Components for a NAS

[martward]

Hi everyone,

I am thinking of building a NAS (probably running freenas) somewhere in the near future. I will probably use it for filesharing on my local network, and maybe set up things like a team speak server or something like that.

Now I was wondering what would be better, using a processor like the g3258 (which I still have laying around somewhere), or to use old xeons (like the E5405 for instance).

Will it really make a difference for a small server with at most 3-4 users? Buildings a machine with two CPUs seems like an awesome idea, but it's kind of a waste for the g3258 in the shoebox under my desk.

Thanks

[Stardar1]

A cheap AMD CPU such as this:http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-sd2650jahmbox do best. it has an integrated GPU for output, as well as a very low TDP. 

 

A cheap motherboard with high quality drives with 4GB RAM finish it off

[TheGhzGuy]

Hi everyone,

I am thinking of building a NAS (probably running freenas) somewhere in the near future. I will probably use it for filesharing on my local network, and maybe set up things like a team speak server or something like that.

Now I was wondering what would be better, using a processor like the g3258 (which I still have laying around somewhere), or to use old xeons (like the E5405 for instance).

Will it really make a difference for a small server with at most 3-4 users? Buildings a machine with two CPUs seems like an awesome idea, but it's kind of a waste for the g3258 in the shoebox under my desk.

Thanks

Look at it this way, the Xeons will use more power and have more issues building with.

 

The Pentium will use less power and have fewer issues overall. Plus you can get a M-ITX and have, literally, a shoebox

[martward]

A cheap AMD CPU such as this:http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-sd2650jahmbox do best. it has an integrated GPU for output, as well as a very low TDP. 

 

A cheap motherboard with high quality drives with 4GB RAM finish it off

Why would I choose this one over the g3258? The g3258 had as many cores, support for ecc, integrated graphics and it's faster.

[Stardar1]

Why would I choose this one over the g3258? The g3258 had as many cores, support for ecc, integrated graphics and it's faster.

Price, heat. 

 

If you would prefer a Pentium the G3220 is a better option, both because of price and heat. 

 

Heat is an issue for NASs because of noise. 

[martward]

Look at it this way, the Xeons will use more power and have more issues building with.

 

The Pentium will use less power and have fewer issues overall. Plus you can get a M-ITX and have, literally, a shoebox

So you don't think having 2 cores instead of 8 will be a problem? I'm really not sure what I would need, especially when I see what lmg puts in their servers .

[TheGhzGuy]

So you don't think having 2 cores instead of 8 will be a problem? I'm really not sure what I would need, especially when I see what lmg puts in their servers .

What files to you intend to be putting through this (2, much more powerful cores, keep this in mind)

[GDRRiley]

So you don't think having 2 cores instead of 8 will be a problem? I'm really not sure what I would need, especially when I see what lmg puts in their servers .

IT will be fine unless you render videos on it.  and LMG are for a business not a home setting. 

[martward]

What files to you intend to be putting through this (2, much more powerful cores, keep this in mind)

Well let's of small ones (python scripts etcetera) and occasionally very large datasets. And of course movies and stuff. I don't think I will be running programs off it (except maybe team speak) though.

[martward]

Price, heat. 

 

If you would prefer a Pentium the G3220 is a better option, both because of price and heat. 

 

Heat is an issue for NASs because of noise.

I'm really not that concerned about the noise, since it will never be able to make more noise than my PC which is standing next to me on my desk, so if I don't need many cores I might as well go with a CPU I already have and which supports ecc memory. But thanks for your answers

[Necrodead]

I just picked up an AMD a4 6300 dual core for a NAS system. It was only $25CAD and I got a mobo with 8 sata ports for $60. I don't think you really need any performance for file transferring as HDD's are still the bottleneck. I don't have the right drives to do any RAID right now, but that may speed up transfer. mobos for intel platforms that have more than 4 sataIII ports are way more expensive. 

[TheGhzGuy]

Well let's of small ones (python scripts etcetera) and occasionally very large datasets. And of course movies and stuff. I don't think I will be running programs off it (except maybe team speak) though.

You should be fine.

[Captain_WD]

~snip~

 

Hey there martward,

 

The guys gave you some really good advice. I would add that you should first check the requirements of the OS that you are going to use. Then check similar builds and see what parts have people used and some feedback from them. Regarding the storage I will advise you to use NAS/RAID-class drives as they have additional features such as TLER that enables them to work much smoother and safer with lower chances of corrupting the data. WD Red is an example of such drive: http://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=yYrTOv

 

Feel free to ask if you happen to have questions Post back whenever you are done with some photos.

 

Captain_WD.