Wanting to build a SFF home server

[leatherlips]

I am looking to build a server for my home (will be on 24/7) that will house my media, and other files in support of 5 PCs.
In addition I would like to be able to stream data over the internet (video/audio) (personal use only), and possibly as an SFTP server. wanting a way to up/download files while remote. (also looked at something called tonido for that).
I'm familiar with windows so probably want to stick with some flavor of Windows as the OS.
I'm looking for inexpensive and quiet (will be in the living area as that's where my broadband and router is).

This will be my second build (built an HTPC a couple of years back).

Currently, i have an old desktop that I leave on all the time, but it is NOT near the broadband/router (it's wireless) and it's performance is crappy. The case is a full tower and it won't fit in the living area.
Once I have a new server, I'd likely just use wake-on-Lan for the desktop and not keep it up all the time. I would use it for convenience when I was in that part of the house.

If I can do the hardware for around 500.00, and then the OS and apps needed on top of that, it would be great.

Thanks for you assistance!

 

[JackMDS]

Welcome to AT Forums.

Hardware is a secondary issue in a server.

You first have to decide which OS you are going to use. Then get the hardware accordingly.

 

[leatherlips]

Thanks Jack, I was considering either Windows home server or Win2008. If Windows 7 is adequate I could use that as well, but thought the server OS may be a better option.

 

[Zap]

Hello leatherlips, and welcome to AnandTech Forums.

Zacate ITX motherboard (most have 4 SATA, some have more). That will be as low power draw as an Atom, but with performance that most people can live with (other than gaming). AFAIK it is fine with streaming HD video, except maybe 1080p Netflix (currently Silverlight doesn't support GPU acceleration).

For case, look into the Chenbro NAS cases. They hold ITX motherboards and four hard drives. Newegg has them starting at around $120. The problem is that many people complain the PSU dies. You can replace it with a Pico PSU.

 

[mfenn]

How much HDD space will you need? That could eat up a lot of the budget by itself.

 

[leatherlips]

Right now, not too much (I have about 600G of files that I keep). I don't see a huge increase in need immediately so perhaps I start with fewer drives and leave room to grow?

 

[mfenn]

Yeah, that's probably a good plan. In that case, you should look into what Zap suggested and just start with a pair of $70 2TB drives in RAID 1 (it can even be software RAID if you use Windows Server).

 

[leatherlips]

Thanks for the help, I'm going with the AMD CPU as you guys suggest.

After looking around, here's what I was thinking of getting:
Newegg List

Motherboard/CPU - GIGABYTE GA-E350N-USB3
Case -CHENBRO ES34169-BK-120 *OR* Lian Li PC- Q08B itx case
RAM - x2 - Corsair CMV4GX3M2A1333C9 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 –$49.00 (8GB total)
PSU(if Lian li case)- SILVERSTONE Strider Plus ST50F-P 500W *OR* CORSAIR Builder Series CX500 V2 500W

HDD -Seagate Barracuda Green ST2000DL003 2TB 5900 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal
OS HD ? -Western Digital Caviar Blue WD3200AAKX 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5"


I wasn't sure what the benefits were between the cases, and also if I were to use the Lian Li case, is there a difference in the PSUs I've listed (or other better options)?
I'm open to any/all suggestions here. Since I'm pretty much a newbie at builds I value the opinions of those that have much more experience.

Thanks again!

 

[mfenn]

Wish list seems borked to me.

Here's my comments on what you listed:
- Mobo: Good
- Case: I'd go with the Lian-Li personally
- RAM: 4x2GB is overkill and won't work anyway (only 2 DIMM slots). Even 4GB is overkill, but at $35 for a stick of G.Skill DDR3 1333, you can't really go wrong.
- PSU: Both are way overkill. This Seasonic 300W is more than enough.
- HDD : I don't usually like Seagate, but any drive can fail.
- OS HDD : Fine

 

[dbcooper1]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.674011

And you have your weekend back..

 

[Zap]

Motherboard/CPU - GIGABYTE GA-E350N-USB3
Case -CHENBRO ES34169-BK-120 *OR* Lian Li PC- Q08B itx case
RAM - x2 - Corsair CMV4GX3M2A1333C9 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 –$49.00 (8GB total)
PSU(if Lian li case)- SILVERSTONE Strider Plus ST50F-P 500W *OR* CORSAIR Builder Series CX500 V2 500W

If it is purely serving up files, you just need the minimum amount of RAM necessary for the operating system to not have to swap to disk. 1GB is probably enough, but get 2GB since RAM is so cheap.

Get a single stick of RAM, not a dual channel kit. The reason is because these AMD boards are not dual channel, so there is zero benefit of a dual channel kit but doing so fills up all your RAM slots.

The Lian Li case is physically a lot bigger. However, it can hold more drives, and is more flexible in other ways (graphics cards, PSUs). Get whichever fits your needs, or whichever matches your home decor.

Those PSUs are way overkill. Your whole setup will probably not even draw 100W under normal usage. Consider a Seasonic 300W 80Plus Bronze PSU.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.674011

And you have your weekend back..

/Win.

Actually, I think there was a recent hot deal on this for $50 off with a second 2TB drive.

 

[RaiderJ]

Check the link in my sig - I have an old file server built with that Chenbro case, and in the process of building a new one with the Lian-Li case. I can take a picture of them side by side if you want a direct size comparison.

I have WinXP on the old file server - it works just fine as a light duty server OS. Win7 would be better I'm sure.

 

[RaiderJ]

If it is purely serving up files, you just need the minimum amount of RAM necessary for the operating system to not have to swap to disk. 1GB is probably enough, but get 2GB since RAM is so cheap.

Get a single stick of RAM, not a dual channel kit. The reason is because these AMD boards are not dual channel, so there is zero benefit of a dual channel kit but doing so fills up all your RAM slots.

The Lian Li case is physically a lot bigger. However, it can hold more drives, and is more flexible in other ways (graphics cards, PSUs). Get whichever fits your needs, or whichever matches your home decor.

Those PSUs are way overkill. Your whole setup will probably not even draw 100W under normal usage. Consider a Seasonic 300W 80Plus Bronze PSU.



/Win.

Actually, I think there was a recent hot deal on this for $50 off with a second 2TB drive.

I'll agree that the PSU is way overkill power wise, but that case would be REALLY cramped if you didn't use a modular PSU. I wasn't able to find a cheaper/less powerful PSU that was modular and <150mm in length.