Mini ITX Download Rig/Storage Server

Lord Nemesis

Lord Nemesis

Overlord
Skilled
Guys, looking to build a AMD Fusion based Download rig cum storage server. This will be on 24/7 (unless when out of station or when there is nothing going on on it) and looking for a power consumption footprint under 40~45W preferably.

  1. Q: What is your budget?
    1. As low as possible (10~12k)
  2. Q: Which hardware will you be keeping (component name - component brand and model)
    1. Corsair 4GB DDR3 1333MHz RAM (Fullsize, not Laptop RAM)
    2. 2 x 3.5" SATA2 HDD
  3. Q: 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.
    1. AMD Fusion based Mini ITX board (looking at the Gigabyte E350N USB3, but open to suggestions)
    2. Mini ITX Chassis with PSU (As minimal a footprint as possible, but preferably with support for 2 x 3.5" HDD, Optical Drive not reqd)
  4. Q: Where will you buy this hardware? (Online/City/TE Dealer)
    1. Would prefer to purchase online
  5. Q: Would you consider buying a second hand hardware from the TE market
    1. Yes
  6. Q: What is your intended use for this PC/hardware
    1. Download rig, 24x7 operation
    2. Watching/streaming HD movies
    3. Backup PC when I cannot use my main rig.
  7. Q: Which operating system do you intend to use with this configuration?
    1. Please suggest. Any OS that serves my purpose with minimal foot print. Open to any Linux distribution that works well with AMD Fusion.
 
Sire this is what I recommend --

AMD E-350 FUSION motherboard + CPU combo ~7500/-

Corsair 4GB x1 ValueRAM ~1200/-

Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB ~5500/-

Cooler Master eLite 100 ~3900/- [it comes with a mini-ITX 150W SMPS bundled so you are covered there]

Hope this is satisfactory, Cheers!!
 
^^ Don't require the RAM or HDD as I already have them. For chassis any other alternatives that are available in India? CFI A8989 is available on ebay for 1100/- (also bundled with a 150W PSU), but not sure how it compares to CM Elite 100 in terms of quality/space footprint.
 
babhishek said:
just a quick qn here, why are you going for an amd combo and not an atom combo ( lower wattage imo)
Click to expand...

Simplest answer would be better GPU and high definition audio bitstreaming.

The graphics chip in the ion is much worse than the integrated 6310 in the fusion. Also the power consumption is almost similar. Brazos consumes roughly 4W compared to 2.5W of atom and the 4W includes the graphics core whereas the graphics core in the atom is either a discrete ion chip or the crappy intel - both of which consume more power.
 
Lord Nemesis said:
^^ Don't require the RAM or HDD as I already have them. For chassis any other alternatives that are available in India? CFI A8989 is available on ebay for 1100/- (also bundled with a 150W PSU), but not sure how it compares to CM Elite 100 in terms of quality/space footprint.
Click to expand...

Had done a review on the CM 100. It is up on TE. Give it a read. The PSU fan, is making a lot of noise now. I cannot have it "next" to my sleeping noise, even then it is too loud. That is if the house is ambient quite. Though if a fan/AC is on, then the PSU fan noise is drowned out. Cabinet is decent.
 
If you want mini itx, I heartily recommend antec isk 310 - stellar cooling, fantastic build, has a slot for a low profile graphics card, good 150W flex atx psu. Plus its tiny - a wee bit bigger than a shoe box. Only issue is it takes 2.5" drives only. I paid around 4800 for it. Might be cheaper now.
 
Unless you need it as a backup PC, would recomend to opt for the Seagate Go flex net. You will need to hot wire any existing SMPS to provide power to the HDD's.
 
asingh said:
Had done a review on the CM 100. It is up on TE. Give it a read. The PSU fan, is making a lot of noise now. I cannot have it "next" to my sleeping noise, even then it is too loud. That is if the house is ambient quite. Though if a fan/AC is on, then the PSU fan noise is drowned out. Cabinet is decent.
Click to expand...

Noise does not concern me that much, I have a couple of Scythe Ultra Kaze 120x38mm 135CFM fans in my main rig along with 6 other 90CFM 120x25mm fans. I have been quite often using this for downloads through the night while sleeping in the same room. The more important question for me is whether there is any way to rig up this chassis to fit 2 x 3.5" HDD's.

btw guys, are the small 150W PSUs used in ITX chassis available independently in India some where? I need the chassis to hold 2 x 3.5" HDD which seems to be impossible with any of the readily available Mini ITX chassis in the market. I might be able to re-purpose a plastic box into a custom chassis if I can get a compact PSU seperately.

babhishek said:
just a quick qn here, why are you going for an amd combo and not an atom combo ( lower wattage imo)
Click to expand...

Don't see any value in Atom. Fusion boards are up to speed on technology like GB LAN, SATA3, USB3 ports etc. the capable atom boards cost just as much or more compared to Fusion boards and draw similar or more power. Unless I go for the cheapest entry level Atom boards, I would say Fusion offers more value.
 
Lord Nemesis said:
Noise does not concern me that much, I have a couple of Scythe Ultra Kaze 120x38mm 135CFM fans in my main rig along with 6 other 90CFM 120x25mm fans. I have been quite often using this for downloads through the night while sleeping in the same room. The more important question for me is whether there is any way to rig up this chassis to fit 2 x 3.5" HDD's.
Click to expand...

The CM 100 Elite can hold:

- With micro-ATX board: Slim ODD x 1, 2.5" HDD x 2 or

- With mini-ITX board: Slim ODD x 1, 2.5" HDD x 2, 3.5" HDD x 1
Click to expand...
 
My perspective, FWIW.

Get a regular ATX case (even a used, discarded one) and put your build in that. You can get a ~200W flex ATX PSU but it will be about 50% efficient at the load power of interest (and is built by chimpanzees, so will be prone to regular failure). A 80Plus certified 300-380W unit will result in similar consumption at the wall, or you can try a Pico PSU and a laptop supply.

Between AMD and Intel, I would simply pick the cheaper one that had enough ports for your application. I needed lots of ports and was sure I'd be running headless so I went for the Gigabyte D510 that basically supported 6 drives (2 IDE + 4 SATA). It does 720p video fine, and is capable of all sorts of streaming without issues as long as the network is good enough.

I have a footprint close to 35W, with the Atom doing about 4-5W and the disks adding between 8 and 20W, and fans adding another 8W. Factor in PSU efficiency (I run the VX450 which is about 75% efficient) and you're looking at around 40W maximum. I run 5 hard disks, 4 of them are WD green drives so turn themselves off after 10 minutes. The sole disk is a power-hungry 300GB IDE drive that accounts for the bulk of power consumption, about 12W long-term. All of this is chucked into an old CM Elite 360.

Noise-wise, it's quiet enough though not my quietest PC (that is the music PC). The CPU fan made quite a racket so I disconnected it. The system runs fine without.
 
Chaos said:
Simplest answer would be better GPU and high definition audio bitstreaming.

The graphics chip in the ion is much worse than the integrated 6310 in the fusion. Also the power consumption is almost similar. Brazos consumes roughly 4W compared to 2.5W of atom and the 4W includes the graphics core whereas the graphics core in the atom is either a discrete ion chip or the crappy intel - both of which consume more power.
Click to expand...

interesting. for a download rig 24x7 that 1.5w will translate to a lot of savings.

it would be interesting to know the power consumption of an ion 330 vs a brazos with full hd 1080p

.....

edit :

amd seems to be better :

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4134/the-brazos-review-amds-e350-supplants-ion-for-miniitx/7
 
wouldnt a hacked wdtv or apple tv be better in a case like this (download rig & media player). it consumes <10w and is quiet and costs <9k. only downside cant be used as backup pc so if thats not a priority...
 
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