Project: Galaxy 4.0

[Ockie]

Please refer to the previous galaxy projects found here


Galaxy 3.0:

The goals of galaxy 4.0:

- To increase storage capacity
- To reduce the noise (aka the first high capacity whisper server)
- To increase functionality
- To modernize it


Multiple phases in this build, phases are below:

Phase 1:
- Replacing the Power supply to two 500 watt PSU's (Why you ask?) Because of noise! The 1KW PSU that I have currently in Galaxy is awesome, however it's quite loud and quite annoying at it too, also, 500w PSU's are much cheaper (MUCH)! Meaning I can use the extra money from the sale to upgrade galaxy in other areas.
-Replacing the Stacker Case to a larger case. (Why?) The stacker is a nice case, however as I have it right now it's a maxed out case. The stacker will be replaced by a PC-343B Lian-Li case, allowing more room for expansion. The Lian-Li case holds 30 drives plus internal drives in the configuration I desire, it also features a power button on the front whereas in the past I had to mod one for the back of the stackers. Oh did I mention I also would have USB and audio ports on the front?! Not that it matters... but hey, why not
- Replacing the drive cages (Why?) The current supermicro drive cages are awesome, however they are loud and they do not feature a fan speed switch as a couple others do, so this is a driving feature for me. This allows me to turn the noise down much more while still achieving effective cooling. Also, the drive cages I do want features power switches and integrated LEDs, meaning each drive can be independently shut off with the press of a button (power saving too for data I may not use for long periods of time!). The integrated LED is a pretty cool function too, it shows power and HDD reading activity without having the need to run the activity cables! Also, I need more units, so why not just get something new to play with?! Oh yeah, did I add that the units I desire comes with locking SATA cables!?! YAY!

Phase 2:
- Replacing the motherboard, processors, and memory. (Why?) Because with the current move in technology, the current components are out dated and not as effective as new components in my goals. I am planning on replacing the board with an AM2 board and a X2 3800+ as they are dirt cheap and can be cheaply upgraded later on. I would love to have Q-Fan and Cool 'N Quite as it would reduce heat, noise, and power consumption. As this is a private server, there won’t be constant access to it so the extra processing power will sit idle, meaning power, heat, and resources wasted. Another big reason for the upgrade is the PCI-e capability

Phase 3:
- Replacing the SATA II Controllers and going with PCI-e controllers, possibly using multilane breakout cables to clear up cable management. I don't know exactly what I want here but it would most likely boil down to two larger PCI-e controllers.






Expected arrival:

Lian-Li PC-343B

Ordering soon:

6 x 5in3 SATA Hot Swap units providing a total drive capacity of 30 drives + Internal mounting space
2 x Power Supplies, silence is what I am looking for and so is functionality, still keeping an eye peeled



Here is a picture of the galaxy 4.0 case

 

[omegatotal]

holy damn big case!

this should turn out interesting!

 

[Arcygenical]

Ockie's at it again .


I really can't wait... That stacker looks impressive enough!

 

[rogue_jedi]

Daaaaaaamn.... That looks like a fun case to play with.

the black knight always triumphs!

 

[swatbat]

Humm could be interesting. Still scarry to run that many drives with no raid.

 

[fenton06]

why is there no RAID? I would want at least raid 5 on this beast....

also - I would get 2 custom made PC P&P PSUs. The silencer series is supposed to be pretty good. They come in 470w, 610w and 750w. I would imagine silencer means quiet. The most expenisve, the 750w is only $200 retail...and if you had two that would be 1500 watts for under $500 (but that isn't uncluding the custom wiring). I am also pretty sure you would be able to custom wire it yourself, adn still not void the warranty.

 

[Ockie]

why is there no RAID? I would want at least raid 5 on this beast....

also - I would get 2 custom made PC P&P PSUs. The silencer series is supposed to be pretty good. They come in 470w, 610w and 750w. I would imagine silencer means quiet. The most expenisve, the 750w is only $200 retail...and if you had two that would be 1500 watts for under $500 (but that isn't uncluding the custom wiring). I am also pretty sure you would be able to custom wire it yourself, adn still not void the warranty.

I don't like the overhead raid consumes

I was thinking of the silencers or the seasonics.

 

[unhappy_mage]

Enermax also makes large single-rail PSUs quite suitable for server usage. The EG651P-VE I have is fairly quiet and powered many drives without a problem.

Oh, and subscribed

 

[swatbat]

I don't like the overhead raid consumes

I was thinking of the silencers or the seasonics.

What about Antec Phantom 500's? They are a little pricey but not like the 1k pcpc and you would never hear them(don't know how many power supplys you would hear over that many hds though)

 

[Farva]

oh man ockie. this is gonna be one crazy project

i cant wait to see what becomes of this beast....as well as some of the parts left over. and yes, i know you are selling some of the stuff already on the FS/FT forum

 

[mrweasel]

damn, seems just like yesterday that you finished v3.0

 

[Everfalling]

just keeps getting bigger

 

[Ockie]

What about Antec Phantom 500's? They are a little pricey but not like the 1k pcpc and you would never hear them(don't know how many power supplys you would hear over that many hds though)

Phantoms are tipping in the expensive range for 500's, but they are great psus. The only problem with the phantom is that it does have a fan which makes it hybrid.... and when the load is high the fan powers on.

 

[starbuck8968]

I'd recommend Seasonic S12 for PSU, try to get the 80Plus one while your at it. Quieter and runs cooler. Or for cable management you could go with the M12 series.

 

[EnderW]

What about Antec Phantom 500's? They are a little pricey but not like the 1k pcpc and you would never hear them(don't know how many power supplys you would hear over that many hds though)

I think the phantom is a joke.
The new Corsair HX series will blow them away in every category, they aren't fanless, but really the phantom isn't either IMO - it's relying on the fact that you'll have airflow through your case from other fans.

 

[TeeJayHoward]

Man... A potential 28.8TB preformat. Gonna start ripping HD-DVD/BluRay disc? That's just... An insane amount of storage space. As always, Ockie, I must bow down before the awesome might of your ePeen. Got a link to the 5in3s you're using?

 

[sFanky]

few questions/comments.

1. You really think 500x2 PSU's are going to be enough for 30+ drives?
2. are you going to make it soon? i.e. 750 gb drives? I've heard that 1TB's will be out by the end of the year.
3. exactly what drive cases are you looking at then? I agree with you the super micro’s are unnecessarily loud. On mine, I have them hooked up through a regulator. They are silent enough for me at the lowest setting (around 1200 RPM’s) but the airflow in my apartment is not enough for the summertime.

4. phase 2: have you considered a core 2 duo running on a asus p5b deluxe? low power consumption, low heat, low cost, 2 16x PCIe card slots, perfect for 2 16 port raid controllers. You can get the e6400 for around $220 and it can overclock to 3.2+ GHz if you desire (which as just about as fast as the ‘extreme’ line that costs $800+)

5. phase 3: I’m As I’ve said before, I built my fileserver based on a lot of what I read in the galaxy 3.0 forums. Unlike you, I wanted to run raid, so I had to do my own research on that. At the time, running the areca 1260 (http://www.areca.us/products/html/pcie-sata.htm) was the best choice I could find. It looks like they have some new intel line now that may be better.

Nice find on the case, it looks like it should be perfect.

 

[Bbq]

My reccomendations for psu's:

2 pcp*c 750's
or
2 corsair hx 620
or
2 silverstone 560's (the single 38a rail one)

All are good choices.

 

[nicolas9510]

just looked at the galaxy 3.0... awesome
cant wait to see what you do this time
im a storage whore also, but only got 1TB so far, going to expand soon to fit more dvdr's

 

[w1retap]

oohhhh shit Ockie.. you better have this done by MPcon. Its Jan 5-7. I know it isn't going to be a 'network oriented' server, but it looks like its going to be badass.

 

[Ockie]

few questions/comments.
1. You really think 500x2 PSU's are going to be enough for 30+ drives?

I think it would manage just fine, if not, it's not a hard upgrade

2. are you going to make it soon? i.e. 750 gb drives? I've heard that 1TB's will be out by the end of the year.

I still have all galaxy drives, which will be moved over. I'm not going to be buying any additional storage at this time... I am also waiting for the tb drives

3. exactly what drive cases are you looking at then? I agree with you the super micro’s are unnecessarily loud. On mine, I have them hooked up through a regulator. They are silent enough for me at the lowest setting (around 1200 RPM’s) but the airflow in my apartment is not enough for the summertime.

I was thinking of slowing the supermicro ones down with a fan bus, but they were not designed to slow down that much (the fan they have seems to work great at high speeds)

4. phase 2: have you considered a core 2 duo running on a asus p5b deluxe? low power consumption, low heat, low cost, 2 16x PCIe card slots, perfect for 2 16 port raid controllers. You can get the e6400 for around $220 and it can overclock to 3.2+ GHz if you desire (which as just about as fast as the ‘extreme’ line that costs $800+)

Or I could get an X2 and save even more money This wont need to be overclocked.

5. phase 3: I’m As I’ve said before, I built my fileserver based on a lot of what I read in the galaxy 3.0 forums. Unlike you, I wanted to run raid, so I had to do my own research on that. At the time, running the areca 1260 (http://www.areca.us/products/html/pcie-sata.htm) was the best choice I could find. It looks like they have some new intel line now that may be better.

The 1260 is much more than I want to spend

 

[Ozone77]

I still have all galaxy drives, which will be moved over...
...Or I could get an X2 and save even more money ...
...The 1260 is much more than I want to spend

LOL, i remember looking at your Galaxy 3 thread and thinking "This guy is nuts! (or rich)". It is nice to see you are a regular joe (avobe average, really) that needs to make compromises on the hardware going into his computer.

That case looks fantastic, will the 5-in-3 keep in-line with the looks? can't wait to see more.

 

[Ockie]

LOL, i remember looking at your Galaxy 3 thread and thinking "This guy is nuts! (or rich)". It is nice to see you are a regular joe (avobe average, really) that needs to make compromises on the hardware going into his computer.

That case looks fantastic, will the 5-in-3 keep in-line with the looks? can't wait to see more.

I can say I'm not rich, but nuts I will not comment on Anyways, it's un-logical to drop so much on a controller, especially at their rate of depreciation is so drastic. Also, since I don't care for raid, no point in blowing 1k (in this case, nearly 2k for two controllers) for features I wont ever use... that's the same to me as in to pay extra for a smokers kit for your car...

 

[Stu55]

Sweet, I always liked your galaxy projects, this looks to be no disappointment either.

 

[sFanky]

I can say I'm not rich, but nuts I will not comment on Anyways, it's un-logical to drop so much on a controller, especially at their rate of depreciation is so drastic. Also, since I don't care for raid, no point in blowing 1k (in this case, nearly 2k for two controllers) for features I wont ever use... that's the same to me as in to pay extra for a smokers kit for your car...

You seemed to "spare no expense" on the Galaxy 3, so i am also surprised you said anything is too much. I guess i can see why not since you wont' do raid (which i still can't get over ).

For someone who uses the features as i do, i don't think it's un-logical. The card i purchased 7 months ago should last me at least another year (probably longer). My first was an $800 3ware card 4 years ago and i'm still using that.

I think $1k for 2+ years of performance and most important 'peace of mind' is well worth it!

 

[Ockie]

You seemed to "spare no expense" on the Galaxy 3, so i am also surprised you said anything is too much. I guess i can see why not since you wont' do raid (which i still can't get over ).

For someone who uses the features as i do, i don't think it's un-logical. The card i purchased 7 months ago should last me at least another year (probably longer). My first was an $800 3ware card 4 years ago and i'm still using that.

I think $1k for 2+ years of performance and most important 'peace of mind' is well worth it!

Well it's not a matter of sparing expenses, its more like it's something that I don't need or use that I would have to pay extra for. Kinda like my analogy of paying more for a smokers kit for your car when you are not a smoker... just a waste of money

 

[EnderW]

Well it's not a matter of sparing expenses, its more like it's something that I don't need or use that I would have to pay extra for. Kinda like my analogy of paying more for a smokers kit for your car when you are not a smoker... just a waste of money

Yeah if you're not even using RAID, there is no need for a high end hardware controller

 

[Cpt Twitchy]

/subscirbed

I love these threads but no time to read atm

 

[Ockie]

So a little dilema. The case came... but, I forgot my digital camera behind... so no pictures. Well, I do have pictures, but thats with a film camera (I had to get something!). Anyways, today or tomorrow I'll locate the digicam and get some good shots off.


The board has been mounted and the case looks wonderful, however I'm extremley worried about the sheer weight of the drives and cages and the stress it's going to put on the aluminuim case Let's hope this case withholds the weight.


Also, I could have sworn the stupid thing came with a dual psu bracket, so now I'm out on the prowl for one.

 

[TriXje]

if its build with that capacity, normally it's expected that it can hold it

 

[CYRiX]

then again hes puttning 5 hdd's in 3 bays. i doubt it wouldnt be able to hold.

 

[DryFire]

underestimating the strength of Al? If you're really worried you could always reinforce it.

 

[w1retap]

lol, the Lian Li has plenty of strength in those drive bay holders to hold a bunch of hard drives. Those are vertical column holders for the bays. When you fasten the hard drive racks in there, they probably would have enough rigid strengh to use as stilts.

 

[Ockie]

lol, the Lian Li has plenty of strength in those drive bay holders to hold a bunch of hard drives. Those are vertical column holders for the bays. When you fasten the hard drive racks in there, they probably would have enough rigid strengh to use as stilts.

Thats what I'm hoping for. I have faith that this is going to work, otherwise I wouldn't have bought the case to begin with


It was just a concern since those drive cages can weigh as much as 12lbs each plus the drives. I wish they had a extra set of wheels for the middle as extra support or something, just to give it more strength


Anyways, all thats needed now is the purchase of the drive cages, I'm still waiting on fun money funds to collect up so I can do the purchase (my goal is to fund this entire project off the cost of other hardware that I'm parting with). So if you want to see this project move much faster... then buy my stuff!

 

[brasherman]

EVERY TIME I get the droll off my chin, you go and do it again. My wife wonders where my technolust comes from..... I simply blame it on this guy she doesn't know called Ockie.

Seriously, sexy case. Michigan modding baby! Too much is just right!

To all the uninitiated, when winter in Michigan comes you have to have something to do. Witness one man's pursuit of happiness! The rest of us just drink cheap beer and make snow angels.

 

[Ockie]

Thanks guys.

Just an update.



Apparently when you purchase the Lian-Li PC-343B case, it does not include the dual PSU bracket. I was fully under the impression from performance-pcs.com's website that the bracket was included... no where on their website they mentioned that it wasn't included. I dispatched them an email requesting for the bracket and I called, when I first called some guy picked up and told me the sales wasn't in so I have to send an email... WTF is that about?! Anyways, I sent an email, I have not recieved a response... so I continued to call again today. The same guy picked up the phone, so I asked to speak to sales... he said "I can help you" (Once again WTF?!), I told him my problem and he said he responded to my email (BULLSHIT), and continued to tell me that I was sol and I can buy the dual psu option plate when it comes availible and also that future cube shipments will include the plate (FALSE ADVERTISING.. WHAT?!)... I asked him politley to please correct this issue as this is an important part of my build (actually, this was the sole selling point of this case besides the drive capacity).... he told me that it was "too bad" and there is nothing he will do to fix the problem (rude bastard he was).

Anyways, to say the least, this build is now at a halted state, I will call Lian-Li and request a plate and pay them directly or one of their recomended vendors and I will file a formal complaint. I will also file a complaint to reseller ratings and the other registries they are apart of. They were rude and unwilling to fix the problem. All my $400+ components I purchase is from them, I purchased a TC1KW, TJ07, and various things from them in the past and have recomended them to many sales.


This is my request for you guys, please do not do any future purchases with Performance-PCs.com as they are a trerrible business and they need to see that false advertising is not going to win against the masses.


One thing to note, they mentioned all the other options that will become availible (understandable) but they did not mention the dual psu plate, they simply stated this: "Removable PSU plate offers different solution to meet various requirement.
(1) ATX PSU + 120mm fan or HDD Module
(2) Two ATX PSU
(3) Redundant Power supply
"

Complete false advertising and unwilling to correct the issue to a loyal customer... even after I told them their site does not say this when I called the fist time... they did not care nor care to fix the issue. The guy even confirmed with me that their site does not say that it's not included when I called the first time.



Here is the product link, I also backed it up for proof incase they quickly change it.


Please guys, for the love of galaxy, avoid them. Such a simple fix or simple words could have been said without negativity to preserve a loyal customer who was going to purchase 2 $400 cases this week from them... too bad they don't know about that, or the PSU's I was looking at.

 

[Ockie]

Update:

Good news, I contacted FrozenCPU and they are going to help locate the dual PSU bracket for me Very nice people there and very willing to help.


Update 2:
Oh, I decided on the PSU's that I will be using. My buddy just recieved his Antec HE 550W PSU, and man is it incredibly quite. So I think this might just be the PSU of choice.

He confirms his working with a Opty 165 oce'd to 2.4 stable, 11 hard drives, optical drive, card reader, 6800gs, and various of other cards and crap... so in otherwords, it's quite capable.

I'm pretty confident that I can get 20 hard drives on one running bare and 10 drives plus the system on the other. Anyone care to comment? I'm really interested in modular and very very interested in the quitest psu money can get.


Update 3:

Case fans has been chosen, I will be modding the hard drive units and replacing the fan to silent fans (unit is already fairly quite, but why not go all the way?! ).

I noticed frozencpu.com has the silenx fans in stock and they have those fans in all the required dimensions, their airflow looks incredible for the little amount of noise they make, sure they are expensive, but damn they are sexy. So I would be able to replace these with no performance loss in CFM but much to gain in dba. Any comments on these silenx fans?

I will need 2 x 120mm, 2 x 80mm, and 6 x 80x15mm fans... and these seems to fit the profile pretty well.

 

[mrweasel]

why not mod your own bracket? I know it could prove to be a PITA, but isn't that the point?

 

[unhappy_mage]

I'm pretty confident that I can get 20 hard drives on one running bare and 10 drives plus the system on the other. Anyone care to comment? I'm really interested in modular and very very interested in the quitest psu money can get.

It's a three rail power supply. That's not good for the one that'll be running drives only - it'll be crossloaded. Power supplies like equal amounts of load on each rail. So running one 12V rail at full-overdrive-cranked-to-11 load (20 drives at 1A each under normal conditions, 3A at startup!) and the others with no load whatsoever (!) will be a really heavy crossload.

The solution is a single-rail PSU. The Seasonic M12 is modular, quiet, and while it claims to have four rails, has only one in reality. And take a look at this:

The Energy Plus shook loose our expectations and set a new standard for quiet: At 250W, the fan was just beginning to rise above its minimum level, and it did not exceed 30 dBA@1m until past the 300W mark.

See also high-quality recordings of the PSU in operation. I think I'd recommend it over the Antec any day. You probably don't need the 700W version with its fan noise; the 550 or 650 would work.

I'd suggest you post in the PSU forum and ask about this project. I try to keep up with the developments in PSUs, but several of the guys in there actually test the equipment, and they're the experts.

 

[Ozone77]

PerfomancePC's = Bad ...Check!
FrozenCPU = Good ...Check!

I would follow mage's advice and post in the PSU forum, they are quite helpful over there.

As for the SilenX fans, they are nice and they are quiet but they 'seem' to move less air than other fans (i have a couple 80mm). I believe they just come under-volted (they make-up the lower RPMs with a 'better' fan blade design), if you lower their incoming voltage they will make less noise but move even less air. If the case set up is cool, the silenX fans will keep the air moving, be quiet and prevent heat build up; but if you run into heat issues, the silenX wont be able to give you any extra 'oomph'.