Building a home server question.

[jchenabc]

Hi everyone,

Fist time posting here. I am a armature photographer, recently lost 20k photos due to a hard drive failure. :unsure: So I decided to get some kind of storage system.

I looked at NAS first. a basic 2 bay enclosure + 2 drive is well over $400. So I think I decided to build a second PC. Here is the list:

 

A10-5800K  --------  $110 (with a copy of SIMCITY )  cheap and free game. and ok graphic 

MSI FM2-A75IA-E53-------- $90    mini ITX board.   Not much ITX for AMD .. wtf.  This one got front panel USB 3.0 good with prodigy. 

WD RE4 1 TB -------------- $95   enterprise level  

Antec VP-450 450W -------------$38

Bitfenix prodigy----------------$80    Just love the case. Might move my main desktop to it in the future

8GB G.Skill 1833mHz 1 dim --------------$70   I was told a faster RAM for APU is better 

 

So the whole thing should cost under $500

I already place the order for prodigy. so mini ITX is a must. I want to use this machine for storage, and leave this machine at my job (super internet speed). I also want to use it as a torrent machine/ light work.

 

So here comes the question. What is the best choice for me ? set it up as a home server or put things like freeNAS in there or just regular PC ? I want some input/advise. I don't know much about this whole NAS/home server thing.

 

I am looking to add more drive in the future. RAW photo problem. 

 

Thanks so much ahead of time, and sorry for the long post  :D

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Elbstrand]

just for storage? you can probably get a much cheaper solution with a mainboard cpu combo

 

for instance a Gigabyte E350N

[jchenabc]

Will the CPU on board be efficient enough for some streaming and light computer use(office) ? and it could really cut down the cost !!! thanks 

[MJOLNITR VIPER]

Will the CPU on board be efficient enough for some streaming and light computer use(office) ? and it could really cut down the cost !!! thanks 

For light work you can get by with just an A6 or an Athlon x2

 

Forgot to mention: The prodigy can hold 5 drives so you can get 5 WD reds (Up to 3TB) and a cheap ssd as a boot drive, just leave the SSD on the bottom or something like that.

Edited June 23, 2013 by MJOLNITR VIPER

[WoodenMarker]

You could just get 2 drives in Raid 1 to be sure your data won't be gone (unless you're really unlucky)
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/19g9O

Also, a G1610 will be more than enough for streaming and light office use and you could do with 4gigs of ram. The mobo also has usb 3.0 headers.

[Elbstrand]

You could just get 2 drives in Raid 0 to be sure your data won't be gone (unless you're really unlucky)

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/19g9O

Also, a G1610 will be more than enough for streaming and light office use and you could do with 4gigs of ram. The mobo also has usb 3.0 headers.

 

I'm sure you meant raid 1

[WoodenMarker]

I'm sure you meant raid 1

Yes, yes--whoops. Thanks for the correction.

 

Edited the post.

[jchenabc]

Also, a G1610 will be more than enough for streaming and light office use and you could do with 4gigs of ram. The mobo also has usb 3.0 headers.

 

Just to clarify, the streaming here i am talking about here is stream media from this computer to my home computer. I heard it is quite cpu intensive.

Thanks for the system pick !  

[WoodenMarker]

Just to clarify, the streaming here i am talking about here is stream media from this computer to my home computer. I heard it is quite cpu intensive.

Thanks for the system pick !  

The G1610 should have no problem streaming 1080p media even while running other tasks like web browsing, office, etc.

[jchenabc]

I just place the order for the system. Here is the final list 

 

1x        Corsair Vengeance Blue 4GB DDR3 1600MHz              $33.99

1x        Intel Celeron G1610 2.60GHz                                          $42.99

1x        WD RE4 1TB Enterprise HD                                           $98.99

1x        ASUS Intel H77 P8H77-I                                                   $102.24

1x        Corsair CX430M 430W                                                    $46.74  with  $20 rebate 

1x        BitFenix Prodigy Atomic Orange                                      $80.98

 

 

Total under $400

 

pick the ASUS board because of the # of SATA ports. I want to add 4 RED drives in the future and set up a RAID 10. Can't wait !!! Thanks for all the help !

[Elbstrand]

I just place the order for the system. Here is the final list 

 

1x        Corsair Vengeance Blue 4GB DDR3 1600MHz              $33.99

1x        Intel Celeron G1610 2.60GHz                                          $42.99

1x        WD RE4 1TB Enterprise HD                                           $98.99

1x        ASUS Intel H77 P8H77-I                                                   $102.24

1x        Corsair CX430M 430W                                                    $46.74  with  $20 rebate 

1x        BitFenix Prodigy Atomic Orange                                      $80.98

 

 

Total under $400

 

pick the ASUS board because of the # of SATA ports. I want to add 4 RED drives in the future and set up a RAID 10. Can't wait !!! Thanks for all the help !

 

Looks good, will build something similar in the future.