Seeking Advice for a Rack-mount Ryzen Home Server Build

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ACiDxCHRiST

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Feb 14, 2017
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I am going to build a rack-mount home server and I am looking for some advice. Specifically, most of what I want to know is related to the rack-mount form factor as it is new to me. I would also like to specify that I am only interested in consumer priced parts. I do not want to pay the enterprise tax on $500 cases, Xeons, etc.

The use case is 24/7 always-on for Plex, VPN, rTorrent, 1 or 2 game servers, and TeamSpeak.

I currently use a Synology DS1813+ for storage, so no provisions for additional storage are necessary. I will probably only use a 256 or 512GB M.2 drive for the system.

I want to go with a 2U rack-mount case that will be installed into a wall-mounted Tripp Lite SRW12U which can only accept equipment up to a depth of 16.5 inches. There is almost exactly 16.5 inches from the mounting rails to the wall on the enclosure, so I need to make sure that I can fit the power plug and Ethernet.

I am looking for recommendations on:
  1. 2U cases (I have room for one 4U but would like to avoid it)
  2. CPU (looking at AMD Ryzen 1700X - early benchmarks put it on par with i7-6900K)
  3. CPU Cooling (Do I go passive here? Not sure if the stock cooler will even fit)
  4. GPU for Initial Setup (Ryzen/X99 has no iGPU, preferably something with DisplayPort)
  5. Power Supply

Thank you for your time and I look forward to any input.
 

i386

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Mar 18, 2016
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2u Chassis need low profile cards.
I would recommend supermicro chassis, but they cost more and are deeper than 16inches.
Passive cooling is possible with 2u chassis but would require fans with high static pressure (=loud Fans).
 

Tom5051

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Jan 18, 2017
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But do you need a rack for that? A couple of nice full tower cases would be much quieter, take up much less space and do everything you want to do. Anything that goes into a rack will cost more, enterprise tax like you said.
The days of needing a rack for a home lab are well and truly over.
 
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ACiDxCHRiST

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Unfortunately, I do need to rack-mount it. Supermicro does make one 2U that is 14.5 inches deep. I found it for less than $200 so still expensive but I am okay with that amount. So I will keep that in mind.
 

i386

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The SC523L-505B?
It has front io, so the cables for mouse, keyboard, displayport, network will be at the front.
 

ACiDxCHRiST

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Feb 14, 2017
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Yeah, that's the one. It comes with a power supply too, so that's a plus. I am fine with the front I/O it doesn't really matter either way as the only thing that will be connected is the power cable and a couple ethernet cables. The only thing that I really care is on the front is 1 or 2 USB ports and with that case exposing the I/O panel, that is taken care of.
 

ACiDxCHRiST

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I don't really have a budget for this build. But I do want a good price-to-performance ratio, which is why I am not looking at a 6900K, 6950X, or Xeons. There is a lot of "Premium" tax in those offerings that doesn't match their actual performance.

I am going to wait until I see multiple third party benchmarks of the Ryzen chips before I make my final decision. What I have seen so far is that the 1700X is really close to the 6900K. If those benchmarks turn out to be accurate and with a price of less than $400, that is probably what I am going to go with.
 

Marsh

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May 12, 2013
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I do not want to pay the enterprise tax on $500 cases, Xeons, etc.
The "enterprise tax" assumption is not always true. Some of the greatest bargain could be found in Enterprise stuff.

You could purchased this NEW ASUS Quad nodes 2U server for $520 with free shipping.
It cost $130 each dual CPU LGA2011-3 node.
It included a 2U chassis with 4 x ASUS Z10ph systemboard, 8 heatsinks , all cabling , all fans.

Asus RS720Q-E8-RS8-P Barebone System - 2U Rack-mountable - Intel C612 Chipset - 4 Number of Node(s) - Socket R3 (LGA2011-3) - 2 x Processor Support - Newegg.com
 

ACiDxCHRiST

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Feb 14, 2017
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The "enterprise tax" assumption is not always true. Some of the greatest bargain could be found in Enterprise stuff.

You could purchased this NEW ASUS Quad nodes 2U server for $520 with free shipping.
It cost $130 each dual CPU LGA2011-3 node.
It included a 2U chassis with 4 x ASUS Z10ph systemboard, 8 heatsinks , all cabling , all fans.

Asus RS720Q-E8-RS8-P Barebone System - 2U Rack-mountable - Intel C612 Chipset - 4 Number of Node(s) - Socket R3 (LGA2011-3) - 2 x Processor Support - Newegg.com
Yeah, that did seem like a pretty great deal.