New NAS/Homelab

Tim Norris · February 3

Hello I'm newish to having an actual home lab. I've got a Ubiquity DMP for my edge router in there and want to set up a NAS in there also using TrueNAS Scale. I've been looking at this for years. I want a bunch of storage so I can store my files and all of that, and since this has been a dream of mine for years, I want to do it a bit overkill

Rosewill RSV-L4000U 4U is the case I already have (it was a Christmas Gift )

I've been trying to determine processor and mobo, but I'm now suffering from too many options

Needs: low noise (it is near my sleeping area with no wall between)

Future expansion of storage and drive replacement. (I want a RAID 5 or 6 at least, and I know I need to start my pool with that many drives (5 or 6)

Reliability l

Wants

SPP+ (figure I will need a PCIE card for that, and will get it from eBay used) some SPF interfaces (DAC or Fibre but run is short, just internal to the case.)

I would love ECC DDR5, but DDR5 makes more sense to me since DDR4 is heading EOL so it will go up in the future due to supply

Motherboard that has some SATA 6 connectors or enough M.2 so I can use M.2 to SATA adapters. And possibly have a separate drive for the OS/ Configuration.

A multi core processor of mid to higher tier.

I think I've settled on a 8700G for the processor, low power built in graphics and an AI chip if it gets added. I can't find a supported mobo that has 2/3 PCIE slots and/or enough m.2 to use an m.2 to SATA, and supports the processor/RAM.

The processor seems perfect to me for a Homelab, but I don't see any motherboard manufacturers doing any for it in that space.

Does anyone else see anything I've missed or have any suggestions.

Noise is the biggest potential issue, so I will possibly underclock it for heat, will get some quiet CMR drives, and a over spec power supply (thinking 750 to 1000 watt) so it can stay fan off when not needed due to efficiency.

Bersella AI · February 4

A pretty decent setup! It seems you are still concerning on RAM, motherboard & noise, and here are my considerations:

Whether or not ECC exists would not affect TrueNAS or the ZFS file system to work properly. Also, DDR5 memory has native implementation of ECC. As for the capacity, 32 GB would be decent in favor of "a bit overkill".
Since this chassis is capable of an ATX board, any 600-series board would fit pretty well. Major X670 ATX boards are shipped with 8 SATA ports and more PCIe/M.2 slots, although they may require a BIOS upgrade before installing Ryzen 8700G, as well as premier costs.
Quiet fans would be preferred in favor of noises. Arctic & Noctua fans are good candidates for this, with varieties in lowest RPM, airflow and noise levels. This chassis requires at least two 12cm & two 8cm fans to be cooled. Also, be aware that the less fans & hard drives are installed, the quieter would this server work.