Preface
I wanted to preface this by saying I have wanted to build a NAS since 2015 and finally have the ability to make my 2015 dream into a reality so I may go a little overboard.
UPDATE: I already did go overboard by choosing this build. 
This is obviously going to be more than a NAS.
I’ve been looking around online and was contemplating a Ryzen build but started looking into server grade stuff and found this lovely place! I’ve been lurking for a few weeks here and asking questions on the discord, thought it’d be nice to post the journey of this build here!
Server Objective
This will be a NAS first and foremost. I’ve wanted to have a NAS for so long that it’d be weird if it wasn’t my first goal right?
It will be one place to store my data which I will access but it will not be the only place a copy of that data is stored! (More on that soon!)
I’ll mess around getting familiar with some VMs, and learning about Docker and their Containers.
Pretty much this will be my place to learn about all these things.
What I'm Running So Far
- Proxmox
- VM with TrueNAS
- VM with Ubuntu Server for docker containers
- Portainer
- Heimdall
- Guacamole
- VM with macOS Catalina
- VM with Kemp LoadMaster
Without further ado here’s the build list!
Build List
|Type|Qty|Part|
|—|—|—|—|—|—|
|Case|1|Phanteks Enthoo Pro II|
|Motherboard|1|Supermicro X9DRi-F|
|CPU|2|Intel Xeon E5-2620|
|RAM|4|Hynix 8GB - HMT31GR7BFR4C-H9|
|CPU Cooler|2|Noctua NH-D9DX i4 3U|
|Power Supply|1|Corsair HX 1000|
|Boot SSD|1|Crucial MX500 250GB|
|HBA|1|Adaptec ASR-7805|
|HBA Cables|2|SFF-8643 to SAS Breakout|
|HBA Fan|1|Noctua NF-A4x10 FLX|
|SAS Drives|6|WD/HGST 10TB SAS3 - HUH721010AL4200|
Build So Far
Motherboard Choice
Why I chose the Supermicro X9DRi-F
So, I found the Motherboard CPU + RAM combo locally and I accepted the fact that I wasn’t going to get anything more reasonable than this locally. Honestly, I’ve also had some weird fascination with a dual CPU board for a while so I went for it.
My main concern was finding a case that would with the Supermicro X9DRi-F
Case Choice
Why I didn't buy the Rosewill RSV-L4500U
The Rosewill RSV-L4500U seemed a bit out of reach with the inability to find one locally and even with Newegg offering free shipping if I spent $20 on some cables it was NZD 450. That was more than I wanted to spend on a case. The thought of it also throwing me down the rabbit hole of getting a rack and rails and not focusing funds on the build stopped me from pulling the trigger and I’m happy with that decision – for now.
Why/How I Phanteks Enthoo Pro II
I found the Phanteks Enthoo Pro II locally.
I downloaded a copy of the board Quick Reference Guide and the manual of the Enthoo Pro II and lay them over each other on photoshop and made sure the holes roughly lined up with the motherboard and case standoffs.
As soon as the case and motherboard arrived I went for it. I moved a few motherboard standoffs and it did the trick, it fit!
Waiting For Parts
I'm based in New Zealand and everything is stupidly expensive down here and it takes between a week to a month to arrive. The last thing I'm waiting for is the SAS Drives but that’s fine, I’m getting familiar with the server as it is!
Extras
| Type | Qty | Part |
|---|---|---|
| PCIe | 1 | Asus Hyper M.2 x16 Gen 4 |
| Drive Brackets | 2 | Phanteks 3.5" Modular HDD Brackets (2 Pack) |
| EPS Splitter | 1 | AYA EPS Splitter Cable |
| I bought these things |
Phanteks 3.5" Modular HDD Brackets (2 Pack)
Buying the extra drive cages wasn’t planned. I only imagined 4 drives in a RAID 10 kinda situation, after being introduced to BitDeals, it looks like I’ll be expanding to 8 or even 12 in the future. The main reason I bought these was in case I wanted to add more drives.
I’ve seen parts like this vanish and become impossible to find so I thought ahead for future me. 
Asus Hyper M.2 x16 Gen 4
The Asus Hyper was more of an impulse/desire to experiment.
The seller of the motherboard+CPU+RAM combo mentioned he’d set this up and I was intrigued but didn’t plan to do it initially.
I ordered the card this week because it was cheap enough. I had no clear plan but wanted to implement it somehow.
Based on some suggestions on discord, it’s either going to be a 4 drive cache or 2 drives mirrored as storage for VMs etc. and the other 2 Drives as a cache.
AYA EPS Splitter Cable
This was bought before I found out that some higher wattage Power Supplies come with 2 x EPS Ports and Cables facepalm
Tempted
| Type | Qty | Part |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 2 | Intel Xeon E5-2697 v2 (SR19H) |
| RAM | 4 | Hynix - 32GB - 4Rx4 - 1866 - PC3-14900L — HMT84GL7AMR4C-RD MC |
These are things I’m tempted to get atm 
The CPU upgrade so I know I’ve got the most I can out of the system.
The RAM so I can slowly add more and more as I get deeper down the rabbit hole