The impossible: Silent HTPC + NAS in one case
#1
Hi guys,

I know most of you will say - not possible. But still I am trying to assemble a relatively silent, well-cooled home-server that should entail the use as an HTPC (3D Blue-ray, HD Stereo&DTS, XBMC) as well as serve as my NAS (4-6 HDDs, truecrypt) and a server of various sorts..

The reason is the following: I absolutely want 70% of my storage truecrypted hence I need a NAS that can handle this processing wise (with acceptable speed) and at the same time I want to be able to play back 192/24 bit FLACs. If the latter requirement wasn't there I'd simply go for a "fast" standard NAS (such as HP Microserver - knowingly accepting slower transfer rates) and an Apple TV2 with XBMC.

So as a resulting idea I came up with the following HTPC/NAS:
i3-2100
DDR3 Kingston HyperX CL7
Asus P8H67 Motherboard
Patriot Torqx 2 32GB SSD
bequiet!L7 300W Power Supply
Lite-On iHOS104 Blueray drive
HDDs (2WD Greens, 2WD Blues)
and all this in the infamous LIAN LI Q08 case.


This should give me:
WOL on folder access from other network PCs
Truecrypting
24p to TV (if I need this I'll add an AMD card)
PCM audio through HDMI (with inbuild HDMI interface of board)
HD audio stereo through optical
3D Blueray processing power with the i3
Energy efficiency (<30W idling, depending on number of HDDs)


XBMC will be remote controlled through an android phone and the system should run on Ubuntu. Initially the optical connection will feed an Onkyo a-5vl amp on Nubert nubox 681 speakers. Later on I am planning to transfer to an AV receiver with PCM audio capabilities and extend the speakers to 5.1.

What do you guys think about this setup? Does the hardware make sense? I am still not sure which case to go for - I know the Q08 is not a "real" HTPC case but it can carry 6 x 3.5" drives and is also fairly quiet. The only alternative I see at the moment would be the new Lian Li PC-C60 case which also has lots of space for HDDs but I have not seen any reviews yet on it's noise performance so I am hesitating.

XBMC wise I am a noob so at the moment my plan looks like this:
XBMC on Ubuntu 11.10 with truecrypt plugin, spotify plugin and some other fancy stuff Big Grin If you have any suggestions let me know.

Have a nice evening and I'd appreciate any comments on my setup Nod
Chris
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#2
I also try to build such a system. My system should host a Zentyal SBS, Software Raid 5 and should run XBMC 24/7. Also quiet and power efficiency is a point of my list.

I didn't decided which parts I will buy but some thought to your build.

Instead of a i3-2100 you could get a Intel Core i3-2105 which has a HD Graphics 3000 instead of 2000. Both CPU's have max TDP 65W. If you want max TDP of 35W you have to use the T Version.

If you mean this motherboard -> ASUS P8H67-I Rev 3.0, H67 (B3) then we choose the same.

PSU I choose Sea Sonic X-Series Fanless X-400FL 400W ATX 2.3

HDD I choose Seagate Barracuda Green 5900.3 2000GB, SATA 6Gb/s at the moment but I am not so sure about it.

I didn't buy any part yet because I didn't find out if a Intel Core i3 is enough for as Linux Software Raid 5 and the server part. So I don't know if I should take a i3 or i3-T version or if I need a i5.

Further more I saw the post from Tombf2g who build a server with the following parts:

3x Noctua NF-S12B FLX 120mm Fan $78.00
1x Corsair CMX4GX3M1A1333C9 4GB (1x4GB) DDR3 $25.00
1x Seasonic X-400 Fanless Gold 400W $169.00
4x Seagate Barracuda Green 5900.3 2000GB, SATA 6Gb/s (ST2000DL003)
1x Lian Li PC-A04 Black $145.00
1x ASUS E45M1-I Deluxe, A50M (PC3-10667U DDR3) (90-MIBGT0-G0EAY0DZ) ab €144,93
1x Intel 520 Series 60GB SSD $155.00

But I don't know what OS and features he is running on this machine. The ASUS AMD board is nice as it has 5x SATA 6Gb connectors and everything is passive cooled. But as far as I can remember or think I read it somewhere AMD is not so good supported by Linux.
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#3
Perhaps my build has your same goal, http://forum.xbmc.org/showpost.php?p=704...tcount=221, isn't energy efficient as yours but it is very silent and with good power (think seriously to add a discrete card in your build) even with videogames. After the photos, I've put inside 3 HDD 3.5'' (I've no optical) and one noctua NF-S12B FLX. Hope that this can be useful to make comparisons.
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#4
Thanks guys.
@joethefox
Nice build you have there - thanks for the hints. I do like your case as well but it won't suit me as I can't fit 6 HDDs in. Otherwise I'd go for that.. I really don't need a separate graphics card as I have another PC for video editing and other highly graphics demanding work.
@Morrtin
Thanks for the hint with the i3. I will go for the 2105 in particular in the light of not having a discrete graphics card. That should give me some headroom for any upcoming 3D BD. The T version does not seem to be so impressive in savings and might actually be the worse choice in terms of efficiency (see here)
So if I was you I would not bother with the less powerful T version as it basically has the same power consumption in idle which will be the most important for you. The non-T version will give you the power you need for a linux software raid I am sure! No need for an i5!!

If you are not under time pressure I could find out for you if I'll get my stuff. Actually I will also run truecrypt through it - so you can see my confidence in the power of the i3 ;-)

And to add to your last point - yes, AMD builds have to be put together with a lot of care to be linux compatible so I personally wouldn't bother!
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#5
My setup is that I have

Intel I3-2100
Asus revision B3 with 6 SATA ports
4 x Harddrives
4 GB memory
LG blu-ray drive

My operating system is WHS 2011, and I have it running XBMC together with a lot of other programs.
XBMC is running as a local user, while the administrator can log on simultaniasly with rdp.
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#6
Pizzaice I have no time pressure. Smile

Here is my current list of items (not final I guess)

Case: Lian Li PC-Q08B black, Mini-DTX/Mini-ITX
PSU: Enermax ErPro80+ 350W ATX 2.3
Mobo: ASUS P8H67-I Rev 3.0, H67 (B3)
CPU: Intel Core i3-2105, 2x 3.10GHz
C-Cool: Scythe Big Shuriken 2 Rev. B
RAM: Corsair XMS3 DIMM Kit 8GB PC3-10667U CL9-9-9-24 (DDR3-1333)
HDD: 4x Seagate Barracuda Green 5900.3 2000GB, SATA 6Gb/s
HDD: 1x Crucial m4 SSD 64GB, 2.5", SATA 6Gb/s

The case doesn't have to be stylish because the server will be in my working room and will be connected to the TV in the living room.

SSD for the OS to be able to build a software raid 5 and to power down the raid when no data is needed.

Don't know if a fanless PSU is a good idea or not.

I hope this setup is quited and doesn't consume to much power and still can handle a Zentyal SBS, 2-3 additional server services, and the XBMC.

Let me know when you get your parts and what you find out. At the moment I can wait, but I don't know how long Big Grin
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#7
Just a quick note: Putting multiple hard drives into the same case can often result in resonances and beating waves. You'll always get some weird interference of the different drives' vibrations, but if you're unlucky you'll get beating waves - a periodic constructive interference. Translation: A humming that gets quiet then loud then quiet again over a few seconds. This is one (of many) reasons NAS's tend to be loud, and is particularly irritating because it's not constant. You can reduce hard drive noise (and therefore beating waves) with good damping (rubber grommets etc) but can never get rid of it completely.
Asus AT5IONT-I in an A+ CUPID-3 + 2TB Seagate LP + 16GB SSD + Ubuntu + Samba + XBMC

AT5IONT-I Problems? Check out my Motherboard I/O Map for troubleshooting tips.
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#8
Morrtin Wrote:Pizzaice I have no time pressure. Smile

Here is my current list of items (not final I guess)

Case: Lian Li PC-Q08B black, Mini-DTX/Mini-ITX
PSU: Sea Sonic X-Series Fanless X-400FL 400W ATX 2.3

I've just built an UnRAID server using the Lian Li Q08 and SeaSonic fanless. I would NOT recommend this combination for two reasons:
1. The Q08 does not have much space for the PSU. Newegg commenters suggest nothing longer than 6", and they are correct. The seasonic is 6.3" and you basically have to bend the wires at a very sharp angle. Get a shorter supply.
2. The SeaSonic fanless has huge warning signs all over it stating that it MUST be mounted horizontally, with the vents facing upwards. The Q08 (and most cases to be honest) only allows for vertical mounting.

In summary - it was very difficult to assemble, even with only 1 HDD and I expect it to overheat and fry itself when summer comes.
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#9
Very interesting points indeed.

Your setup sounds nice but even without reading teaguecl's post I would suggest saving the 70 bucks on the fanless power supply and get a bequiet! 350 watt one instead. They are really really quiet and you won't notice a huge difference to fanless, in particular if the pc will be in your working room.
Appreciate the warning teaguecl!

Thanks for bringing up the resonance issue numb7rs - it is something I have been thinking about but I don't really see a business case in getting an additional NAS with processing power for truecrypt to be honest. This does however let me contemplate to go for a similar work - livingroom arrangement with a 10-15m HDMI cable. That might solve the issue and I also won't be killing my components by under-volting the fans cause I don't have to bear the noise that much..

Good stuff guys - keep the ideas coming Big Grin
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#10
Thanks for the tip with the dimensions of the PSU.

According to an other Forum where I read a lot (German one) Be quiet is not the best PSU from a power saving of view.

So I will go for a

Enermax ErPro80+ 350W ATX 2.3

Dimensions (W x H x D)
150mm x 85mm x 140mm
5.9" x 3.34" x 5.5"

I only need 3-4 m from working room to living room but as I am very often in my "working" room for working on my university stuff or playing games, I still don't like
to have a very lowed system. At the moment there is a QNAP TS-209 II and when there is no sound in the room then I can hear the fan of this NAS. But that's only
when no sound (nearly never) is in the room. But what I can here every time is this "clicking" from the hard drives. Even when they are spin down. I was told that
is the problem of Western Digital. That is the reason why I switch to Seagate.
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#11
My Q08-based HTPC/NAS has six 2TB WD Green drives, it's pretty damned quiet. Not totally silent, but the noise it does make is white noise, there's no perceptible tonal noise from the hard-drives, and certainly no beating.

I used this PSU

http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.ph...74&area=en

which was the shortest fully modular PSU I could find at the time. The stock fan is rubbish, so I swapped it (something I've done before and I'm comfortable with). That said I've had bad fan experiences from all the big names I've bought PSUs from, including Enermax and BeQuiet!! Smile These days I tend to buy PSUs presuming I'm going to have to swap the fan.
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#12
interesting PSU options.. Morrtin, could you post a link to the other forum where the bequiet! PSU was discussed?
and twelvebore - any chance you could upload some photos and specs of your built?

thanks
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#13
http://forum.nas-portal.org/showthread.p...wahl/page6


http://wiki.nas-portal.org/index.php/Pure_Power_L7_300W
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