Building a Home Server

[SilkyDistress]

Hello forums,

I wanna build home server and I have few questions : 

 

1. The Reason I am building home server

I am building a server for File Server (I am gonna have multiple drives combined in one virtual using ZFS), Plex Media Server, little VM server (2-3 VM's that will have their dedicated duties like MineOS), Team Speak 3 Server (I do not like neither Discord or Skype), Backup Server (I am gonna use this)

 

2. Platform that I should use

I was looking in many platforms for server and I very interested in AMD Ryzen cause of low power usage and many cores and threads. Buying from american or candadian ebay is not option due to high taxes cause I live in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Should I go AMD Ryzen ? 

 

3. Operating System that will run server

I was thinking about Ubuntu Server with KVM for MineOS but I found out that it is much better to run VMware ESXi with Ubuntu Server and MineOS inside, give me some suggestions and no I am not gonna pay for OS. (I have school license for Windows Server 2016 Datacenter)

 

4. Budget

My budget is around $700 or 581.20 EUR

 

5. Question about this build

Will this build be good for my needs : 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor  ($197.15 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: Asus - PRIME B350-PLUS ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($93.79 @ OutletPC) 
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory  ($99.88 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: ADATA - Premier Pro SP600 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($47.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Western Digital - WD Purple 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Storage: Western Digital - WD Purple 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GT 710 1GB Video Card  ($34.99 @ B&H) 
Case: Cooler Master - Silencio 550 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case 
Power Supply: Corsair - TXM Gold 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($89.99 @ Newegg) 
Wired Network Adapter: TP-Link - TG-3269 PCI 10/100/1000 Mbps Network Adapter  ($9.88 @ OutletPC) 
Other: SAS9211-8I 8PORT Int 6GB Sata+sas Pcie 2.0  ($58.88) 
Total: $632.55
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-01-02 13:07 EST-0500

 

Thank you for spending time reading this post and sorry for my potato english.

 

[Canada EH]

You would do very well buying a used unit, like a Xeon PC. I bought mine for $200cdn which I think equals roughly $140euros.

go to newegg.com and compare prices

 

https://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100283198 4016 600031809 600546606 600564700 601106657&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&PageSize=96&order=PRICE

 

Go to http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/ and compare their cpus

 

You could also compare whats already in the cpu with what else can go in through intels owns website or wikipedia.

 

Like this one

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAA4T4X75702

and buy X56xx cpu

 

 

That might be too much work for you, and beyond your means of accomplishing, so the flip side to that is to go ahead and buy brand new.

 

 

 

 

[SilkyDistress]

1 minute ago, Canada EH said:

You would do very well buying a used unit, like a Xeon PC. I bought mine for $200cdn which I think equals roughly $140euros.

go to newegg.com and compare prices

 

https://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100283198 4016 600031809 600546606 600564700 601106657&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&PageSize=96&order=PRICE

 

Go to http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/ and compare their cpus

 

You could also compare whats already in the cpu with what else can go in through intels owns website or wikipedia.

 

Like this one

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAA4T4X75702

and buy X56xx cpu

 

 

 

 

 

How much power will it use cause I cannot go over 300 W for whole system

[Canada EH]

Just now, SilkyDistress said:

How much power will it use cause I cannot go over 300 W for whole system

Oh wow, yeah I got no clue on that. Older systems do use more power.

 

 

[zombienerd]

I think you're stretching your 8GB RAM a little thin.  I'd aim for 16-32gb if you're going to be running multiple VMs, just for stability sake.   You might consider going old-school on the hardware to save some cash with DDR 3 over DDR4.

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/wj4Qjc

 

I didn't list your two already purchased 2tb drives. 

 

I do question why you'd purchase a separate NIC and SATA/SAS controller though.  The motherboard should handle that duty alright in your use case. (I don't see any SAS drives on your parts list, and motherboards handle gigabit networking fine)

 

 

[SilkyDistress]

3 minutes ago, zombienerd said:

I think you're stretching your 8GB RAM a little thin.  I'd aim for 16-32gb if you're going to be running multiple VMs, just for stability sake.   You might consider going old-school on the hardware to save some cash with DDR 3 over DDR4.

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/GLCPbj

 

I didn't list your two already purchased 2tb drives. 

 

I do question why you'd purchase a separate NIC and SATA/SAS controller though.  The motherboard should handle that duty alright in your use case. (I don't see any SAS drives on your parts list, and motherboards handle gigabit networking fine)

 

 

I need a bit more cores like 6-8 and HBA card is cause is for realibility and if there is low power consumption Xeon I would gladly take it. And gigabit etharnet is for VM so they don't share bandwith.

[zombienerd]

1 minute ago, SilkyDistress said:

I need a bit more cores like 6-8 and HBA card is cause is for realibility and if there is low power consumption Xeon I would gladly take it. And gigabit etharnet is for VM so they don't share bandwith.

I updated my list after I posted, realized that I had picked the wrong CPU... I fixed it in edit.

[SilkyDistress]

1 minute ago, zombienerd said:

I updated my list after I posted, realized that I had picked the wrong CPU... I fixed it in edit.

What about Xeon X5650 or something on LGA 1366 ?

[zombienerd]

8 hours ago, SilkyDistress said:

What about Xeon X5650 or something on LGA 1366 ?

Older server CPU's are dirt cheap, and a great bargain.  It's just hard to find a "new" motherboard that isn't $300+ by itself.  If you can find a decent setup, that's an excellent way to go!

[SilkyDistress]

On 03. 01. 2018. at 4:34 AM, zombienerd said:

Older server CPU's are dirt cheap, and a great bargain.  It's just hard to find a "new" motherboard that isn't $300+ by itself.  If you can find a decent setup, that's an excellent way to go!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Storage: Kingston - A400 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($49.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Zotac - GeForce GT 710 1GB Video Card  ($33.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Case: NZXT - Source 530 ATX Full Tower Case  ($64.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Corsair - RMx 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($99.99 @ Newegg) 
Other: Intel Xeon X5650 Processor 2.66 GHz 12 MB Cache Socket LGA1366  ($56.31 @ Amazon) 
Other: Intel Xeon X5650 Processor 2.66 GHz 12 MB Cache Socket LGA1366  ($56.31 @ Amazon) 
Other: 10Gtek Internal PCI Express SAS/SATA HBA RAID Controller Card, LSI SAS2008 Chip, 8-Port 6Gb/s, Same as LSI 9211-8I  ($57.88) 
Other: Supermicro X8DT3-LN4F Motherboard - Sas/quad Lans Xeon Quad/dual-core  ($111.00) 
Other: 8GB MEMORY PC3-10600R Dural Rank HMT31GR7BFR4C-H9/HMT31GR7AFR4C-H9  ($30.00 @ Amazon) 
Other: 8GB MEMORY PC3-10600R Dural Rank HMT31GR7BFR4C-H9/HMT31GR7AFR4C-H9  ($30.00 @ Amazon) 
Other: 8GB MEMORY PC3-10600R Dural Rank HMT31GR7BFR4C-H9/HMT31GR7AFR4C-H9  ($30.00 @ Amazon) 
Total: $620.46
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-01-04 06:28 EST-0500

 

I have 3x 2 TB that I am gonna pull out from PC. I am gonna buy PSU in local shop due to 230 V in Europe and SSD cause its cheaper.

[zombienerd]

4 hours ago, SilkyDistress said:

-snip-

That looks quite nice.  

 

A few points you may not have considered with the server-grade setup: 

• If the motherboard is used, you might not get the backplates for the coolers. The CPUs do not come with coolers. So, You're gonna need coolers - and maybe backplates as well (which are usually custom fit for Supermicro).  
• The motherboard may have odd power requirements / connectors, be sure to pour over the specs closely to make sure you have the proper connections. (Such as 4x 4-pin or 2x 8-pin CPU power)
• That Motherboard has Matrox integrated graphics, you can dump the GT710.
• That SAS / SATA card is even *more* redundant and un-necessary with a Supermicro mainboard, and might even cause more issues than it could potentially solve.
• Be sure that your CPU matches the board's initial BIOS CPU list, so you don't have to update to run your CPUs.
• Always remember to Reset the BIOS before you try to boot the 1st time, even if your CPU is on the list.
• Be prepared for ~5-10 minute initial boot times.  It can take up to 1 minute before you even see a POST screen.

 

Ask me how I know these things   I've been down this road a few times.

 

 

[SilkyDistress]

2 hours ago, zombienerd said:

If the motherboard is used, you might not get the backplates for the coolers. The CPUs do not come with coolers. So, You're gonna need coolers - and maybe backplates as well (which are usually custom fit for Supermicro).  

Contacted seller, it comes with backplates. He sent pics.

2 hours ago, zombienerd said:

The motherboard may have odd power requirements / connectors, be sure to pour over the specs closely to make sure you have the proper connections. (Such as 4x 4-pin or 2x 8-pin CPU power)

 

Checked compatibility with Corsair RMx 650W, it will require adapter for second EPS12V that I will order.

2 hours ago, zombienerd said:

That Motherboard has Matrox integrated graphics, you can dump the GT710.

That GT710 will be needed to hook it up with my spare 1080p monitor that I am gonna mount when I get money for server rack which will be in either April or May.

2 hours ago, zombienerd said:

That SAS / SATA card is even *more* redundant and un-necessary with a Supermicro mainboard, and might even cause more issues than it could potentially solve.

I prefer HBA card cause I don't trust on mobo one since its a used mobo.

2 hours ago, zombienerd said:

Always remember to Reset the BIOS before you try to boot the 1st time, even if your CPU is on the list.

Owner said he will reset BIOS before sending it to me.

2 hours ago, zombienerd said:

Be sure that your CPU matches the board's initial BIOS CPU list, so you don't have to update to run your CPUs.

 

It requires update that owner did a long time ago.

2 hours ago, zombienerd said:

Be prepared for ~5-10 minute initial boot times.  It can take up to 1 minute before you even see a POST screen.

I am aware of that and I can wait cause server is gonna work 24/7, I am just concerned about current Intel fiasco with their processors.

[SilkyDistress]

2 hours ago, zombienerd said:

-snip-

Also for OS I ended up with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.4 since my friend has access to licenses.