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CPU Options


RobbieH

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Hey all, I'm asking here because a lot of you are familiar with the same applications I'll be running.

 

I am going to build a new server, and can't decide on a processor. I was all ready to go with an i7 4790, but now I'm getting a few people telling me I should look at Xeon processors. So the short story is, I am looking for motherboard and processor recommendations.

 

I'll be doing the following:

1. BlueIris is my heaviest processor hog. Honestly though, I may leave it on my existing server and build a new one to sit beside it. If I do this, DrivePool will stay on the existing server (WHS 2011) and I will connect the new server to the old server over gigabit for it to get its data. Or, I may leave it there and put a couple of smaller drives in it, and DrivePool them, then move everything else to the new server. This is still open to discussion. 

 

2. Transcoding - I have MediaBrowser 3 and Plex installed on my server. We use them around the house on different devices for streaming video media. Also, my father connects to my Plex server, he has been spending time in the hospital and enjoys the ability to watch movies on his iPhone 6. (It isn't anything serious, one knee replacement done, one to go). 

 

3. Snatcher applications like CouchPotato and SickBeard. 

 

4. This server will be running VMs. I had settled on ESX, but I may go with Hyper-V just to stay current with Microsoft stuff. I still can't decide on this, to be honest. VMs will be hosting all sorts of operating systems - Windows 7 for WMC and ServerWMC, several Linux applications, many will be network security related such as Snort, etc. And if I decide to retire the old server, WHS 2011 will be moving over. Or I may use Server Essentials as an upgrade - and if so I *believe* it supports Hyper-V VMs, so it might kill two birds with one stone.

 

Regarding running 2 servers, I may slowly migrate things over to the new one so I can retire the old one, I haven't decided, but at least I have the opportunity to do it slowly.

 

I'll probably start with a good sized SSD for boot, landing, processing, etc., and probably stick a 5TB WD Red in there to get me started for stuff I can move over. After that, it just depends on what I decide on having two servers at the same time.

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sed im running a Xeon socket 1150 E3-1246v3 @3.5ghz on a Gigabyte Z97MX-Gaming 5 micro ATX motherboard with 32GB Gskill ddr3 1600 trident ram my only small issue is that the network card isn't autoloaded by windows 8.1 or 10

 

drivepool and scanner run flawless and windows 8.1 enterprise trial is running well ... this config should work and cpu was about 275 and board was 127.99 cpu was 2x8gb for 159.99 so not bad.. I reused my Kingston V3 120GB SSD and my WD green /and black 1 TB drives... I also added 2 6 TB wd red drives.. this BEAST is FASTTTT...u mentioned getting a 5 TB red I love my 6TB... o and if u need a Case look at the  FRactal Design Node 804.. awesome case for Micro ATX has room for a slot load dvd, either 8 or 10 3.5 inch HDD and 2 or 4 2.5 inch Drives.. (if u run 10 3.5 drives then u get to load 2 2.5)

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  1. Blue Iris is definitely a processor hog.

    Either go high end, or a separate machine for it. Otherwise, you'll be hurting. THough a dedicated machine could get away with a Core i5, depending on your settings (direct to disk is best, whenever possible). This works great with DrivePool (is what I have set up, actually, or close to it).

     

  2. Again, definitely a good CPU here.

    If you're going to be streaming a lot, then a Core i7 or a Xeon E3 is a good choice. And if you compare the specs, they're not that different. Either would work, but if you're going to go server hardware for this, then the Xeon would be better. 

     

  3. SabNZBd may require some CPU usage periodically, but nothing like the previous two. And CouchPotato and Sickbeard are relatively light weight.

     

  4. If you're going to be virtualizing, and running the server all the time (or a LOT of it), then a Server motherboard (such as from SuperMicro or ASRock RACK) may be better. It won't sleep, though. But that may not be a concern for you... if it is, a desktop board with a Core i7 may be better. But I would still recommend the server board, as it will have better support for ECC RAM, which would be better for virtualization.

     

    As for recommendations, it really depends on what exactly you want. I have a SuperMicro S10XAT motherboard, and am VERY happy with it.

     

    As for Server Essentials, yes, it does have the hyperV role... however, it's licensed only for a single VM, and of Essentials. 

    You can use it beyond that, but you will be doing so in violation of the license agreement. 

    Also, if you enable Remote Access in Essentials... make sure that you ONLY use dedicated NICs for HyperV. No sharing NICs, or you'll see hour shutdown/reboot times.....

 

As for disks....

A smallish SSD is a good idea, regardless of the system configuration.

As for VMs, I would recommend a RAID array or a very large SSD (and maybe data deduplication enabled on that volume).

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Well, I can always leave BlueIris where it is now and migrate everything else off that machine. Currently, BlueIris is on WHS 2011, and I could leave that machine spun up just for the cameras and workstation backups.

 

The more I read about the different home server options from Microsoft, the more I think I will just go down the path of ESX and Windows 7, Linux, etc. for the applications.

 

How is DrivePool configured and managed for use in a VMWare environment?

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The more I read about the different home server options from Microsoft, the more I think I will just go down the path of ESX and Windows 7, Linux, etc. for the applications.

 

I'm not entirely sure what you mean by that.

Though, depending on what you want, a server OS isn't necessary. Stuff such as a website can be done with the Pro versions of Windows. Same with media servers (though any version of windows should work for that). 
However, the nice "WHS" type package is nice, but the newer versions are expensive (Server 2012R2 Essentials is ~$400). 

And it does have some more advanced options.

 

As for managing Drivepool in a VMWare environment, there shouldn't be any issues with that.

Just keep in mind, that it's a Windows only OS, and if you want to use the remote management feature, you need to do that from a Windows OS.

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Here's what I have so far. What do you think?

 

Xeon E3 1246V3 (this was a good suggestion) http://www.microcenter.com/product/442356/Xeon_E3_1246V3_35GHz_LGA_1150_Boxed_Processor

SuperMicro X9SCL-F MLB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813182251

http://www.microcenter.com/product/431612/X10SLL-F_LGA_1150_Intel_mATX_Motherboard

Had to change motherboards, I wasn't paying close attention and believed MicroCenter's note that said the CPU was 1155

2x 8GB RAM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820242041



Though, depending on what you want, a server OS isn't necessary. Stuff such as a website can be done with the Pro versions of Windows. Same with media servers (though any version of windows should work for that). 

However, the nice "WHS" type package is nice, but the newer versions are expensive (Server 2012R2 Essentials is ~$400). 

And it does have some more advanced options.

 

I took one look at the price of the server OS's and decided the heck with that. I'd rather run VMWare and then like you said Windows 7, Linux, whatever in the VMs. I already have those licenses.

 

I already have WHS 2011 running now. I'm going to keep it running for what it is used for, then build a new server for everything else. VMWare with Windows 7 and Linux in the VMs. 

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The CPU is a very good one. :)

IIRC, it is still the best "bang for your buck" (eg cost vs features).

 

As for the motherboard, it needs to be a 10th gen board. Otherwise, yeah, you run into the wrong socket.

However, here is a list of the X10 (10th gen) series boards, all Micro ATX form factor:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&IsNodeId=1&N=100006519%2050001655%2040000302%20600452057%20600009017&Manufactory=1655

And here's the one you linked from microcenter:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813182819&cm_re=X10SLL-F-_-13-182-819-_-Product

 

 

As for the server prices, yeah, they're definitely intimidating. :(

But a point that has come up before... if you're using the backup features... that literally pays for the entire OS. 
I've looked for similar solutions, and either they require hours to get working at all.... or they cost $1000 or more for the backup server functionality... and are licensed per client as well....

 

But if you're not using the backup, then it may not be worth the cost. (though Microsoft does have a 180 day trial version of all the server OS's).

 

 

That, and if you're going to run VMWare ESXi (over HyperV), then before you buy the hardware, PLEASE check the hardware compatibility list for ESXi, otherwise you may end up very unhappy.

Though, the SuperMicro board should be supported, there is a large gap between "should" and "is".

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I won't be using the backup features, I'll keep my existing WHS 2011 for that and Blue Iris. I mean, I already have it, why not?

 

I do need to check the HCL. I haven't even gotten that far yet. 

 

I got a real scare yesterday, I thought my motherboard died. I don't keep a monitor on my server, so I carried one in there and hooked it up, and it was hung on a BIOS error. I don't know what happened, all I had to do was go into and out of BIOS setup, and all was well. 

 

EDIT: I was looking at the HCL, and SuperMicro does not have any motherboards on the list. I guess SuperMicro is out of the question.

 

This board it is. I'm a fan of Intel boards anyway.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121781

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In that case, you don't need the WHS style OS then... and ESX may be a better idea.

 

As for the HCL, I'm genuinely surprised that the SuperMicro boards are not on it. 

So I dug... their hardware does appear on it, but not as motherboards. They only list the pre-built systems.

In fact, this was one of the supported systems:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816101791

But it's better to be certain here, I think.

 

 

 

As for the BIOS issue, .... yay. that's fun.

And speaking of which, for a headless system, I highly recommend a board that supports Intel vPro/AMT or IPMI, as these allow for "out of band management". Meaning you can view the "console" over the network. The intel board you linked has IPMI, so you're set, just remember to enable it.

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Yeah, kind of like ILO on the HP servers I'm guessing.

Exactly.

iLO is HP's version of out of band management, which uses a dedicated card, IIRC.

Intel vPro/AMT is Intel's version (and requires CPU and motherboard support).

IPMI is "generic" and requires a special, "secondary" chipset on the motherboard.

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Parts ordered today. Hopefully by Friday I'll be assembling my new server. My current one crashed again last night. I'm about to go change out the memory and check all the connections to see if that's the problem. Also going to turn off the 10% overclock, although it's been stable up to now.

 

I bought another 5TB Red drive, so I'll have 2 5TB in the new server, along with the SSD boot. In the existing WHS 2011 server, I have two WD Green 3TB drives. That'll work. 

 

I'm going to need more copies of DrivePool and Scanner. How do I add new licenses to my existing license?

 

My plan is to move all the media that is going to the new server using the WHS dashboard to the specific 5TB drive letter. No issues with that, right? Then once it is migrated and in the new server, I add the second drive and create the pool on the new server, and all is good.

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If you're overclocking... the first thing I'd recommend is setting it back to stock. ... 

 

 

 

As for ordering more licenses, if you have the Order Completion email, there should be a link there. That should make it easy.

Otherwise, grab your StableBit DrivePool/Scanner Activation ID, and head to "https://stablebit.com/Buy/" and scroll down until you see the "Already own one of our products?" section. Input your Activation ID into the box and hit "Apply Activation ID". Once you've done that, it will will refresh the page with the discounted pricing. This will also add the addition licenses to your existing Activation ID.

 

 

 

And yeah, there should be no issues with that.

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I made it through last night without crashing, but it's been crashing every night other than last night. I'm hitting 99% processor even overclocked, and I only have until Thursday until the rest of my new hardware gets here, so I'm going to leave it as-is for now. Of course I'll have no reason to overclock the new Xeon. I picked up the processor and case from MicroCenter today, MC had the Xeon for a whopping $50 less than NewEgg, and I got the very last one they had.

 

Once the new server is built, I can put this one back to stock and it should be good. But this is a Phenom Black, it should be able to handle a little overclocking.

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I have a really good cooler on it. When the server had a 610 in it, I way overbuilt the cooler because I wanted it to be as quiet as possible. Of course now with 6 drives in there, it's all moot now, the drives are louder than any of the fans. And I have it in my wiring closet now anyway, so I don't care about the noise.

 

I made it through last night too. So, I think I fixed whatever was acting up. Previously, I had the RAM in the second two slots (the black pair). When I was looking at motherboard specifics the other day, I noticed that the manual says if only two slots are used, to use the blue ones, so I switched them. This is when problems started. So a couple of days ago after thinking about what had changed, I moved the RAM back and ensured all connections were firmly seated in both RAM, and power connections. All seems to be well now. I think it had to do with either where the RAM was, or maybe it was not seated well. 

 

Here is what I ended up with on the new server:

Xeon E3 1246V3 240.00 MicroCenter

Intel Server Motherboard S1200V3RPL 220.00 NewEgg

2x Kingston 8GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM ECC Unbuffered DDR3 1600 156.00 NewEgg

WD Red 5TB 214.00 Amazon

Cooler Master HAF 912 Mid Tower 43.00 MicroCenter

CORSAIR CSM Series CS450M 450W 40.00 NewEgg

 

I already have one WD Red 5TB that I'll pair up with the one that I just bought, and I have an SSD for landing and processing of files. I'm going to boot ESX off of a 32GB USB 3.0 thumb drive. The new 5TB drive arrives today, so I can start transferring data. I have the case and processor sitting on the desk behind me. The rest of the parts will be here tomorrow. I'm pretty excited to see how heavily I can load this system without maxing it out. 

 

As you can tell, I don't care so much about this or that case or power supply. I don't have a rack anymore (had a Chatsworth I used for years) and just want something I can sit on a shelf in my wiring closet. I see enough pretty racks and 1u servers and blade systems in data centers as part of my job. I don't need that at home. :)

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My money would be on a loose connection or dirt (or hair, or something) in the connector... 

 

 

As you can tell, I don't care so much about this or that case or power supply. I don't have a rack anymore (had a Chatsworth I used for years) and just want something I can sit on a shelf in my wiring closet. I see enough pretty racks and 1u servers and blade systems in data centers as part of my job. I don't need that at home. :)

:)
My hardware sits in a nice Norco RPC-4220 4U case. In my "desk". 

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I thought about going back to rack mount cases, but decided against it. I would be too tempted to go back to the whole setup I had in my last house - patch panel at the top, fancy power distribution unit, rack mount UPS's, rack mount all my switches and firewall, etc. For me, it is a slippery slope. :)

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I set up Media Browser 3, and it doesn't do the same thing, even streaming to Roku. Really pleased where MB3 has gotten since it first came out. The way things are going, I may have no use for Plex anymore.

 

Now the only thing I have left is getting the friggin guide to download on WMC. 

 

I got SMART data in Scanner through ESXi by loading the data drives as Raw LUNs (RDM).

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