HTPC/Gaming PC + NAS + Firewall + Router under the same build with Windows 10 and Virtual Machines ?

[Awman]

Hello

 

I want to build a HTPC/4K Gaming PC + NAS + Router + Firewall PC in the same...well build.
Is that possible doing what i'd like to do?
Are there any technical problems doing what i'll explain below?
Is there a better way to split the gear ? (i want at least 8 cores and 32gb for the gaming/htpc part for sure)

 

The build : 

3900X >>> 8 cores dedicated to the gaming part, 2 cores dedicated to the NAS part , 2 cores dedicated to the firewall part

64Gb DDR4 Crucial 3000Mhz @ 3600Mhz >>> 32gb will be dedicated to the HTPC/gaming install, 24gb to the NAS part, and 8gb to the firewall/router part

RTX3070 or RTX3080 (when available again)

Nvme for the OS + VM + some future games taking advantage of the future direct connection between GPU and nvme SSD for games

SSD 2tb for games

Multiples HDD (12 and 14tb)

One x540-T2 10gbps network card

One i350-T4 v2 1gbps networkd card

One 1gbps 10ports switch

No raid (i do'nt want/don't need to use raid)

Hopefully the least consumption possible when gaming/htpc is not use (and that only NAS and router/firewall are used) coz it will remain "on" 24/7.

 

1. Windows 10 Install > Will be used as HTPC and 4K Gaming platform

2. TrueNAS on a virtual machine  on that same Windows 10 install > Will be used to store my movies, series etc. and need to be accessible on the network for my other computers

3. pfsense firewall on a second virtual machine on that same Windows 10 install > need to protect all the PC that wil lbe conencted to that PC which would also act as a router (i plan to install a x540-Tx2 10gps card + one with 4x 1gbps + a switch connected to one of this port to extend the peripherals to connect (printer, TV, consoles etc.)

 

Thanks

 

 

[Pixel5]

On 5/1/2021 at 2:57 PM, Awman said:

Hopefully the least consumption possible when gaming/htpc is not use (and that only NAS and router/firewall are used) coz it will remain "on" 24/7.

this is the precise reason why people usually build a NAS to keep all the things running they want to have available at all times.

You cant have a high powered gaming PC that also is an efficient NAS at the same time.

 

You will need to decide if you want everything in one PC at the cost of a much higher power consumption or if you rather keep the powerconsumption low and run everything that should be always on on a separate low power system.

 

To make that choice its a good idea to find out how much your power costs and then calculating how much running a system like this would cost you per year.

 

For me a single watt of power consumed over an entire year will cost me 2,50€ so for example running your system there just at idle so with zero load on it for a year would easily cost me 250€ so a low power system pays for itself very quickly.

[Jarsky]

On 5/2/2021 at 12:57 AM, Awman said:

I want to build a HTPC/4K Gaming PC + NAS + Router + Firewall PC in the same...well build.

Keep in mind by virtualising your router + firewall, your network is dependant on these being on. If you want to turn the server off for maintenance then you take down your whole network. Its typically a better idea to keep your network separate for this reason. 

 

Personally I would keep your desktop as a Windows Gaming PC, and build a second system on some linux platform for your NAS/Router/Firewall if you really want to virtualize all of that. Windows requires constant updates for security and features, and occasional upgrades, so you will constantly be taking down your storage and network building on top of that. 

 

On 5/2/2021 at 12:57 AM, Awman said:

Is that possible doing what i'd like to do?
Are there any technical problems doing what i'll explain below?

Keep in mind some gaming anti-cheat software checks if you're running in a virtualised system, and they may not load a game. 

So you may not be able to play some of your games. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Awman]

33 minutes ago, Jarsky said:

Keep in mind by virtualising your router + firewall, your network is dependant on these being on. If you want to turn the server off for maintenance then you take down your whole network. Its typically a better idea to keep your network separate for this reason. 

 

Personally I would keep your desktop as a Windows Gaming PC, and build a second system on some linux platform for your NAS/Router/Firewall if you really want to virtualize all of that. Windows requires constant updates for security and features, and occasional upgrades, so you will constantly be taking down your storage and network building on top of that. 

 

Keep in mind some gaming anti-cheat software checks if you're running in a virtualised system, and they may not load a game. 

So you may not be able to play some of your games. 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Gamng section, as stated, the gaming part won't be on a virtual machine, it will be used on the windows 10 install directly. Only NAS and router/firewall would have been on virtual machines. So no risks with anti cheat and stuffs, right?

 

If i was thinking about going to an all in one living room PC (coz i got my own workstation/gaming PC but not in the living room) is purely from a monetary perspective, as having all in one would have allow me to save around 600€ (the cost of a separate nas/firewall with the components i'd like)

[CerealExperimentsLain]

2 hours ago, Jarsky said:

Keep in mind by virtualising your router + firewall, your network is dependant on these being on. If you want to turn the server off for maintenance then you take down your whole network. Its typically a better idea to keep your network separate for this reason. 

Yeah this makes one box the single point of failure for multiple systems.  If you have a problem with this all-in-one machine, now you need to hotspot off your phone to research how to even fix it, because that box took your nearly all your technology infrastructure down with it.

I use pfSense but it's a separate discrete machine and it's nice to even have it separate from my switches, with the pfSense box offline, I can still access my NAS or other computers as the switches/wifi AP are still running, all I lost was internet and DHCP.

[Jarsky]

5 hours ago, Awman said:

About the Gamng section, as stated, the gaming part won't be on a virtual machine, it will be used on the windows 10 install directly. Only NAS and router/firewall would have been on virtual machines. So no risks with anti cheat and stuffs, right?

OK yeah if you're running it on the bare metal Windows then that won't be a problem

 

5 hours ago, Awman said:

If i was thinking about going to an all in one living room PC (coz i got my own workstation/gaming PC but not in the living room) is purely from a monetary perspective, as having all in one would have allow me to save around 600€ (the cost of a separate nas/firewall with the components i'd like)

Do you really require to run a custom router/firewall? Are you considering pfSense? 

There are appliances by the likes of Netgate you can get which run pfSense, then you can run it on its own dedicated appliance hardware. 

Theres also other brands like Ubiquiti EdgeRouters and Microtik RouterBoard (RB) ranges that are pretty affordable with decent hardware and security functionality.