New HTPC and UnRaid builds
#1
Hi All,

At the start of the year my home was burgled and i lost my HTPC. it wasnt too flash but insurance has finally paid me out. Time for shopping Smile

Can you expert people critique my build before i go shipping. I will be building a xbmc box and a unraid server.

the HTPC will be set up for dual boot between XBMC live and Win 7 used for general PC use and ripping my dvd collection again.

HTPC:
Case: http://www.playtech.co.nz/afawcs0139235/...tails.html
MB: http://www.playtech.co.nz/afawcs0139235/...tails.html
CPU: http://www.playtech.co.nz/afawcs0139235/...tails.html
RAM: http://www.playtech.co.nz/afawcs0139235/...tails.html
PSU: http://www.playtech.co.nz/afawcs0139235/...tails.html
GPU: http://www.playtech.co.nz/afawcs0139235/...tails.html
HD:http://www.playtech.co.nz/afawcs0139235/...tails.html

File Server:
Case: http://www.playtech.co.nz/afawcs0139235/...tails.html
MB: http://www.playtech.co.nz/afawcs0139235/...tails.html
CPU: http://www.playtech.co.nz/afawcs0139235/...tails.html
RAM: http://www.playtech.co.nz/afawcs0139235/...tails.html
PSU: http://www.playtech.co.nz/afawcs0139235/...tails.html
HD: http://www.playtech.co.nz/afawcs0139235/...tails.html
card:http://www.playtech.co.nz/afawcs0139235/...ficationsl

Im not too sure about the RAM in terms of speed and latency required. Also the power suppy. all i know is that the unraid requires the single rail. if there are better option please let me know

Thanks
Steve

*edit: Changed unRaid PSU to the recomended
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#2
HTPC seems expensive but parts are great!
will be really powerful!
do u need it that powerful?
will u play heavy duty PC games?
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#3
thanks for the reply.
Pretty much anything in new zealand is more expensive than the states Sad
It will be the only computers i have (other than the work laptop that i wont be able to do anything with). I won't be playing any games at all. the most work itll do is ripping my blue rays and DVD to the file server.
Would i get away with the dual core over the quad core for ripping movies?

Cheers
Steve
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#4
The links are not working for your unraid MB, CPU, RAM, and HDD.

You PSU might be overkill. Your case would only be able to hold 11 HDDs (using a 5-in-3 hot swap bay + 6 internal 3.5" bays). I'd recommend getting the Antec Neo Eco 520w PSU. It has a single 12v rail supplying 40A so it can support up to 15-18 green drives, plus it's a lot cheaper. The only reason to get the the 650w PSU is if you plan on going with more than 20 drives and it doesn't appear your other hardware can support that many.

I have my unraid server in an Antec 300 case and it it is a fine case, but if you are interested in using hot swap bays I wound not recommend getting the 300 because you'll only be able to fit one hot swap enclosure in that case. The Antec 900 or Cooler Master CM590 (if you can find one) would be a much better choice if you are planning to use hot swap bays.

I'd suggest you post your build over there for the experts to have a look at it. It might save you some headaches. I would definitely recommend that for your sata expansion card, I've never seen that one before. You might be better served by getting an 8-port card. Here's a good thread to look at over there.
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#5
Links are fixed.

Thanks for the reply, great feed back.

cheers
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#6
More comments on the unraid H/W. Well let's start with the easy one first...

Your CPU is good to go. I used that in my first server.

Your RAM is ok but you could get away using cheaper RAM. Getting fast RAM is not really going to make any difference at all. You're not going to see any real difference between 800 and 1600. Maybe get this one if it's on the QVL for your board.

Now the MB is my biggest concern. It looks like one of the more experienced system builders has had problems with that board. See this thread. It seems to be a problem interacting with the sata expansion card he was using. Which relates to my other concern about the card you selected. Basically compatibility between your sata card and your MB is probably the biggest issue you need to resolve before ordering these components. They might be just fine but I really don't know. Try posting on the unraid forums and maybe one of the more knowledgeable users will be able to help you out.
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