New Build Fractal Design R2

hourami · 7 Aug 2010 at 16:03

I am looking to build a NAS/Windows Home Server system using the above case.

I plan to install 8 HD's but need advice on the other components to put in. Not sure how powerful it should be. It will only be for storing of files, photos and movies. It will also be used to rip blu-rays/dvd's, downloading torrents etc

I want to use it to stream itunes to other computers and for people to stream movies onto their computers so not sure if FreeNAs or WHS is the best to use for this.

I also want it to be setup as RAID

I have a separate HTPC set up that I want to use to stream from the above new build. I have installed XBMC on the HTPC.

Want to spend as little as possible but not compromise the system. Will not be used for any gaming.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

hourami · 7 Aug 2010 at 16:04

I may have posted this in the wrong thread so mods please move if that is the case. Sorry!!

Destination · 7 Aug 2010 at 16:35

WHS has its own brand of multidisk, called duplication, whereby each item you wnat duplicated at folder level will be held on 2 discs, you can pick and choose which you want. Disks can be added to the 'pool' as you want, and it will support at least 10 of them. It isn't hardware RAID, and iirc you'll be hard pushed to find a mini-itx mobo offering hardware raid, so likely an extra card would be needed should you wish to go down that line.

My 'Smooth Pink Box' is an exercise in building a powerful WHS Vail system, I am still exploring the software and its abilities. WHS has been out for ages and is much more mature than Vail which remains in beta and lacks plugins. Still I can access the server from any of my PCs or my WDTV and stream movies or pictures from it. Thats what it is deisgned to do, along with providing the ability to backup your other PCs remotely, with or without scheduling.

Downloading torrents won't be an intensive task, as for ripping blue-rays i am unsure how you plan to do this, last I checked the Fractal Design R2 didn't have any 5.25 inch drive bays, let alone blueray. I don't know what the best cpu requirements would be for this task, as I've never used it personally.

I built a system around an i3 530 non-OCed, on a gigabyte h55usb3 board, it functiosn very well, and doesn't need any GFX card which saves watts and space inside the case. I used a lian-li q008red, as the airflow is wonderful and it is basically totally silent but i was considering a fractal.

hourami · 7 Aug 2010 at 16:57

Sorry this is my mistake in posting it into this forum as I was browsing here when I posted. I plan to use the Fractal Design R2 FULL size case and not the mini one.

Destination · 7 Aug 2010 at 18:51

ah-ha
Well then, you will have a much greater variety of motherboards to pick from.
Might be an idea to post in the server forum as the chaps there have a WHS thread, and experiecne with FreeNAS at the same time and could discuss the alternatives with you.