NAS Server Upgrade

Buying Advice Desktop & PC Buying Advice
1

I’m planning to upgrade my server to have more storage, but the case (Galax Rev3) is a tiny mATX case and won’t support more drives. I am mainly looking for a cabinet that will let me future-proof and can store like 8-10 3.5” drives.
The motherboard that I have only has 4 SATA ports, so I will eventually have to buy a SATA or Raid Card to connect more drives.
My search has led me to few SATA cards that boast 6-16 SATA connections, I’m confused on those like performance wise and would they cause issues.
I would prefer SATA card and would like to do Software raid instead of Hardware raid cards like LSI SAS cards

  1. What is your budget?
  • 10-20k

[*]What is your existing hardware configuration (component name - component brand and model)

  • CPU - i3 12100f

  • Motherboard - MSI PRO B660M-A DDR4

  • GPU - Nvidia T600

  • RAM - Hynix16GBx2 3200MTs DDR4

  • Purchased from TE

https://techenclave.com/threads/server-build.209143/#post-2401538

[]PSU - Cooler Master MWE 450 Bronze
[]Cabinet - Galax Rev3
[]TPU- PCIe Google Coral TPUx2
[]HDD - WD Red Plus 4TBx2
[*]SSD - WD SN770 1TB

[*]Which hardware will you be keeping (component name - component brand and model)

  • CPU - i3 12100f

  • Motherboard - MSI PRO B660M-A DDR4

  • RAM - Hynix 16GBx2 3200MTs DDR4

  • GPU - Nvidia T600

  • TPU- PCIe Google Coral x2

  • HDD - WD Red Plus 4TBx2

  • SSD - WD SN770 1TB

[*]Which hardware component are you looking to buy (component name). If you have already decided on a configuration then please mention the (component brand and model) as well, this will help us in fine-tuning your requirement.

  • RAID or SATA card (to support more HDDs)

https://www.amazon.in/Expansion-Controller-Adapter-Profile-Non-Raid/dp/B09KY3HB8Z

https://www.amazon.in/MZHOU-Profile-Bracket-Support-Converter/dp/B08L7W8QFT

https://www.amazon.in/BEYIMEI-Controller-Expansion-Non-Raid-Profile/dp/B097Y638X7

[*]Cabinet

  • Ant Esports Vanguard (12-13 HDDs)

https://mdcomputers.in/ant-esports-vanguard-e-atx-cabinet-black.html

[*]Phanteks Enthoo Pro/Pro2

[*]Is this going to be your final configuration or you would be adding/upgrading a component in the near future. If yes then please mention when and which component.

  • Yes, will upgrade the following within 2 year

  • CPU - 12 or 13 gen i5/7

  • Motherboard - only if required for CPU upgrade

  • HDD - 4-16TB NAS HDDs

  • PSU - 600to700W (depending on if adding more drives and other upgrades will go over the current PSU limit)

[*]Where will you buy this hardware? (Online/City/TE Dealer)

  • Online

  • TE Dealer

[*]What is your intended use for this PC/hardware

  • Download rig, 24x7 operation

  • Home lab

  • Docker server (Immich, Frigate, Elasticsearch, AdGuard, Jellyfin, Umanic, Traefik, GoAuthentik, etc.)

[*]Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them and the reason for your preference/dislike.

  • None

[*]Are you looking to overclock?

  • No

[*]Which operating system do you intend to use with this configuration?

  • Linux - Debian/TrueNAS
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2

Have you considered JBOD enclosures? You can use your existing mATX case, with one of these next to it.

[Video - YT](’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGkqwdM0L6g’

) Linking a video on this by Hardware Haven.

JBOD - Just a Bunch of Disks.

2 Likes
3

If you’re planning to use ZFS, avoid those SATA cards. Instead, opt for an LSI card that has been flashed to IT mode.

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4

amazon.in posting for it is for 13k,

https://www.amazon.in/Multi-Layers-Mounting-Transparent-Mechanical-Organizer/dp/B0BZNNPZ3H?nsdOptOutParam=true

then get another PSU, ransom PCB to control the secondary PSU, way too many points of failure + hassle
might as well go with a Cabinet at that point

I am currently using plain headless Debian, I was looking into Truenas but haven’t jumped ship to it.

Thanks for the ideas/recommendation

5

How much is your current data transfer speed? I bought a generic pcie to 4 Port SATA like the ones you have posted from ibose here and the transfer speed is 1Gig which is the same as my inbuilt ethernet port (Running Truenas).
These are also an option and I believed they run as software RAID just like the pcie to SATA expansions you posted (IT Mde).

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6

I don’t have any SATA card right now, current transfer speed is 1gig too.
I just want to plug in more drives, if I get any transfer speed increase, that’s a bonus.

How is your experience with the 4 port SATA card, any connection/speed drops, unrecognized drives, etc.?
haven’t seen much of these types of cards around, don’t know much about the quality and such, hence part of this post.

P.S I’m in the process of upgrading my local network to 2.5gig, I have multiple systems that have 2.5g port

7

So far so good. I bought a used one from a member here like I said, and it was way cheaper than a new one so I took the risk. Besides, there is not really much of an option; it’s either the LSI with software raid (IT Mode) or the PCIe to SATA. There is also this NVME to SATA converter, but I haven’t used it, so you have 3 options basically.
[

https://www.amazon.in/Tobo-6Gpbsx6-Port-Expansion-Converter-TD-100PC/dp/B0CLJ3PSDL](‘Amazon.in’

)
I run my boot m.2 drive via pcie to nvme converter (my mb has no nvme slot). 2.5g should also work with all the 3 options. Maybe try searching used one like I did and tinker a bit.

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8

Thanks, I will give PCIe to SATA a shot with a few older/disposable drives.

My MB has 2 m.2 slots, but using the 2nd one will cause the Motherboards SATA ports to stop working

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/PRO-B660M-A-DDR4/Specification

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9

My Mobo has one M.2 slot + 4 Sata. If I use a Sata M.2 SSD, one of the Sata port will be disabled. I have to only use a Nvme drive to use all 4 sata ports. Some Mobo manufacturers are like that ..

1 Like
10

Hmm
Will look the motherboard docs again. If the secondary slot supports nvme

I do have 1 pcie slot free. So i will use that for now

11

Just FYI, This is super inflated price. I bought this for under 2K from amazon.in only.

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12

I have used the pcie to sata card and has worked pretty good for lst 3+ yrs

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13

Which card do you have?

14

I am running the Silverstone CS-380, got it for around 14k from PrimeABGB.

Overall decent case with plenty of room and hotswap HDD bays, but the cooling can be improved by a couple of simple mods (adding an extra fan and some duct tape to better guide the airflow). Here’s the post that I followed for these:

https://forums.unraid.net/topic/61368-silverstone-cs380-compact-mid-tower-8x4tb-hot-swap/?do=findComment&comment=602044

Have been running this for around couple of months, temps overall look fine with all drives staying below 45C, and averaging around 40C.

For the SATA expansion, I am using an LSI-9211-8i that I got from ebay from a Chinese seller for around 3k (including the SAS to SATA cables). Was already flashed to IT mode by the seller, plug and play with TrueNAS Scale (proxmox VM with pci passthrough of the HBA). Some online reading suggested to add small fan on this for proper cooling as they’re meant to run in servers with good amount of airflow, so cable tied a 40mm fan on it.

One downside of running these LSI SAS2008 chipset cards is that they are old and don’t support modern PCIe power management features, so they add around 10-15 W to the power even at idle. If you’re concerned about that, look at ASM1166 based sata cards, like this:

https://amzn.in/d/ehgudKx.

Have not used this, so YMMV.

1 Like
15

Was thinking about getting antec p101 silent or Vanguard for few months but eventually got Define 7 xl recently for 17K. Its too big but liking it so far.

For hba I too have chinese ebay card which works fine. I have attached a small fan to it as well.

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16

Pcie x1 to 5 sata ports

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17

What do you use the Quadro for?
If for Jellyfin H/W Transcode, you can ditch it and use an intel processor with iGPU. QuickSync is amazing! Intel HD 630 is very similar to T600, 730 is even better! 770 and Xe carry double the horsepower.
You can use the free’d PCIe slot and power for something else like NVMe SSDs. Remember, 25W power consumption 24x7 can add up to something like INR 3000 per year.

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18

I got an f series processor, no iGPU
yes It’s for Jellyfin, Unmanic, Immich & Frigate NVR.

19

+1, however I think OP is running an f series processor which won’t have iGPU

20

Electricity is dirt cheap where I live, our whole house bill is less than 5k/month. With 3 AC running every day. So that’s really not a problem for me.

2 Likes