What do you guys think of the SuperMicro Server?

[Member]

Hi:
I am trying to find a suitable server for Freenas; I will be backing up two Macs and two Windows PCs and possibly streaming media.

I was wondering if this server is good for running Freenas and if the RAID card is compatible (flashing to IT mode?).

Specs:

• Chassis - 825TQ-560LPB
• Motherboard - SuperMicro X7DBE+
• CPU(s) - Two quad core Intel Xeon E5420 - 8 Cores Total
• Hard Drive(s) - 8x Western Digital WD1000FYPS-01ZKB0 1TB - 8TB total
• Memory - 32GB - 8x 4GB SuperTalent T667FB2G4 DDR2 667MHz PC5300 ECC FB or similar
• RAID - 3ware Controller 9650SE-8LPML
• BBU - No
• Form Factor - 2U
• Drive Bays: 8x 3.5" Hot-swap drive bays
• Power Supply - 1x Supermicro PWS-561-1H Power Supply - 560W (+1 empty bay)
• Face Color - Black
• Dimensions (WxDxH): 16.7 x 25.6 x 3.5 inch

Is this overkill?

Thanks?

 

[Ericloewe]

Fully-Buffered RAM? You'll really want something more modern. Power consumption will be through the roof.

 

[Arwen]

Yes, something more modern.

For example, that system board uses DDR-2 memory. DDR-3 has been
out for at least 4 years. In fact, DDR-4 memory was recently released.

Also, why 1TB drives?

People are saying that the sweet spot is somewhat larger. I don't know off
hand what size that is. I selected the largest available, but one generation
back, 4TB. That hopefully reduces any risk for "cutting edge".

 

[Member]

Fully-Buffered RAM? You'll really want something more modern. Power consumption will be through the roof.

High TDP? Older technology right?
Ah ok. I have a budget of around $800 CAD. Are i3's powerful enough for video transcribing?
What components do you recommend?

Thanks

 

[Member]

Yes, something more modern.

For example, that system board uses DDR-2 memory. DDR-3 has been
out for at least 4 years. In fact, DDR-4 memory was recently released.

Also, why 1TB drives?

People are saying that the sweet spot is somewhat larger. I don't know off
hand what size that is. I selected the largest available, but one generation
back, 4TB. That hopefully reduces any risk for "cutting edge".

Ok, something more modern; I have a budget of around $800 CAD. So do you have any recommendations for parts?
Yea, higher capacity drives would probably be better in the long run. WD Reds 3TB drive?

Thanks

 

[Member]

I am planning to buy RAM used.
Something like this: Samsung 16 GB DDR3-1066Mhz ECC

Is there anywhere else I could save some money?

Thanks

 

[Ericloewe]

DDR-3 has been out for at least 4 years.

Closer to 7, if memory serves me right (no pun intended).

Are i3's powerful enough for video transcribing?

Transcoding, you mean? Yes, as long as you don't overdo it. Two streams seems reasonably within an i3's capabilities.

Something like this: Samsung 16 GB DDR3-1066Mhz ECC

That specific RAM won't work with any i3s or Xeon E3s (except for E3 v5, which isn't even out yet). You need unbuffered DIMMs.

 

[Member]

Closer to 7, if memory serves me right (no pun intended).



Transcoding, you mean? Yes, as long as you don't overdo it. Two streams seems reasonably within an i3's capabilities.



That specific RAM won't work with any i3s or Xeon E3s (except for E3 v5, which isn't even out yet). You need unbuffered DIMMs.

Yes, meant transcoding. So two HD Plex streams running simultaneously would be ok. And what about jails and plugins? Would I need a Xeon?

Ah, ok so unbuffered DIMMs.

Thanks a lot

 

[Ericloewe]

And what about jails and plugins? Would I need a Xeon?

No, unless you want to go absolutely crazy with jails.

 

[Member]

No, unless you want to go absolutely crazy with jails.

Ok.

here's my planned build, bit over my budget:

CPU: Intel i3 4150
Motherboard: Supermicro MBD-X10SLL-F-O
RAM: Crucial 16 GB 2x8 ECC unbuffered
Storage: WD RED 4TB 3x
Case?
Power Supply?

Where can i save money?

 

[Darren Myers]

Save money...huh, that's a pretty good question....FreeNAS isnt really for skimping on. How many hdds? A single 4TB hdd? You can always pick up a 1366 socket board, the supermicro X8 series, but they can be power hungry as well, unless you go with a E or L series Xeon, but then theres DDR3 to buy still

 

[Member]

Save money...huh, that's a pretty good question....FreeNAS isnt really for skimping on. How many hdds? A single 4TB hdd? You can always pick up a 1366 socket board, the supermicro X8 series, but they can be power hungry as well, unless you go with a E or L series Xeon, but then theres DDR3 to buy still

Yea, I agree. I was thinking 3x4 TB drives in RAIDZ2. How many usable space will I get?
What parts can I buy used?

What do you suggest for the case and PSU?

Could I go with like LGA 1155 or 2011?

 

[Darren Myers]

Yea, I agree. I was thinking 3x4 TB drives in RAIDZ2. How many usable space will I get?
What parts can I buy used?

What do you suggest for the case and PSU?

RAIDz2 requires a minimum of 4 harddrives, if you go with 4 (the min) youd have 6.2Tb usable (theres some overhead and meta data stuff), that is the 80% amount of which it should be filled too. If its going to be older harddrives, it'll be from ebay, i dont have links atm, there are dual socket mobo's out there for 150$ or so. You only need 1 CPU to get it up and running.

 

[Member]

RAIDz2 requires a minimum of 4 harddrives, if you go with 4 (the min) youd have 6.2Tb usable (theres some overhead and meta data stuff), that is the 80% amount of which it should be filled too. If its going to be older harddrives, it'll be from ebay, i dont have links atm, there are dual socket mobo's out there for 150$ or so. You only need 1 CPU to get it up and running.

Okay, what socket?
What drive configuration do you suggset? 4x2TB?

 

[cyberjock]

Nobody said this, but your 3ware controller is not appropriate for FreeNAS. I had that exact controller. It should not be used. I ended up buying and selling it at a loss. :(

 

[Nick2253]

If you only have 4 hard drives, you should use mirroring and striping (RAID10 in normal parlance), not RAIDZ2.

Do you really need to do Plex transcoding? Or is that one of those "nice to have" features? We also haven't talked about how much data you need. You mention backing up a couple PCs. Are we talking 1TB? Less? More?

I honestly don't know how you're going to do this on your budget. With a budget of $800CAD, I would look at a system like the following:

• Pentium G3250 ~$75
• ASRock H87WS-DL ~$130
• Crucial 16GB ECC ~$190
• Case ~$50
• PSU ~$50
• WD Red 3TB x2 ~$140 each

That brings us to $775. If you cut the memory in half, you might be able to squeeze in another HDD. Though that's the best NAS drive for your buck. Everything else is more expensive per GB.

If I were in your shoes, I'd start saving up some more, until you get around $1200CAD. At that point, you'd barely be able to put together a system, but you'd at least be able to do it. At this point, you really can't put anything together that you'd be proud of.

 

[rogerh]

If you only have 4 hard drives, you should use mirroring and striping (RAID10 in normal parlance), not RAIDZ2.

As someone who made the opposite choice I think there are arguments either way on that, depending on priorities.

 

[Ericloewe]

In most cases, RAIDZ2 is plenty fast and is a bit safer.

 

[Member]

-snip




I was trying to lower some costs, but I could go over 800 CAD (MAX around $1300 CAD)
I have 2 Macs and 2 Windows PC.
The first Mac has many photos and videos and the second one has important work files. I was thinking of using Time Machine backup in the APF shares configuration.
My desktop has around 200 GB of games, 100 Gb of videos, and around 50 GB of photos. My laptop has very little things on it.
So, I was thinking of getting 4x3TB drives in RaidZ2; that would give me two drives for parity which translates into 6TB of usable storage. That config. should suffice.

Yes, I will probably only need a Pentium or an i3. Which i3 is recommended?

I am able to spend more on the system, but still trying to keep some costs low.
Something like this would be great.
i3-4170 Dual-core 3.7GHz LGA1150
Supermicro MBD-X10SLL-F-O
Crucial 16GB (2x8GB) ECC
WD Red NAS 3TB
Seasonic SRR-550RM 550W
Old case

 

[Nick2253]

@Member - FYI, You're missing a close "quote" in your last post.

As far as which i3, it's really up to you.

The biggest difference between Pentium and i3 is that i3 has hyperthreading, whereas the Pentium doesn't. The performance benefits from hyperthreading are highly sensitive to use case.

With only four drives, you can probably get away with a smaller PSU. Seasonic is a great brand, so I would stick with that. Don't scrimp on your PSU, but you could probably save some money there.

Otherwise, that looks great to me. If you can afford that as-is, I say go for it.