SPCR

Hi, first time post on these boards here

I'm planning to build a DIY NAS box for some time now and did some research on what I actually want. Things required for my NAS box are:

* I will go for software raid, ZFS.
* 64bit cpu (required for ZFS to operate efficiently)
* ZFS also depends on processor speed, so need a good CPU but also low power as this box will run 24/7
* Expandable Harddrives incase I want more free space, so need at least space for 4 HDD's.
* Silent is good, low power usage is better

The main use for my NAS is to store my data/media and serve them to my Mac Mini which will be hooked up to my TV. But it will also serve as a download machine.

So far I came up with the following specs:
* Lian Li PC-Q08 case, has space for 6 HDD's and looks nice and not is TOO big
* Zotac H55ITX mainboard, has support for 6 SATA ports and has some nice reviews
* Intel Core i3 530 (was initially going for an Atom, but reviews point out the i3 530 has better idle usage)

I have not yet figured out which PSU I can get, does anyone know a good one to go with the above specs? How much watt do I need to get?

If someone has a suggestion for my setup please let me know too!

250w is enough to handle the peaks (at bootup).

BlackWhizz wrote:250w is enough to handle the peaks (at bootup).

Will it be enough to handle at least 4 harddisks?

I have been kicking around the idea of doing a similar build though I hadn't looked into using zfs. Did you get your rig built yet? Are you planning to run open solaris to get zfs?

Kevin

Since the pc-q08 takes an atx12v psu, go for any modestly rated quiet one -- all are at least 400w these days. Seasonic x400 would be perfect if pricey. But since you're thinking of 6 hdds, complete silence in the psu is a waste, so any one of much cheaper fan-cooled quiet psus will do fine -- antec, corsair, seasonic, etc...

yzh wrote:

BlackWhizz wrote:250w is enough to handle the peaks (at bootup).

Will it be enough to handle at least 4 harddisks?

Yes. I have an old c2d with a discrete (radeon 5850) and 3 old (not power efficient) hdd + 1 green hdd + 1 ssd and peaks during boot / heavy cpu usuage at about 250 per killawatt.

That's funny, you have almost exactly the same specs I'm thinking of getting for my nas box. The only concern I have is that the Zotac mini-itx board is not very power efficient.
Anyways personally I think I will be putting a Truepower New 550W in the system because it's something I ended up getting from an RMA, I assume it'll basically sit around 10% power at idle and 20% power at full load, not the best efficiency range, but I the fan should stay at minimum speed. But indeed all you really need is any silent 300w+ psu out there.
I'd actually say just look up any of the lower end quiet psus reviewed here and see which one is on sale, all of them should suffice for the job.

Interesting. I starting to lay plans to build a minimal file server. What did the total for your components come to?