Recommendation - Silent system with six HDDs

[reward72]

Hi guys! I haven't followed the custom PC scene for a few years now and things have changed quite a bit- I must say that I'm lost!!

I'd like to build a home server and I'd like some recommendation from you guys, specially concerning which motherboard, controller, case, power and cooling should I go for. That system will run 24/7. My requirements are 1) reliability, 2) noise level and 3) performance. I care more about multitasking abilities and good I/O performances than straight CPU performances. Video is not important, onboard would be just fine. Money is not really an object, as long as it's worth it. The thing will run Linux so compatibility is a must.

The challenge is around the need for six HDDs. Most cases, controlers and power supplies seems to be limited to four disks- unless I'm missing something. And how can I keep the noise level down? I'm looking for a system that would be silent enough so I wont hear it if it's in a closet with the door closed.

The only specs I'm set on:
Athlon 3800+ X2
4x 1GB of RAM
2x 74GB 10K RPM SATA HDDs in RAID 1
4x 320GB 7.2K RPM SATA HDDs in RAID 5

Thanks for your help!

 

[Bona Fide]

Antec P180 I think.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129154

 

[Shadowknight]

You should consider going to silentpcreview.com (and its forums).
Case - P180
The Raptors - They'll be quiet except when seeking
7200rpm drives - Get the Samsung Spinpoint series, they've released some bigger drives recently, but I'm not sure how well they've done compared to the older line.
PSU - Antec Phantom 350w or 500w, alternatively, get a fanned PSU from Seasonic
Controller - I assume you mean RAID?
Video Card - If you buy a VGA card, try to get one that's passively cooled; those small fans on most cards = lots of noise
DVD - Plextor makes a fairly quiet model
Fans - replace the case fans with Nexus 120mm, you WILL want to replace the 120/38mm in the bottom chamber of the P180
Get a fan controller such as the ZM-MFC from Zalman, you don't need fast fans for more than adequate cooling, and slower fans = less noise
CPU cooler - Scthe Ninja - pasively cooled and an excellent cooler - most places are sold out right now, but it's worth making a back order for

 

[jose]

Pick whatever case you want... I like the CM Stacker..

As for a mobo, look at the DFI SLI-DR .. I'm running a server w/ one.. As far as sata support you'll have to look into that your self.. I just run scsi..

 

[Cerb]

The Raptors may warrant suspension, even in a case like the P180.
Otherwise, Shadownight has you covered; especially note the fan and HS choices! In case you aren't a God of Cablegami, maybe pick up an extra Nexus in case the CPU ends up needing a fan.

HDD: forget the 320GB. WDs are quieter than they used to be, but still not as quiet as Seagate, nor Samsung. Samsung makes 200GB, and Seagate makes 300GB and 400GB. Go Seagate for space.

DVD: not Lite-On! I can't really offer anything more than that, but completely ignore Lite-On if you want quiet.

 

[Topweasel]

If the Raptors are in the Bottom cage for HDDs they should need any other mods. I really can't think of a better case for this then the P180.

 

[reward72]

Thanks guys!

I was looking at the P180, you just confirmed I was looking in the right direction.

I will go with 300GB Seagate HDDs.

About the PSU, how can I tell how much power do I need? Is there a calculator somewhere? And if a PSU comes only with 4 SATA connectors, is there a way to connect 6 of them with adapters?

 

[Cerb]

W/o a Prescott or SLI video, you're good for power. The one it comes with will be plenty. You should end up being more worried about noise than power requirements. If the PSU ends up a bit loud (the Nexus fans, on a fan controller, should offer all you need for cooling and noise, save for the PSU), look into Seasonic. But see about the Antec that it comes with--it may be quiet enough for you.

For the SATA power, yes, you can get adapters.

For power, check out AT's recent reviews. One of, if not both of, the dual core reviews, has full system power w/ CPUs loaded. While the HDDs need a good bit of power at startup, the dual 12v rail of the PSU you'll get will take care of any problems there.

 

[mdchesne]

Originally posted by: jose
Pick whatever case you want... I like the CM Stacker..

As for a mobo, look at the DFI SLI-DR .. I'm running a server w/ one.. As far as sata support you'll have to look into that your self.. I just run scsi..

agreed, cm stacker would provide the best airflow for 6+ harddrives

 

[Zepper]

I would use a Silverstone Berserker case (see my review here: http://www.techimo.com/reviews/ ) with a Sparkle FSP550-60PLG PSU (pretty quiet PSU for an older design and has enough oomph for just about any system and at about $85 +sh per pricegrabber, et al., it's a bargain) and a CoolerMaster 4in3 drive rack for 4 of your HDs (esp. Raptors if you use them) - the CM 4in3 rack (I've seen them at SVC and jab-tech for about $20. +sh.) both cools the HDs and helps isolate their noise from the case. Put the other two drives (slow, quiet ones) in the standard location. I could also recommend the Enermax CS-10182 (but I don't care for sidesaddle drive cages as they block too much fan air) or the Antec 180. The order I've listed them here is mainly due to price considerations. I'd use the Sparkle PSU regardless of case because it's just dandy!
. I would second looking to Plextor for your optical drive - they have 3 different 16x internal DVD burners to cover all of the bases.
. If you need a floppy drive, the Samsung is good - or get the YE Data with built-in flash card reader (Provantage has it under both the YE Data and Adaptec labels). Samsung also makes very quiet HDs that seem to give up a bit of performance to the other top brands in some tests - but the server tests come out very good for Samsung drives (see storagereview.com's drive tests and longevity database before buying).
. I have no personal experience with SATA RAID 5 controllers, but I can generally recommend controllers with Silicon Image logic on them as those guys seem to have the good SATA mojo...
. As far as Linux goes, I really like the Xandros distro.

.bh.