I ended up with a X9SCL+-F
with an E3 1230v2. I’m rounding out my purchases now and am a little confused on the SSD recommendation. I haven’t run unRaid before and want to set it up effectively so should I have one large SSD (1TB) for unRaid and my applications and one smaller SSD (500GB) for cache and Plex metadata? I assume that whatever drive I install unRaid on has to be part of the RAID array and therefore can’t be installed on the SATA add-in card that is recommended? Sorry for the noob questions and thanks for your help.
Typically, I would recommend a decent sized dedicated cache, and a dedicated (unassigned) SSD for AppData.
I’m not sure what your budget is, but you could probably get away with 500GB of each.
Unraid will boot off a usb drive and then run off ram.
I have been looking for a week or so on ebay going back and forth with looking at parts for building my own or the dell.
I ran across this listing today:
I thought the 225 was a bit high so offered 150, he countered 175, free shipping. After confirming that yes this was a good deal I jumped on it. I was ready to pull the trigger on all the parts to build my own but am glad I waited and ran across this. Set up an alert on ebay on what you are looking for and dont be afraid to bid low.
The dells are a good starting point. I have had 3 dell tower servers that have been great nas machines.
Will Inventec B400GA0 take e3 v2 xeons?
Never felt that stupid. it will, i have Intel Xeon E3-1225 v2
Thanks for writing this guide! It’s been incredibly helpful in coming up with my first server build. It’d be great if anyone could provide feedback on the following specs:
- Motherboard: Supermicro X9SCM
- CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1270
- CPU cooler: Thermaltake Gravity i2
- RAM: Kingston PC3-12800E
- PSU: Corsair RM750 (which I already have)
- Accessories: 6-pack SATA cables
- Case: Fractal Design Node 804
That all looks good to me!
Dunno if you picked up a case yet, but I just added a recommendation for the KL04B from Silverstone.
I did, I ended up with a node 804, I found a deal on EBAY for a SuperMicro X9SCL with a 1225v2 and 8gigs for 55 shipped… kinda made my mind up for me!!
But thanks for thinking of me!!
Wow, what a steal! Awesome job.
Great guide! Found this when researching for my first server build. As it happens I have an i7-3770 laying around (basically an entire system with a dead motherboard). No sure if this should be posted here or in a separate post.
I am having a rough time finding a motherboard on ebay (most sellers are in the US and shipping + import tax often triples the cost). Where do EU people mostly go for their parts?
I have found a Fujitsu D3161-A12 on ebay for 30 bucks including shipping, would that be a good option [ ebay link]?
Thank you for your help!
Just a heads up - I’m building the Mini-ITX box and wanted to share the offers I made that were accepted:
Intel DQ77KB: $37.40
Xeon E3-1260L: $37.80
One other note, the same seller for the motherboard sells full height I/O shields for the DQ77KB, but I sent them a message and asked if they’d include a full height I/O shield with my purchase and they said they’d be happy to. So if you need the full height shield, just go ahead and ask!
First, thanks for the great information. I received all my parts for the 6-bay Mini-ITX NAS and I’m not sure where the Node 304 front panel blue connector attaches to the DQ77KB board. I apologize if this is an obvious thing, I’m a total newb.
Thanks for any assistance you can provide.