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NAS build

L

laspo

Junior Member
Hi guys,

I decided to build my own NAS to store my media files, run SickBeard and stream to several DLNA-devices (sometimes transcoded). As it will run 24/7, it should be quiet power efficient.
I've been reading a lot and I understand that a Synology NAS won't cut it when I want to transcode on the fly. So I started with the following hardware:

-Fractal Node 304
-Intel i3 4130 (relatively cheap and efficient, strong enough for transcoding)
-Motherboard?? (5x SATA ports would be great)
-4 GB memory (ECC??)
-2x 4 TB Seagate NAS disks (will be expanding in the future when needed)
-maybe an ssd to run the OS?

Any ideas for a motherboard and is ECC necessary when I plan to implement RAID1 (and later RAID 5)

I also thought about running Ubuntu as OS. I'm a bit new to the Linux environment so I'll learn on the go.
 
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Getting ECC carries a price premium, especially in mini-ITX form factor. There are a handful of those available (in LGA1150). If you give up on that, the field really opens up. If you decide you have enough room for micro-ATX, then you have dozens of mobos to choose from.
 
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I don't like the stock coolers. If it needs to be quiet, or the will exists to just do something different, a fairly large cooler will fit in that box, and possibly could be adequately cooled by the 140mm rear fan, especially if a CPU like the 4130T is selected. Not a recommendation necessarily, just an idea to throw out there.
 
mfenn said:
That's not a bad list, though I would skip ECC and use 3TB drives ($33/TB) instead of 4TB drives ($41/TB).
Click to expand...

In my country (Belgium), it's about the same price/TB for 3TB and 4TB (62$/TB !). So I'll go for the 4TB. Unless you think it has a higher probability for errors for some reason?

I also could order the HDD via Amazon. But it seems that a DOA or similar cases are still occasional. And it seems such a hassle to return it then. Any experience? It could save me a lot of money.

Given the parts you have listed out, I'm going to assume that your budget is fairly flexible (that's no reason to spend more than needed of course).

i3 4130 $125
ASUS H87I-PLUS $110
G.Skill DDR3 1600 4GB $41
Seagate 3TB 7200RPM x3 $297 AP
Mushkin Chronos 60GB $50
Corsair CX430M $30 AR
Fractal Design Node 304 $90
Total: $743 AR AP
Click to expand...
Gee, thanks! That seems a great setup! I was looking for a motherboard and that one is perfect! Any idea what the power consumption would be? Because having it on 24/7, power consumption is crucial. In this benchmark, the CPU is already at 63 W idle. The 4130T version could be less, but I can't find a decent benchmark.
 
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crashtech said:
Getting ECC carries a price premium, especially in mini-ITX form factor. There are a handful of those available (in LGA1150). If you give up on that, the field really opens up. If you decide you have enough room for micro-ATX, then you have dozens of mobos to choose from.
Click to expand...
You're right. It's very hard to find a setup with ECC support for a good price. There are so many discussion about it on the internet. I'm just a bit worried that I will have a data corruption every month because of non-ECC memory.
But when I drop the idea, the possibilities really open up like you said.

crashtech said:
I don't like the stock coolers. If it needs to be quiet, or the will exists to just do something different, a fairly large cooler will fit in that box, and possibly could be adequately cooled by the 140mm rear fan, especially if a CPU like the 4130T is selected. Not a recommendation necessarily, just an idea to throw out there.
Click to expand...
You mean the stock cooler of the CPU, I guess? So a Scythe would be an option. Any idea which one would (not) fit in the Node 304? Scythe website
 
It might be best to buy the cooler last, after you already have the case and can verify the dimensions.The Node 304 has plenty of height, but the drive cage can limit you in the fore-aft direction.

EDIT: Honestly I would be tempted to try something like a Megahalems with no fan and a 4130T, if it was mine to do, just to see if the 140mm fan in back moved enough air. I bet it would.
 
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I'm running a NAS, not having any data corruption using non-ECC RAM. I'm currently running WHS 2011 as my OS on my NAS, however it has an EOL of something in 2016.

Server 2012 R2 Essentials is the replacement, however its very expensive. Do you have a preference on what your streaming software is? Sickbeard is written in python so it will run on practically anything.
 
raf051888 said:
Server 2012 R2 Essentials is the replacement, however its very expensive. Do you have a preference on what your streaming software is? Sickbeard is written in python so it will run on practically anything.
Click to expand...

I'm currently using Serviio and it works quiet well. Never tried anything else honestly. I hear a lot about Plex, but never tried it.
 
I would go with a 300W ATX PSU for better efficiency. The BeQuiet pure power 300W is probably a good choice.

As for cooling an i3 with a megahalems: I'm currently coolong an i5 650 with a Scythe Yasya and only case fans. When extracting/transcoding/compiling temperatures do not exceed 65°C in summer. So there's no reason not to try that, or a Scythe Ninja or something of similar dimensions.

OP, go check prices on one of those comparison websites, it might be best to import from .de or .nl, as there's more competition in the markets.
 
_Rick_ said:
I would go with a 300W ATX PSU for better efficiency. The BeQuiet pure power 300W is probably a good choice.

As for cooling an i3 with a megahalems: I'm currently coolong an i5 650 with a Scythe Yasya and only case fans. When extracting/transcoding/compiling temperatures do not exceed 65°C in summer. So there's no reason not to try that, or a Scythe Ninja or something of similar dimensions.

OP, go check prices on one of those comparison websites, it might be best to import from .de or .nl, as there's more competition in the markets.
Click to expand...
Why would a 300W PSU be more efficient than a 450W for example?
It has to be 80+ certified to be more efficient. Anyhow, I guess modular would be handy too.
 
_Rick_ said:
I would go with a 300W ATX PSU for better efficiency. The BeQuiet pure power 300W is probably a good choice.

As for cooling an i3 with a megahalems: I'm currently coolong an i5 650 with a Scythe Yasya and only case fans. When extracting/transcoding/compiling temperatures do not exceed 65°C in summer. So there's no reason not to try that, or a Scythe Ninja or something of similar dimensions.

OP, go check prices on one of those comparison websites, it might be best to import from .de or .nl, as there's more competition in the markets.
Click to expand...
Why would a 300W PSU be more efficient? The 80+ certification proves its efficiency...

About the cpu cooler: I'll start without a massive heatsink and we'll see how much space is left before modding it.
 
laspo said:
I'm currently using Serviio and it works quiet well. Never tried anything else honestly. I hear a lot about Plex, but never tried it.
Click to expand...

Plex works pretty well. I'm using it because most of my devices support it and I can use the Android and iOS apps as remotes.
 
I've come across Kingston HyperX Blu ram memory. And also the Blu red series. Is this decent enough for my setup? It seems to have good reviews and it's not expensive.
 
laspo said:
In my country (Belgium), it's about the same price/TB for 3TB and 4TB (62$/TB !). So I'll go for the 4TB. Unless you think it has a higher probability for errors for some reason?
Click to expand...

See, it's very important to include such information in your post. 😉

laspo said:
I also could order the HDD via Amazon. But it seems that a DOA or similar cases are still occasional. And it seems such a hassle to return it then. Any experience? It could save me a lot of money.
Click to expand...

You mean order from Amazon.fr/de, or Amazon.com? I certainly wouldn't ship an HDD across an ocean just to get a better price. Within Europe though, take advantage of whomever has the best deal.

laspo said:
Gee, thanks! That seems a great setup! I was looking for a motherboard and that one is perfect! Any idea what the power consumption would be? Because having it on 24/7, power consumption is crucial. In this benchmark, the CPU is already at 63 W idle. The 4130T version could be less, but I can't find a decent benchmark.
Click to expand...

That 63W figure is the total power consumption of an entire high-end gaming system including a GTX 680. It is not the power consumption of the CPU itself. The numbers don't apply to your system which will be using the IGP, and even then there will be no graphics output 99% of the time.

Regarding T series CPUs, it is important to understand that TDP has nothing whatsoever to do with idle power draw. The T series CPUs have lower TDP meant for cases with limited abilities to dissipate heat at 100% load, such as sealed industrial PCs. A full-power CPU will actually use less overall power due to the race to sleep principle.

Anyway, as for total power consumption, you're looking at ~30W or so, more as you add HDDs.

EDIT: I agree with Crashtech that you should consider an anftermarket cooler if the NAS will be somewhere where low noise in important.
 
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I threw out the "T" idea because transcoding can be pretty CPU intensive, and possibly marginal with even a large passive CPU cooler. If the TDP of the CPU is not to be limited, it's best to run a CPU fan no matter the cooler, just to be on the safe side.
 
Well, thanks! I learn a lot here 🙂
The noise shouldn't be too much of a problem. But if it brothers me, I'll add it later.

About the ram: I've found Kingston HyperX Blue for 36 euros. It has good reviews so I guess that one's okay too?

About the ssd: are there any other good options aside from Mushkin? There is not a lot available here from that brand. I see writing and reading speeds from 350 to 520. Will that difference be noticeable?
 
laspo said:
Why would a 300W PSU be more efficient? The 80+ certification proves its efficiency...

About the cpu cooler: I'll start without a massive heatsink and we'll see how much space is left before modding it.
Click to expand...

The efficiency certification is a function of CPU load, with the lowest load considered for the calculation being at 20%.

At maximum transcoding load, the NAS will probably pull around 60-80W, which is on target for 20% on a 300W PSU, but for a 430W PSU more difficult to handle. At idle, things get worse percentage-wise. Going smaller should also be gentle to your budget. The beQuiet SystemPower 300W can be had for 30 euro, 7 euro cheaper than the CX430 and comes with a third year of warranty, while also being 80+ bronze.

Only upsides, really.

Also, check compare.eu for German/Austrian/Dutch/British/Polish pricing. It usually beats French pricing for me, and makes online shopping so much easier... Just go to the SSD section for example, and you'll be able to check for options in the 60GB range. Currently the Kingston SSDnow V+ 200 with the same second gen sandforce controller appears to be one of the alternatives.
 
Yes, I see. The only thing bothering me, is that the Be Quiet isn't modular. I don't know if I need it, but in a Mini-ITX case it seems like every unused cable is bad for airflow.

So for the SSD, I need to check the controller model. Thanks.
 
For now, this would be my setup. I'll look around to see if their is a cheaper shop in the Netherlands or Germany.

Seagate ST4000VN000 NAS HDD
4TB
Product-ID 90511943; 0,77kg
in stock
ready for shipping
€ 160,55 € 321,10 ASUS H87I-Plus
Sockel 1150 M-ITX
Product-ID 90513560; 0,86kg
in stock
ready for shipping
€ 94,46 € 94,46 Kingston HyperX blu 4GB DDR3
Product-ID 90421397; 0,05kg
in stock
ready for shipping
€ 37,52 € 37,52 Fractal Design Node 304
Mini-ITX/DTX
Product-ID 90491397; 5,8kg
Product ready for shipping
ready for shipping in 1-2 days
€ 71,08 € 71,08 Kingston SSDNow V300
60GB MLC
Product-ID 90494852; 0,14kg
in stock
ready for shipping
€ 46,67 € 46,67 be quiet! Pure Power L8
300 Watt
Product-ID 90514558; 2,3kg
Product ready for shipping
ready for shipping in 1-2 days
€ 39,55 € 39,55 Intel Core i3-4130
Boxed inkl. Lüfter
Product-ID 90523455; 0,31kg
Product ready for shipping
ready for shipping in 1-2 days
€ 99,55 € 99,55


Total: € 721 (shipping included)
 
That RAM is 1.65V, whereas you want 1.5V or less for Intel processors. The ValueRAM version is about the same price, but is 1.5V.

The Be Quiet Pure Power L8 300W is a FSP, which isn't the greatest quality, but is reasonable.
 
Most desktop boards are not picky about what memory gets put in them, but even so, it's good to take a look at the QVL and see if you can find something you can use. It's just one more way to ensure a trouble-free build. There are both 1.5 and 1.65V modules on the list. 1.5V is preferable.

I think the Evo is nice, but you probably won't notice the difference in real life. THat said, I would probably buy it if the budget would allow it, just because it's fast and I like fast stuff.
 
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