Suggestions for a home server build?

[ArJuN]

Here is some background:

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
It will function as a home server intended for streaming 1080p video, MP3s and file storage (documents, photos, etc.)

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread
Consider it a budget build. ~$300 if you need a number.

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
USA

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.
I'm sticking with Intel and WD for the harddrives.

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

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.
I have, and am familiar. I'm looking advice particular to this situation.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
No OC since reliability>performance

8. What resolution YOU plan on gaming with.
No gaming.

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
Now

10. Don't ask for a build configuration critique or rating if you are thin skinned.
Roger that.


----

After some research I settled on the Core i3-540 processor but can't decide on a matching motherboard. I'm not tied to the processor, it's just what my research lead me to.

-Do I really need 6Gb/s SATA ports?
-I don't care for USB ports
-How do I know if the motherboard can utilize the graphics of the i3?

After I pick the motherboard, I can move onto the case and PSU. It's going to be hidden so looks aren't an issue. But it will be running 24/7 so power consumption is.

 

[Ken g6]

The i3-540 is last-generation, and doesn't have built-in graphics. Did you mean the Celeron G540?

 

[Jimmah]

It's a low power server, why are you looking at high power parts? An atom with 2gb of ram works fine for media streaming and general NAS-ness, and be lower on wattage. Toss in your favorite flavour of Linux and shazam you have a server that won't even breathe hard with such a low load you intend.

 

[ArJuN]

The i3-540 is last-generation, and doesn't have built-in graphics. Did you mean the Celeron G540?

What model is the current generation? I didn't mean the Celeron.

It's a low power server, why are you looking at high power parts? An atom with 2gb of ram works fine for media streaming and general NAS-ness, and be lower on wattage. Toss in your favorite flavour of Linux and shazam you have a server that won't even breathe hard with such a low load you intend.

I don't like running Windows on Atom. You're right though, I have an Atom server running Unix that's been keeping up fine.

 

[Zap]

acer Aspire Easystore $350 dual core Atom with 2GB RAM and 2TB HDD, with three more empty drive bays and Windows Home Server OS.

HP StorageWorks X310 $350 ($300 after rebate) dual core Atom with 2GB RAM, 1TB HDD with three more empty drive bays and Windows Home Server OS.

Nothing wrong with a dual core Atom for file serving.

 

[ArJuN]

acer Aspire Easystore $350 dual core Atom with 2GB RAM and 2TB HDD, with three more empty drive bays and Windows Home Server OS.

HP StorageWorks X310 $350 ($300 after rebate) dual core Atom with 2GB RAM, 1TB HDD with three more empty drive bays and Windows Home Server OS.

Nothing wrong with a dual core Atom for file serving.

Thank you for the suggestions, and I do agree. But I'm looking for something with more heft. The only off the shelf solution that caught my eye was the HP ProLiant. But alas, it's priced a tad high.

 

[Zap]

Duct tape a brick to it?

Do you mean a bit more performance? I don't see how that will help serving up files. When you say "streaming 1080p video" do you mean it has to do conversion on-the-fly? Or do you mean you have a bunch of MKV/MP4 video files that happen to be 1080p, and you want to be able to play it back on another computer on your network? If it is the former, yes you will need more CPU oomph. If the latter, you are putting lipstick on a pig and what you are doing is simply file sharing, in which case a dual core Atom has more than enough oomph.

 

[ArJuN]

What is the benefit of going with the Atom over an i3 besides the power consumption?

 

[SViscusi]

What is the benefit of going with the Atom over an i3 besides the power consumption?

Price.

If you want more heft and you're determined to roll your own server then get a Sandy Bridge Celeron or Pentium. They lack the features of an i3.

Regardless of the cpu you choose, it's going to be very hard to hit a budget server build price with the cost of HD's skyrocketing with the floods in Thailand.

 

[ArJuN]

That's true, but I'm flexible on my budget. I took the cost of hdds out of the equation. Regardless of what I build the hdd cost will stay the same.

When I'm pricing an i3 system, it's only coming out to ~$50 more than going with an Atom.

I also can't seem to find an Atom board with more than 2 Sata ports.

 

[SViscusi]

That's true, but I'm flexible on my budget. I took the cost of hdds out of the equation. Regardless of what I build the hdd cost will stay the same.

When I'm pricing an i3 system, it's only coming out to ~$50 more than going with an Atom.

I also can't seem to find an Atom board with more than 2 Sata ports.

If you're hearts set on an i3, get it. It's a perfectly good platform that'll be overpowered for your needs, but not insanely so. If you have the money, go for it.

If you don't need hyper-threading or robust virtualization support, look at the SB Pentium G's which should be very close in performance to the Nehalem i3's while being cheaper.

 

[ArJuN]

If you're hearts set on an i3, get it. It's a perfectly good platform that'll be overpowered for your needs, but not insanely so. If you have the money, go for it.

If you don't need hyper-threading or robust virtualization support, look at the SB Pentium G's which should be very close in performance to the Nehalem i3's while being cheaper.

Gotchya, thanks for the straight answer. How does the G540 compare to the Atom D525 and i3-540? I won't be virtualizing anything. Would the hyper-threading help with backing up multiple computers at once?

 

[ArJuN]

How does the i3-2100 paired with this motherboard sound?

 

[SViscusi]

Gotchya, thanks for the straight answer. How does the G540 compare to the Atom D525 and i3-540? I won't be virtualizing anything.

The Pentium G's are significantly faster than Atoms.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/110?vs=406

Compared to the SB i3's it looks like performance scales fairly decently with price. The i3's cost a little more, they perform a little better.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/289?vs=406
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/pentium-g850-g840-g620_3.html#sect2

Would the hyper-threading help with backing up multiple computers at once?

It would only matter if your using a compressed filesystem on the drive you're backing up to. I think (not entirely sure), that most backup programs do compression on the client side and just copy the bits to the server. With that your speed limit is likely going to be network or hard drive subsystem on the server and not the server cpu.

How does the i3-2100 paired with this motherboard sound?

I wouldn't hesitate to run that combo and I can't see anything else on newegg thats close in price that I'd take over it.

 

[mfenn]

You're going to be limited by your disks and network long before you touch the performance of even the lowest-end Sandy Bridge. I would get:

Celeron G530 $52
BioStar H61MGC $50
Crucial DDR3 1333 4GB $17
Whatever HDDs you want
Antec Earthwatts 430W $40 AR
Rosewill MicroATX case $30
Total: $189 plus HDDs

 

[Zap]

If you're dead set against an Atom, how about an E-350? They are faster than Atoms while using almost as little power, plus they typically have gigabit Ethernet and up to six SATA 6Gbps ports.

ASUS E35M1-I motherboard $115 with six SATA 6Gbps ports, gigabit Ethernet, passively cooled.

Fractal Design Array R2 case $170 with six HDD bays using grommets for low noise and with 80Plus certified PSU, with 140mm cooling fan that is filtered, and the whole thing is small to take up minimal space.

 

[ArJuN]

Alright, I think you guys have pushed me into Celeron territory.

I prefer MSI boards, so how does this one look?:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130588

It's $50 after rebate with free shipping.

And how does the G530 compare to the G540? It's only a $10 dollar difference.

EDIT: Actually, the reviews on that board don't look too reassuring. What other brands do you guys prefer? I've never ventured outside of MSI territory.

EDIT2: Gigabyte anyone?

 

[ArJuN]

If you're dead set against an Atom, how about an E-350? They are faster than Atoms while using almost as little power, plus they typically have gigabit Ethernet and up to six SATA 6Gbps ports.

ASUS E35M1-I motherboard $115 with six SATA 6Gbps ports, gigabit Ethernet, passively cooled.

Fractal Design Array R2 case $170 with six HDD bays using grommets for low noise and with 80Plus certified PSU, with 140mm cooling fan that is filtered, and the whole thing is small to take up minimal space.

I'm sticking with Intel but I will admit those 6Gb/s ports are awfully tempting.

 

[Ken g6]

And how does the G530 compare to the G540? It's only a $10 dollar difference.

$10 (now $15) for 100MHz doesn't seem worth it to me. If you insist on more power, spring for a Pentium G620, 200MHz faster and with more cache, for $70.

Gigabyte's fine for mobos.

6Gb/s ports are only useful for SSDs. Which I doubt you can afford.

 

[mfenn]

EDIT2: Gigabyte anyone?

That board looks fine, it is roughly equivalent to the Biostar, just a different brand.

 

[pitz]

I'd highly suggest, for a home server, that you take a look at a Q67-chipset board (or wait for the Q77 to come out, which will add even more features such as remotely configurable TDP).

Why? Remote management, that is why. Being able to run the unit headless, stick it in a corner, and then VNC into it whenever you want to access the console (even if the OS dies or crashes) is definitely a powerful thing. The Intel VPro stuff on the Q67 chipset facilitates this. You can even force a hard reset or powerdown completely remotely.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/vpro-amt-management-kvm,3003.html

Very nice. Basically saves you a cost of a screen (and the standby power) once you have it set up, and full remote management is a very good thing.

(this technology is great in the home....mom and dad can silently VNC into the kids' computers and 'see' if they're watching pornography in their room, or using their computers for homework!)

 

[ArJuN]

Thank you all for the suggestions and guidance. In the end, I came across a deal on the i3-2120 I couldn't say no to.