Help me pick out one of three mobo/CPU combos for fileserver[?]

L

lowteckh

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Jul 23, 2008
Messages
5,073
Starting to get interested in file servers as I've got a couple machines that I want to access files off (and file sharing is becoming a PITA to keep up), as well as media extenders..

Probably "start" off with 5 1TB drives, maybe less if the 2TB drives arrive soon. So now I'm looking at mobos but some recommended builds vary wildly in price range.

i. All I want for now is is just to make one big ass drive/hub for access by 1 desktop, 1 netbook and possibly Popcorn Hour. Guest access as well (if I ever get any :))
ii. I'll only be storing 1. video files, 2. music files, 3. pictures, 4. games...
iii. Being able to just drop things into a separate box should be less stressful and messy than trying to sync everything together, which I'm failing to do since netbook and desktop are simultaneously downloading different stuff onto their local hard drives - simply can't keep track of wtf I have on either, which means I could be duplicating downloads or missing out on some as I might think I already have it.
iv. Don't want to spend a lot at all, closer to $0 the better. Which is where these 3 combos come in:
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=SE7501CW2-K3-R&cat=MBB
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=SE7501CW2-K2&cat=MBB
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=SE7501BR2-KIT-R&cat=MBB

The former 2 mobos have
# One (1) 64-bit/133 MHz PCI-X slot
# Two (2) 64-bit/100 MHz PCI-X slots
---
which I'm not quite understanding since they have different "speeds"? I'm assuming I have to jump on some 8 slot supermicro sata cards when i use up the mobo's own.

The last mobo has
# Four (4) 64-bit/100 MHz PCI-X slots
# Two (2) 32-bit/33 MHz PCI slots
---
Seems to be slower as well? : \

Will any of them fit my needs of just being a fileserver/storage for basically just me? And if so, which to get?
 
Why the need for dual xeons? A low speed, low watt cpu would share the files just as adequately and have the benefit of
1) giving you a lower power bill at the end of each month ,
2) being significantly cheaper to build
3) generating a lot less noise due to less cooling.
 
Just found them while looking around. No idea how much power is needed for the task mentioned. Would need it to "stream" video also (hence the Popcorn Hour reference).
 
For simple file sharing between the systems you have mentioned, a low power celeron chip would easily handle the load. If the videos are just being streamed and not transcoded then the cpu cost will again be almost nothing 0-2% of the celeron.

The only case you need additional cpu power is when your transcoding the video to be compliant with the popcorn hour (you probably dont have to worry about this), or if you decide to start using your file server for other things.
 
Mm, well I'm definitely not finding any Mobos and CPUs on the Egg for cheap, especially ones that have the seemingly required PCI-X slots (how many PCI-X slots will I need to fill that 22 drive case? think it was 2?)

Looking at this build from avsforums:
Windows Home Server
Asus M2n-LR Motherboard
Cheap DDR2 800 ~ 1Gb
AM2 processor (Dont spend more than 60)
2x Supermicro AOC-SAT2-MV8 = 8 SATA connections $100 each
Corsair 850 watt PSU on a single 12V rail

tada
Click to expand...
Is this perfect or a bit much? I'm not looking into the future where I "might" do this and that, just right now (well, the case is reusable so that doesn't count). I just really want costs down to a bare minimum as this is more of a tiny little project, and well, there are other things to splurge on :)

Also, and this has been asked before.... I can get Server 2008 free via Dreamspark but read that if I use Server 2008, I won't get the big hunk of a consolidated drive like what WHS offers? $100 vs free is a big leap, and again, just want costs down to a bare minimum :X

Thanks btw.
 
The 850w PSU seems overkill for your start machine. The AM2 system with intergrated GPU will not use much in the terms of power and a HDD is probably only 10watts each. My HTPC c2d with 5 HD's inside runs perfect on a 380w PSU and that is probably overkill for that.

You also dont necessarily need the PCI-X slots on the motherboard, the Supermicro card should be backwards compatible with a standard PCI slot. The overall bandwidth would be reduced, which is something you would have to take into account, but i dont think it will affect your scenario.

I can get Server 2008 free via Dreamspark but read that if I use Server 2008, I won't get the big hunk of a consolidated drive like what WHS offers?
Click to expand...

As far as i know thats true, the only way to get it, is through WHS
 
If you plan to use it as fileserver stream and store files on the server go low power.
I have giga G31mobo and undervolted, underclocked E5200 with 1x2GB ram, Corsair VX550W
On it I run utorrent and other downloads constantly and access it via remote desktop for running apps.
The system runs <50W

When I add my RAID card to that (10W) and 8x1TB drives (WD green power) the whole system still uses ~90W
 
Yea you might save a couple dollars with that setup....maybe?

But you could get a 45w AMD setup for prob the same or less and it will create less heat and use less power.
 
More Qs.
1. What controllers (that the term?) are similar to the 8 sata Supermicro PCIX for the same price, but in PCI or PCIE form? I'm not thinking about RAIDing, JBOD I guess. Reason I ask is because our conventional desktop mobos are usually just PCIE and PCI, and am thinking about using one to cut costs.
2. If sticking a PCIX card into a PCI slot like Toytown mentioned, how much of a hit would there be if I end up filling 22 drives at the end of the day?
3. Will an Athlon X2 AM2 fit into an AM2 server board that says (from Newegg), "CPU Type - Opteron"?
4.. Am I going to need a switch? Or will my current simple WRT54G work? Currently able to stream 1080p files from netbook (wireless) to desktop (wired).

It's just that I want to be able to fill those drive slots up, but it seems only the Supermicro 8sata PCIX card is capable of doing that without breaking the bank. And of course the last thing I wanna do is switch out the mobo.

So I think the debate is
a) Conventional desktop CPU + Mobo, but how to expand drive space? (Mobo is like... $60-$70?)
b) Server mobo + CPU (if Athlon X2 works) + the Supermicro PCIX card, but costs more (Mobo is $170)

Server mobo in question: ASUS M2N-LR AM2 NVIDIA nForce Professional 3600 ATX Server Motherboard
CPU in question: AMD Athlon X2 BE-2300 Brisbane 1.9GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 45W Dual-Core Processor
 
2 - The card will be limited to the same speed of the PCI bus, which is 133MBytes/sec, but thats shared between the entire bus and does not include overheads in the protocol or other devices using the bus, so maybe 120MB/sec, which is about the same speed as the bigger/faster HD's now available. To me its still going to be fast enough for whatever you need as its still enough to saturate gigabit ethernet, which is probably what it would be connected by.

4. Your current router will be good enough for the wired ports as 100Mbit is easily fast enough for 1080p. However the wireless is dependant on too many other things.

Personally i would go with the cpu which is cheapest/coolest..........my cacti graphs of my file server show the the last 24hours as 3% average usage, its 5TB and also sharing HD material to several media centers. So cpu power is something you really do not need to look into.
 
My server is running a foxcon G31 board, a celeron e1200, 2GB of ram, and 6 HDDs on server 2k8 (<3 dreamspark) via a rocketraid 2320 (PCI-E).
It draws 108W from the wall and saturates Gbit quite well (Ive seen 105-110MB/s from it).

That board was discontinued from newegg, but theres gotta be another g31 or g41 board available. I think the cpu/mobo/ram cost me like $100. There's probably some cheap combos like that available is FS/FT as well.
 
got my foxcon G45 Micro ATX Mb, 4Gb Ram (the good stuff too) and CPU e7300 for about $220. I wanted a microatx Mb with at least 6 sata ports so I had to pay a bit extra,I think reg ATX boards are a bit cheaper in general.
 
1) There aren't any other controllers AFAIK that are the same or even close to the price as those Supermicro cards that offers 8 SATA ports but in PCI-E form
2) About 120 MB/sec actual, still far higher than many hard drives out there.
3) The CPU support list for that mobo does not list a single Athlon X2 CPU:
http://support.asus.com/cpusupport/cpusupport.aspx?model=M2N-LR&SLanguage=en-us
4) For wireless streaming of HD content, I recommend getting a wireless N router to be on the safe side.

I recommend just going with a regular consumer grade mobo and expanding via the Supermicro cards. Those Supermicro cards work just fine in a regular PCI slot. I mean Ockie uses them in his servers so that's gotta count for something:
http://networkisdown.com/showthread.php?t=276&page=9
http://networkisdown.com/showthread.php?t=276&page=10

Note that mobos Ockie are using in Galaxy 6.0 are mere consumer level motherboards so that should tell you something about the usability of those mobos.
 
Danny Bui said:
1) There aren't any other controllers AFAIK that are the same or even close to the price as those Supermicro cards that offers 8 SATA ports but in PCI-E form
2) About 120 MB/sec actual, still far higher than many hard drives out there.
3) The CPU support list for that mobo does not list a single Athlon X2 CPU:
http://support.asus.com/cpusupport/cpusupport.aspx?model=M2N-LR&SLanguage=en-us
4) For wireless streaming of HD content, I recommend getting a wireless N router to be on the safe side.

I recommend just going with a regular consumer grade mobo and expanding via the Supermicro cards. Those Supermicro cards work just fine in a regular PCI slot. I mean Ockie uses them in his servers so that's gotta count for something:
http://networkisdown.com/showthread.php?t=276&page=9
http://networkisdown.com/showthread.php?t=276&page=10

Note that mobos Ockie are using in Galaxy 6.0 are mere consumer level motherboards so that should tell you something about the usability of those mobos.
Click to expand...


Spot on Assessment +1

I use the supermicro cards as well and it is just what the doctor ordered.
 
Thanks for the all the replies, I think I have it narrowed down to a couple build "scenarios".

1. I already have an ECS G31 mATX board from a Frys deal. I personally fucking hate ECS but cost > emotions right now, so would this be a half decent candidate? Would be paired with the cheapest post-P4 LGA775 chip I can find ($40 for a Celeron on the Egg is way too much for what it's worth imo) and ram of course. = $40? + cheap ram.

comment: This would only hold 2 Supermicro cards, so I would be limited to (2x8)+4onboardSata = 20 SATA ports?

2. AMD X2 2300 + ECS 8200 ATX Combo = ~$90 (-$15 rebate if it ever sends) + cheap ram

3. AMD X2 2300 + Biostar A770 Combo = $100 + cheap ram. Video card required for this I assume?

I'm only doing the wireless stuff in a tiny box of a room. NC10 only goes up to G only anyways (WHY!? Best [imo] netbook and they don't even put a N card in).

Any other suggestions highly welcome :D
 
I run an Asus M2N-LR in my home fileserver with Solaris 10 and a RAIDZ/ZFS array with 5 x 750GB Samsung F1s. I'm running an Athlon X2 5050e AM2 low power chip in it without a problem. It booted up fine, posted, and set processor settings correctly out of the box but had unknown for the chip type until I flashed the bios to the newest revision. I bought the board from newegg about three months ago so they are probably on a newer bios revision by now.

I have all 6 SATA ports filled (using a 74GB raptor for OS drive) and performance is excellent. I actually got the board to be able to use Supermicro PCI-X sata cards as they are on the short list of inexpensive JBOD cards supported by Solaris and my long term plan is to move to that Norco case when I fill up the storage I have now (down to 1TB free already so long term probably will be more like June of this year). The dual gigabit ports are nice for dividing up traffic, port aggregation (if you have a network switch that supports it), or just having a public port and a the other one directly connected to your main machine via crossover.

Yeah in theory most PCI-X cards will run in a regular PCI slot with a performance hit and its likely you wouldn't notice the difference during network transfers but it will cripple intra-drive transfers when/if you shuffle data around which seems lame just to save $100 on a board with PCI-X.
 
Option 1 is a pretty good option. I'd go with that if you can find a cheap post-P5 LGA-775 CPU.
 
XS Janus said:
If you plan to use it as fileserver stream and store files on the server go low power.
I have giga G31mobo and undervolted, underclocked E5200 with 1x2GB ram, Corsair VX550W
On it I run utorrent and other downloads constantly and access it via remote desktop for running apps.
The system runs <50W

When I add my RAID card to that (10W) and 8x1TB drives (WD green power) the whole system still uses ~90W
Click to expand...

What motherboard do you use?
 
Deathray said:
What motherboard do you use?
Click to expand...

I fried 2 g33M-DS2R mobos in my build and one G43M-S2H I had some luck with electrical components.
I ended up getting G31M-S2L for testing purposes and just gave up and said what the hell... it downclocks with the best of them.. has the same warranty... it is low power as they come, so I ended up leaving it in my server. :)
The free space crunch had something to do with it as well... :D
 
Mm, what about the case? If it's OK it sure beats the hell out of a $300 Norco.
 
Hopefully get back in time to snag it :X

+Question, can I run WHS wirelessly? As in, plug a card in, shove it in closet, win?
 
lowteckh said:
Hopefully get back in time to snag it :X

+Question, can I run WHS wirelessly? As in, plug a card in, shove it in closet, win?
Click to expand...

Dunno. It could if it detects/supports wifi cards. But you would have to deal with kind of low speeds.
 
lowteckh said:
Hopefully get back in time to snag it :X

+Question, can I run WHS wirelessly? As in, plug a card in, shove it in closet, win?
Click to expand...

Danny Bui said:
Dunno. It could if it detects/supports wifi cards. But you would have to deal with kind of low speeds.
Click to expand...

Can you?.....Yes, but why?
It would be slow as shit ^^^^^^.

im a lil drunk right now, but damn dont be doing any that. Thats just gonna suck.
If you want some slow POS get one of those prebuilt overpriced so-called NAS's.

Your building a home server not a slow POS. I mean I realize your doing a budget build, but if noise is a concern build a low power box with like a celeron or atom or amd 45w and passively cool it and it wont make any noise.
 
Wireless is no good for streaming. The end.
More memory is better, period. That's more buffer for disk operations. 1GB is not enough, get at least 2GB. With dual, I wouldn't even bother with less than 4GB (4x1GB) at current prices.
Go with a previous generation Xeon or Opteron, using the lower end CPUs. Contrary to all the QQ, you want and need the bandwidth of these. Especially for that many disks. They're also easy to find fairly cheap.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top