MinisForum MS-01 - Owners Thread

[montymint]

I'm trying to determine if one of these is overkill for me or not.

Intention is to use it to run multiple game servers via AMP on proxmox, plus a few more dockers for things like OPNSense, pihole etc etc.

I have an unraid server that's handling media related dockers, but as the hardware is aging a little, I want to move any game related services off that to save on the overhead.

Edit: for context it's to upgrade from a micro pc (710q) with a 6500T and 64GB ram

 

[skyeci100]

1 x X710 intel dac from fs.com is what I got

Thanks guys,

I'm going i5, I'll do the repaste. I'll email minis first regards the import duty. I'll do that later as I'm unsure the wait on delivery.

A few final questions.

If I drop ram to 64gb will it run 5600
I'll have 1x NVME for proxmox OS (256gb or similar but high write capabilities )
1x NVME for VMs
1x 4TB SSD for storage

To link the Proxmox machines 1x dac cable, then 1x dac cable to link proxmox machine 1 to my switch.

Does the above make sense. Anything else I'm missing.

You may not get any customs charge. You'll have to pay it anyway if you order one and it's added by FedEx etc or they won't release it. Cost me £101.40 which I got refunded eventually.

 

[TechMinerUK]

I'm trying to determine if one of these is overkill for me or not.

Intention is to use it to run multiple game servers via AMP on proxmox, plus a few more dockers for things like OPNSense, pihole etc etc.

I have an unraid server that's handling media related dockers, but as the hardware is aging a little, I want to move any game related services off that to save on the overhead.

Edit: for context it's to upgrade from a micro pc (710q) with a 6500T and 64GB ram

If the 6500T is running fine then the MS-01 may be overkill however if you want more head room its likely the best value unit available of you dont want a bigger form factor.

The other benefit is the newer CPU means they dont use a great deal of power

 

[montymint]

If the 6500T is running fine then the MS-01 may be overkill however if you want more head room its likely the best value unit available of you dont want a bigger form factor.

The other benefit is the newer CPU means they dont use a great deal of power

The 4 cores / threads are the limiting factor really, so I know I won't be able to use it much beyond the 2 games it's currently hosting.

I was torn between this ond the AMD 6900H / 5800H based systems

 

[TechMinerUK]

The 4 cores / threads are the limiting factor really, so I know I won't be able to use it much beyond the 2 games it's currently hosting.

I was torn between this ond the AMD 6900H / 5800H based systems

I see, I guess it depends if networking is going to be an issue etc as the main reason I would go for the MS-01 over the other units is the network connectivity and extra PCIe slot for expansion.

If networking and storage expansion is something you'll need go for the MS-01, if not if you can get the other units cheaper they might be a better fit

 

[skyeci100]

Thanks guys,

I'm going i5, I'll do the repaste. I'll email minis first regards the import duty. I'll do that later as I'm unsure the wait on delivery.

A few final questions.

If I drop ram to 64gb will it run 5600
I'll have 1x NVME for proxmox OS (256gb or similar but high write capabilities )
1x NVME for VMs
1x 4TB SSD for storage

To link the Proxmox machines 1x dac cable, then 1x dac cable to link proxmox machine 1 to my switch.

Does the above make sense. Anything else I'm missing.

I ordered my additional i5 yesterday. Have you ordered yours yet? The uk website says won't be shipping till end of the month

 

[4Qman]

I ordered my additional i5 yesterday. Have you ordered yours yet? The uk website says won't be shipping till end of the month

Hi,

I ordered two yesterday, I've just checked and I've not had a notification to say it's dispatched.

If I get anything I'll post in here to let you know.

 

[Scarfacé]

How do these get on with 10Gbe SFP+ modules? I'm assuming having two would be too much heat for them to handle, but one should be ok? I've been considering replacing my current 'server' mini PC with one, which I run Proxmox on with a dozen VMs/LXCs. Howver, I'm struggling to justify it as I only load up my current processor (8500T) to about 10-15% on average.

 

[TechMinerUK]

How do these get on with 10Gbe SFP+ modules? I'm assuming having two would be too much heat for them to handle, but one should be ok? I've been considering replacing my current 'server' mini PC with one, which I run Proxmox on with a dozen VMs/LXCs. Howver, I'm struggling to justify it as I only load up my current processor (8500T) to about 10-15% on average.

I wouldn't advise using more than one and if you are make sure there is some extra cooling for the unit (Mini heatsinks and fans etc)

What you could do as an alternative is get a PCI-e 10GE add in card and then make sure that is cooled, @skyeci100 made some modifications on their unit too cool their RJ45 card

 

[4Qman]

I've emailed minisforum for an update to delivery so I will reply once I get a response.

I'm planning on 2x 4tb nvme in mirror zfs for storage and for VMs etc, then a 500gb or 1tb ssd for the Proxmox OS. Is there an issue with this configuration?

Can the NVME drives have heatsinks or must I get the ones without?

To use the 10gb do I just link both the minis units together with a SFP then 1 of the units to my switch with a sfp?

 

[TechMinerUK]

I've emailed minisforum for an update to delivery so I will reply once I get a response.

I'm planning on 2x 4tb nvme in mirror zfs for storage and for VMs etc, then a 500gb or 1tb ssd for the Proxmox OS. Is there an issue with this configuration?

Can the NVME drives have heatsinks or must I get the ones without?

To use the 10gb do I just link both the minis units together with a SFP then 1 of the units to my switch with a sfp?

As long as the SSD is U.2 you should be fine, to my knowledge and after stripping mine down last night these units do not take SATA drives (As in SATA connector)

In terms of heatsinks, if they are low profile ones you should be fine, in the box they include a heat sink if you want to use one (Or mine did anyway)

For 10G it depends how you want to use it, in Proxmox I believe you could link the MS-01s with one and then link the other to the switch for each of the units. Or you could have them both plugged into the switch, entirely up to you I think

 

[4Qman]

I had a reply from minis support.

It's great to hear from you and I hope you're doing well today! I will be happy to assist you!
Hello, we estimate that the shipment will be between 25th and 30th. The time is for reference only. It may be advanced or delayed depending on the factory situation. Thank you for your patience.

 

[4Qman]

So I have the following ready, hopefully for when the 2 units arrive next week (not confirmed).

Anything else I'm missing?

MINIS-01-MACHINE1
2x 2TB 990pro NVME (RAID 1)
2x 32GB (64GB kit) crucial CT2K32G56C46S5

Link cables
1x - 10Gtek 10Gb SFP+ DAC Twinax Cable, Passive, Compatible with Ubiquiti UniFi, 0.5-Meter(1.65ft)

1x - Cable Matters [Intel Certified] 40Gbps Thunderbolt 4 Cable 0.8m with 8K Video and 240W Charging - Backwards Compatible with USB4 Thunderbolt 3 Cable and USB-C

MINIS-01-MACHINE2
2x 2TB 990pro NVME (RAID 1)
2x 32GB (64GB kit) crucial CT2K32G56C46S5

 

[skyeci100]

Still waiting for shipment on my 2nd i5. Ordered 10th November. Looks good. I have to say I got on better with FS dac cable for the x710. I had the same gtek one originally but was getting lan errors.

 

[4Qman]

I'm still waiting, I'm going to email them again now.

If it's much morneof andekay I'm pulling the pin and going to order 2x 12900 off the forest website.

 

[skyeci100]

I'm still waiting, I'm going to email them again now.

If it's much morneof andekay I'm pulling the pin and going to order 2x 12900 off the forest website.

The only thing I would say is my refund experience was not easy..it took over 2 weeks to sort it out so you might want to hang on.

 

[SpaceCowboy74]

I have gotten a MS-01 and have been in the process of setting it up a few times now. The plan is to run proxmox on it and host opnsense with a WAS-110 with a cooling fan attached in one of the SFP+ ports to allow direct connection to my fiber WAN from AT&T. I am thinking of using the other SFP+ port to directly connect to a switch that has a SFP port on it. I also installed an LSI card in the PCIe slot so I can connect it to a EMC Disk array. I am planning to pass those into a NAS of some kind hosted in a lxc most likely. Will passthrough the GPU to a jellyfin server as well. Currently I have 3 2TB NVMe drives in the different slots. I am planning to use them to contain my VMs.

One thing I am unsure of. I don't need the WiFi in the case. Can I remove the M.2 2230 WiFi card and replace it with a smaller M.2 NVMe drive? Was thinking of something like 256-512GB for a "boot" disk on it.
Thoughts?