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media server build

709 Views 6 Replies 5 Participants Last post by NiToNi, Oct 28, 2006

tritech

Discussion Starter · Sep 28, 2006

Ok well here are the revised items for my media server:

-Cooler Master CM Stacker STC-T01 loaded with 3 Supermicro CSE-M35T-1/B SATA (5 in 3 hotswap bays).

-12 WD5000YS (500 Gb drives) + a WD 74Gb for the OS

-3Ware 9590SE-12ML SATA2 Hardware RAID Controller(12 port SATAII setup for RAID5)

-dvd/r of some sort

-dual tuners

Now here is where i've been pulling my hair out for DAYS. I've never put together a PC with a server in mind, as i usually just grab the "popular" enthusiast board and be done with it. This is something I would like to keep around for some time so longevity is also an issue. I'd like this box to double as a pvr as well down the road and stream to a HTPC in the living room. DVD ripping and encoding will also be done on this box, so processor speed is somewhat of an issue. I'm leaning towards an athlon x2 4400+ processor wise, but I can go the intel route if needed, if i can just find the right board.

I just can't seem to find a board that has what i need, short of going to a server mobo. What i'm looking for is:

a PCI-e x4 slot for the RAID card

onboard video/audio

atleast one pci-e x1 slot

atleast two PCI slots

does a 800w psu sound like overkill for this setup?

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scorch123

· #2 · Sep 28, 2006

tritech,

Look into a server-grade power supply. It's worth the extra $$ to get peace of mind with so much data.

I think not a good idea to combine your front-end HTPC rig w/ the storage server. Your power consumption, disspated heat, and noise from the drives alone will be pretty high.

Is it possible for you to upgrade the living room HTPC, and go with network attached storage or dedicated low-power data server instead?

- Steve O.

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tritech

Discussion Starter · #3 · Sep 28, 2006

The server will not be a front-end per se... this is all going in a spare bedroom, so noise and heat aren't as much of an issue. Optimally i'd like all pvr recordings done there along with DVD storage and just stream from there to the HTPC in the living room.

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randomjohn

· #4 · Sep 28, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by tritech
I just can't seem to find a board that has what i need, short of going to a server mobo. What i'm looking for is:

a PCI-e x4 slot for the RAID card

onboard video/audio

atleast one pci-e x1 slot

atleast two PCI slots

Newegg has 25 AMD X2-compatible motherboards that meet your criteria. I love their power search so I ran one on your criteria. Range from the $47 PC Chips A33G to the $79 MSI K9NGM2-FID.

Have you used their power search?

From www.newegg.com , click Motherboards, Click AMD-Compatible (or Intel if you prefer), then click the "Power Search" tab on the left. That will give you a ton of fields to choose from. I just ran a search for:

CPU Type: Athlon 64 X2 (they have two similar listings for this)

PCI Express x16: set it to 1, 2 or 3 (not Any or None)

PCI Ports: set it to 2, 3 or whatever (not Any or None)

Onboard Video: set it to Yes (they all have onboard audio)

Have fun with that toy.

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noon0

· #5 · Sep 28, 2006

How did you plan on having the server become pvr also? Will it be having video input from your cable TV/satellite?

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tritech

Discussion Starter · #6 · Sep 28, 2006

i appreciate the newegg link, i had been browsing one by one for hours!

Quote:

How did you plan on having the server become pvr also? Will it be having video input from your cable TV/satellite?

yes the extra bedroom/server room will have two cable boxes for the two tuners in the server.

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NiToNi

· #7 · Oct 28, 2006

I am presently looking into building something very similar to your setup. How would you be switching channels though on the STB's?

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