Question Is there a modern suitable replacement for an Intel DH61AG mini-ITX (for Tranquil Riley Server case)?

[kiwidude]

Hi folks, first time here.

Way back in 2012 I bought a Tranquil Riley CP50 (silent PC case head unit with Intel DH61 AG mini-ITX / Core i5-2390 and 80GB SSD) and SU12 (eSATA case with 4 x 3TB HDD in RAID 5). Quite pricey but the CP50 head unit at least is totally silent and it looks awesome (the seek/spin noises of the HDDs in the SU12 are a different matter however). Of course 10 years later and the technology inside is needing replacement if I hold onto this.

My question is whether there is any possibility at all to replace the motherboard/drives inside with something more modern? FYI here is the specs (a typo in there, this is an i5-2390 in the CP50). I run Windows 7 on it currently:
https://moviesgamesandtech.com/2011...riley-whs-server-processor-and-storage-units/

The backplate of the Riley would seem to require a quite specific layout of the motherboard ports at the back - there is a photo of the CP30 (same as CP50 except an i3 processor instead of i5) at the top of this review article:
https://moviesgamesandtech.com/2012...cp30-windows-home-server-storage-processor/2/

The Intel DH61AG support manuals are all here:
https://www.intel.com/content/www/u...000021057/boards-and-kits/desktop-boards.html

Is it already going to be a complete blocker/non-starter replacing that Intel DH61AG for trying to upgrade the hardware in this case at all due to the form factor?

Currently I only use it as a NAS backup. I would like to use it as a Plex server too, but the seek noises of the HDDs in there are just way too loud in my lounge. Either I replace all those HDDs with SSDs in the SU12 - or ditch the SU12 and replace/supplement the 80GB SSD with something much larger in the CP50 head unit (which can house two drives). I know that keeping a low heat profile will be a requirement so not looking to try to turn this into a gaming PC or whatever. I just want it to have some hardware internals that isn't due to expire/can put a supported OS/drivers on it.

Advice, thoughts, suggestions would be very much appreciated. It seems a waste to just throw the whole thing away!

 

[Shmee]

Unfortunately due to the form factor, specificially it looks non standard, I don't think you could replace the board with something else. That said, you should be able to upgrade the OS if you want to, which might be a good idea. If you just use it as a NAS, you might want to just install Truenas or some other NAS focused OS. Also, how much RAM does it have? In general having more helps, especially for servers or NAS systems running ZFS, though you will be a bit limited with only 2 SODIMM slots.

 

[Tech Junky]

Go on PCPartPicker.com and see if you can find the case and see what your options are. When it comes down to it just put Linux on it for a NAS / Plex server. Not huge hw requirements unless you need transcode the video files for payback. You could pick up some modern 18tb drives for $300/ea and run raid 1 mirror for redundancy off the OS. Mini/itx is still a thing. you just need to get creative for temps and storage.

 

[kiwidude]

Thank you both of you for your responses. I have since determined it is a "thin mini-itx" motherboard. However as Shmee suggested I may have to concede defeat on a new m/b for it. At the very least the backplate is a problem given the DVI connector, and it is also possible the fanless cooling of the case design won't "fit" with some other option.

I took the Riley apart as far as I could to inspect what is inside. Discovered that I had in fact bought it with dual 80GB SSDs in the CP50 (one for OS, the other for extra storage), and 2 x 4GB SODIMMs (allegedly that m/b can support 2 x 8GB). It also apparently has an mSATA port but like the memory I couldn't get to it as it is mounted upside down. Two of the motherboard screws seem to be pretty much tapped out and would not budge, so I cut my losses at that point and put it back together for now.

The RAID unit I also opened up. I suspect I may find it problematic to put SSDs in there to replace those HDDs in terms of even just mounting them given the bespoke nature of the enclosure. So that part of it I may just keep it around as a secondary backup until one of the drives dies (10 years old so sooner rather than later it will happen) and retire it.

So if I "give up" on the eSATA that leaves me contemplating the Riley CP50 PC unit. Your Linux suggestions above are interesting - not something I have dabbled with in the past having lived mostly in Windows ecosystems. Windows drivers/support (for anything past 8.1 the BIOS officially supports) may be a "problem" for this m/b - not that I have tried to put Windows 10 on it as yet. One short term option I have to is to reformat the second 80GB SSD as an O/S playground for Linux or Windows 10 to see what I can successfully get running on it, and flip the drives back if that all goes pear shaped?

Looking at my Plex I don't think I need transcoding for the devices/content I use as seems to be DirectPlay.

I would love to have an mSATA drive for the O/S, then use two SSD drives as storage in the CP50 in a raid 1 setup as Tech Junky suggests. However I don't know how likely it is nowadays to find a 3Gb/s mSATA drive compatible with an old board like this. A review for the m/b said the following (but of course these are all obsolete products): "Additionally, the full size Mini-PCIe slot also supports mSATA SSDs such as the Intel 310 Series, 311 Series, Kingston SSDNow SMS100S2 and OCZ Nocti Series.". I would also need to figure out how to remove those tapped screws and find some replacements to even install it.

As always suggestions from you all are welcomed - do I cut my loses and just go buy a dedicated NAS/Plex server or is any of the above worth pursuing...

 

[Tech Junky]

I swapped the HDD in my car for an msata and it took a couple of tries to find a decent drive but eventually landed one that is stable.

https://a.co/d/bApuUQ0

Of course now it shows unavailable for order like most of the niche things I find to use. They're relatively cheap but, make sure to find it one with a good amount of reviews to suss out the quality.