Landfill - My SFF unRAID with SAB/SB/PLEX

[crwfshkid]

I saw the discussion about going modular.  I'm thinking of using the Rosewill CAPTSONE instead of the Corsair.  Any issues you can think of with that?

[dirtysanchez]

No issues that I can see.  Looks like it would work fine.

[trurl]

I have now finished upgrading my hardware based on this build. When this case went on sale several weeks ago I moved all my old hardware out of the Lian Li PC-Q08 into the PC-Q25.

 

Since my old mobo/CPU only supported 4GB RAM and didn't have much horsepower I wanted to upgrade so I could try Plex and possibly get ready for 64-bit unRAID.

 

I installed the new mobo/CPU/RAM last night and it went very smoothly.

 

I have an old PSU and lots of extra HDDs taking up space in addition to the old case, mobo/CPU/RAM so I have a whole computer left over. Not sure what I will do with it.

 

[Harpz]

I have an old PSU and lots of extra HDDs taking up space in addition to the old case, mobo/CPU/RAM so I have a whole computer left over. Not sure what I will do with it.

 

Use it to back up your current server?

[trurl]

I have an old PSU and lots of extra HDDs taking up space in addition to the old case, mobo/CPU/RAM so I have a whole computer left over. Not sure what I will do with it.

 

Use it to back up your current server?

Not enough HDD for that. Already backup critical stuff offsite. Not going to invest in more storage just for some movies I've already seen.

An unRAID DEV box might be interesting.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[mrow]

Off topic but that is a nice little UPS. I have about 5 of them around the house. For whatever reason, when the batteries in them go bad, my work throws the whole thing out and replaces it with a new one. One cheap replacement battery from Amazon later and I've got a $60 UPS for $14 bucks. 

[trurl]

I have now finished upgrading my hardware based on this build. When this case went on sale several weeks ago I moved all my old hardware out of the Lian Li PC-Q08 into the PC-Q25.

 

Since my old mobo/CPU only supported 4GB RAM and didn't have much horsepower I wanted to upgrade so I could try Plex and possibly get ready for 64-bit unRAID.

 

I installed the new mobo/CPU/RAM last night and it went very smoothly.

Update to my previous post and a question.

 

I have now changed the PSU as well. I had used the Power Supply Extension Bracket I mentioned earlier in the thread, but now I have installed a fully modular, small form factor PSU (see sig) and I don't need to use the extension now.

 

I also have a Noctua LH-L9i CPU cooler for the lower profile.

 

Now my question.

 

How do you connect the 2 case fans? Both directly to the PSU? One to the mobo CHA FAN and one to the PSU (this is what I have done)? Split the mobo CHA FAN and connect both there (will that even work)? Something else?

 

 

[dirtysanchez]

I have now changed the PSU as well. I had used the Power Supply Extension Bracket I mentioned earlier in the thread, but now I have installed a fully modular, small form factor PSU (see sig) and I don't need to use the extension now.

Nice power supply.  So basically it's ATX size, but shorter?  How much shorter is it?

I also have a Noctua LH-L9i CPU cooler for the lower profile.

How do you like the Noctua CPU Cooler?  I'm using the stock Intel low-profile CPU cooler that comes with the i3-3220T.  It does the job just fine, but I might look into the Noctua, more for quietness reasons than anything.  Not that the Intel cooler is loud, but all the other fans are Noctua. 

How do you connect the 2 case fans? Both directly to the PSU? One to the mobo CHA FAN and one to the PSU (this is what I have done)? Split the mobo CHA FAN and connect both there (will that even work)?

I did what you did, I connected the top fan to the mobo header (CHA FAN), and the front fan direct to the PSU.  The other thing you could do is use a fan header y-cable to connect both fans to the mobo header, such as this one.

[trurl]

Nice power supply.  So basically it's ATX size, but shorter?  How much shorter is it?

 

How do you like the Noctua CPU Cooler?  I'm using the stock Intel low-profile CPU cooler that comes with the i3-3220T.  It does the job just fine, but I might look into the Noctua, more for quietness reasons than anything.  Not that the Intel cooler is loud, but all the other fans are Noctua. 

The PSU is a different standard called SFX. It is smaller in every dimension. It included an adapter to allow it to be installed in ATX. Between that and the lower profile Noctua I have a lot more empty space inside the case now which I think has to help with cooling.

 

My server is kept inside a cabinet but I have also installed fans in the cabinet with its own temperature controller. I don't really have an issue with cooling either. I have a 10000rpm cache and one 3TB that is not green. They hit 40C once in a while but seldom go over that.

[Ice_Black]

Interesting build! This look like good alternative to HP MicroServer N36L/N40L/N54L.

 

How many watts does it use when it idles and average load? also is it quiet - suitable for bed room? lol

 

HP MicroServer is known for low watts and quiet.

[dirtysanchez]

Interesting build! This look like good alternative to HP MicroServer N36L/N40L/N54L.

 

How many watts does it use when it idles and average load? also is it quiet - suitable for bed room? lol

 

HP MicroServer is known for low watts and quiet.

 

I don't have a Kill-A-Watt to accurately measure power consumption, but see the original post for approximations based on readings from the UPS.  I've been meaing to get one and when I get around to it I'll post more accurate numbers.

 

It was a bit noisy with the stock fans, not horrible but probably not bedroom suitable.  I swapped out the fans for quality Noctuas and it's virtually silent now.  Definitely suitable for a bedroom with the Noctua fans.  Fan upgrade is listed in the original post also if you decide to go that route.

[dirtysanchez]

The PSU is a different standard called SFX. It is smaller in every dimension. It included an adapter to allow it to be installed in ATX. Between that and the lower profile Noctua I have a lot more empty space inside the case now which I think has to help with cooling.

 

My server is kept inside a cabinet but I have also installed fans in the cabinet with its own temperature controller. I don't really have an issue with cooling either. I have a 10000rpm cache and one 3TB that is not green. They hit 40C once in a while but seldom go over that.

 

I'll definitely keep an eye out for that PSU going on sale and snap it up if/when it does.  I would like a smaller PSU, but at $100 I'll wait until I can get it for a better price.

 

For reference, my server is not in a cabinet, sits on the living room entertainment center.  With the larger power supply (which does restrict airflow to some degree compared to yours) and 5x 7200 RPM drives it's rare for me to see a drive over 35C.  My original cache drive (WD2500KS) would run close to 40C, but I have since replaced it and the new one (WD3200AAKX) runs much cooler (29C - 32C).

[trurl]

Was the front fan hard to change out?

 

Tapatalk from CM10.1 Kindle

 

 

[dirtysanchez]

Was the front fan hard to change out?

 

Neither fan is hard to change out.  They both have rubber grommets that screw into the fan, then the fan just pops into the chassis, quick disconnect style.  There are no screws that physically screw the fan into the chassis.  Just remove the grommets from the stock fans and put them on the new fans and pop them in.

 

If I recall correctly, for the front fan, you push it to the right (if looking at the case from the front) and then move it rearward.  It will come right out.  To put it back in, line up the grommets with the holes, move it towards the front of the case, then push left to lock in place.  I know it's a small space, but it's easier than you think.  Look in there with a flashlight and you'll see how it mounts.

[umirza85]

I have a build that is pretty much exactly this, except I will be using an ivy bridge Intel Celeron G1620 (Dual core) as this CPU is almost $75 cheaper. I know this cpu is more than enough to have a few streams going at once, but what would the performance be like transcoding streams or running sab??

[dirtysanchez]

I have a build that is pretty much exactly this, except I will be using an ivy bridge Intel Celeron G1620 (Dual core) as this CPU is almost $75 cheaper. I know this cpu is more than enough to have a few streams going at once, but what would the performance be like transcoding streams or running sab??

 

The main differences in the CPU's are power consumption (35W i3 vs 55W Celeron), and number of logical cores - hyperthreading (i3 has 4, Celeron has 2).  Clock speeds are almost identical. 

 

There's no way to really tell for sure until someone tries.  Based on simple benchmarks (cpubenchmark.net), the Celeron scores about 25% less powerful than the i3-3220T.  It should perform identical to the i3-3220T in regards to running SAB, although it will likely par repair/unrar a bit slower, but that's no biggie.  Regarding Plex, it should direct play multiple streams with no issue.  When it comes to transcoding it should easily handle a single HD transcode, and probably two concurrent HD transcodes.  It should work just fine for what you are looking to do IMHO.

[umirza85]

There's no way to really tell for sure until someone tries.  Based on simple benchmarks (cpubenchmark.net), the Celeron scores about 25% less powerful than the i3-3220T.  It should perform identical to the i3-3220T in regards to running SAB, although it will likely par repair/unrar a bit slower, but that's no biggie.  Regarding Plex, it should direct play multiple streams with no issue.  When it comes to transcoding it should easily handle a single HD transcode, and probably two concurrent HD transcodes.  It should work just fine for what you are looking to do IMHO.

 

Great thanks thats all I was looking for.

[yelnatsch517]

Stupid question, but what do people use SAB and SB for?  I know it is for usenet, but I tried it today and couldn't find anything useful as there is no way to specify exactly what is downloaded.

Maybe I'm not using it correctly?

 

At the moment, I use my unRaid only for BR main movie ISO rips with no compression.

But it seems I'm missing out on unRaid's full potential after reading this thread.

[greenythebeast]

I really love this build! Do you think I'd have the same success if I swapped the Motherboard and CPU for AMD parts?

 

[MOBO] ASRock FM2A85X-ITX FM2 AMD A85X (Hudson D4) SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI Mini ITX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

[CPU] AMD A4-5300 Trinity 3.4GHz (3.6GHz Turbo) Socket FM2 65W Dual-Core Desktop APU (CPU + GPU)

 

Also, I have a spare Antec earthwatts EA430 430W. Can I use that? Or no because it's not a single +12V rail?

 

Just thought I'd let you know I have the same mobo and an A6-5400K and it works great

[dirtysanchez]

Stupid question, but what do people use SAB and SB for?  I know it is for usenet, but I tried it today and couldn't find anything useful as there is no way to specify exactly what is downloaded.

Maybe I'm not using it correctly?

 

At the moment, I use my unRaid only for BR main movie ISO rips with no compression.

But it seems I'm missing out on unRaid's full potential after reading this thread.

 

SABnzbd is a Usenet downloading client.  SickBeard is used to automatically initiate downloads of the TV Shows you tell it to look for.  It is essentially an "Internet PVR".  The two together simply automate the process of finding and downloading TV episodes.

[dirtysanchez]

Added some speed testing to the OP.

[spencers]

Added some speed testing to the OP.

 

Nice tests and numbers! I need to try this soon.

[garycase]

Did you ever do any power consumption tests?  [i read through the thread, but didn't see any.]

 

FWIW one of my UnRAID servers using the same case and this superb motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813182233

 

... draws ~ 20 watts on idle (drives spun down) and a max of just over 40 watts with all drives spun-up and doing a parity test (the max power it will ever draw).    Drives are all 3TB WD Reds (6 of them).  And performance is very good -- writes ~ 35MB/s;  reads ~ 110-120 MB/s;  parity check ~ 8 hrs.

 

Am thinking of building another identical unit except using a mini-ITX Socket 1155 board and an i3/i5 to get more "horsepower" so I can experiment with some of the add-ons -- just curious how much more power it would probably use.  I really like the "night-light-like" power consumption of this little guy now.

 

[dirtysanchez]

Did you ever do any power consumption tests?  [i read through the thread, but didn't see any.]

 

FWIW one of my UnRAID servers using the same case and this superb motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813182233

 

... draws ~ 20 watts on idle (drives spun down) and a max of just over 40 watts with all drives spun-up and doing a parity test (the max power it will ever draw).    Drives are all 3TB WD Reds (6 of them).  And performance is very good -- writes ~ 35MB/s;  reads ~ 110-120 MB/s;  parity check ~ 8 hrs.

 

Am thinking of building another identical unit except using a mini-ITX Socket 1155 board and an i3/i5 to get more "horsepower" so I can experiment with some of the add-ons -- just curious how much more power it would probably use.  I really like the "night-light-like" power consumption of this little guy now.

 

I don't have a Kill-A-Watt, so can't give you precise numbers, but by using load numbers from the UPS I can give you good approximations.  The server at idle (7200 rpm cache drive spun up and all array drives spun down) is approximately 55W.  The cache drive never spins down due to Plex, hence the reason it is included in the idle figure.  The server with all drives spun up (5x 7200 rpm) is roughly 72W.  I do not have any numbers during a parity check, but according to Seagate documentation the difference between spun-up but idle and operating is ~2W.  So at parity check, I suspect it will be around 80W.

 

I have been planning to get a Kill-A-Watt anyway, so I'm going to order one in the next few days and I'll let you know exact numbers then.

 

EDIT:  Forgot to add, as you said in the other thread, the Lian Li is indeed a superb case.  Excellent build quality.  I would love to have the super low power consumption of your server, but I needed more horsepower for Plex/Sab/SB/CP, etc.  Still, going with the 35W TDP i3-3220T definitely kept the power draw very low for a server with plenty of horsepower to do what I was looking to do.  Hopefully when I get my Kill-A-Watt it will be lower than what I have approximated from the UPS.

 

EDIT2:  Kill-A-Watt ordered.  It will be here Tuesday and then I'll have some hard numbers for you.

[garycase]

"Kill-a-Watt ordered" ==>  Excellent.  I look forward to seeing the actual numbers (e.g. Idle and during a parity check).    You'll also find that the Kill-a-Watt is a VERY handy gadget to have (I have 2).