Critique first NAS build

tsegreto · September 2, 2017

I am planning on building my first NAS running in RAID 5, the primary uses of the NAS are going to be PLEX (transcoding needed), torrenting (Transmission), SAMBA, nightly back ups with Apple Time Machine, FTP server, and I would like to have the option to run a VM.

I was originally going to buy a Synology DS916+ but it seems the transcoding for 1080 might be lacking and 4k would be nonexistent.

Questions:

Would the CPU's on board graphics be enough for my application?
Am I going to need a RAID controller?
Do my hardware choices seem sound/compatible? Last time I built a computer was in 2008.
(1) 16GB DDR4 ECC RAM or 2x8? I might want to expand to 32GB later
What are my OS options? What is recommended?
Am I missing anything?
What brand of hard drives are recommend? I am currently looking at WD Red 4TB.
Should I include a Cache SSD?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Xeon E3-1245 V5 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($281.05 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-L9i 33.8 CFM CPU Cooler ($39.15 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock - E3C236D2I Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($236.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston - ValueRAM 16GB (1 x 16GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($158.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Lian-Li - PC-Q25B Mini ITX Tower Case ($105.98 @ B&H)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G2 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($85.98 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Noctua - NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($19.11 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Noctua - NF-A14 PWM 82.5 CFM 140mm Fan ($21.05 @ Newegg)
Total: $947.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-01 20:56 EDT-0400

LienusLateTips · September 2, 2017

Xeons do not have on board graphics. Also, perhaps Epyc/Ryzen/Threadripper? (Ryzen and Threadripper are repurposed server products)

tsegreto · September 2, 2017

1 minute ago, JDE said:

Xeons do not have on board graphics. Also, perhaps Epyc/Ryzen/Threadripper? (Ryzen and Threadripper are repurposed server products)

I was under the impression that the E3-1245 v5 was the E3-1230 with on board graphics? Am I mistaken?

ARikozuM · September 2, 2017

You should look into used parts. You can pick up old Xeon hexa-cores and their boards for about $300 on Ebay. How many users are you targeting (endpoints)? How many disks will you need? Will it be tower or rack? Do you have a backup planned?

LienusLateTips · September 2, 2017

Just now, tsegreto said:

I was under the impression that the E3-1245 v5 was the E3-1230 with on board graphics? Am I mistaken?

All Xeons don't have on board

LienusLateTips · September 2, 2017

Just now, ARikozuM said:

You should look into used parts. You can pick up old Xeon hexa-cores and their boards for about $300 on Ebay. How many users are you targeting (endpoints)? How many disks will you need? Will it be tower or rack? Do you have a backup planned?

"thumbs up, 20 times"

ARikozuM · September 2, 2017

2 minutes ago, JDE said:

Xeons do not have on board graphics. Also, perhaps Epyc/Ryzen/Threadripper? (Ryzen and Threadripper are repurposed server products)

The 1245 has onboard graphics.

LienusLateTips · September 2, 2017

Just now, ARikozuM said:

The 1245 has onboard graphics.

welp

i'm having a brainfart today

ARikozuM · September 2, 2017

Just now, JDE said:

i'm having a brainfart today

I noticed. #BurnHeal

79wjd · September 2, 2017

16 minutes ago, JDE said:

Xeons do not have on board graphics. Also, perhaps Epyc/Ryzen/Threadripper? (Ryzen and Threadripper are repurposed server products)

The 1245 does.

@tsegreto A lot of server motherboards have onboard video chipsets (so you don't need to waste money buying a 1245 over a 1231.

18 minutes ago, tsegreto said:

Questions:

Would the CPU's on board graphics be enough for my application?

Am I going to need a RAID controller?

Do my hardware choices seem sound/compatible? Last time I built a computer was in 2008.

(1) 16GB DDR4 ECC RAM or 2x8? I might want to expand to 32GB later

What are my OS options? What is recommended?

Am I missing anything?

What brand of hard drives are recommend? I am currently looking at WD Red 4TB.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Xeon E3-1245 V5 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($281.05 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-L9i 33.8 CFM CPU Cooler ($39.15 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock - E3C236D2I Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($236.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston - ValueRAM 16GB (1 x 16GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($158.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Lian-Li - PC-Q25B Mini ITX Tower Case ($105.98 @ B&H)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G2 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($85.98 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Noctua - NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($19.11 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Noctua - NF-A14 PWM 82.5 CFM 140mm Fan ($21.05 @ Newegg)
Total: $947.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-01 20:56 EDT-0400

You don't need any gpu power, you just need video outputs (so motherboard integrated graphics is fine).

You don't need a RAID controller if you use something like FreeNAS or Storage spaces.

The PSU is overkill as are the fans (most fans running at 5v are pretty quiet.

The motherboard is expensive and I would personally aim for something with Supermicro's IPMI or something comparable (it allows you to remotely control the NAS over ethernet -- so you don't need anything connected to the server other than an ethernet cable.

1x16 is fine.

FreeNAS, Windows Server, Windows 7/8/10, whatever Linux Distro you prefer.

This Asus board has integrated graphics built into the motherboard, so you can get a 1230v5 and save some money, and it also has a dedicated manage ethernet port (so you don't need to go near the server to access it/turn it on/turn it off/enter the bios/etc...).

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132820

And a mini-SAS to 4x sata if you need more than two sata ports: https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Internal-Mini-SAS-Breakout/dp/B012BPLYJC

scottyseng · September 2, 2017

7 minutes ago, tsegreto said:

-snip-

Yeah, try to shop for used parts as mentioned above. But try to keep the CPU within reason...transcoding isn't that hard on the CPU.

As someone with hardware RAID, I wouldn't recommend it for a small NAS. It's way too expensive (for a good one).

You should try software RAID using FreeNAS / Unraid and use a HBA. Storage Spaces in Windows works alright as well.

The OS pretty much depends on what you prefer. I run Windows Server myself, but that's because I'm used to it (and I have a hardware RAID card)

GDRRiley · September 2, 2017

would be way better just forget about the SSDs

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

tsegreto · September 2, 2017

3 minutes ago, djdwosk97 said:

The 1245 does.

@tsegreto A lot of server motherboards have onboard video chipsets (so you don't need to waste money buying a 1245 over a 1231.

You don't need any gpu power, you just need video outputs (so motherboard integrated graphics is fine).

You don't need a RAID controller if you use something like FreeNAS or Storage spaces.

The PSU is overkill as are the fans (most fans running at 5v are pretty quiet.

The motherboard is expensive and I would personally aim for something with Supermicro's IPMI or something comparable (it allows you to remotely control the NAS over ethernet -- so you don't need anything connected to the server other than an ethernet cable.

1x16 is fine.

FreeNAS, Windows Server, Windows 7/8/10, whatever Linux Distro you prefer.

Thank you!

Space of the NAS is a concern though so I am looking at Mini-ITX motherboards. Do you still think the 1231 is a better option than the 1245? What power supply would you recommend - I picked that one because it is modular and I read that the space inside my case is pretty tight.

ARikozuM · September 2, 2017

You can find some old Dell or Lenovo servers (tower or rack) on Ebay for about $300 like the Dell R710 rackmount.

79wjd · September 2, 2017

3 minutes ago, tsegreto said:

Thank you!

Space of the NAS is a concern though so I am looking at Mini-ITX motherboards. Do you still think the 1231 is a better option than the 1245? What power supply would you recommend - I picked that one because it is modular and I read that the space inside my case is pretty tight.

The motherboard I linked is also mITX, but it also has onboard motherboard graphics and remote management. So, I'd definitely save the $50~ and get a 1230 (I would also strongly consider an R5 1600/R7 1700).

The CX450m is $18 after a $20 rebate with code: EMCRKRB47

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/3hkwrH/corsair-power-supply-cp9020102na

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139146&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker, LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

AvocadosGuac · September 2, 2017

6 minutes ago, GDRRiley said:

would be way better just forget about the SSDs

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Celeron G3900 2.8GHz Dual-Core Processor ($38.99 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - E3V5 WS ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($100.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial - 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory
Memory: Crucial - 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($144.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($144.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Seagate - Constellation ES 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate - Constellation ES 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate - Constellation ES 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate - Constellation ES 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate - Constellation ES 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate - Constellation ES 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate - Constellation ES 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate - Constellation ES 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($68.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Other: NORCO RPC-2008 ($190.00)
Other: supermicro raid card ($140.00)
Total: $1628.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-01 21:12 EDT-0400

?????????

Why not fucking ryzen?

GDRRiley · September 2, 2017

Just now, Jrock said:

?????????

Why not fucking ryzen?

the cpu is cheap but it works fine, I also wanted ECC and a good mobo

79wjd · September 2, 2017

3 minutes ago, Jrock said:

?????????

Why not fucking ryzen?

ECC, FreeNAS guaranteed compatibility, hardware remote management, onboard motherboard graphics.

Most Ryzen boards don't fully support ECC, unless that has changed? Also, last I checked, FreeNAS still wasn't certified on Ryzen (not that OP has decided what OS he's using, but I personally wouldn't want Ryzen until it was guaranteed with FreeNAS and with full ECC support -- as well as some hardware remote management and on-motherboard graphics).

ARikozuM · September 2, 2017

1 minute ago, Jrock said:

?????????

Why not fucking ryzen?

ECC = Good to have on servers that run 24/7/365.25.

AvocadosGuac · September 2, 2017

13 minutes ago, ARikozuM said:

ECC = Good to have on servers that run 24/7/365.25.

Sure... Does a celeron have ecc memory support though?

GDRRiley · September 2, 2017

4 minutes ago, Jrock said:

Sure... Does a celeron have ecc memory support though?

yeah

ARikozuM · September 2, 2017

1 hour ago, Jrock said:

Sure... Does a celeron have ecc memory support though?

Usually. Pentiums and some i3's have ECC support as well. i5 and i7's do not. That's why Pentiums sell much better in the server market for (for those who can't afford the end-chip for their desktop) upgrade path to an i5 or i7 vs getting an i3 from the get-go.

AvocadosGuac · September 2, 2017

15 minutes ago, GDRRiley said:

yeah

2 minutes ago, ARikozuM said:

Usually. Pentiums and some i3's have ECC support as well. i5 and i7's do not. That's why Pentiums sell much better in the server market for upgrade path to an i5 or i7 vs getting an i3 from the get-go.

good to know

ARikozuM · September 2, 2017

2 minutes ago, Jrock said:

good to know

Hopefully the Coffee Lake i3 quad-core retains ECC support. Should make for a beastly server.

xDyl · September 2, 2017

2 hours ago, GDRRiley said:

would be way better just forget about the SSDs

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Celeron G3900 2.8GHz Dual-Core Processor ($38.99 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - E3V5 WS ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($100.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial - 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory
Memory: Crucial - 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($144.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($144.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Seagate - Constellation ES 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate - Constellation ES 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate - Constellation ES 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate - Constellation ES 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate - Constellation ES 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate - Constellation ES 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate - Constellation ES 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate - Constellation ES 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($68.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Other: NORCO RPC-2008 ($190.00)
Other: supermicro raid card ($140.00)
Total: $1628.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-01 21:12 EDT-0400

Good but if OP wants any chance at running a nice VM dual core isn't enough

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