Windows Home Server Build Suggestions

[baddubbin]

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
Video and music server for WD Live TV boxes and ps3. Also for backups from networked computers.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread
Would prefer to stay under $1000 total, but no specific budget.

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.
No major brand preference.

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 looked through a lot of threads regarding WHS, but most seem to be a little older or are less storage.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
No overclocking.

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
3-6 months.

My main goal is to have a WHS box that is low power, but has enough processing power for transcoding video if necessary. It will house all my digital video(divx/mkv up to 1080p) and music and server it to my WD TV boxes and my ps3. I am looking for minimum of 8TB of storage with some room to upgrade later. Originally I was considering RAID or unRaid but at this point I don't believe the slight performance is worth the headache. I will have dedicated external backups of all data.

The size of the box is not a concern, I would prefer it to be on the quieter side when idle.

 

[mfenn]

8TB raw or 8TB after data duplication?

If you are looking for 8TB usable, you're talking about getting 8 2TB drives, which is going to run you about $1000 just for the drives. Then you'll need controller cards and all of the other stuff that goes into a normal PC. 4TB usable will be quite a bit cheaper because you won't even have to worry about controller cards. Let me know and I'll put up a build.

 

[baddubbin]

8TB raw or 8TB after data duplication?

If you are looking for 8TB usable, you're talking about getting 8 2TB drives, which is going to run you about $1000 just for the drives. Then you'll need controller cards and all of the other stuff that goes into a normal PC. 4TB usable will be quite a bit cheaper because you won't even have to worry about controller cards. Let me know and I'll put up a build.

Sorry, I should have been more clear. I am planning on addressing the data backup situation after the WHS is complete. The backup will likely be on external 1 or 2 tb drives but it is not included in the cost. I am looking for 8TB usable space in the WHS. 4x 2TB drives. I would prefer a mobo with more than 4 SATA ports for adding additional drives in the future.

 

[mfenn]

Sorry, I should have been more clear. I am planning on addressing the data backup situation after the WHS is complete. The backup will likely be on external 1 or 2 tb drives but it is not included in the cost. I am looking for 8TB usable space in the WHS. 4x 2TB drives. I would prefer a mobo with more than 4 SATA ports for adding additional drives in the future.

OK, so you are not interested in using the data duplication feature. Since you mentioned RAID I thought you were looking for some degree of redundancy.

Anyway, here's a build:
Sempron 140 $35 - Plenty for a WHS rig (if you don't use transcoding plugins), cool, and cheap
ASUS M4A785TG-V EVO/U3S6 $85 AR - 7 total SATA ports and plenty of slots to add controller cards
Patriot DDR3 1333 2GB $42 - 2GB should be plenty for WHS unless you go crazy on the plugins
Corsair 430CX $50 - plenty of power for a lot of HDD's, but you may have to buy some Molex->SATA power adapters
WD20EADS x4 $130x4=$520 - $10 more than the EARS, but since WHS is Server 2003 based, you don't want to have to worry about Advanced Format drives
Antec Three Hundred $60 - understated and quiet, 3.5" drive bays, with the opportunity to use the 5.25" bays in the future (with adapters).
Total: $792

I wouldn't bother with an ODD, just grab one from another computer for the install. You'll need to add $95 to the total for a copy of WHS if you don't already have one.

 

[Sp12]

I like that build, though it only has 1 Esata plugs, so you'll need a bracket or something to take an internal Sata and turn it into an external for your backup drives (assuming you're using Esata, which is significantly faster than USB).

 

[mfenn]

I like that build, though it only has 1 Esata plugs, so you'll need a bracket or something to take an internal Sata and turn it into an external for your backup drives (assuming you're using Esata, which is significantly faster than USB).

Good point! I would hate to try to back up 8TB over USB 2.0. The mobo does have USB 3.0, so it would definitely be worth looking into some USB 3.0 enclosures.

 

[Davidh373]

So, not to try and throw a wrench into your plans, but is there any chance you might want FreeNAS instead? It does everything WHS does but better from what i'm told and it's free. Just a thought...

 

[baddubbin]

OK, so you are not interested in using the data duplication feature. Since you mentioned RAID I thought you were looking for some degree of redundancy.

Anyway, here's a build:
Sempron 140 $35 - Plenty for a WHS rig (if you don't use transcoding plugins), cool, and cheap
ASUS M4A785TG-V EVO/U3S6 $85 AR - 7 total SATA ports and plenty of slots to add controller cards
Patriot DDR3 1333 2GB $42 - 2GB should be plenty for WHS unless you go crazy on the plugins
Corsair 430CX $50 - plenty of power for a lot of HDD's, but you may have to buy some Molex->SATA power adapters
WD20EADS x4 $130x4=$520 - $10 more than the EARS, but since WHS is Server 2003 based, you don't want to have to worry about Advanced Format drives
Antec Three Hundred $60 - understated and quiet, 3.5" drive bays, with the opportunity to use the 5.25" bays in the future (with adapters).
Total: $792

I wouldn't bother with an ODD, just grab one from another computer for the install. You'll need to add $95 to the total for a copy of WHS if you don't already have one.

I like most of it, but the processor worries me some because I believe I have to transcode my HD mkv's to stream them to the ps3. It has native xvid, but no mkv support. Would it be able to keep up?

 

[baddubbin]

So, not to try and throw a wrench into your plans, but is there any chance you might want FreeNAS instead? It does everything WHS does but better from what i'm told and it's free. Just a thought...

I did look at FreeNAS, but I prefer the WHS from what I have seen. It is simpler to me and I can get a free copy of WHS via work.

 

[mfenn]

I like most of it, but the processor worries me some because I believe I have to transcode my HD mkv's to stream them to the ps3. It has native xvid, but no mkv support. Would it be able to keep up?

If you want/need to transcode, you will need to up the processor. Something like the Athlon II X4 635 would be better equipped to handle the transcoding duties, albeit at a higher wattage of course.

 

[baddubbin]

If you want/need to transcode, you will need to up the processor. Something like the Athlon II X4 635 would be better equipped to handle the transcoding duties, albeit at a higher wattage of course.

I was looking at processors this morning and was checking out the i3/i5's as a compromise between sempron and X4 in terms of performance and wattage. I was considering the i3-530 or the i5-650. Anyone have any suggestions on good motherboards for the i3/i5 cpus?

 

[mfenn]

I was looking at processors this morning and was checking out the i3/i5's as a compromise between sempron and X4 in terms of performance and wattage. I was considering the i3-530 or the i5-650. Anyone have any suggestions on good motherboards for the i3/i5 cpus?

The only Clarkdale part worth buying is the i3 530. The dual-core i5's are outrageously priced compared to the Lynnfield quad-core i5's. I'd say that you're still better off with the 635 for transcoding duties as it is cheaper than the i3 530 and has a lower total platform cost while being faster in the encoding benchmarks.

 

[RebateMonger]

Regarding backing up 8 TB of data:
You may find the easiest way to do this is a second WHS server and software like Robocopy or Synctoy. It's tough to find an easy and cheap way to back up 8 TB of data. Especially if you want to automate the backups, which is always the best way.