I still think it's a waste of money, but if it makes you happy it's money well spent for you.
Need pfSense Low Power Build Advice
- Thread starter Fodmidoid
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Except ECC is not really a premium at all and if you choose a d-1508 which is similar to i3 in performance and you get 10g Intel networking finding ddr4 ECC is easy especially for small modules.
Just throwing out another option at ~330 that includes the cpu onboard.
Just throwing out another option at ~330 that includes the cpu onboard.
The cost of the memory isn't the question, the question is whether it's necessary to spend more money on a complete system for a router for a house because ECC is required for that purpose and any other limitations in the system should be disregarded because it has ECC. Obviously for some it's important, but I don't think it's at all realistic to say that it's essential.
As far as the D-1508 it's certainly a more compelling choice than an C-2758 at this point, if significantly more money and lower performance/$ than a celeron/i3. If your decision tilts toward keeping the power draw low and you're not planning anything compute intensive it's reasonable--especially if you're looking for something with server-style management features (and it's a no-brainer for a 10gbe network).
I hope denverton shakes this space up a bit.
If it's strict ultra low power, the netgate gear is hard to beat. Otherwise you can find some deals on used 1U shallow depth boxes that would work just as well.
I don't know if it's been mentioned, and although I like those Atom options for this, but also consider the N2930 based platforms which has a 7W TDP. I have such a machine by "Jetway" and it handles routing/firewall/caching/dns between 4 network segments + my gigablast internet service from Cox without ever hitting an average load > 1.0. I believe the entire system (RAM+SSD+mobo) uses between 18W-25W when I was testing it. I think I paid about $250 for it brand new. I was originally going to use an Atom C2758 box for my firewall, but when I found the N2930 I changed my mind. It does max out at 8GB, so if you plan to run enough stuff that goes beyond 8GB, then it's not the right choice.
I would say that the low power is definitely less strict than cost and performance, though I'd like to keep power down as much as I can with those other two factors in place. If that makes sense. I'd also like it to be quiet of possible, since I am planning to run it in the living room. However, if something was good enough in a shallow depth 1U, I could instead rack it in a cabinet I gave in the office, it I would still want something relatively quiet. Did you have any specific models in mind that would fit this description?
Thanks.
JBC200F9N-E4IN :: HBJC200F9N-E4IN :: Intel Celeron Bay Trail N2930 with Daughter Board Gen2 Barebone :: JETWAY COMPUTER CORP.
Can be had for about $270 + cost of ram + boot media. Uses a 60w external power brick. That's what I have and it's silent. They have a rack mount version if that's what you prefer.
Can be had for about $270 + cost of ram + boot media. Uses a 60w external power brick. That's what I have and it's silent. They have a rack mount version if that's what you prefer.
The catch on the bay trails is that Intel turned off the aes-ni to segment the market. It's a fine choice unless you want to do crypto/vpn. I don't understand why so many vendors are still selling those and didn't update to braswell.
That is not entirely true. Higher core count parts were delayed again recently. Also, I/O is going to be a different model than we see on Avoton/ Rangeley, E5 V4, E3, and Xeon D.
I have a main site piece ready to go on it. Just have to hit publish.
Thanks. I'm putting together a couple build lists on pcpartpicker, including this one,so I can compare price and make a final decision.
- ASRock H270M-ITX/ac
- Intel Core i3-7100 3.9GHz Dual-Core
- G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory
On pcpartpicker, for storage, they list M.2 (M) and M.2 (B+M). I'm not sure which one I should be selecting here. Or should I be getting regular SSD instead? Or NVME? Or a combo? And what size disks should I be getting if I want to have enough space to run any and all apps I choose? I am a bit hazy on storage.
Thanks very much for all of this. This is a great resource.
Should be an M (four lanes) but B+M will work also. NVMe is faster, but that might not matter much unless you're hitting the disk. The performance and size requirements depend on what you're using it for; basically anything will be enough for pfsense. I wouldn't advise buying something huge with the thought that you'll use more later, the storage will only get cheaper and it's easy to add. If you think you might want to add more later I'd be inclined to start with a small 2.5 inch SATA and save the nvme slot for a bigger/faster drive in the future.
It seems that no matter what I go with, I'm looking at a minimum of $400 for a dedicated pfSense build, if I want to have something decent.
My plan was to finish this, and then start looking into a Xeon D-1500 build for my home network, which would possibky replace my Dell R-715 with Dual Opteron 1.9GHz Processors and 64GB RAM. While my Dell rack server seems capable, having a full size server cabinet takes up a lot of space a d the server is drawing quite a bit of power, I guess.
Should I just use the $400-500 for the pfSense box towards the Xeon D-15xx and virtualize pfsense instead? I was my preference to run dedicated hardware for it, but I also thought I'd be spending a lot less. Perhaps virtualizing it, at least for now, may be a good way to go?
I'm also wondering if the Xeon D could completely replace the larger Dell R-715 while also eliminating all that space being wasted, as well as power. Question is, do I get the D-1528 or the D-1541?
I realize I'm all over the place, but spending a couple thousand dollars for home gear is a bug deal, at least for me it is, and I want to do the best I can with planning and implementation.
My plan was to finish this, and then start looking into a Xeon D-1500 build for my home network, which would possibky replace my Dell R-715 with Dual Opteron 1.9GHz Processors and 64GB RAM. While my Dell rack server seems capable, having a full size server cabinet takes up a lot of space a d the server is drawing quite a bit of power, I guess.
Should I just use the $400-500 for the pfSense box towards the Xeon D-15xx and virtualize pfsense instead? I was my preference to run dedicated hardware for it, but I also thought I'd be spending a lot less. Perhaps virtualizing it, at least for now, may be a good way to go?
I'm also wondering if the Xeon D could completely replace the larger Dell R-715 while also eliminating all that space being wasted, as well as power. Question is, do I get the D-1528 or the D-1541?
I realize I'm all over the place, but spending a couple thousand dollars for home gear is a bug deal, at least for me it is, and I want to do the best I can with planning and implementation.
When will it be published? I'm waiting to decide on a pfSense router build until the new C3000 series is available before going for Xeon-D/Pentium-D
Decent for what? A D series Xeon would be great if you wanted a 10 gig firewall, I guess? Even the system the OP is putting together is overkill for a firewall, but he said he wanted to be able to run anything he might come up with on it. For just firewalling up to the hundreds of megabits/s it's hard to beat the APU2 platform for about $150. If you want gigabit VPN then you're gonna spend more. But in general it seems like a lot of people are over-specing their firewalls.
I am planning for this week. But the availability will lag announcements and STH reviews of chips.
D1508, D-1518, C2758 or C2558 are my current picks.
Thank you. The Xeon D wouldn't just be for firewall. It would be for the purpose of running a whole virtual environment in my home, which could include a pfsense vm.
I also want to point out that I am the OP, actually.
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These are your picks for my needs? We're talking about a dedicated machine here or for what I was talking about for a home virtual host to replace my Dell R715, which I would run a pfsense vm on?
If so, you think even the D-1528 is too much, let alone the D-1541?
Thanks. Patrick
Am I the only one who thinks spending $500+ on a Xeon-D build is just overkill for a home pfSense box?
IMO, just pickup a used SuperMicro 5xx series chassis (1U shallow depth) with a 1155-based board already in it....toss in a sandy celeron or better (whatever is cheap) and call it a day.
SuperMicro 512 chassis with 260w PSU and matching X9SCL motherboard - $133 - www.ebay.com/itm/SUPERMICRO-1U-CSE-512-260B-CHASSIS-W-SUPERMICRO-MOTHERBOARD-X9SCL-/331791407494
4GB ram (unreg ECC) - $22 - www.ebay.com/itm/Kingston-PC3-12800-4-GB-DIMM-1600-MHz-DDR3-SDRAM-Memory-KVR16E11S8-4-/322145894981
Placing you at $155 + CPU.
E3-1220's run around $55 which would be more than enough umph otherwise G620T's use less power and only cost $15 but might not have enough for your workload.
Noise is a general concern for anyone, the particular chassis with the blower is quiet once fan control kicks in....there are variants with 4x40mm deltas that just scream. Power consumption was around 35w for an Ivy E3-1220 and around 27w for the G620T.
I know there is a lot of talk about going ultra low power but at what cost, what's your ROI? How bad are electricity costs in your area? I could have went with a Xeon-D last go around but for my purposes a G620T works just fine and the $300+ i'm saving up front, i'll never see an ROI of getting the Xeon-D for a pfSense box (at home) with electricity costs being under 10 cents per KWh.
IMO, just pickup a used SuperMicro 5xx series chassis (1U shallow depth) with a 1155-based board already in it....toss in a sandy celeron or better (whatever is cheap) and call it a day.
SuperMicro 512 chassis with 260w PSU and matching X9SCL motherboard - $133 - www.ebay.com/itm/SUPERMICRO-1U-CSE-512-260B-CHASSIS-W-SUPERMICRO-MOTHERBOARD-X9SCL-/331791407494
4GB ram (unreg ECC) - $22 - www.ebay.com/itm/Kingston-PC3-12800-4-GB-DIMM-1600-MHz-DDR3-SDRAM-Memory-KVR16E11S8-4-/322145894981
Placing you at $155 + CPU.
E3-1220's run around $55 which would be more than enough umph otherwise G620T's use less power and only cost $15 but might not have enough for your workload.
Noise is a general concern for anyone, the particular chassis with the blower is quiet once fan control kicks in....there are variants with 4x40mm deltas that just scream. Power consumption was around 35w for an Ivy E3-1220 and around 27w for the G620T.
I know there is a lot of talk about going ultra low power but at what cost, what's your ROI? How bad are electricity costs in your area? I could have went with a Xeon-D last go around but for my purposes a G620T works just fine and the $300+ i'm saving up front, i'll never see an ROI of getting the Xeon-D for a pfSense box (at home) with electricity costs being under 10 cents per KWh.