First PC: Networked Storage Device

[fpoyfnc]

Hi, I am aiming to build a remotely-accessible PC and would appreciate any insight into my hardware specs

 

Budget: ~$500 USD

Country: US

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: TrueNas CORE (Time Machine backup), remote development server, git repository, media server

Other details: Will be run headless (no peripherals / monitor)

 

I envision running TrueNas CORE with a Time Machine block to backup my Mac, a Debian VM for remote VSCode development, and media server. The system must be reliable so that the data are not corrupted / lost.

 

Based of the recent Building a $500 Intel Gaming PC - 2023 video from May 2023, I am currently considering the following (see: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/yj9ZxH):

• AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor
  • 6 Cores enables dedicated cores for VMs vs 2 core intel i3
• MSI A520M-A PRO Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard
• Kingston Fury Renegade RGB 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory
  • Potential to add 2nd stick in future; can replace for up to 64 gb
• 2 x Western Digital Blue 4 TB 3.5" 5400 RPM Internal Hard Drive
  • "server-grade" disks
  • RAID 1 mirroring
  • main storage for next 5-10 years?
• Kingston NV2 250 GB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive
  • Boot drive
  • caching?

 

LTT also recommended:

• DIYPC F2 MicroATX Mini Tower Case
• Thermaltake Smart 500 W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply

 

1. Many have casted doubts on the reliability of the PSU; should I be concerned, and if so, can you recommend an alternate? I believe 312W is sufficient for these components.

2. Is there a bigger / better case that can accommodate all of the drives with adequate ventilation?

3. Alternate HDD recommendations?

4. Is it possible to use the boot drive as a fast SSD cache? Will I need to partition the drive?

5. Any other advice / warnings?

 

Thanks!

[filpo]

Just now, fpoyfnc said:

Many have casted doubts on the reliability of the PSU; should I be concerned, and if so, can you recommend an alternate? I believe 312W is sufficient for these components.

It's not amazing and for the price you can get better 

Just now, fpoyfnc said:

Is there a bigger / better case that can accommodate all of the drives with adequate ventilation?

Yes

 

1 minute ago, fpoyfnc said:

Alternate HDD recommendations?

These 

Seagate EXOS Enterprise 4 TB 3.5" 7200 RPM Internal Hard Drive (ST4000NM0035) - PCPartPicker

Or these 

Seagate BarraCuda 4 TB 3.5" 5400 RPM Internal Hard Drive (ST4000DM004) - PCPartPicker

2 minutes ago, fpoyfnc said:

Is it possible to use the boot drive as a fast SSD cache?

Yes

 

2 minutes ago, fpoyfnc said:

Will I need to partition the drive?

No

 

2 minutes ago, fpoyfnc said:

Any other advice / warnings?

Your build's decent but the 5600x doesn't have an igpu and that nv2 is a terrible ssd

Go for this build instead 

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/skQ2Fs

CPU: Intel Core i3-12100 3.3 GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($114.99 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: ASRock B660M Pro RS Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($94.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Silicon Power GAMING 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($29.97 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 500 GB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($34.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Seagate BarraCuda 4 TB 3.5" 5400 RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($67.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Seagate BarraCuda 4 TB 3.5" 5400 RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($67.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Deepcool MATREXX 40 MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($44.99 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GX2 600 W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply  ($64.98 @ Amazon) 
Total: $520.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-08-04 04:04 EDT-0400

[SorryBella]

3 hours ago, fpoyfnc said:

media server

Live transcoded to your phone/TV or do you want this to just be a source server with 2nd system as a head transcoder? Because if its the former im more inclined with @filpo but without running an SMR drive.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i3-12100 3.3 GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($114.99 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: ASRock B660M Pro RS Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($94.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Silicon Power GAMING 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($29.97 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Silicon Power P34A60 512 GB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($22.97 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Seagate EXOS Enterprise 4 TB 3.5" 7200 RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($65.00 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Seagate EXOS Enterprise 4 TB 3.5" 7200 RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($65.00 @ Amazon) 
Case: Fractal Design Core 2300 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($66.45 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GX2 600 W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply  ($64.98 @ Amazon) 
Total: $524.35
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-08-04 07:23 EDT-0400

[Peter_The_Ent]

I would recommend having a separate drive for cache, because cache drives are re-written a lot and you do not want your boot drive failing, because if your cache drive fails you will just see a performance hit, but if your boot drive fails then you will see a system failure and might have to completely re-do the system. Also, if you are doing things like video editing then I would recommend having a drive (or raid array) dedicated to rough storage and one for finished work.