Build’s Name: WHS
Operating System/ Storage Platform: Synology DSM5 booting via Nanoboot
CPU: Semptron 3850 AM1 (Quad core 1.3GHz)
Motherboard: Asus AM1I-A
Chassis:Fractal Design Node 304 Norco ITX-S4
Drives: Dell/Micron C400 256GB SSD (/volume1), 2xHGST Deskstar NAS 4TB (/volume2)
RAM: NoName 4GB DDR3-1333
Add-in Cards: LSI 9240-8i (a real LSI card, not a reflash)
Power Supply:Silverstone 300W SFX 80Plus Norco OE 250W 80Plus Bronze 1U PSU, may replace with FSP 80Plus Gold if I can source
Other Bits:Noctua 140mm PWM fan Scythe Kamaflow 80mm fan
Usage Profile: Storage server, mostly movies and TV shows for consumption via XBMC. Also hosts MySQL for XBMC library sync, thumbnail syncs, and of course it spends it's time doing downloads via NZBDrone, SABnzbd+, Transmission. It also runs Synology's Media Server for streaming MP3 files and internet radio stations to the mobile devices in the house.
Other information: I was until recently running a Synology DS213j which was a pretty good little machine, originally running a pair of 3TB WD Reds. The 213j was fine, but a little under-powered. Then I heard about Nanoboot which when run off a USB stick will allow DSM to boot on normal PC hardware. I tried it on an old Asus B75 board with a Celeron G1620, and it ran fine. This machine used about 50W, which was more than double the power consumption of the 213j. The 213j replaced an old homebrew PC running WHS2011, which itself replaced a NL36 Microserver also running WHS2011.
So, having read STH's review of the AM1 boards, I splashed out £60 and got the 3850 and AM1I-A board.Added to a new case, using the most efficient PSU I had, a 300W Silverstone SFX unit. Replaced the Fractal case with a Norco ITX-S4 case which gives 4 hotswap bays in a much smaller package that fits better in the Ikea shelf unit the server is housed in. I used a SSD as the boot/working drive, as it's the one that'll be running 24/7. The two HGST Deskstar NAS drives spin down keeping power consumption low.
Performance is fine, giving a solid 95-100MB/s reading and writing across gigabit on big files. The HGST 7200rpm drives are fast. Running off the LSI 9240-8i they run very, very well.
Power consumption peaks at 41W at boot, and settles at 34W once booted and all drives spinning. It's below 30W when the HGST drives spin down.
Operating System/ Storage Platform: Synology DSM5 booting via Nanoboot
CPU: Semptron 3850 AM1 (Quad core 1.3GHz)
Motherboard: Asus AM1I-A
Chassis:
Drives: Dell/Micron C400 256GB SSD (/volume1), 2xHGST Deskstar NAS 4TB (/volume2)
RAM: NoName 4GB DDR3-1333
Add-in Cards: LSI 9240-8i (a real LSI card, not a reflash)
Power Supply:
Other Bits:
Usage Profile: Storage server, mostly movies and TV shows for consumption via XBMC. Also hosts MySQL for XBMC library sync, thumbnail syncs, and of course it spends it's time doing downloads via NZBDrone, SABnzbd+, Transmission. It also runs Synology's Media Server for streaming MP3 files and internet radio stations to the mobile devices in the house.
Other information: I was until recently running a Synology DS213j which was a pretty good little machine, originally running a pair of 3TB WD Reds. The 213j was fine, but a little under-powered. Then I heard about Nanoboot which when run off a USB stick will allow DSM to boot on normal PC hardware. I tried it on an old Asus B75 board with a Celeron G1620, and it ran fine. This machine used about 50W, which was more than double the power consumption of the 213j. The 213j replaced an old homebrew PC running WHS2011, which itself replaced a NL36 Microserver also running WHS2011.
So, having read STH's review of the AM1 boards, I splashed out £60 and got the 3850 and AM1I-A board.
Performance is fine, giving a solid 95-100MB/s reading and writing across gigabit on big files. The HGST 7200rpm drives are fast. Running off the LSI 9240-8i they run very, very well.
Power consumption peaks at 41W at boot, and settles at 34W once booted and all drives spinning. It's below 30W when the HGST drives spin down.
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