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First Time Media Server Build. Need Advice

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DonnyP

Junior Member
I hope this is the right section for this.

I need to build a media server, as my desktop is maxed out on drives now.

I have a brand new Antec 300 case downstairs that I can use. For Hard Drives I have 2 2TB WD green drives along with a Seagate Barracuda 1TB and a Samsung Spinpoint F1 1 TB drive

I've done lots of reading on this and I'm not sure if I want to build or buy one, I was leaning more towards build.

I would like to go with unRAID, as thats what I've read the most about , unless someone has a better recommendation.

I was browsing and I happened to find this deal http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-PowerEdge-C6100-XS23-TY3-4x-QC-E5530-2-4GHz-48GB-NO-HARD-DRIVES-/310738828519?pt=COMP_EN_Servers&hash=item48597a3ce7. Any thoughts on that?

I'm not quite sure what I would all use it for besides storing my files and streaming to various PC's in my house. Possibly SabNZB and sickbeard/couch potato? I'm not too sure what else you could use it for? I mostly just view movie files and stream music from it.

Any part recommendations would be great, or ideas about which approach to take.

I'm looking to pull the trigger here either tonight or tomorrow and have it up and running by the end of the week!!
 
Get the Celeron G1610 if you are sticking with a "Bridge" chip. You could also get a Haswell Pentium + Haswell compatible board, although the boards will be a bit more expensive, generally.

Neo Ecos are okay, but you can get something good for less. The Rosewill Capstone-450 is $60 at Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006BCKDGW/?tag=pcpapi-20

Also, the memory controllers on a Pentium or Celeron don't support 1600 Mhz RAM, so you could "settle" for 1333 Mhz or 1066 Mhz RAM if it saves you a few bucks.
 
The poweredge c6100 server is a 4 node server in which 3 hard drives get controlled per node, per operating system. So that means 4 operating systems and 12 hard drives, with only 3 being avail per OS.

A better option would be an empty HP DL320s, but it will have slow and old CPU. It would be good for NAS duty though. Slow SATA 1.5 interface will not be noticed over a gigabit lan. Just on internal dutys like large backups / transfers.
 
Would I be better off going with Intel or AMD? Price difference isn't huge, im leaning more towards Intel though.
 
You'd probably want to pick either an FM2 APU or Intel chip. Since it is a server, either way is ok since it seems like your server will stay idle most of the time. Trinity/Richland idles well although their load power consumption might be a little higher. Haswell is an efficient chip all around and also sips power slowly.
 
Compman55 said:
The poweredge c6100 server is a 4 node server in which 3 hard drives get controlled per node, per operating system. So that means 4 operating systems and 12 hard drives, with only 3 being avail per OS.

A better option would be an empty HP DL320s, but it will have slow and old CPU. It would be good for NAS duty though. Slow SATA 1.5 interface will not be noticed over a gigabit lan. Just on internal dutys like large backups / transfers.
Click to expand...

Any rackmount server is going to be loud though.
 
DonnyP said:
I came across these components that I think would work great

Case: Antec 300 $Free!!
Motherboard: AsRock H77 Pro 4 MVP $75
CPU: Intel Pentium G645 $68
PSU: Antec Neo Eco $80
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series $38

Total to get started, minus flash drive and license, is $261. I just think that seems a little high, as I've seen many of people who have built one for much less.

Any ideas on those components or pricing?
Click to expand...

The general idea here is good, but you could tweak the parts a bit to save money.

- Case: Can't beat free
- Mobo: You basically want an inexpensive board with 6+ SATA ports. The one you picked out is not bad at $75 for 8 ports. You can also do the ASRock H77M for $65 and 6 ports
- CPU: The CPU isn't going to be a bottleneck for a <10 drives. Get the G1610 for $50 like Torn Mind mentioned.
- PSU: You can get a capable PSU for a lot less. The Corsair CX430 is $20 AR right now.
- RAM: A single 4GB DIMM will suffice for now, leaving you at least one free slot to upgrade. This G.Skill DDR3 1600 4GB DIMM for $33 will work for you.
 
mfenn said:
The general idea here is good, but you could tweak the parts a bit to save money.

- Case: Can't beat free
- Mobo: You basically want an inexpensive board with 6+ SATA ports. The one you picked out is not bad at $75 for 8 ports. You can also do the ASRock H77M for $65 and 6 ports
- CPU: The CPU isn't going to be a bottleneck for a <10 drives. Get the G1610 for $50 like Torn Mind mentioned.
- PSU: You can get a capable PSU for a lot less. The Corsair CX430 is $20 AR right now.
- RAM: A single 4GB DIMM will suffice for now, leaving you at least one free slot to upgrade. This G.Skill DDR3 1600 4GB DIMM for $33 will work for you.
Click to expand...

Mfenn, I thought the memory controller in the G1610 wouldn't support 1600 memory, I believe it only supports 1333? I might be wrong on this though.

I also heard that the Neo Eco PSU's are suppose to be really good? Most recommend that one. Any reason as to why? Will that Corsair have enough power output for 10 drives and the motherboard?
 
Just get the cheapest CPU/MB that has built-in graphics and a couple of GB of RAM. UnRAID uses next to nothing in resources. Many people run there's on old 1Ghz Semprons. If you have some parts in the attic or garage, just go for that.
 
It seems that the Neo Ecos have been improved from their past counterparts and should not be "mixed" with the old ones. However, the vendors haven't done this....

Yes, you can't go wrong with a Neo Eco C or whatever Antec calls them, but there are quality units for a little less that are also good units.

Home servers don't need super fast memory. Heck, you can administer them remotely.
 
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DonnyP said:
Mfenn, I thought the memory controller in the G1610 wouldn't support 1600 memory, I believe it only supports 1333? I might be wrong on this though.
Click to expand...

That's true, but DDR3 1600 was literally the same price, so you might as well. It'll clock down to 1600.

DonnyP said:
I also heard that the Neo Eco PSU's are suppose to be really good? Most recommend that one. Any reason as to why? Will that Corsair have enough power output for 10 drives and the motherboard?
Click to expand...

They are quite good, but the Corsair will do the job perfectly and costs a lot less.
 
Glad I found this thread, as this is something I will be doing soon as well. Thansk all for your suggestions as they helped more than one person 🙂
 
Wife said I can buy parts for my birthday!!! Will be ordering parts tonight or tomorrow for my server. Just need to do a little more research about it.

Also going to build a new main PC. Not sure whether to go with a powerful mini ITX to get a small footprint. Or stick to a mid/full tower and go big. I don't really game much on PC's, never really got into it.

Any ideas?
 
Only really a couple of reasons to get a full or even mid-tower, big video cards (gaming) or lots of HDDs for storage.

Since you are already building a NAS for storage and don't game much, the choice seems obvious.
 
smitbret said:
Only really a couple of reasons to get a full or even mid-tower, big video cards (gaming) or lots of HDDs for storage.

Since you are already building a NAS for storage and don't game much, the choice seems obvious.
Click to expand...

Any good recommendations for a powerful Mini ITX?
 
mfenn said:
Can you answer the questionnaire as it relates to your main PC?
Click to expand...

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. Music, Surfing the Web, Photoshop occasionally, You Tube Videos and other various activities I can't think of right now.

2. What YOUR budget is. ~500-700

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from. United States

4. IF you're buying parts OUTSIDE the US, Nope

5. IF YOU have a brand preference. Not really. Mostly dealt with Intel lately though.

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are. None

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds. Default Speeds

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using? Mostly ran @ 1920x1080

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
As soon as I make up my mind, and find out the best specs for a system that suits my needs

10. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software? No Software needs to be purchased.
 
i +1 mfenn's recommendation... possibly replace the ASRock board with a Gigabyte one as i have favoritism on Gigabyte. :X
If you need system.

If your building a NAS... its way too much cpu power for a NAS hardware wise.
You would do fine on a H61 ITX + Celeron G2020 and dump the rest on RAM so u can run 2x8gig for a total of 16gigs... and run that system headless (without monitor or keyboard) on a usb flash drive via FreeNAS.
 
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