New Build Advice Request

[Crlaozwyn]

Hey everyone,

I have a pretty old SFF box and I'm getting some indicators that it's time for an upgrade, such as the box becoming non-responsive or notifications while streaming that the processor isn't capable of transcoding. It's currently running on an Intel(R) Atom(TM) CPU D510 @ 1.66GHz with 2GB of DDR2 @667 MHz. Yeah, I know. Please don't mock me too much

 

I'd love to get some insights as to a decent budget setup for a few hundred bucks. My use is pretty simple - Plex on 2 (3 MAX) devices, and I'd like to install a MySQL server and SickBeard/Couchpotato to snag some FTP stuff. Not a lot of plugins currently installed, but with a more capable machine I might play around a bit more...

 

-I'd like to keep the current Fractal case as I'm a nerd and think it's sexy. That does restrict me to a mini ITX/DTX mobo

-I currently have five drives installed and plan to keep existing HDDs. I'd prefer a mobo that can handle at six drives.

-Everything else is open for debate. Hell, if you say that my case is ugly and stupid I can probably be swayed on that too.

 

If my budget is unreasonable, let me know that too and I'll keep pinching pennies.

 

Thanks so much in advance!

 

Edit: I took a look at the recommended builds before posting, but they were last updated in 2011. That would be an AMAZING resource if someone has the time and motivation to update it!

Edited April 13, 2017 by Crlaozwyn

[tdallen]

Your case looks fine, a lot like the current Node 304.  For the Plex streams, do you need transcoding?  That would push the CPU requirements up quite a bit... 

[trurl]

Some of us have our current builds in our sig. The sigs are probably more current than some of the threads around here, but even there mobos are often discontinued pretty quickly. If you can't see our sigs, click on the dropdown next to your name at the upper right of the page and go to Account Settings.

 

Passmark is the usual resource for CPU specs. I think Plex recommends 2000 passmark score per stream.

https://www.passmark.com/

 

There should be a number of ITX mobos with 6 SATA ports so you should be fine with your case and if you ever need more capacity, just upsize the disks.

 

I always start planning my builds at pcpartpicker.

http://pcpartpicker.com/

[Crlaozwyn]

15 hours ago, tdallen said:

Your case looks fine, a lot like the current Node 304.  For the Plex streams, do you need transcoding?  That would push the CPU requirements up quite a bit... 

I primarily stream to phones, Xbox One, and a Fire TV. I don't think I need transcoding with those. Most of my content is 1080p.

 

15 hours ago, trurl said:

Some of us have our current builds in our sig. The sigs are probably more current than some of the threads around here, but even there mobos are often discontinued pretty quickly. If you can't see our sigs, click on the dropdown next to your name at the upper right of the page and go to Account Settings.

 

Passmark is the usual resource for CPU specs. I think Plex recommends 2000 passmark score per stream.

https://www.passmark.com/

 

There should be a number of ITX mobos with 6 SATA ports so you should be fine with your case and if you ever need more capacity, just upsize the disks.

 

I always start planning my builds at pcpartpicker.

http://pcpartpicker.com/

Thanks for the tips!

 

Here's what I'm currently thinking...

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/HbzKRG

 

I've got:

Mobo: MSI A68HI AC FM2+ AMD A68H

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860k

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB

 

And no GPU, since I don't run VMs on it. Thoughts? It's been a long time (you know, since forever) that I built a headless system. That puts me out the door for just under $200, which would be amazing.

 

Edit: Oh yeah, I'd have to slap a few more SATA ports on it

Edited April 14, 2017 by Crlaozwyn

[tdallen]

Whether or not you need transcoding depends on the format of the media, the capabilities of the player, and occasionally the configuration of Plex.  If you're using Handbrake to encode your media into a format that your phone, Fire TV, etc. can handle then you should be able to use Direct Play via Plex without transcoding.  If things don't match up then Plex will start transcoding and you'll need enough CPU to handle it.  The Athlon x4 can probably handle several simultaneous Plex streams, 1 or 2 of which are being transcoded, in addition to basic NAS and Docker duties.  8GB should be fine for unRAID and several Dockers.

 

This system would be a modest unRAID system by today's hardware standards, but fully functional for NAS and Dockers and whole lot more system than your D510 .

[Crlaozwyn]

3 hours ago, tdallen said:

This system would be a modest unRAID system by today's hardware standards, but fully functional for NAS and Dockers and whole lot more system than your D510 .

Whelp, I'm on a budget so I'll take it Someday I'd love to put something together where I can run concurrent VMs and get rid of my desktop. I'll let "tomorrow me" worry about how to put together the cash for that one.

 

Thanks!

 

Bit of an update: I was thinking about the nuisance of using up my only PCIe slot right away and kept looking. Not sure how I missed it the first time, but I think I'm going with an ASRock A88M-ITX/ac R2.0 mobo instead. Includes onboard GPU and 6 SATA ports.

Edited April 14, 2017 by Crlaozwyn

[tdallen]

Good plan :).

[Crlaozwyn]

Update: The computer I put together was a train wreck The motherboard with an "integrated graphics processor" requires an APU (you know, a graphics processor) to work. The system also reached an idle temp of >63C while I was looking at the bios. Fortunately, I got an amazing rep at Newegg who took care of me and I'm getting everything sent back in.

 

Here's the new plan:

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/dWXGRG

 

Mobo: ASRock H270M-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard (6 SATA slots)

CPU: Intel Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor  (onboard GPU)

RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory

[HellDiverUK]

Yeah, the A88X-ITX does run warm, I had one and it ran toasty, not helped by the mSATA being on top of the VRM, so the VRM got very hot and the mSATA totally freaked.  You would need an APU like the A10 for onboard video.  The only AMD boards with their own built-in graphics are the now ancient AM3 760G boards.  They still work pretty well, but power consumption is horrific.

 

I'm still not a fan of AsRock boards, I've had more problems with them than all the other manufacturers put together.  

 

I would suggest going with something like:

 

Gigabyte Z170N-wifi

Pentium G4520

Whatever DDR4-2400 RAM.

 

The Gigabyte board has dual Intel NICs, and is super-stable in unRAID, I've had one running for well over a year in work with only reboots for updates.   

[Crlaozwyn]

7 hours ago, HellDiverUK said:

Yeah, the A88X-ITX does run warm, I had one and it ran toasty, not helped by the mSATA being on top of the VRM, so the VRM got very hot and the mSATA totally freaked.  You would need an APU like the A10 for onboard video.  The only AMD boards with their own built-in graphics are the now ancient AM3 760G boards.  They still work pretty well, but power consumption is horrific.

 

I'm still not a fan of AsRock boards, I've had more problems with them than all the other manufacturers put together.

Thanks for the response HellDiver!

 

Ah, your experience is that it was the mobo toasting the CPU? I suppose that would make sense as the cooler (Reeven Brontes) I put on there should be more than adequate.

 

The ambiguity in where the graphics actually are is the reason why Newegg agreed to take back the kit I'd put together. They have three different ways of describing the same pass-through graphics configuration when you look (None, APU required, and Onboard Video Chipset).

 

I've had a few ASRock boards in the past and haven't had many issues. In this case, 45/48 reviews give it 4+ stars so I'm borrowing some confidence from that too.

 

7 hours ago, HellDiverUK said:

I would suggest going with something like:

 

Gigabyte Z170N-wifi

Pentium G4520

Whatever DDR4-2400 RAM.

 

The Gigabyte board has dual Intel NICs, and is super-stable in unRAID, I've had one running for well over a year in work with only reboots for updates.   

I'm sure that would be a solid machine, but cost is a factor for me. The CPU/Mobo listed would run $293, while my "wishlist" right now is $166.

 

A few other considerations - I believe "Z" chipsets are superior to the "H" line, but 270 is newer than 170. From what I can see, at least on paper they're pretty close other than the ability to OC, which I wouldn't be using. I also found some benchmarks implying that the G4560 outperforms the G4520, at a lower power consumption. Admittedly, there are less benchmarks for the G4520 so that could change over time.