Home server. I need help with choosing the right parts.

[Varpin]

I read this and in definitely helped https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/577494-guide-nas-vs-home-server-the-ultimate-comparison/ 

,but I still want to ask some things here.

 

WHAT I WOULD USE THE SERVER FOR

I would use it for file storage, try to host a Minecraft server (and maybe other game servers too), and also maybe host a website and set up my own VPN at some point

These are just some ideas that I came up with, feel free to suggest any ideas what I could do with the server

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MY BUDGET IS 200 - 500 euro

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But now the big question: What kind of parts should I go with? If I will host a some kinda game server, then I would need a powerful CPU and stuff like that right? Or would a Ryzen 3, i3 6100, i5 3570 be a good enough option?

 

PC PARTS THAT I ALREADY HAVE / CAN GET FOR A OKAY PRICE (i think)

I HAVE - i3 6100 (with matx mobo, but I need an itx, because I want the server to be as small as possible)

I HAVE - 8 GB DDR4 2133MHZ - 1x8

I HAVE - 500W PSU from Acbel

I HAVE - CD DRIVE

I HAVE - 120 GB SSD

CAN GET - CORSAIR CX450M (for 30€, used for under 5 months)

CAN GET - i5 3570 + 16 GB DDR3 1600 MHZ (for 110€, both are used, also I would need to get a mobo for the CPU)

(CAN GET) - GTX 960 2 gb reference, if needed.

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If I go with the Ryzen 3 or any other CPU then I need a new motherboard also.

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1. Also what kind of HDD would be good? I have a 1TB normal HDD that I'm not currently using for anything so I'm just wondering that could it be used for the server in some way? Or should I just get server HDD's?

2. Does it matter which motherboard I use? for example if I go with the i3 6100 do I need B250, H270 or would a H110 be good also?

 

Any recommendations etc are welcome! 

 

 

 

 

 

[Electronics Wizardy]

How much storage do you use, Id probably get a few 8tb drives.

 

Chipset won't matter if it gives you the needed features

 

Id go with the i3 here.

 

GPU won't help at all.

 

Id run unraid here as good vm support for the minecraft server and easy to add drives.

[Sauron]

You definitely don't need a dedicated graphics card, other than the bare minimum to output video if you go for the ryzen. Depending on how many things at once you want it to do a better cpu may be necessary, but for one, two or even three of the things you mentioned the i3 should be just fine. As far as I know you don't need a particularly fast cpu for a minecraft server, although I could be wrong; generally it's more about having a consistent and low latency internet connection. It also doesn't matter what motherboard you choose as long as it has enough sata ports for your drives.

 

As for the hard disk, if you won't store anything important on it literally any hdd will do. If you'll hold crucial data on it, consider buying something like a wd red, preferably a couple or more to put in raid for redundancy.

 

Lastly, I don't know if I would trust an off brand power supply with 24/7 operation.

[Varpin]

1 minute ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

How much storage do you use, Id probably get a few 8tb drives.

@Electronics Wizardy Around 500 GB to 1TB for files and then a separate HDD for the Minecraft server I think that would be the smartest thing to do?

[Varpin]

1 minute ago, Sauron said:

Lastly, I don't know if I would trust an off brand power supply with 24/7 operation.

@Sauron Do you think that the Corsair CX450M would be okay?

[MisterVince333]

2 minutes ago, Varpin said:

@Sauron Do you think that the Corsair CX450M would be okay?

Yes It's perfect

[Cameron K]

What kind of minecraft server? How many people, plugins, mods are you anticipating? For a vpn what speeds are you looking for? 

 

[MisterVince333]

Just now, Cameron K said:

What kind of minecraft server? How many people, plugins, mods are you anticipating? For a vpn what speeds are you looking for? 

 

I was just going to ask the same question 

[Sauron]

2 minutes ago, Varpin said:

@Sauron Do you think that the Corsair CX450M would be okay?

CX series PSUs don't have a great reputation, so I would suggest spending a little more on something like this.

[MisterVince333]

1 minute ago, Sauron said:

CX series PSUs don't have a great reputation, so I would suggest spending a little more on something like this.

No it is a good one I have it too and I'm super happy with it

[Varpin]

Just now, Cameron K said:

What kind of minecraft server? How many people, plugins, mods are you anticipating? For a vpn what speeds are you looking for? 

 

@Cameron K I was thinking a modded server, 2-10 people, plugins: essentials and worldedit, or none, I think I want different types of vechicle mods or something like that. For vpn speeds, I haven't really thought about that yet, my current internet speed are: 75 mbps download and 10 mbps upload, so something like that maybe? I don't really know...

[MisterVince333]

2 minutes ago, Varpin said:

@Cameron K I was thinking a modded server, 2-10 people, plugins: essentials and worldedit, or none, I think I want different types of vechicle mods or something like that. For vpn speeds, I haven't really thought about that yet, my current internet speed are: 75 mbps download and 10 mbps upload, so something like that maybe? I don't really know...

Well, if it's ony for 10 players, 1 GB would be enough but that's impossible... I should buy 4 GB RAM (2x2)

[Sauron]

2 minutes ago, MisterVince333 said:

No it is a good one I have it too and I'm super happy with it

That's great, but just because you had no problems with it doesn't mean nobody has, nor does it mean it's suitable for 24/7 operation on an important system. Statistically, he's less likely to have any issues with the seasonic unit. For $10 I think it's worth paying a little more, especially since it comes with better efficiency which will reduce his electricity costs in the long run.

[Cameron K]

That being the case the i5 would give you noticeable improvements doing everything you want to do. Use the ssd to boot and get a new drive for files (raid or a backup preferred) and use whatever drive you have sitting around for minecraft. Modded servers can use multiple threads but it's still mostly single threaded. A vpn at that speed would max another thread and a couple free for fileshare, overhead is good as is 16gb of memory. Modded minecraft regularly uses 4gb+ and it allows you to expand your fileshare without running into ram limits.

[LtStaffel]

15 minutes ago, Sauron said:

You definitely don't need a dedicated graphics card, other than the bare minimum to output video if you go for the ryzen. Depending on how many things at once you want it to do a better cpu may be necessary, but for one, two or even three of the things you mentioned the i3 should be just fine. As far as I know you don't need a particularly fast cpu for a minecraft server, although I could be wrong; generally it's more about having a consistent and low latency internet connection. It also doesn't matter what motherboard you choose as long as it has enough sata ports for your drives.

 

As for the hard disk, if you won't store anything important on it literally any hdd will do. If you'll hold crucial data on it, consider buying something like a wd red, preferably a couple or more to put in raid for redundancy.

 

Lastly, I don't know if I would trust an off brand power supply with 24/7 operation.

I second everything here. (Btw, MC is very light just for future reference)

19 minutes ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

How much storage do you use, Id probably get a few 8tb drives.

 

Chipset won't matter if it gives you the needed features

 

Id go with the i3 here.

 

GPU won't help at all.

 

Id run unraid here as good vm support for the minecraft server and easy to add drives.

A few 8Tb drives? That seems excessive before knowing what he wants to do. Chipset doesn't matter much, you're right. i3 is also fine. GPU may be necessary as pointed out by @Sauron. No need for unraid here, and if he did need VMs there are better free hypervisors than unraid. Unraid is only popular because of LTT using it.

14 minutes ago, Varpin said:

@Electronics Wizardy Around 500 GB to 1TB for files and then a separate HDD for the Minecraft server I think that would be the smartest thing to do?

Go with a 4Tb drive for $100 (or 2Tb @ $60) and never worry about space again.

12 minutes ago, Varpin said:

@Sauron Do you think that the Corsair CX450M would be okay?

I ran a CX for quite a while with only a small 750ti and it was fine. In fact, I'm still running it in another computer now. If you can afford a better line, that might be better, but in my experience CX has not been an issue.

9 minutes ago, Cameron K said:

What kind of minecraft server? How many people, plugins, mods are you anticipating? For a vpn what speeds are you looking for?

^this is important for us to know

3 minutes ago, Sauron said:

CX series PSUs don't have a great reputation, so I would suggest spending a little more on something like this.

The main reason I agree with this is because of the 80+ gold rating. Those efficiency ratings become a lot more important when you are running a server.

 

So to recap, we need to know what you want of the MC server, and what you want of the VPN, as well as any future use cases for this.

 

Depending on what board you end up with, I might recommend a dedicated wired adapater (we're talking PCIe) just to ensure faster file sharing. No need to go crazy, but a $30 Intel card with 2 1000Mbps RJ45 (Ethernet) ports is not going to be a bad move.

[LtStaffel]

8 minutes ago, Varpin said:

@Cameron K I was thinking a modded server, 2-10 people, plugins: essentials and worldedit, or none, I think I want different types of vechicle mods or something like that. For vpn speeds, I haven't really thought about that yet, my current internet speed are: 75 mbps download and 10 mbps upload, so something like that maybe? I don't really know...

Those two plugins are pretty light, as far as I know. Even with vehicle mods and those two plugins, we aren't talking very serious usage here. I have talked to a few server owners and they're never running hardware as beefy as people imagine. You'd do fine with an i3 and 16Gb (2x8Gb). If you need to upgrade beyond that, you can. But right now you're on a budget and should start small. You don't want to saturate your home internet with a VPN

5 minutes ago, MisterVince333 said:

Well, if it's ony for 10 players, 1 GB would be enough but that's impossible... I should buy 4 GB RAM (2x2)

Don't buy 2Gb sticks

1 minute ago, Cameron K said:

That being the case the i5 would give you noticeable improvements doing everything you want to do. Use the ssd to boot and get a new drive for files (raid or a backup preferred) and use whatever drive you have sitting around for minecraft. Modded servers can use multiple threads but it's still mostly single threaded. A vpn at that speed would max another thread and a couple free for fileshare, overhead is good as is 16gb of memory. Modded minecraft regularly uses 4gb+ and it allows you to expand your fileshare without running into ram limits.

Maybe the i5 would be better but it's not necessary. This sounds like a gaming build and that's not what he's doing. SSD would be nice but HDDs are the way to go for a server, since it will already be on and have plenty of RAM to handle everything so he doesn't fast boot times. 16Gb of RAM is good but you're also talking modded minecraft, not a server. The server will be headless so it should not be using that much RAM even with his mentioned plugins. I also don't think fileshare is very dependent on RAM.