LTT Storage Rankings

[overflowsc]

That case is very full

 

Not quite. Still 2 x 3.5" and 1 x 2.5" available

[Raboo]

Not quite. Still 2 x 3.5" and 1 x 2.5" available

What are you waiting for go get more drives 

[overflowsc]

What are you waiting for go get more drives 

 

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$             (and I don't really need more atm)

[alpenwasser]

- snip -

 

 

- snip -

Very nice machines, both of you!

Added to rankings, rank 16 for overflowsc and 25 for electrostatic

(side note: I've rounded electrostatic's capacity because we don't

count OS and cache drives, keeps the numbers a bit prettier).

[electrostatic]

That's a lot of drives in that case.

 

Nice build but how the hell are you getting these SSDs out?

 

It's pretty easy, the metal housing thingy the SSDs are mounted in is fastened to the case floor with a couple of screws.  

[electrostatic]

Can you fit any more drives in that case?

 

No, it's already holding more drives than it was designed for, thanks to the 4x3.5" drive housing that fits in the 5.25" bays.  It's a good thing the WD Reds run so quiet and cool.

[electrostatic]

 

 

Very nice machines, both of you!

Added to rankings, rank 16 for overflowsc and 25 for electrostatic

(side note: I've rounded electrostatic's capacity because we don't

count OS and cache drives, keeps the numbers a bit prettier).

 

Sounds good.  I've editied my post to clarify available server vs. OS/Application-reserved storage devices.

[stevv]

As long as it's in a dedicated storage machine...

I did not notice the "dedicated server" rule till you reorganized things a little while ago lol.

My own system before I posted had the RAID card and drives in my working/editing machine for over a year or two before I built my dedicated server.

I do wonder why that rule is there and if that rule is excluding good systems.

[IdeaStormer]

In the end its what you personally deem your computer/server to be, just because it does not meet the criterion here does not mean its not a file server, web server, game server, etc.

 

There's nothing keeping anyone from posting a build log stating its intention/use no matter what any definition exist out on the planet.

[alpenwasser]

I did not notice the "dedicated server" rule till you reorganized things a little while ago lol.

My own system before I posted had the RAID card and drives in my working/editing machine for over a year or two before I built my dedicated server.

I do wonder why that rule is there and if that rule is excluding good systems.

 

 

In the end its what you personally deem your computer/server to be, just because it does not meet the criterion here does not mean its not a file server, web server, game server, etc.

 

There's nothing keeping anyone from posting a build log stating its intention/use no matter what any definition exist out on the planet.

The "dedicated storage rig" rule is primarily in place so that

we don't have a ton of people posting their gaming setups which

just happen to have a few large HDDs slapped in, stuff like that.

I mean, the idea of this thread is that people who are specifically

interested in storage builds can come here and marvel at the glory

which the world of storage can be. If you happen to have a fancy

storage setup in a machine which you also happen to be using for

other stuff... grey area, blurry lines blabla (after all, the first

machine of mine which got onto this list fell precisely into that

category).

And in the end, it's not like we can verify this.

The most important rule is to stick to @looney's post template.

[Legion]

Just ordered a new 4tb drive back in the 10tb club

[stevv]

In the end its what you personally deem your computer/server to be, just because it does not meet the criterion here does not mean its not a file server, web server, game server, etc.

 

There's nothing keeping anyone from posting a build log stating its intention/use no matter what any definition exist out on the planet.

 

 

 

The "dedicated storage rig" rule is primarily in place so that

we don't have a ton of people posting their gaming setups which

just happen to have a few large HDDs slapped in, stuff like that.

I mean, the idea of this thread is that people who are specifically

interested in storage builds can come here and marvel at the glory

which the world of storage can be. If you happen to have a fancy

storage setup in a machine which you also happen to be using for

other stuff... grey area, blurry lines blabla (after all, the first

machine of mine which got onto this list fell precisely into that

category).

And in the end, it's not like we can verify this.

The most important rule is to stick to @looney's post template.

 

 

I take that a 2 to 1 reason that rule isn't needed  .  I don't have an issue with it being there, just wondering about the reasoning was.

[XYrZbest]

I am interested in building a storage rig but haven't decided on what specifically

 

I couple years back I considered getting a NAS, but then saw some people that took old PC's put a few large HDD's in them and put Free NAS on it and build it for about $200, but then thought about building a server, is it crucial that I use server hardware or should I just do my old computer NAS idea, i don't know much about server builds but I know alot about mid-range, high-end, and enthusiast pc builds.

 

thanks for the help I will be using this server to centralize my photo, movie, music collection, as well as backing up all the computers in the house, I estimate about 4-8TB's (Maybe 4TB WD Black's? in Raid 0, 1, or possibly 10)

[overflowsc]

is it crucial that I use server hardware or should I just do my old computer NAS idea

 

For what you'll do with it I would say no.

 

Another thing is, stay away from RAID0 when building a NAS. If you use RAID0 and that one of the drives in the array dies, you lose everything. 

 

If you have more questions or if you want more recommendations, i suggest creating another topic for it.

[alpenwasser]

I am interested in building a storage rig but haven't decided on what specifically

 

I couple years back I considered getting a NAS, but then saw some people that took old PC's put a few large HDD's in them and put Free NAS on it and build it for about $200, but then thought about building a server, is it crucial that I use server hardware or should I just do my old computer NAS idea, i don't know much about server builds but I know alot about mid-range, high-end, and enthusiast pc builds.

 

thanks for the help I will be using this server to centralize my photo, movie, music collection, as well as backing up all the computers in the house, I estimate about 4-8TB's (Maybe 4TB WD Black's? in Raid 0, 1, or possibly 10)

Whether to re-use your old PC parts, get some new consumer parts,

buy some used server parts, new server parts, or a prebuilt NAS

will depend on what you want from your setup, your budget, how

important your data is to you, what your backup plan is and many

other things. There isn't really one right answer (IMHO at least).

Each approach has its drawbacks and advantages. A prebuilt NAS

(say, a QNAP or Synology unit) is comparatively easy to set up

and use, and will usually be the most power efficient solution.

Building your own NAS has the advantage that you can use more

powerful hardware (often unnecessary though) and can tailor the

solution specifically to your needs. The main disadvantage is

that it's a lot more work (although if you're into that sort of

thing, that can be lots of fun). Not so much from a building

perspective, but more from the software side of things, doing

research and all that.

Another drawback is that when/if things go wrong you're on

your own, whereas with a prebuilt you have tech support to fall

back on (Synology's support is excellent according to the

stories I've read around here).

Also, as said above, I wouldn't recommend RAID0. RAID10 can

be a good compromise between speed and reliability though.

Aside from that, I'd say go with Seagate's NAS drives, or

WD Red or Se (depending on your budget and how important

speed is to you). Running desktop drives such as the Blacks

in a NAS (well, specifically, in a RAID setup) can have nasty

consequences as they lack TLER. I would also not necessarily

recommend getting the most expensive HDDs if you don't need

to, but instead get more cheaper drivese, and use the extras

as external backup drives, for example.

Anyway, feel free to create a new thread in the storage

section about this if you need more info.

[Graveworm]

Hi guys,

 

since a lot of people show off their cool rigs, I thought I'll share something...different and more "normal" with you guys.

I actually don't post logs but I am so amazed about this tiny, cool, silent case....I can't even tell. Such a perfect build quality. I am really amazed and I'm saying this cause I have the direct comparison with a Corsair Obsidian 250D in front of me. Lian Li really knows how to build perfect cases.

I am actually transferring from a Sharkoon Rebel9 Big Tower to this small machine, cause we moved into a new appartement where the internet connection is in the entrance so it needed to get as silent as possible and of course, smaller. Also it shouldn't look as bulky as a server normally looks like ;-)

 

Hardware:

CPU: Intel i3-540 on Prolimatech Samuel 17 with a Noctua NF-S12A PWM

RAM: 8GB 1333Mhz Corsair Value Select

Mainboard: Zotac H55-C-E mItx

OS SSD: 2x Samsung 840 Pro 256GB

RAID HDD: 4x 4TB WD Red

Backplane: Cremax Icy Dock MB154SP-B with a Noctua NF-R8 1800rpm

Raid Controller: LSI MegaRAID SAS 9260-4i

ODD: Random LG Drive

Case: Lian Li PC-Q35 silver with Premium King Mod from Caseking (noise dampened)

PSU: Seasonic S12II 330W with a Silverstone CP06 Sata Adapter

Miscellaneous: Noctua NF-S12B redux-700 as Top Exhaust, APC Smart UPS 500VA

 

Software and Configuration:
My server is running Windows Server 2012 Essential with Lights Out
My main array consists of 4x 4TB WD Red and 2x 256GB Samsung 840 Pro for C: and Backup

I use an APC UPS to keep the server safe and to avoid power loss. It is managed with Powerchute Software and shuts down after running 15 minutes on battery.

Usage:
I use it to Backup 20 clients in our household including Tablets, Smartphones, Notebooks, Workstations and of course also as the main media server for streaming to several webradios and HTPC's.

Photo's:

See my Gallery for Pictures.

 

 

I would like to hear your opinions and if you have any questions I'll answer it here.

Maybe someone gets inspired for his next Homeserver build :-)

 

 

Thx to Alpenwasser for making me recognize this cool thread...seems like I am not alone ;-)

[Raboo]

Hi guys,

 

since a lot of people show off their cool rigs, I thought I'll share something...different and more "normal" with you guys.

I actually don't post logs but I am so amazed about this tiny, cool, silent case....I can't even tell. Such a perfect build quality. I am really amazed and I'm saying this cause I have the direct comparison with a Corsair Obsidian 250D in front of me. Lian Li really knows how to build perfect cases.

I am actually transferring from a Sharkoon Rebel9 Big Tower to this small machine, cause we moved into a new appartement where the internet connection is in the entrance so it needed to get as silent as possible and of course, smaller. Also it shouldn't look as bulky as a server normally looks like ;-)

Very nice little Server

[Graveworm]

Very nice little Server

 

Thx Raboo

[alpenwasser]

- snip -

Added, welcome to the list.

[Zerreth]

Hardware

PSU: Be Quiet! System Power 7 300W

MOBO: MSI B85I

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150

RAM: Crucial Ballistix Tactical 8GB
SSD: OCZ Vertex 2
HDD 1: Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB
HDD 2: WD Green 2TB
HDD 3: WD Red 4TB
HDD 4: WD Red 4TB

 

Software, Configuration & Usage

 

It is running windows 8.1, mainly because I want maximum flexibility. It can be hooked up to a TV and do Steam in home streaming, serve as a 4K Media center, runs Plex and some game servers. The config excluding Hard Drives only cost me 280 euros and I'm very happy with it so far. Windows 8.0 had some quirks while a clean install of 8.1 worked flawlessly. For some reason the OCZ drive takes some time to boot up, causing the very fast UEFI post to not find it on first boot. (So it cannot find any OS). I cannot seem to delay/extend the post timeout on the MSI EUFI so I do not know an immediate solution to this. The 8GB may be a bit overkill, but with memory hungry game servers like Minecraft and the price gap being so small to the 4GB, I just went for it. I bought the 2 4TB green Drives with this config and the 2TB + 1.5TB drive I pulled from another NAS-like setup.

Photos
G+ Album: https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/+JeroenvanWamelen/albums/6029984719435052961

A while back I found this topic and I saw that one guy made a K'nex case. When making these kinds of builds I try to cut a lot of corners, and ITX cases seem way overpriced to me and don't suit my needs.
So usually I would mount these to a wooden board like this one:





But the K'nex idea seemed very cool so I busted my old K'nex out to build an enclosure myself. It's actually really cool ( But Time Consuming ) as you can build it in so many ways and prototype as you go along.
I didn't see MG2R's take on the K'nex thing, and looking at it now we made some very different builds

[alpenwasser]

- snip -

Very cool machine, awesome job on the cable management IMHO.

Welcome to the list!

[Raboo]

Hardware

PSU: Be Quiet! System Power 7 300W

MOBO: MSI B85I

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150

RAM: Crucial Ballistix Tactical 8GB

SSD: OCZ Vertex 2

HDD 1: Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB

HDD 2: WD Green 2TB

HDD 3: WD Red 4TB

HDD 4: WD Red 4TB

Very nice Server, I like the case a lot what is it?

[Zerreth]

Very nice Server, I like the case a lot what is it?

The old one was a frame out of a stupid cheap ITX case and the drive cage out of a HAF 932 mounted to a wooden board with duct tape.

The new one is just built out of K'Nex obviously

[Dr_Frankenstein]

Updated 11/09/2014 - Replaced a 3TB Seagate with a 4TB due to bad sectors

Updated 13/02/2015 - Replace another 3TB Seagate with a 4TB due to bad sectors

 

Hardware

Synology DS412+

PSU: 100W Power Brick

MOBO: Custom Synology Board

CPU: Intel Atom D2700 2.13Ghz Dual Core

RAM: 2GB Kingston DDR3
HDD 1: Seagate Barracuda 4TB (ST4000DM000)
HDD 2: Seagate Barracuda 4TB (ST4000DM000)
HDD 3: WD Purple 3TB (WD30PURX)
HDD 4: WD Purple 3TB (WD30PURX)
 

 

Software, Configuration & Usage

 

I have been using Synology Products since 2009, starting with a very slow 209j then a 211j, a 212+, and finally picking up this 412+ for about £300 on eBay.

 

I am now using Synology Hybrid RAID (RAID5) so out of the 14TB of drives I get around 10TB actual usable space, The majority of the time the NAS is used to stream media to my Intel Celeron NUC or to my OnePlus One using the DS Audio app when on my way to work during the week.

 

I have a 3 way backup scheme.

1. 3TB USB Drive for onsite weekly backups of everything but TV+Movies
2. 2TB of Baidu Cloudstorage where I keep monthly encrypted backups of photos and unencrypted music 
3. 500GB USB Offsite Backup where I do monthly backups of the most important files this is kept in a locked draw in a secure building with 24/7 security

The 412+ is a great device and the ATOM gives it the grunt to happily saturate my Gigabit network, it has had two hardware modifications, the first was the additional 1GB of RAM which is not officially supported, and I recently turned the two 90mm fans around meaning they suck air in from the rear of the chassis, this has meant less dust is getting into the NAS as before it was a dust magnet. 

Photos

[alpenwasser]

- snip -

Nice, now the official rankings have 50 entries.