Need pfSense Low Power Build Advice

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Fodmidoid

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mstone said:
I've just bought direct, but there are resellers listed. PC Engines sales You need the board, a case, and a power supply. They sell small drives or you can get that as a generic part. It will run a openvpn, but I don't know that it'll sustain 150Mbps with openvpn. (I've never tried.)
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Thanks a lot. I came real close to ordering this, actually,and then I started reading posted OpenVPN results and, unfortunately, I don't think it will handle my 150/150 Mbps well enough. Too bad. I was really impressed with this otherwise.
 
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Fodmidoid

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Fodmidoid

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Fodmidoid said:
I think I have finally decided to go with an i3 build. Here's what I have so far (PIC below), but could use advice for storage and a power supply. Will a Pico psu work with this, or am I better off with something else? Any thoughts on the other parts I picked out, including ram?

Also, I need to install a LAN card for an additional Intel NIC. I want three all together so I can have a DMZ and this board only has two.

Thanks a lot everybody. I'm excited to finally order the parts and get started!
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Bump.

Can anyone please at least recommend a good psu for this build? I a. Not sure what to get and I am ready to start buying parts.

Thanks very much.
 
Geran

Geran

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Oct 25, 2016
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Honestly either 150w Pico or the 300w hdplex will work fine for you with no video cards.

As for Intel nics, check ebay for single, dual and even four port cards but make sure you don't get the Chinese knock-offs.
 
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Fodmidoid

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Geran said:
Honestly either 150w Pico or the 300w hdplex will work fine for you with no video cards.

As for Intel nics, check ebay for single, dual and even four port cards but make sure you don't get the Chinese knock-offs.
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Thanks a lot. Will I be able to trust an eBay ad that says "authentic"?
 
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Fodmidoid

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Geran said:
Check out this thread: Comparison: Intel i350-T4 Genuine vs Fake
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Awesome. Thanks again. I'll start shopping for cards as soon as I get the rest ordered.

How about storage? Should I use the m.2 or just get an SSD? Or some other type or combination of two? Any specific drive recommendations would be most appreciated.

For pfSense and some additional apps, I would think that 120, possibly 256 GB at most. Correct me if I'm wrong.
 
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Cheddoleum

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For cost-effectiveness the HP NC364T is hard to beat: you can get real ones for under $40 and they work with everything. The down sides are it pulls twice the watts of the i350 and it's PCIe v1.0 so it needs at least 2 lanes: no sawing out the back of a 1x slot and still expecting to get full bandwidth out of it. Also it runs hot enough to grill sausages on so I wouldn't use it in a completely fanless system. Well actually I technically do but at the moment it's placed such that the unobstructed airflow from my NAS's exhaust fan blows over it...
 
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Evan

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Jan 6, 2016
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I got a good deal one some I think 160watt DC HDPLEX pico psu on amazon and so far they seem to have work well.

For cards newer intel cards run much cooler (i.e. I350-AM4 based)
 
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Fodmidoid

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Also, should I be considering a cpu cooler? For instance, Noctua, for the i3-7100? Any specific model? Am I missing anything else before I pull the trigger?

Thanks.
 
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Fodmidoid

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Evan said:
I got a good deal one some I think 160watt DC HDPLEX pico psu on amazon and so far they seem to have work well.

For cards newer intel cards run much cooler (i.e. I350-AM4 based)
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Couldn't find anything available on Amazon at all. I've read many posts from people praising the Pico PSUs.
 
Geran

Geran

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Fodmidoid said:
Hi. I haven't heard back from you, so I'll assume you were able to sell both boards, or maybe my asking for prices annoyed you (I would hope not).

If I don't hear from you today, I guess I will purchase another board. Thanks for the offer as well as the advice in my thread and good luck.
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I assume this was supposed to be in a PM?
 
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Fodmidoid

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Geran said:
I assume this was supposed to be in a PM?
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LOL... Yeah, thanks. I was talking to someone about a board for a completely different build from another thread and somehow stuck the reply here. That's what I get for using my phone to post.
 
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Fodmidoid

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Evan said:
I got a good deal one some I think 160watt DC HDPLEX pico psu on amazon and so far they seem to have work well.

For cards newer intel cards run much cooler (i.e. I350-AM4 based)
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I found a Pico psu on ebay which I assumed also needed the power adapter (links to both below). Is this the right choice for the type of case I picked out (also below), or should I be getting a more traditional size and mounted power supply for this case? I just need a good choice. There's way too many options out there these days.

Pico:
DC 12V 160W 24Pin Pico ATX Switch PSU Car Auto Mini ITX High Power Supply Module | eBay

Adapter:
12V 10A AC/DC Adapter For Mini ITX Pico PSU 160-XT Charger Power Supply Cord PSU | eBay

Case:
Amazon.com: Thermaltake Core V1 Mini ITX Cube Gaming Computer Case CA-1B8-00S1WN-00: Computers & Accessories

The Rest:
ASRock Motherboard H270M-ITX/ac
Intel Core i3-7100 7th Gen Core Desktop Processor,3.90 GHz
G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 2400 (PC4 19200) Intel Z170/X99 Desktop Memory F4-2400C15D-16GVR


Thanks again
 
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Fodmidoid

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Geran said:
Honestly I would probably get this one over the ones from eBay: picoPSU-160-XT with 192W Adapter Power Kit

How do you plan on mounting the pico?
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Thank you. I haven't checked yet but should I assume the one you suggested is better?

I have no idea about mounting the Pico PSU. I was just going on recommendations. That's why I was asking if a Pico was the right choice or if I should get a more standard sized power supply. And if so, which one?

I haven't put a system together in about 10 years and things have changed a lot.
 
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PigLover

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You don't 'mount' a Pico PSU. They fit in the power connector on your MB.

Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk
 
Geran

Geran

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Fodmidoid said:
Thank you. I haven't checked yet but should I assume the one you suggested is better?

I have no idea about mounting the Pico PSU. I was just going on recommendations. That's why I was asking if a Pico was the right choice or if I should get a more standard sized power supply. And if so, which one?

I haven't put a system together in about 10 years and things have changed a lot.
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You can get this bracket for a cleaner install. I know of a 3d printed mount but it is only for the Silverstone Sugo 05. I would personally get the one I linked since it is a better source and less likely to get a counterfeit.

PigLover said:
You don't 'mount' a Pico PSU. They fit in the power connector on your MB.

Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk
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You can mount a Pico PSU for the external brick
 
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