
I don't think there are any incompatibilities. I think the gt 1030 would be overkill and the 710 should be just fine and cheapper too.
The video card isn't used by current version of Freenas other than rendering the CLI console.
However, I seem to have read there is plan to provide GPU access to VM or Jails such as making Plex do GPU accelerated work, but I could be mistaken.
 

Apollo

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You didn't referenced the "M" version in your post. The "M" version is a cheaper (stripped down) version of the X399 Taichi and as a result doesn't have all banks available, so yes, in this case the limit would be 64GB because you only have a total of 4 sticks (Dual banks) as opposed to 8 sticks or Quad Banks for the regular X399 Taichi.


So the question is, which Motherboard are you really getting?
 
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