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Gimli, a NAS build by Shaqalac.

Shaqalac
By Shaqalac
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Gimli, a NAS build.

UBJKB6G.jpg

 

Introduction:

So for a long time I've wanted a NAS. In fact I started my research back in October, where LTT member Rekhyt helped me out with a lot with answering many questions, so a big thanks to him as well as a couple of Reddit users!

The name Gilmi is of course from Lord of the Rings but it fits my intentions for this NAS build pretty good as well. I want to build a small, sturdy and yet very powerful NAS to handle all my media files. Hopefully my final result will be beautiful enough to show it off.

 

Parts list:

Future purchases:

  • PSU cables: Short cable to keep it nice and clean. Crossed this item over as I want to make my own custom length cables.
  • Mini SAS to SATA: Mini SAS to SATA cable with single sleeved cables. Will probably just sleeve my own one.
  • Noise dampening foam: be quiet! Noise Absorber kit or SilverStone SF01. Some research here on LTT showed that the noise dampening foam was pretty much a waste of money.
  • PSU cables: Short cable to keep it nice and clean. Crossed this item over as I want to make my own custom length cables.
  • SSD for OS: I have had some stability issues with the USB stick, so to reduce this problem I will replace the USB with a SSD. Moved to the parts list.
  • Sleeving: MDPC-X.
  • Sleeving tools: Pin-remover.

 

Pictures:

All upcoming pictures will be added to this album.

 

Updates:

I will keep this post updated so you don't have to look around for it.

  • Update #1: Noctua, Noctua and Noctua.
  • Update #2: Another weekend, another update.
  • Update #3: Gimli's brain arrived, a small portion of it at least.
  • Update #4: Thoughts on OS, RAID setup and future improvements.
  • Update #5: Family photo. Smile!
  • Update #6: ST45SF-G unboxing and a small problem.
  • Update #7: Unboxing, assembly and a scary cooler mount.
  • Update #8: The most b-e-a-utiful case I've ever seen!
  • Update #9: It's almost a complete NAS.
  • Update #10: It is finally complete, for now at least.
  • Update #11: Debian, one of the longest installations and a settlement on the sleeving.
  • Update #12: Flash the M1015 they said, it would be easy they said. They were all lying.
  • Update #13: Replacing parts before it even works, part 1.

 

 

I can't wait to get started but for now I have to wait until all the parts have arrived.

 

Feedback and suggestions is more than welcome!

 

Thanks to coolkingler1 for the awesome picture. It gave me a good laugh! :D

 

Cheers Shaqalac.

NAS build log: Gimli, a NAS build by Shaqalac.

Mechanical keyboards: Ducky Mini YotH - Ducky Mini

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Update #1: Noctua, Noctua and Noctua.

 

Just some pictures of the parts that have arrived so far. I'm going to keep as much of it in the boxes until I'm building the actual NAS, to keep it all as clean as possible.

 

Might get some nice single sleeved cables in the future but to begin with these will do the job just fine.

S48Q5k1.jpg?1

 

Each cable is labelled which should make it easier to keep track of the HDDs.

DYo8V4D.jpg?1

 

My first Noctua products and I've only heard, read and watched good things about them, so I can't wait to test them out!

TDdWcAI.jpg?1

 

NH-L9i. What else to expect from Noctua? The packaging is excellent, it shines of high end product.

M6c3uLV.jpg?1

 

NF-F12. This will be in the top and acting as an exhaust fan. Not sure if this is the smartest pick for an exhaust fan but it's Linus's favourite so I had to try it out. Should it turn out to be a really bad fan for exhaust I will swap it out later on.9noBLRy.jpg?1

 

NF-A14. This will be the front fan an act as intake to keep all the drives cool, hopefully.

21xRVCL.jpg?1

NAS build log: Gimli, a NAS build by Shaqalac.

Mechanical keyboards: Ducky Mini YotH - Ducky Mini

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Looking like a cool NAS I am subbed :)

CPU Ryzen 5 Asrock B350 Pro 4 / MSI RX580 Gaming / RAM 16 Gigs Corsair Vengeance 3000 / HDD 1TB Seagate Barracuda / SSD Samsung 840 120GB / 500GB Samsung SSD / Case Urban S31 / PSU EVGA G2 750w / Os Windows 10 / Keyboard Corsair K70 / Mouse Razer Naga 2013 (Won it from Linus!!

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The NF-F12 is actually a static pressure optimized fan, it will run a bit noisier than the NF-S12, which is a more airflow and quiet optimized fan but you can use the low noise adapter included to make the F12 quiet.

 

I have 2 x NF-F12's and they are surprisingly not that loud at full speed, so they will be quite quiet using the low noise adapter.

i5-4570 I CM Hyper 212 Evo I Corsair XMS3 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3 RAM I Asus H87M-Pro I MSI R9-280X Twin Frozr I
Plextor M5S 128GB SSD I WD Blue 500GB HDD I Vantec Voltra 550W I Antec GX700 Modded I 

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If noise-to-performance was the worry, it'd probably be a better idea to go for the NF-A12S, over NF-A12 or NF-F12. For a NAS, I really doubt you get it THAT hot, so might as well go for low noise fans, that are fairly good at airflow as well. (especially when running with the NH-L9i, which is relatively noise-free.. relatively)

 

All in all, if you already have ordered/received the fans you're going to use, no need to swap for more AF-optimized fans..

"Hidden optical drive, crouching PC-builder."

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The NF-F12 is actually a static pressure optimized fan, it will run a bit noisier than the NF-S12, which is a more airflow and quiet optimized fan but you can use the low noise adapter included to make the F12 quiet.

 

I have 2 x NF-F12's and they are surprisingly not that loud at full speed, so they will be quite quiet using the low noise adapter.

I'm well aware that the NF-F12 is a static pressure optimized fan and would probably perform better in front of a drive cage or a radiator. Like I mentioned I do wanted to try it out, so we'll see how it turns out and as you mention I could use the low noise adapter as well.

 

If noise-to-performance was the worry, it'd probably be a better idea to go for the NF-A12S, over NF-A12 or NF-F12. For a NAS, I really doubt you get it THAT hot, so might as well go for low noise fans, that are fairly good at airflow as well. (especially when running with the NH-L9i, which is relatively noise-free.. relatively)

 

All in all, if you already have ordered/received the fans you're going to use, no need to swap for more AF-optimized fans..

As shown in the pictures, I've already received all my fans for the build and I have no intentions of returning it. I can't imagine that the stock Lian-Li fans would be any better than a Noctua fan. Like I mentioned in update #1, if the fan turns out to be a bad decision I'll move the NF-F12 to my desktop and order a new one for better airflow.

 

In the end, you're probably right that a NF-S12A would have been a better solution.

NAS build log: Gimli, a NAS build by Shaqalac.

Mechanical keyboards: Ducky Mini YotH - Ducky Mini

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Got to love Noctuas packing 

| Contact Information |
My Teamspeak : Austs1.gameservers.com:9334  |  Steam: Iamtictac456  |  My other aliases include Scruffy and Scruffy Biggems :)
 
 
 

 

 

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Got to love Noctuas packing 

Indeed, I really blew me away the way the NH-L9i was packed, with cut outs for everything from the cooler itself to the screws!

 

 

Just ordered a pair of dust proof microfiber gloves so I'll be able to handle the Q25B without leaving fingerprints all over the place.

NAS build log: Gimli, a NAS build by Shaqalac.

Mechanical keyboards: Ducky Mini YotH - Ducky Mini

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Indeed, I really blew me away the way the NH-L9i was packed, with cut outs for everything from the cooler itself to the screws!

 

 

Just ordered a pair of dust proof microfiber gloves so I'll be able to handle the Q25B without leaving fingerprints all over the place.

good idea 

| Contact Information |
My Teamspeak : Austs1.gameservers.com:9334  |  Steam: Iamtictac456  |  My other aliases include Scruffy and Scruffy Biggems :)
 
 
 

 

 

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Update #2: Another weekend, another update.

 

So most of the parts have now arrived. Only things I miss, to complete the build at least, are the CPU and the gloves. I have receive an email on both items that they should be on the way. The CPU will most likely arrive Monday or Tuesday as it is shipped from a Danish retailer. When the gloves arrive is pretty much unknown, probably within the next week or two.

 

Like the last update, you will only get pictures of the boxes, except from the controller as it would be a pretty boring picture of a grey/brown box.

 

SeaGate NAS HDD 4TB x 4.

Only unwrapped one of them so you were able to get a look at it. For now it will stay in the bubblewrap, I'll have some fun with it later.

HyofuT0.jpg?1

 

IBM ServeRAID M1015.

The controller that will be handling up to 8 drives. This is definitely the one part that had the longest delivery time. I ordered this back in November and just got it this week. At least it got through the toll without any problems.

Q782sie.jpg?1

 

Lian-Li PC-Q25B.

One of the things I'm most excited about in this build.

cAkJmUh.jpg?1

 

Lian-Li PC-Q25B.

I haven't had it out of the box yet, afraid to leaving fingerprints on it. So I haven't seen more of the case than you can see on this picture. Those gloves better arrive soon!

amsVZwx.jpg?1

 

Kingston HyperX Black 1 x 4GB.

Not much to say, it matches the colour scheme of the motherboard.

3YbSIZs.jpg?1

 

MSI B85I.

I'm actually a bit unsure on the placement of the different port on the motherboard. We'll see how it turns out once I get it installed in the Q25B.

wibDrU8.jpg?1

 

SilverStone SFX ST45SF-G.

I had to open this one to take a look of how small it is. The box is almost the same size as my current Corsair PSU, it's amazing they could pack so much power into such a small case.

AcnavIu.jpg?1

 

 

Last and certainly not least a HUGE thanks to all of you who have subscribed, it makes this project/build a whole lot more fun to do!

 

Feel free to leave feedback and suggestions.

NAS build log: Gimli, a NAS build by Shaqalac.

Mechanical keyboards: Ducky Mini YotH - Ducky Mini

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Looks cool subbed

Rig CPU Intel i5 3570K at 4.2 GHz - MB MSI Z77A-GD55 - RAM Kingston 8GB 1600 mhz - GPU XFX 7870 Double D - Keyboard Logitech G710+

Case Corsair 600T - Storage Intel 330 120GB, WD Blue 1TB - CPU Cooler Noctua NH-D14 - Displays Dell U2312HM, Asus VS228, Acer AL1715

 

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Misleading title, I thought of Gimli of Lord of the Rings.

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Misleading title, I thought of Gimli of Lord of the Rings.

The name Gilmi is of course from Lord of the Rings but it fits my intentions for this NAS build pretty good as well. I want to build a small, sturdy and yet very powerful NAS to handle all my media files. Hopefully my final result will be beautiful enough to show it off.

Just the name of the NAS. If you expected a picture of Gimli I'm sorry I let you down.

NAS build log: Gimli, a NAS build by Shaqalac.

Mechanical keyboards: Ducky Mini YotH - Ducky Mini

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Just the name of the NAS. If you expected a picture of Gimli I'm sorry I let you down.

 

 

 

No problem.

UBJKB6G.jpg

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Would be epic if the build was ended with a custom gimli-artwork painted on it. (and his axe)

"Hidden optical drive, crouching PC-builder."

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Liking what I see so far, that packaging of the Noctua heatsink though. So classy, like an expensive watch.

phanteks enthoo pro | intel i5 4690k | noctua nh-d14 | msi z97 gaming 5 | 16gb crucial ballistix tactical | msi gtx970 4G OC  | adata sp900

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Would be epic if the build was ended with a custom gimli-artwork painted on it. (and his axe)

I'm not a huge fan of painted cases, I like the clean aesthetics, which is why I went with the Lian-Li. I'll try to come up with a Gimli reference though.

 

Liking what I see so far, that packaging of the Noctua heatsink though. So classy, like an expensive watch.

It's mind blowing the amount of attention that went into the packaging. At $60 it should look like an expensive watch.

NAS build log: Gimli, a NAS build by Shaqalac.

Mechanical keyboards: Ducky Mini YotH - Ducky Mini

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I'm not a huge fan of painted cases, I like the clean aesthetics, which is why I went with the Lian-Li. I'll try to come up with a Gimli reference though.

 

 

I was thinking silhouette-style, not detailed, colored, art.. just black on gray or something of the likes 

"Hidden optical drive, crouching PC-builder."

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I was thinking silhouette-style, not detailed, colored, art.. just black on gray or something of the likes 

If it was proper made, then this is not a bad idea at all.

 

When I'm getting to the actual building I'll try to come up with some ideas or where yours could be used.

NAS build log: Gimli, a NAS build by Shaqalac.

Mechanical keyboards: Ducky Mini YotH - Ducky Mini

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This will propably outperform my Raspberry Pi nas by quite a bit :D Very interesting build, keep updating :)

|OscillosC Build|+ Raspberry Pi [NAS] + Another G5 + Personal + HTPC: Asus Z87-A - Intel Core i5 4670K @ 4.5ghz 1.15v - Noctua NH-D14 - Gigabyte Radeon HD7870 OC @ 1170mhz core- Kingston HyperX 8gb 1600mhz CL9 - Samsung 840 PRO 128Gb SSD for Windows- Kingston V300 120gb for Ubuntu- WD Caviar Black 1Tb For games and programs - WD Caviar Green 2Tb For videos, photos, music, and backups- Seasonic P660 XP2 Platinum - Windows 8.1 PRO - Ubuntu 14.04 - Modded Bitfenix Ghost

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This will propably outperform my Raspberry Pi nas by quite a bit :D Very interesting build, keep updating :)

Yeah I saw your thread of your penis Pi NAS.

It probably will and I sure hope it does compared to what I've been paying :D

 

I'm planning on buying a Pi at some point with Rasbmc to act HTPC until I'll get a proper HTPC.

NAS build log: Gimli, a NAS build by Shaqalac.

Mechanical keyboards: Ducky Mini YotH - Ducky Mini

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