Help spec a storage server (NAS)

I agree, and that was one of the reasons I went for the Lian-Li - its got 6 internal 3.5in bays, plus an optical bay, which is plenty of space for my needs. Plus, it takes a full sized PSU which is great for future compatibility (my previous WHS box was a Shuttle, but the PSU died so I had to write the whole thing off). Finally, it's the same finish as my Lian-Li desktop case :)

My rationale for my build was low power consumption with flexibility, so i could avoid the problems of the previous system but allow for future expansion should I need more space or power. Nearly a year on I've not had to deal with either. I know that I can put a SFF motherboard should I ever need to, or a more powerful replacement PSU.
 
.temp said:
what size PSU do you think i'll need for this by the way, completely forgot that haha
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I'd think 400w would be more than enough to power it when fully loaded. That's an ODD, 6 HDDs and the board, RAM, CPU and any fans. Maybe 500w if you feel like "just in case". I mean they're cheap enough at those wattages.
 
this is what i managed to come up with

NOTE the case will be swapped out for the Fractal Design Define Mini when I manage to find one

tumblr_lgvaoe2bEw1qb41aso1_1280.png


thanks everyone for the help so far. if you see anything that i should change let me know.

the mobo is a "700 chipset" model, i have no idea what that means (not used AMD for years). still debating between AMD and Intel though...
 
Everything looks good. As for the chipsets... the differences between the 7 and 800 series will be what CPUs they support, how many PCI buses they'll support. Speed of said buses. Die shrinks. FSB speed increases. What southbridge they're using (which dictates things like how many drives, USB and things like RAID they support). And what the onboard graphics are.

Of course, as it's for a server, what's important is how many drives can be supported. The 760G chipset uses the 710 southbridge which will support 6 SATA @ 3Gb/s.

That said, while looking up the southbridge details there are apparently issues that I wasn't aware of with 7 series chipsets. And issues with the 800 series that I looked up just to see if they had any.

So I'd maybe take Matthab's advice and look at Intel (and relevant chipsets) or the issues should patch OK depending on what OS you're running.
 
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Brian8bit said:
Everything looks good. As for the chipsets... the differences between the 7 and 800 series will be what CPUs they support, how many PCI buses they'll support. Speed of said buses. Die shrinks. FSB speed increases. What southbridge they're using (which dictates things like how many drives, USB and things like RAID they support). And what the onboard graphics are.

Of course, as it's for a server, what's important is how many drives can be supported. The 760G chipset uses the 710 southbridge which will support 6 SATA @ 3Gb/s.

That said, while looking up the southbridge details there are apparently issues that I wasn't aware of with 7 series chipsets. And issues with the 800 series that I looked up just to see if they had any.

So I'd maybe take Matthab's advice and look at Intel (and relevant chipsets) or the issues should patch OK depending on what OS you're running.
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ah thanks man :)

i just remembered about 6gb/s SATA, are there any cheaper chips that have that functionality?
 
.temp said:
ah thanks man :)

i just remembered about 6gb/s SATA, are there any cheaper chips that have that functionality?
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There is no SATA 6Gb/s support in Intel Core 2 chipset southbridges. So you would have to go with certain Core iX series for SATA 6Gb/s and then you'll only get two or three 6Gb/s ports supported dependant on southbridge (or the PCH or DMI or whatever it is now with Core iX stuff).
 
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Brian8bit said:
There is no SATA 6Gb/s support in Intel Core 2 chipset southbridges. So you would have to go with certain Core iX series for SATA 6Gb/s and then you'll only get two or three 6Gb/s ports supported dependant on southbridge (or the PCH or DMI or whatever it is now with Core iX stuff).
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i'm guessing that would put the cost up no end going that route?

still waiting on the Fractal Mini to be released :/


Can anyone give advice on what OS to install? only know of FreeNAS and Windows Server.

Just need to be able to access the files from multiple PC's (windows/mac) at once AND games consoles (PS3/360). Wake on LAN, able to schedule downloads etc...

Any ideas?
 
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.temp said:
Can anyone give advice on what OS to install? only know of FreeNAS and Windows Server.

Just need to be able to access the files from multiple PC's (windows/mac) at once AND games consoles (PS3/360). Wake on LAN, able to schedule downloads etc...

Any ideas?
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Depends on how much hassle you're willing to go through to setup a working system. None? Windows server. A lot? Any distribution of Linux will work well as a server. But knowledge of the command line and knowing what you're doing is a must.
 
Brian8bit said:
Depends on how much hassle you're willing to go through to setup a working system. None? Windows server. A lot? Any distribution of Linux will work well as a server. But knowledge of the command line and knowing what you're doing is a must.
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see i know nothing about Linux command line.

Gonna install FreeNAS on a virtual machine on my laptop to see if I like it.


Brian8bit said:
Yup. As for the case, the fractal was just a recommendation. The Lian Li PC-A04 looks like a great little unit as well. Simple, understated, plenty of drive space for expansion.
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-257-LL&groupid=701&catid=7&subcat=187
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haha i know it was just a recommendation but the more I look at it the nicer it gets. not home 'till april so HOPEFULLY it'll be out by then.
 
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