Budget 90k+ Efficient machine for use as a media server.

max_demon

max_demon

@maxdemon
Adept
Questions
  1. What is your budget?
    • Actually no budget limitation, but I do not wish to get a machine that will be overkill for my usage.
  2. What is your existing hardware configuration (component name - component brand and model)
    • CPU - AMD Phenom X2 555 overclock 4GHz
    • Motherboard - Asus M2A74-AM (Weakest link in my current system)
    • GPU - MSI AMD 6950
    • RAM - XMS2 Corsair 4GB
    • Monitor - Benq T2200HD, HP2311gt
    • SMPS - Corsair 650W
    • SSD - Intel X25 80 GB SSD
    • Network - ASUS RT-AC66U , Netgear Gigabit Switch
    • All other Peripherals & Hard drives
  3. Which hardware will you be keeping (component name - component brand and model)
    • Monitor - HP2311gt, Benq T2200HD
    • SMPS - Corsair 650W
    • GPU - MSI AMD 6950
    • All other Peripherls & Hard drives
  4. 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.
    • CPU - Intel i5 3570k or AMD FX 8350
    • Motherboard - any compatible motherboard with atleast dual GPU
    • RAM - something that's fast and that's compatible
    • Cabinet - full tower
  5. Is this going to be your final configuration or you would be adding/upgrading a component in near future. If yes then please mention when and which component
    • Yes, will upgrade the following within 6 months
    • Monitor - Additional 24" or 27"
    • GPU - If time demands it
    • WD Red Hard drives whenever they are available.
  6. Where will you buy this hardware? (Online/City/TE Dealer)
    • Open to online purchase
  7. Would you consider buying a second hand hardware from the TE market
    • No
  8. What is your intended use for this PC/hardware
    • File Transfer server
    • Media Server with Simultaneous full hd/4k streaming to different screens
    • Some VM with guest OS windows server 2008 R2 running 24x7
    • Occasional Gaming
    • Lots of Media Encoding
    • Vegas Pro and Adobe AE
  9. Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them and the reason for your preference/dislike.
    • Doesn't actually have brand preference, but when building last PC AMD was good VFM. Times have changed. but I still wish that I should get best VFM for whatever Brand I buy.
  10. If you will be playing games then which type of games will you be playing?
    • Mostly Classic games, But machine should handle new releases, I can survive playing games with minimum settings. never really max out graphics.
  11. What is your preferred monitor resolution for gaming and normal usage
    1. Gaming - 1920x1080/ 4k in near future
    2. Desktop - 3840x1080/ 4k in near future
  12. Are you looking to overclock?
    • Yes
  13. Which operating system do you intend to use with this configuration?
    • Windows 8
    • Windows Server 2008 R2 (As VM)
    • Ubuntu (As VM)
Additional Notes : I wish the components should be power efficient, as the machine will be on inverter whenever power fails. though won't be playing games/resource heavy tasks when no power. but should consume less power at idle. data transfer link shouldn't break
 
Are you open for a Dual Intel Xeon on a RAID based setup?
Is this for commercial broadcast services (as you need 2K/4K streaming capabilities) ?
- If your answer is yes, then this is a mighty expensive venture
http://www.7thsensedesign.com/images/pdf/7thSense_Delta_SDI_Cutsheet.pdf

If this is purely for home purpose then the solutions are totally different (NAS/HTPC)
http://forums.overclockersclub.com/index.php?showtopic=195278
http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=65804
http://forums.freenas.org/showthread.php?10901-Build-advice-home-media-server-with-redundancy
 
6pack said:
At the risk of going ot , has 4k become mainstream now already? Max I see anywhere, is full HD.
Click to expand...

Not yet in India, although there are a few places that have installed 4K capable projection screens.

My work has been 100% CGI based (1080p & upto 2K) and till date we haven't attempted any 4K content - the rendering time/overheads are astronomical. However where live action movies are concerned, there are directors/producers around the world who are making 4K movies.
 
It is purely for home purpose, will not be used for commercial use. there are 2 screens + 3 laptops which would be streaming/transferring data. out of which I plan to upgrade my home theatre projection system to 4k later this year or next year. by the time TV is upgraded the machine might need an upgrade too. Will also be upgrading router whenever time demands it. and 8 antenna ac routers have been released.
I am early adapter for av technology, would have taken 4k projection system already but the prices are very high, rather I'd buy a car for that price.
 
So what is your final take ?
- A powerful HTPC with NAS capabilities ?
- Intel / AMD ?
- Dual Xeon procs with RAID ?
 
max_demon said:
That's what I'm here to ask for... which one should suit my needs best?
Click to expand...

Since your needs are not commercial, you could go in for a powerful HTPC > Media Server. Also keeping in mind that you need it to be "power-efficient" Intel is a far better option than AMD. So this is what I recommend:

Proc: i7-3770K ~ 19.6k
Motherboard : Asus P8Z77-V Pro (with wi-fi & bluetooth) ~ 16.2k
RAM : 8GB x 2 [16GB] G.Skill 1866Mhz Ripjaws X or Z (better if available) ~ 10.2k
or Corsair Vengence 1866Mhz ~ 9.5k
Soundcard : Asus Xonar Essence ~ 8.9k
Cabinet : CM Storm Stryker [white or black] ~ 11.5k
http://www.cmstorm.com/en/products/chassis/Stryker/

HDD : WD RED 3TB ~ 10180 (your dream HDD is available) :happy:

CPU Cooler
- If you prefer Air > Deep Cool Assassin ~ 5.7k
- If you prefer Liquid > Corsair H80i ~ 6250
or H100i ~ 7.5k

SSD : I know you have an Intel 80GB ...... so if you want something better Samsung Pro Series 128GB ~ 8.4k

Enjoy
Terry
 
Notes:
1] Processor: Intel 3770k was suggested over the octacore AMD 8350 as it's far better in power-efficiency & almost all benchmarks.
2] PSU: If I was in your place, I would sell off the Corsair 650W and go for Seasonic X760 ~ 9.5k - this is the world's best; fully modular; power-efficient and all it's build components of the highest class (or X850 ~ 10.9k). Keeping in mind your NAS additions & that you may want to dual GPU later.
3] Not sure if the Asus sound card I suggested supports THX sound - an absolute requirement (will look out for options).
4] In case you do not want a Full Tower Cabby then there are other options.

This is the best that I could come across from Asus HDAV1.3 Deluxe - not sure about it's availability
 
Thanks for the suggestions. I see that I should finalize on
Intel i7 3770K
Asus P8Z77-V
G.Skill Ripjaws
CM Storm Stryker

I guess I could drop the Sound card as the machine will be streaming the content to the home theater and TV, which already have a good setup. for gaming and all I have Megalodon with built in sound card so it should do the job.
Cooling I was worried that Air cooler will produce lot of noise. and in water cooling avg temperatures are high. (I haven't used water cooling before but I guess it also needs fans for cooling radiator or something. also pump will need to be powered) if the difference is not much then I could settle for H80i, won't be doing much gaming on this machine so processor should be cooler.
SSD I need to upgrade. I guess OCZ Agility 3 is also very fast. slightly expensive than Samsung, should be worth?

Will be replacing current HDDs with WD Red upto 15TB
_______________________

Regarding PSU upgrade, I had taken into consideration that I was to upgrade this machine in future. for that I went for SLI certified PSU. I will only be going SLI when I replace my primary display (monitor) with 4k.. not the home theatre. as it will just need to stream the content in 4k and not actually drive the display/render in 4k.My AE and Vegas Pro Projects are mostly 720p not planning to go for higher resolution any time soon.

So I guess will be upgrading PSU with the GPU when required.


Also one more thing came into my mind. can I re-purpose my old PC as HTPC for TV? I guess I need to get another GPU to get HDMI on this. also, some compact case for it. It should be quiet (so fan-less gpu) and bare minimum essential components which might be needed for it.
 
Ok .... so here goes

1] No need for a "newer" sound card as you already have all the gear.

2] CPU Cooling : You have got your facts all muddled up (apologies)
- Quality Air Cooler's are super Silent - (I am using a Noctua on 3770k & installed on the CM Storm Strkyer; I have also fitted an additional CM Excalibur 120mm fan costing 1.9k at the bottom of my cabby - this ensures excellent overall cooling in my storm stryker). Noctua is the world's best air-cooler. I could not find an available model online, so I did not suggest.
- The Corsair H80i & H100i are the best in "liquid cooling" - they also come with their own fans which are of excellent quality & "silent". You need not worry, even in the worst summer, you can keep you can run your rig 24 x 7 without any fears of the processor getting overheated. Go for the H100i - it comes with 2 fans and far better.

3] PSU upgrade: The Seasonic models that I suggested are both SLI compatible. So if you are going in for 15TB HDD's you will need the 760w or 850w psu right away.

Will comment later on the possibilities of re-using your existing RIG, as there are too many contradictory statements:-
- you now need a compact case [for the old system] - what happens then, to accommodating all those 15TB HDD's; for your new-system as you wanted a "Full Tower" :mad:
- you have an unexplainable fear of "noise" - a fanless GPU (there are no 2012-2013 released powerful gpu's without fans). I will repeat again - a superior quality GPU (which is also expensive, is relatively silent)
- If you really need 2k/4k compatibility & Media Server capabilities - then you have to migrate to the newer rig as suggested (other's on TE could add their opinions here.....PLEASE)
- Is it possible to find a "fanless gpu with HDMI" - quality need not be a consideration.......... guyz need HELP again
- use a small cabinet with just 1 fan, & keep your fingers crossed that nothing gets damaged :banghead:

Am curious to know what is your existing cabinet ?

Moving out from here, as the weather in Mumbai is sweltering, sweat-dripping, high humidity - and yet my system is running peacefully on the BOINC project ......... so handing things over to TE blokes
 
terence_fdes said:
Will comment later on the possibilities of re-using your existing RIG, as there are too many contradictory statements:-
- you now need a compact case [for the old system] - what happens then, to accommodating all those 15TB HDD's; for your new-system as you wanted a "Full Tower" :mad:
- you have an unexplainable fear of "noise" - a fanless GPU (there are no 2012-2013 released powerful gpu's without fans). I will repeat again - a superior quality GPU (which is also expensive, is relatively silent)
- If you really need 2k/4k compatibility & Media Server capabilities - then you have to migrate to the newer rig as suggested (other's on TE could add their opinions here.....PLEASE)
- Is it possible to find a "fanless gpu with HDMI" - quality need not be a consideration.......... guyz need HELP again
- use a small cabinet with just 1 fan, & keep your fingers crossed that nothing gets damaged :banghead:

Am curious to know what is your existing cabinet ?

Moving out from here, as the weather in Mumbai is sweltering, sweat-dripping, high humidity - and yet my system is running peacefully on the BOINC project ......... so handing things over to TE blokes
Click to expand...

My bad. I wasn't clear in my last post & didn't mentioned that re-using old PC is separate from the current upgrade. depending on what what I'm upgrading. the old components will have to be sold. so I was saying that instead of selling those I could use them on another HTPC on TV. (Server will be separate with full tower, high end GPU, 15TB HDDs etc.) the HTPC will only have old intel SSD and will Stream all the content from main server.

So basically I will be building one new PC. and will use the current one on TV. stripping/replacing down some components which are no longer required.

the use of 1st PC will be as described in the first post.
the second PC will only be used to stream content from first PC using Plex. Run old video game emulators that's it. nothing more. by the time I upgrade the TV to 4k I'll have PS4 so wouldn't need to worry about 4k playback from this machine. It should just be able to stream 1080p and have HDMI

As it will be located in the living room. and the stupid zooo zooo noise that comes when doing something is very irritating. that's why I don't like noisy things.

current cabinet is zebronix bijli :p which is not that compact or nice looking to be kept in living room.
 
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