DNS & File Server

Myriddan · May 2, 2014

Hi Everyone,

I'm looking to build a low-cost file server that I can play around with as a DNS server and Linux

Approximate Purchase Date: Sometime before August

Budget Range: $500-$750

System Usage from Most to Least Important: File Server, Print Server, DNS Server

Are you buying a monitor: No

Do you need to buy OS: No, using Ubuntu or CentOS

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Amazon, Newegg, TigerDirect, Frys, Microcenter, B&H

Location: San Jose, CA

Parts Preferences: No preference as long as they are reliable

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No

Your Monitor Resolution: Not Important

Additional Comments: Raid 5 with 3 HDDs upgradeable to at least 5 HDDs. Low Power/passive cooling if possible

Thanks for the help, I'm mostly looking for advice on the CPU/MOBO, Case and PSU since I'm not sure where to start on a file server build.

boosted1g · May 3, 2014

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($113.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.44 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $527.37
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-03 00:00 EDT-0400)

I built the computer with a normal HDD instead of an SSD because there be pretty much no gain as a file/print/dns server with an SSD except for when you first boot it up.

The motherboard has 6 sata ports on the same Raid controller and thus wont require a separate raid card, and then has 2 additional sata ports for os drive and optical drive.

I use the case for my file server (mine has no window, i chose the windows just because it was cheaper) and love it, good airflow, quite, 8 hard drive trays, easy access to front fans with filter, cable management, great quality and not ostentatious with 75 Led lights and 6 different colors.

Passive cooling with 5 hard drives plus OS drive is just not going to happen. That case has insulated panels for noise reduction, and a fan controller to switch between 12, 7, and 5 volts to the fans. When you get 5 drives you should get another one of their 140mm fans though.

Myriddan · May 3, 2014

Thanks for the suggestion, I was pretty sure that it was impossible to go passive because of the heat of normal HDDs and SSDs are just too expensive and lack the capacity at the moment to make it worthwhile.

Is an i3 worth it? I figured that you could build one with a cheaper processor/mobo for the little work that the machine will actually be doing, but as I said I do not really know much about the CPU requirements for what I want to do.

boosted1g · May 4, 2014

i3 seemed like the right level to handle your tasks with enough performance left for future needs. A pentium dual core will run you $65-70, so i figured it was worth the minimum amount more to get an i3 that is leaps ahead of it.

The AMD APU cpus are blah cpus with better graphics but you dont need the graphics performance, while the fx-4300 is marginally cheaper with noticeably less performance, and the fx-6300 costs the same but would not give you any benefit over an i3 for your purposes.

FYI I was not suggesting to use an SSD for storage, they are nice as an OS drive but as i stated, for file/dns server it wont help you much at all once the computer is fully booted

Myriddan · May 4, 2014

Thanks for the insight.

I knew you weren't saying use the SSDs for storage, I was just musing about the possibility of passive cooling only being possible with SSDs. I will probably tweak the build a bit, but at least I know where to look now. Thanks.

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