New Win7 build - recommendations please

[Catul]

I've finally decided to replace a dying WHS v1 with a Windows 7 x64 build and plan to use DrivePool. I will likely use my existing Lian-Li case (PC-V1200B) and a couple of 2-3Tb HD's, but will buy 3x4Tb WD Reds for storage. This is mainly used as my media server and central share for the home PC's, will run Plex and a few other apps.

 

I'd love your thoughts on the proposed components; the budget is flexible, this seems like a good sweet spot.

 

CPU:  Intel Core i5-4670 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($219.99 @ Amazon) 

Motherboard:  Asus Z87-Pro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($192.99 @ Amazon) 

Memory:  G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($146.00 @ Amazon) 

Storage:  Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($84.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage:  Western Digital Red 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($175.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage:  Western Digital Red 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($175.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage:  Western Digital Red 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($175.99 @ Amazon) 

Power Supply:  Corsair Builder 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($66.24 @ Amazon) 

Total: $1238.18

 

[p3x-749]

...how many drives do you plan for in total?

The 600W PSU is a single rail one, which is the right choice, but with 600W and 46A on 12V it is definitely an overkill for anything below of 15 disks.

You need to calculate 2A on 12V for each disk plus an additional 3-6A for Board, CPU and RAM during a cold start...also calculate some little headroom as PSU will age.

[Catul]

I guess the 600W PSU may be overkill, I'll have maybe 8-10 drives total. Still, it's cheap enough and it's nice to have the extra headroom.

 

I wonder if it's worth the extra $100 to get an i7-4770/4790? Plex Media Server will likely be the only thing really working the CPU on this setup.

 

Any other mobo recommendations? I like this particular Asus for the 8 SATA ports, Intel LAN, and general solid reputation. Mobo/CPU may be a little overkill for a basic Win 7 machine.

[p3x-749]

I agree, the PSU will add the lowest amount to your bill, but a PSU too large will be inefficient...depending on where you live, energy may not come cheap.

A PSU should be running at its 20% nominal wattage when the system is idle in order to achieve the 80Plus mark.

 

If this is for a server, why not going for a server board?

I agree the ASUS is nice, but with 10 disks, you will have to add another HBA.

What about the Supermicro X10SL7-F...it comes with a LSI 2308 on-board...this combo is a bargain, but you will need to run ECC RAM and a XEON.

 

As for Plex...how many clients do you need to support concurrently?

[Catul]

I'd thought of the Supermicro boards, but even though this will function as a server I want to use a desktop OS and there are compatibility issues with some of the server boards (including the X10SL7-F) running Windows 7.

 

Plex Media Server would need to support maybe 3 concurrent clients, certainly no more than 4 (and more than 2 will be pretty rare) so I imagine a basic Haswell i5 quad-core will be more than capable. The other stuff like Sab/Nzbdrone etc. should be no problem.

[Christopher (Drashna)]

Compatibility is definitely an important consideration.

 

And a Core i5 CPU should definitely be up to that task, and then some. And IMO, future proofing is always a good idea.

 

And just as a word of warning... that ASUS motherboard you have selected.... It will NOT support Server 2012 or 2012R2 properly. Specifically, that LAN chipset (intel 217-V) isn't supported by either OS. WIndows 8 would be fine. But if you ever plan on upgrading... you'd need new hardware (either a motherboard or a LAN card)

 

Otherwise, the system looks very good. The CPU may be overkill though. A Core i3 may be better overall here. 

 

 

As for HBA (controller cards), I would recommend anythign that uses the LSI chipset primary (higher end), but if you need 8 SATA ports, the HighPoint Rocket 2720SGL is a great card.

[p3x-749]

I'd thought of the Supermicro boards, but even though this will function as a server I want to use a desktop OS and there are compatibility issues with some of the server boards (including the X10SL7-F) running Windows 7.

 

Hmmm...I haven't tried myself...but according to this, the 64bit version of Win7 should do with the X10SL-7-F -> http://www.supermicro.com/support/resources/OS/C222.cfm

If you just need the Desktop occasionally, the on-board GPU will do fine and it comes with IPMI...better than using RDP

...you could always add another, dedicated GPU if need be.

[Catul]

Thanks to both of you for the additional info. Since I plan to stick with Windows 7 for familiarity reasons (and it'll do just fine since all it needs to do is serve up a network share, run Plex Media Server and few other apps), I figure going with a standard Asus MB is good. I like the 8 SATA ports on this, with my SSD for the OS I'll have room for 7 storage drives and that's more than enough based on my anticipated needs over the next several years.

 

So yeah I've got some overkill on the components, but it feels alright to allow for a little headroom down the road. The i5-4670/Z87-Pro combo with 16Gb RAM seems straightforward, and I'm now looking at the Seasonic 750W SS-750KM3 PSU since it comes with 8xSATA connectors so everything works together. Most likely going with a Fractal Design R4 case, also with 8 3.5" drive bays . I'm starting with 4x4Tb WD Red drives for storage; here's the current proposed build (<$1,600):

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($214.99 @ NCIX US) 

Motherboard: Asus Z87-Pro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($167.99 @ NCIX US) 

Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($144.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($79.99 @ Micro Center) 

Storage: Western Digital Red 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($172.99 @ Adorama) 

Storage: Western Digital Red 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($172.99 @ Adorama) 

Storage: Western Digital Red 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($172.99 @ Adorama) 

Storage: Western Digital Red 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($172.99 @ Adorama) 

Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($99.99 @ Micro Center) 

Power Supply: SeaSonic 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($139.99 @ Newegg) 

 

 

[Christopher (Drashna)]

Going with what is familiar is definitely a good idea. Though, Windows 8 Pro isn't a bad idea. Install Start8 or another start menu replacement and it feels like Windows 7.

 

 

And yes, Out of band management (IPMI or intel vPro) is actually very nice. 

[Catul]

I've finally placed the order with a few tweaks to components, will update once I get the build together in the next week. Thanks again for all your comments, hope this goes smoothly!

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($199.99 @ Newegg) 

Motherboard: Asus Z87-Pro (V Edition) ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($169.99 @ Newegg) 

Memory: Kingston HyperX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($164.99 @ Newegg) [Model KHX16C9K2/16 chosen because of QVL]

Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($79.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: 4 X Western Digital Red 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($175.99 @ Newegg) 

Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($113.98 @ Newegg) 

Power Supply: SeaSonic 750W (SS-750KM3) 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($139.99 @ Newegg) 

Total: $1572.89

[Christopher (Drashna)]

Glad to hear it!

 

Hopefully everything goes smoothly! And I hope you enjoy the system.