Small, quiet, low-power disk array/small server?

[georgiosd]

Hello everyone,

I posted a while back asking whether it'd be cheaper to buy a multiple-disk (3+) RAID NAS or just build a small computer with RAID on it. Most people said that building a small computer with RAID would be the most cost-effective and flexible solution and wouldn't require more (or much more) power than a dedicated NAS.

So the time has come to build this and I would love to get some recommendations.

Here's my optimal spec:

HD: Supports 4 or 5 3.5" drives as I'd want to set up RAID 5. Preferably there would be space for an extra 2.5" or 3.5" drive for the OS to go on and the storage array to be completely separate.
RAID: Controller not necessary - I'd be happy with Software RAID-5
CPU: I'd be happy with a 1.2 GHz+ but if I can pack some more power on it, perhaps I can use it to do my Virtual Machines work on.
RAM: 2GB should be sufficient, 4GB would be nice to have.
Network: On-board 1Gbit + space for an extra 1GBit network card (one goes to modem, the other to my desktop)

Noise: As little as possible - in fact if it can be made completely quiet I'd be extra happy!
Power: Again, as little as possible - the RAID array will only be needed for short amount of time at a time so I hope I can set the OS up to spin the hard-drives down while they're not in use.

No sound card, fancy graphics or DVD drive needed!

I'd love to get your recommendations on cases and components that will make this project possible! I won't say that cost is not a concern because it always is but I'm willing to spend a bit more to get as close to this spec as possible.

Thanks in advance!

 

[PhillyDee]

Look into Windows Home Server. It gives a lot more for its money than anything else.
That has software raid that doesnt require rebuilds, can use any drives no matter what capacity, home backup for PC', remote access from the web with no need for DDNS etc.

However, it is meant for end of chain connection and doesnt support being a gateway PC. Not to say it wont work, but it was never designed to do that.

Plump for that option and theres no need to worry about on board raid5, so it keeps the cost nice and low.

 

[georgiosd]

Look into Windows Home Server. It gives a lot more for its money than anything else.
That has software raid that doesnt require rebuilds, can use any drives no matter what capacity, home backup for PC', remote access from the web with no need for DDNS etc.

However, it is meant for end of chain connection and doesnt support being a gateway PC. Not to say it wont work, but it was never designed to do that.

Plump for that option and theres no need to worry about on board raid5, so it keeps the cost nice and low.

Thank you for that, I'll keep it in mind, but I was actually hoping to get recommendations for the hardware side of things!

 

[dangerstat]

Hello everyone,

I posted a while back asking whether it'd be cheaper to buy a multiple-disk (3+) RAID NAS or just build a small computer with RAID on it. Most people said that building a small computer with RAID would be the most cost-effective and flexible solution and wouldn't require more (or much more) power than a dedicated NAS.

So the time has come to build this and I would love to get some recommendations.

Here's my optimal spec:

HD: Supports 4 or 5 3.5" drives as I'd want to set up RAID 5. Preferably there would be space for an extra 2.5" or 3.5" drive for the OS to go on and the storage array to be completely separate.
RAID: Controller not necessary - I'd be happy with Software RAID-5
CPU: I'd be happy with a 1.2 GHz+ but if I can pack some more power on it, perhaps I can use it to do my Virtual Machines work on.
RAM: 2GB should be sufficient, 4GB would be nice to have.
Network: On-board 1Gbit + space for an extra 1GBit network card (one goes to modem, the other to my desktop)

Noise: As little as possible - in fact if it can be made completely quiet I'd be extra happy!
Power: Again, as little as possible - the RAID array will only be needed for short amount of time at a time so I hope I can set the OS up to spin the hard-drives down while they're not in use.

No sound card, fancy graphics or DVD drive needed!

I'd love to get your recommendations on cases and components that will make this project possible! I won't say that cost is not a concern because it always is but I'm willing to spend a bit more to get as close to this spec as possible.

Thanks in advance!

Your going to find this difficult IMO. A PSU small enough and quiet enough probably won't throw enough power out to feed 6 SATA-II drives with any degree of stability. Not to mention I can't think of truly SFF case that'll fit that many drives in it.

 

[georgiosd]

Your going to find this difficult IMO. A PSU small enough and quiet enough probably won't throw enough power out to feed 6 SATA-II drives with any degree of stability. Not to mention I can't think of truly SFF case that'll fit that many drives in it.

Yes, after doing a search around for cases, it seems to be that way so I guess I'll have to go up to a Mini/Midi tower, right?

I own an Intel-based 24" iMac right now - am I going to get even close in terms of quietness with this kind of setup? When the RAID drives are not in operation that is.

 

[PhillyDee]

The Antec Earthwatts will fit your needs nicely. I have used the 380W ones one OC machines. Since it will not be powering a GFX card, you have more scope for hardware.
It is standard ATX so you will need one that supports it.

 

[dangerstat]

Yes, after doing a search around for cases, it seems to be that way so I guess I'll have to go up to a Mini/Midi tower, right?

I own an Intel-based 24" iMac right now - am I going to get even close in terms of quietness with this kind of setup? When the RAID drives are not in operation that is.

Yeah I think in your case I'd actually go mini tower and get a vertical drive bay that'll take three 3.5" drivers, and you'd be left with plenty of internal space for more drives too. In terms of how quite it could be, I think just get a very quiet PSU and coupled with an Atom based MB it'll still be very very quiet, in fact the loudest part will likely be the multiple HDD's (in my Atom box the loudest part is the hard disk now).

 

[georgiosd]

Thanks for all the replies!

I'm actually reconsidering my plans...

I was originally planning to get this to sit on the side, sell my 24" iMac and buy a new 27" iMac with Quad Core i7 2.8/8GB RAM etc. That would cost me around £2,000.

After checking prices, it seems that I'll be able to get a similar computer for almost half that money or 2/3 if I go up in some ways! So I'm not really sure the Apple design is worth the price tag after all, not with my current needs.

So, now I'll have to ask a slightly different question.

Forgetting the RAID drives for a moment as they should be turned off most of the time, can I match the quietness of an iMac with the same spec? i.e. Quad Core i7 2.8GHz?

In other words, is there a combination of a silent CPU Heatsink/Fan + Power Supply + Case that I can use on this system? I'm not interested in overclocking.

 

[dangerstat]

Thanks for all the replies!

I'm actually reconsidering my plans...

I was originally planning to get this to sit on the side, sell my 24" iMac and buy a new 27" iMac with Quad Core i7 2.8/8GB RAM etc. That would cost me around £2,000.

After checking prices, it seems that I'll be able to get a similar computer for almost half that money or 2/3 if I go up in some ways! So I'm not really sure the Apple design is worth the price tag after all, not with my current needs.

So, now I'll have to ask a slightly different question.

Forgetting the RAID drives for a moment as they should be turned off most of the time, can I match the quietness of an iMac with the same spec? i.e. Quad Core i7 2.8GHz?

In other words, is there a combination of a silent CPU Heatsink/Fan + Power Supply + Case that I can use on this system? I'm not interested in overclocking.

I think the "best" mini ITX board you can get will only support a core i5 chip and that's a DFI board that hasn't been released in the UK yet (happy to be corrected).

 

[georgiosd]

I think the "best" mini ITX board you can get will only support a core i5 chip and that's a DFI board that hasn't been released in the UK yet (happy to be corrected).

Well, I would need at least a Mini tower to fit 3-5 HDs in it anyway, so why limit myself to mini-ITX?

My concern now is noise. Any recommendations on the CPU Heatsink/Fan + Power Supply + Case?