I just finished a Micro-ATX build recently using the SuperMicro x9scm. There are SuperMicro models x9scm, x9scm-f, x9scl & x9scl-f. These boards require ECC DDR3 ram, it’s best to also verify that someone has flashed the bios to Rev 2.0. That would allow you to use the E1200v2 series Xeon processors. If the board bios revision is below 2.0 then you are limited to E3-1200v1 model CPUs and DDR3 1333 ram not 1600. I just did a build with one of these in the Fractal Design Node 804 case. You can see my build here: [Build Complete] - NK4.0 Node 804
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Hey everyone, stumbled upon this place while looking to update my home storage. Already convinced the 4.1 killer and HP 290 is the right setup for me. Digging through available hardware and could use some advice.
Already bought the 4.1 combo 4 rack server. Looking for a case and power supply. If available, I probably would have purchased the Rosewill RSV-L4500. Just not an option anymore. What I do see for cheap is the RSV-L4000C
I’m wondering If I can combine it with 3 hot swappable HDD cages and mount it in somehow. Something like lsv-cage or generic-cage.
So something like $64(case) + $75(enclosures) plus whatever mod time. I noticed even the front end on the 4000c looks different, just raw sheet metal. Missing a filter? Not quite sure the difference there.
My gut feeling is that I’ll get nickled and dimed to death on this and is not worth the effort. Not sure what else is available in that price range that would compare either though. Thanks
Hey! I have a Q77H2-AM with the cooler master 350 case.
I’ve literally been unable to screw the mobo in because the screws i got with the case are not long enough for the mobo to be screwed in…
What screws would you recommend?
You need to install the standoffs into the case before screwing the motherboard down.
Yeah. Woops, i have already done that now, stupid question lol.
Sadly the PSU doesnt have any labels on its wires and i’m trying to figure out how to connect the CPU to the motherboard (mobo does not have anything either)… They usually come with manuals, but these were eBay steals so I have to figure out how to do everything now. I literally do not see a CPU power input on the motherboard.
It also looks like the PSU has a loottt of wires (ig to be compatible with everything?), so I’m trying to figure out which ones I need for this mobo… Also, i dont know where the restart/power/hdd led/etc (of that batch) go, is there any harm in trial an error?
if I can find a cheap Intel X540-T2 DUAL PORT
intstead of the proposed MNPA19-XTR 10GB MELLANOX
is better isnt’t it?
To start, thanks for putting all these various build guides together and taking the time to engage with the community! I’m not sure on everyone else, but I’m in need of a dual purpose box: mostly media server (for my local LAN only) but it needs to be a Windows box with dual monitors for remote work purposes. I know this defeats some of the groundwork laid out around here (I think around talk of unRAID and the like) but I think I could still manage a build with the hardware suggestions here including the RAID cards. The real part where I don’t have experience: can you install “normal” Windows on the server grade boards/CPUs or would I be stuck/better off looking at the suggested consumer grade components?
In general I would assume you need to vet all components work together with your os and you have access to drivers for whatever you are trying to do. I personally find enterprise gear desirable but even with home gear my advice would be the same. I went windows and did what I am suggesting down to changing out a motherboard after I ordered because of driver support. You always have the option of running windows in a vm. Not sure of your use case.
What’s the difference between a native and non-native hard drive bay? Is it just that I need to buy an extra rack to install in the case?
Yes, you are correct. A “Native” bay is a 3.5" HDD slot that is built in to the case. A “Non-Native” bay is a 3.5" HDD slot that can be added to the case through the use of an additional component. Most often this would be through the use of 1 or more adapters that turn the 5.25" bays that are built in to the case in to 3.5" bays that can be used to install more HDDs.
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For the “Ultimate Rackmount build” what cable(s) would I need to connect the LSI 9201-8i to SAS drives for data and power? Is there a similar breakout cable for SAS drives?
This is the cable you’d want for SAS drives: https://amzn.to/2O9K54o
Note that cable only supplies data, you still need standard SATA power cables to plug into the back of those connectors. I’d recommend getting these SATA power splitters: https://amzn.to/2Y6NXqR
because you’ll want to remove the 3.3v wire to make sure your drives spin up properly.
Thank you so much. Really appreciate it.
Also, can you clarify what you mean by “remove the 3.3v wire to make sure your drives spin up properly”?
It’s exactly what it sounds like - you take the 3.3 volt wire out of the power connectors going to each drive. A few years ago the SATA power spec was updated, and one of the unused 3.3 volt pins was repurposed for power disable signals. Power disable is useful in data centers where there are hundreds of servers with thousands of drives, if a drive stops responding the data center admin can send a signal to reset a single drive without rebooting the entire enclosure. This is great for data centers, but not so good for us home labbers who don’t currently have the specialty enclosures that work with these power disable signals. The good news is, if you don’t have one of these enclosures, these drives will still work, as long as there is no power on the 3.3v rail. The easiest options are to either use Molex to SATA power adapters like these: https://amzn.to/2DC5CuT if you have enough Molex connectors, or to remove the 3.3v wire from the SATA power splitters. There are no zero modern drives that use it, so it won’t be missed. Here’s an album that gives you more details on what needs to be removed. Kapton to SATA 3.3v mod for Easystore and Mybook WD - Album on Imgur
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Currently trying to decide between the Phanteks Eclipse P400S for £70 (+£12 for brackets) or a Cooler Master HAF 912 for £86. So very similar pricing. It looks like the P400S will be quieter and a little smaller whereas the 912 will have more drive bays and better airflow. Any recommendations between the two?
Personal choice? Do you need the drive slots or the compact size?
If starting this build from scratch, are there any recommendations (or pros and cons) on which drive type to use, SAS vs SATA?
hi all,
first post, I’ve been using my old pc for my server for the past 2-3 years, I’ve a 2600k + Asus Maximus 4 (Z68), unfortunately the processor doesn’t support IOMMU, even though the motherboard has 2 NIC’s for getting PFsense on the system. Anyway, I’ve 32gb ddr3 and don’t want to start from scratch, I was thinking about just getting a mother board and cpu, and looking at the
Supermicro X9SCM-F with the Intel SR0P6 Xeon E3-1270V2 Quad Core, with the rest of my setup from my existing server (includes 2x 1tb ssd’s, 8x10tb drives, 2x 4tb, 2x dvd/blu ray drives + SAS card, and a 550 W PSU.
I shouldn’t have any issues with not having ECC unbuffered memory as such? the board seems to have 2 1gb nic’s so that should be able to work with proxmox+pfsense vm?
Thank you for the very informational thread! I’m happy to spend some more money for a more powerful setup, which could work with ddr3 memory, but this seems to be the best bet?
Btw I don’t run unraid, my setup has debian 10 with docker containers + snapraid.