WHS v1 Build Recommendations

I'm looking to buy a new WHS v1 (not Vail) setup to go into a Norco 4020 case I just acquired. There are many reasons I want to do so, so lets skip the you should do... responses.

I need some recommendations in regards to the hardware. I need a processor that can run QB2011 adequately and a motherboard that has a lot of either PCI or PCIE slots to accommodate cheap, commodity SATA cards. I'll also need it to be as power efficient as possible. I do not need anything more than that as all I'll be doing is storing data and running QB2011 every other day or so.

Currently I'm running a WHS of a E6550 with 2GB of memory. Seems adequate except for the fact that there is no way for me to add an additional commodity expansion card for more SATA ports (currently on a mATX board with only 2 PCI slots). I would like to get similar performance or better without increasing my power requirements (not including HDDs).

Any suggestions? Suggestions on cheap PCIE or PCI SATA expansion cards also accepted. Thanks everyone!

Prelim build:
$120 - Intel Core i3-540 CPU
$270 - Supermicro X8SI6-F because it has 8 builtin SAS2 6.0 gbps ports. The LSI2008 ROC it uses supports expanders like the HP SAS Expander. ATX size, LGA1156 for use with Core i3 CPUs for plenty of horsepower when needed but still low energy use and low heat. Has builtin IPMI 2.0 with virtual media over LAN and KVM-over-LAN support (you can access the BIOS and install the OS from a remote computer, no keyboard, mouse or monitor needed).
$51- Kingston 2 x 2GB ECC Unbuffered DDR3 1333 RAM
$90 - Antec Truepower New TP-750 750W PSU
--
Total: $531 plus tax and shipping.

Danny,

Trying to go commodity here, as I'm looking at cheap expansion cards for more sata connections hence the request for a mobo with as many expansion slots possible.

Your solution looks great until I get to buying SAS ex-panders, which can get expensive fast... =)

wpd7 said:

Danny,

Trying to go commodity here, as I'm looking at cheap expansion cards for more sata connections hence the request for a mobo with as many expansion slots possible.

Your solution looks great until I get to buying SAS ex-panders, which can get expensive fast... =)

Click to expand...

Actually you won't really need the SAS expander since that motherboard already has support for 14 hard drives right of the box. It also has the following:
* 1 (x8) PCI-E 2.0 (using x16 slot)
* 1 (x4) PCI-E (using x8 slot)
* 1 32-bit PCI slot

So that will give you plenty of expansion room to fill up Norco case to its 22 drive max limit (20 in the hot-swap bays, 1 in the OS drive bay, and 1 in the slim DVD burner bay or next to the OS drive bay.)

At that point you only need an 8 ports. With two PCI-E slots and a PCI slot, shouldn't be too hard to find a solution(s) to get those 8 ports.

Any similar "consumer" boards? Seems to me that the Supermicro X8SI6-F is overkill, especially since it's only going to be outfitted with an i3.

Also, it seems that the SATA ports attached to the LSI will only work in RAID modes? Which kills the reason for having a lot of SATA ports for WHS.

wpd7 said:

Any similar "consumer" boards? Seems to me that the Supermicro X8SI6-F is overkill, especially since it's only going to be outfitted with an i3.

Click to expand...

I recommend reading this review of that motherboard and then decide if it's overkill or not (particular the Value Proposition section):
http://www.servethehome.com/supermi...ew-including-onboard-lsi-sas-2008-controller/

wpd7 said:

Also, it seems that the SATA ports attached to the LSI will only work in RAID modes? Which kills the reason for having a lot of SATA ports for WHS.

Click to expand...

Nope. No RAID is required.

But in case you really don't think the IPMI feature, KVM over IP feature, internal USB header, built-in SAS controller, 14 SATA connections, two fast Intel NICs, or Supermicro quality isn't worth the extra cash, then here are some other options:

To get you the most amount of expansion slots and to cut down on additional slot and power usage, basically recommending ATX motherboards with onboard video here.

1) If you want to use the Sandy Bridge Core i3 CPUs (the Core i3 2100 for $125), then might want to check out this motherboard:
$148 - Gigabyte GA-H67A-UD3H-B3 Intel H67 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

It has 5 SATA ports.

2) If you want to use the older $120 Clarksdale Core i3 540 CPU, then might want to check out this motherboard:
$123 - Gigabyte GA-H55M-USB3 Intel H55 mATX Motherboard

It has 7 SATA ports

3) If you want AMD, pair this motherboard with the $60 AMD Athlon II X2 245 CPU:
$113 - Gigabyte GA-880GA-UD3H AMD 880G HDMI ATX Motherboard

It has 8 SATA ports.

That review pretty much seals the deal for me.

Can't find the board for less than $300 though- where did you see that $270 pricing?

Danny linked it on his suggestion, Here is is again :

Supermicro X8SI6-F
Though it seems it takes an extra 8-9 days to process.

Personally, I'm waiting on the release on the LGA 1155 supermicro boards to pair with Xeon e3-1230, but that up to you.

Danny Bui said:

Prelim build:
$120 - Intel Core i3-540 CPU
$270 - Supermicro X8SI6-F because it has 8 builtin SAS2 6.0 gbps ports. The LSI2008 ROC it uses supports expanders like the HP SAS Expander. ATX size, LGA1156 for use with Core i3 CPUs for plenty of horsepower when needed but still low energy use and low heat. Has builtin IPMI 2.0 with virtual media over LAN and KVM-over-LAN support (you can access the BIOS and install the OS from a remote computer, no keyboard, mouse or monitor needed).
$51- Kingston 2 x 2GB ECC Unbuffered DDR3 1333 RAM
$90 - Antec Truepower New TP-750 750W PSU
--
Total: $531 plus tax and shipping.

Click to expand...

Slam dunk! If I was building my WHS today, I'd be all over this MB.

Well, totally decided to go with this, now I actually have a real DATA question:

If you were to go with 2TB drives (must be compatible with WHS v1 as described above), what would be your picks for ultra low power consumption?

Your picks for ultra reliability?

Seems like I'm going to build 2 systems, one low powered (situation 1 above) for backup of the one with reliable drives, ie. RE series.