Gaming and File server in one possible?

[deveraux]

Hi All,

It's been a while since I've posted here and do apologize if it is in the wrong sub-forum. Would appreciate any advice on the matter listed above. My current rig is an:
i5 2500K
8GB RAM
GeForce 1070
~6TB HDD and ~1TB SSD

It is currently my gaming PC. Recent games however are starting to test the RAM limits or at least causing issues. As I've recently moved house with proper connection points for the TVs / WiFi devices to read files off a server, I was considering relegating this PC (sans GPU) to file server duties and to purchase a new PC for my gaming rig.

Whilst going through possible CPUs, I narrowed my choices down to the i5 6600K and the i7 6700K (still deciding between 16 or 32GB RAM). The i5 is obviously more cost effective for my needs but then the thought of getting the i7 and turning the entire gaming rig into a file server occurred. However, I have no experience with file servers and as such do not know how much CPU power / RAM it will consume while supplying data over WiFi / Net.

If I go with 2 separate PCs, the file server would run FreeNAS. If it is only 1 rig however, I'll how to see about setting up a simple RAID in Windows.

Any advice on the better option or any other option that I have not considered?

Thanks!

 

[XavierMace]

File serving uses almost no CPU or RAM. Unless that file server is going to be transcoding video files, then that's a different story.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Possible, yes.

My concerns are:
1) Do you really want to leave your gaming rig on 24/7?
2) How many other clients are hitting the file server and how often?
3) How much trouble are you in with You Know Who if the TV goes out halfway through a movie because you updated your GPU drivers?

A ~$150-$200 NAS enclosure will do a fine job of hosting video files for streaming.

 

[deveraux]

Thank you both for your replies. I had actually not considered a NAS enclosure and feel incredibly stupid right now. I think that is probably the best option for me at the moment.

 

[VirtualLarry]

A ~$150-$200 NAS enclosure will do a fine job of hosting video files for streaming.

This! (I own several.)

 

[whm1974]

Add more memory, that will solve your gaming problems.

 

[thetwitt]

Yeah, I think this is possible.

 

[Murloc]

I would keep it separate unless you want a power hog on 24/7, which you can't even restart if other people are accessing the files.

 

[freeskier93]

I would keep it separate unless you want a power hog on 24/7, which you can't even restart if other people are accessing the files.

How is it going to be a power hog? Most people leave their computers on 24/7 anyways. Modern CPUs draw virtually no power when not under use. If anything having everything consolidated on one computer might use less power.

Thank you both for your replies. I had actually not considered a NAS enclosure and feel incredibly stupid right now. I think that is probably the best option for me at the moment.

If you're not going to upgrade your computer then getting a NAS enclosure would be simplest. If you want to upgrade your computer I would go with the i7 and run unRAID.

 

[thetwitt]

Hi All,

It's been a while since I've posted here and do apologize if it is in the wrong sub-forum. Would appreciate any advice on the matter listed above. My current rig is an:
i5 2500K
8GB RAM
GeForce 1070
~6TB HDD and ~1TB SSD

It is currently my gaming PC. Recent games however are starting to test the RAM limits or at least causing issues. As I've recently moved house with proper connection points for the TVs / WiFi devices to read files off a server, I was considering relegating this PC (sans GPU) to file server duties and to purchase a new PC for my gaming rig.

Whilst going through possible CPUs, I narrowed my choices down to the i5 6600K and the i7 6700K (still deciding between 16 or 32GB RAM). The i5 is obviously more cost effective for my needs but then the thought of getting the i7 and turning the entire gaming rig into a file server occurred. However, I have no experience with file servers and as such do not know how much CPU power / RAM it will consume while supplying data over WiFi / Net.

If I go with 2 separate PCs, the file server would run FreeNAS. If it is only 1 rig however, I'll how to see about setting up a simple RAID in Windows.

Any advice on the better option or any other option that I have not considered?

Thanks!

Hi,
Deveraux firstly you selects the device then take further decision

 

[cleverhandle]

Plain old file service requires almost nothing in terms of CPU/RAM. But transcoding video on the fly for Plex or similar servers will need some horsepower. Not a ton, but some. So...

1) Do you need to transcode video? Maybe you're just going to serve up MP4's or whatever that your devices can play directly off a network share. In that case, you don't need to transcode and the demands on the file server are minimal. But if you *do* need to transcode (because, for example, you want to serve tablets just as well as a TV), then gaming on the PC may need CPU resources that conflict with serving those video files properly.

2) Will a file-serving gaming PC be physically convenient? If you need a lot of storage space, you'll need multiple drives, maybe a bigger case, maybe more fans to keep mechanical drives cool. You might not want that kind of box sitting next to your desk. But if your video storage needs are modest, maybe it's not a big deal.

3) Will a file-serving gaming PC be logistically convenient? Gaming PC's tend to be messed with frequently. Testing out different drivers, reinstalling clean OS's, tweaking overclocks or hardware, etc. If you're going to be pulling your gaming PC offline frequently, the rest of the house might get annoyed that they can't watch their shows.

The best performing solution is a dedicated file server that's built to do whatever you need it do and is located in a closet or corner where you don't need to hear the fan noise. But it may well be that letting your gaming PC do the job is good enough to be worth the cost and hassle savings of running a separate box. It depends on your needs and budget.

 

[bigboxes]

I like to build my own. I usually rotate my boxes. As I upgrade the old one goes to the wife or file server. My last main rig was repurposed for a dedicated HTPC last January. The wife got a new build in 2014. I built a new file server in 2013 (when the old one died) and went with the lowest power APU I could find (A4-3300). After all, if you're just throwing up files on the network you don't need a lot of power. However, I want to build a PLEX server and it simply does not have the horses to do the task. I planned on building a monster server in the near future to do that and a lot of other tasks.

Back to topic, I had all the parts (case, power supply, controller card x 2). Just needed to purchase motherboard, APU, ram and SSD. If you are going to build a new unit anyways and you plan on doing more with the machine other than a file server then reuse your old equipment. I leave the file server and the rig in my sig on 24/7. It sips juice when not in use.

 

[thetwitt]

hello,
you can add the more memory