NAS build advice

[Cober]

Hi All.

I've been researching a NAS rig, and this forum is chock full of great information. But I still have a few questions.

The requirements for this system are:
1) hold 4 ~400GB drives in a RAID 5 config
2) lowest possible idle power - this system is going to be on 24/7, but doing nothing for the 95% of the time.
3) quiet or silent during idle.
3) full load power and noise are not issues.
4) slightly older hardware is a plus, since I plan on using Linux, so support is a little easier.
5) did I mention price? I would like to keep system cost below $400, because I would probably just buy a Synology 406e NAS if the price exceeds $400.
6) gigabit ethernet is a requirement.
7) I plan on using a CF-IDE adapter to hold the OS.

First off, the Case and PSU - I have a nice industrial case already available, so that is not a problem. I will need to get a new PSU, since the Sparkle that I have is ancient, and has a power factor of 59%. So I figure that a FSP Green PS FSP300-60GLN 300W (only $32) www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104031 is nice and cheap. I couldn't find my preferences, the Seasonic SS-300ET or SS-300ET, anywhere.

Next, I am leaning towards an AMD based solution, at least because I found the great website http://www.amdcompare.com, which allowed me to find a nice 35W CPU - newegg has a Sempron 35W 3000 for only $70. To be honest, that much processor is overkill for my needs. Plus I figure I'll under-volt it. Any information on idle power would be appreciated.

Does anyone know about power dissipation of various motherboards? Biostar has nice small (and cheap) mATX AM2 boards with on-board video. For example, the NF61VM2 is only $54.00.

Thanks!

[Dodgexander]

3) full load power and noise are not issues.

Not to cause any offense, but these forums are for pc that need to be silent.
However i use to have a bisotar socket a board, i just removed if from my pc as the usb motherboard connectors failed, i had it for 3 years, otherwise there is no issue atall with the layout.
I would look more into the individual features/chipset of the board you are buying, not the manufacture particually, also before you buy google(motherboard name problems) see if you may encounter any problems using that board with your hardware.
I am not sure if theyre are any boards available with that man sata ports-there probably are, if so i think providing the controller is decent, this will be better than plugging a pci card.
As far as power goes, you need to get yourself an efficent cpu,i heard about coolermasters new green series, that may be an option, dont go cheap or too low power as you may find it will backfire, having that in mind i think 300w would be a bare minimum.
If you want older hardware, then i would reccomend a cheap old socket 754 amd processor, the sempron, or the old athlon 64, this is because the performance is almost on par as even the am2 platform and its very cheap as it is now two socket generations old.
You also dont need the extra memory bandwith socket 754 will just use standard ddr, not ddr 2.
Some models are also alot cooler.
Have you not considered using a laptop processor, like the socket a xp-m? that is very low power, however im not sure its suitable to get that many raid capable drives, ofcourse if you are using a pci card that wont be a problem.
Search the sites homepage for reccomended processors, you will see a list of low voltage models there.

[Cober]

Not to cause any offense, but these forums are for pc that need to be silent.

Actually, it seems that the forums are for computers that need to be as quiet as reasonable-not necessarily silent. And, while full load power/noise is not a significant issue for my application, idle power and noise is very important, as the system will be on 24/7. If that consideration is not consistent with the purpose of these forums, I apologize.

I've been thinking about using a laptop, but I don't know how to connect the drives, or put the gigabit ethernet on.

And of course, I managed to find a lot of useful information in the forums since I posted. But I'm still trying to find a good MB.

On another note, most of the recommended PSU are 300W+, which is more than I need. It seems that the efficiency of PSUs are at 20% max power, and most PSUs start becoming less efficient at low powers (and full load). So a 550W supply will be less efficient, not to mention more expensive to buy.

I looked at the socket 754 solutions, but it seems easier to find socket AM2 semiprons with 35W. I already have a socket 754CPU, but it is a toasty 80W. And the problem with the laptop CPUs is they seem more expensive.

[Kremmit]

On another note, most of the recommended PSU are 300W+, which is more than I need. It seems that the efficiency of PSUs are at 20% max power, and most PSUs start becoming less efficient at low powers (and full load). So a 550W supply will be less efficient, not to mention more expensive to buy.

In this day and age, it's dang hard to find a PSU that's rated below 300w, let alone one that's reasonably quiet and efficient. IIRC, the "reccomended psu list" on this site has Seasonic 200 and 250 watt models on it. Small Form Factor PSUs, I think, but there's no reason you can't use one of those if you want to.

[dobah]

My server is an old epia via 5000 in a 1U case from http://www.solarpc.com. The power supply is a dc-dc plug in type like the ones here http://www.mini-box.com/s.nl/sc.8/category.13/.f. These things do not supply alot of power but my power requirements is tiny. A neat power simulator shows how much you need. http://resources.mini-box.com/online/po ... lator.html

I am still looking for some kind of silent or very quiet raid array to get some decent disk space. If someone could suggest a silent 3 or 4 bay case to start me of that would be cool. These cases are great but pretty expensive. http://www.atechfabrication.com/HTPC_cases.htm