want to build first storage server

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Weaksauce
Joined
Jan 23, 2005
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I am looking at this set up but need a mobo picked out and any other suggestions.

case: COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case $139

power supply: OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ700MXSP 700W $85.00

cpu: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz $159

memory OCZ Reaper HPC 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 $129

hd 6x Western Digital Caviar Green WD15EARS 1.5TB $99

what else do i need, probably going to run freenas or whs
 
STOP!!!!

If you are going to run FreeNAS or WHS don't bother with the Phenom II X4 955 BE. I actually tried making a server with a Phenom IIX4 955 BE a few weeks ago: http://www.servethehome.com/amd-phenom-ii-x4-955-based-whs/ Power consumption is way too high for a home server.

That memory is a bit of a waste. The G.Skill DDR3 is pretty good and much ceaper, even for the 1600 sets.

Neither FreeNAS or WHS will be able to use your CPU more than 15% unless you are encoding/ transcoding on them, or are running multiple VMs.

Suggestion: i3-530 + Supermicro X8SIL-F v1.02 which has IPMI. Plenty of horsepower now and for WHS V2 Vail. You could easily get by with an ATOM D510 or N330 though.
 
what do you want to do with it?

look at the super micro dummy SATA PCIe or PCIX 8 port cards for expansion

while a x4 is nice for performance it isnt usually needed and will use a decent amount power if on 24/7

I would at least get a 95w version x4 rather than a 125w version.


I would recommend a Power and Cooling, Corsair or Forton PSU

I have a OCZ powerstream in my WHS but that was out of necessity


also modular PSUs are nice for looks but it is just one more place for a failure and there can be voltage droop from the connectors.
 
are you building a fileserver or gaming rig?

Save some power d00d
 
Don't go with that POS OCZ ModXStream 700W PSU:
http://hardocp.com/article/2008/11/12/ocz_700w_modxstream_pro_power_supply/

As others have asked so far, what exactly are you doing with this fileserver?

Other questions:
- How much storage do you want/need initially?
- How much storage do you plan/want in the future?
- What's your budget for this file server?

@ Adidas4275
Forton hasn't been good for a while. PC P&C's Silencer and Turbocool PSU lines are no longer available in mass quantities. Their new PSU line has cause for worry since it's made by Sirfa, the same manufacturers of the above reviewed OCZ PSU. The voltage drop is not even noticeable among quality made modular PSUs.
 
Wow, that's way overkill for a file server. Don't you have some old hardware laying around? Salvage those parts, throw in a SATA expansion hard, and some 10k WD Raptor drives.
 
Barstool said:
Wow, that's way overkill for a file server. Don't you have some old hardware laying around? Salvage those parts, throw in a SATA expansion hard, and some 10k WD Raptor drives.
Click to expand...

I think the 10k drives are overkill for storage as well. But if I were to drop my 2 cents I would echo the i3 choice from pjkenned for low power consumption but plenty of serving power and something onboard with video as far as the mobo goes.
 
Barstool said:
Wow, that's way overkill for a file server. Don't you have some old hardware laying around? Salvage those parts, throw in a SATA expansion hard, and some 10k WD Raptor drives.
Click to expand...

Really? Raptors

He is talking about 9tb of storage and you suggest raptors.

You either didnt read or dont have a clue.
 
Raptors?? Lol, you meant Velociraptors..........hahah J/K

I second (or third, or whatev) the i3 idea. Find a nice mobo with onboard video, a few PCI / PCI Express slots for that sweet $99 supermicro 8 port card, some decent HD around 1.5 Tb and youll have a nice setup. Get an Intel branded NIC if you have now or are planning to upgrade to gig network.

EDIT : Youll see various 4 port sata cards with a SIL chipset and think "Hey, these only cost $30 so I buy 2, get 8 ports for $60 versus the $99 for the Supermicro" Dont do it, those are flaky ass cards ( Syba is one of the rebranded ones, but basically, stay with the Supermicro or better and youll be happy you did)
 
I agree with everyone else. If this is just a regular home file server, then, to put it mildly, those parts are way overkill.

If you don't have some older parts laying around, go with an AM2 processor and board, and you can probably afford to run 2GB of RAM instead of 4GB, which should save you some money that you can put elsewhere.

Instead of that PSU, get an Antec or Corsair. Pick up 2TB HDDs as well. They're only $20-$30 more than the 1.5TB drives, and you'll save space and power.
 
Lord Nassirbannipal said:
Instead of that PSU, get an Antec or Corsair. Pick up 2TB HDDs as well. They're only $20-$30 more than the 1.5TB drives, and you'll save space and power.
Click to expand...

This as well. If you have a 700w psu only pulling 150-200 watts then you aren't reaching any peak efficiency. It may net you more overhead for later but a file server doesn't require lots of juice and it may even shorten the life of the psu, oddly enough.
 
Yeah spend your money on a quiet 500Wish supply. 2GB of RAM will be enough, and a dual core processor is also enough. I mean "enough" in terms of "you have nothing (or very little) to gain by going higher." 1.5TB drives are the best price point to density compromise in my opinion, for simple file serving low power (5400 RPM) drives are ideal, and quieter than 7200s. Probably more reliable too, but that's just my guess. Spend money on good NIC(s) for any server, this is just as important a part of the file serving system as the drives that store the data.

Dustin
 
Danny Bui said:
@ Adidas4275
Forton hasn't been good for a while. PC P&C's Silencer and Turbocool PSU lines are no longer available in mass quantities. Their new PSU line has cause for worry since it's made by Sirfa, the same manufacturers of the above reviewed OCZ PSU. The voltage drop is not even noticeable among quality made modular PSUs.
Click to expand...


good to know, so basically since OCZ bought P&C they have not been good?

too bad... I have had good experience with OCZ for RAM and SSDs, and my old 520w powerstream green led PSU was great about 4 years ago...
 
Adidas4275 said:
good to know, so basically since OCZ bought P&C they have not been good?
Click to expand...
Well PC P&C was good for a long time after OCZ bought them out. However, in the last half year or so, things have changed. Stocks of their good PSUs began to run out and for a few months, PC P&C pretty much disappeared from the market. When they finally announced their new PSU line a few weeks back, that's when things were definitely turning for the worse: Their new PSU lines were being made by Sirfa, the same manufacturers as OCZ's crappy ModXStream Pro and Fata1ty lines.

So until a proper review of the new PC P&C PSU is out, I'd say avoid for now.
 
pjkenned said:
Suggestion: i3-530 + Supermicro X8SIL-F v1.02 which has IPMI. Plenty of horsepower now and for WHS V2 Vail. You could easily get by with an ATOM D510 or N330 though.
Click to expand...

How's the i3 working in the SM board now that it's updated? I've been eying the SM boards because they're the only decent boards with graphics, intel networking and expandability options for 1156.

Danny Bui said:
Their new PSU line has cause for worry since it's made by Sirfa, the same manufacturers of the above reviewed OCZ PSU
Click to expand...

hehe, looks like I was right when I said OCZ would trash the PCP&C quality :p


I'd suggest the new SeaSonic S12II Bronze series of PSU's. They seem to share the very high efficiency at low loads with the X series of gold psu's, so you'll save a lot of power with the server idling.
 
i am seeing what everyone is saying and saving money is a great idea, i want a server that starts at 10 tb but can be expanded. It will only serve files and download files to it. i also want to access over the net when at a friends house or what ever. will host movies/music/ebooks/ds games (for the kids)

so can you build me a decent cheap server that is good.,
 
novadude said:
How's the i3 working in the SM board now that it's updated? I've been eying the SM boards because they're the only decent boards with graphics, intel networking and expandability options for 1156.
Click to expand...

OK I guess... it is physically installed, but I haven't had a chance to set it up. I have been very busy with work... and I bought a new Trek Madone 5.2 so my free time has been spent basically riding, or thinking of new things I really don't need but I want for the new toy :-/ I am also considering popping the i5-650 in there hopefully later this week when I get a chance.

The SM boards really are the only solid boards for low-end servers. I have to imagine there are a ton of people that would be disappointed to find only a VGA out (well and IMPI of course) and no onboard sound :)
 
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