[snowboarder33]

Never built a computer before, so beware of an amateur.

Case - Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower - 44.99 (AR)
MOBO - Gigabyte GA-78LMT-S2P Socket AM3+ 760G mATX AMD - 44.99 (AR)
CPU - AMD A6 X3 3500 2.1GHz Triple Core Socket FM1 -49.99
PSU - Corsair Builder Series CMPSU-430CXV2 430 Watt ATX - 28.24 (AR)
RAM - Crucial 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 - 21.99
Total = $190.20 (After Rebates)

Planning on using it as storage for HTPC streaming and for torrent seeding. Probably will start out for awhile with only 6 HDs, so considering the MOBO and the case, I don't believe I'll need any additional hardware for that amount of hard drives.

1. Are these components all compatible?
2. Which components am I missing? (Not sure what a PCI card is or if I need it, Network card, etc.)
3. How is this build for a basic NAS server?
4. Any other suggestions on hardware/other options?

Would very much appreciate any feedback. Thanks!

[jangjong]

What will you use for the OS?

According to some threads and wiki over at unRAID, ( http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.p...ic=18287.0 ) this mobo has Realtek 8111E chipset and some say it can cause problems..

so to use it for unRAID, may have to do more research.

but if you are going with Windows 7 + Flexraid or other option, i think it should be fine.

[Dougie Fresh]

The motherboard and CPU are not compatible. The motherboard is AM3+ and the CPU is FM1.

[snowboarder33]

What will you use for the OS?

According to some threads and wiki over at unRAID, ( http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.p...ic=18287.0 ) this mobo has Realtek 8111E chipset and some say it can cause problems..

so to use it for unRAID, may have to do more research.

but if you are going with Windows 7 + Flexraid or other option, i think it should be fine.

Haven't really decided that yet. Since I am completely new to this area, it seems like unRAID is the most user friendly - unless I'm mistaken? Is Flexraid similar to unRAID?

Or I could just switch out the MOBO. How about this one? BIOSTAR A880GZ AM3+ AMD 880G The reason why I was hestitant with the Biostar is because it only has 4 SATA ports, which means only 4 HD connection right? And its "6Gb/s" - not sure what that means, whether it be good or bad.

Thanks!

[snowboarder33]

The motherboard and CPU are not compatible. The motherboard is AM3+ and the CPU is FM1.

Good catch - I wouldn't have known better! Then scratch my reply above, because I can see the Biostar is AM3+ as well.

So I did a little searching for a FM1 MOBO, keeping a price range of about $50 in mind and here is what I found:

GIGABYTE GA-A55M-DS2 FM1 AMD A55 (Hudson D2) Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
MSI A55M-P33 FM1 AMD A55 (Hudson D2) Micro ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
ASRock A55M-HVS FM1 AMD A55 (Hudson D2) HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

Out of those three, which would be the best? Or is there is a better choice in that price range with the FM1 socket, since I want to stick with the same CPU?

What stands out to me is the Gigabyte only has 4 SATAs.

[jangjong]

The motherboard and CPU are not compatible. The motherboard is AM3+ and the CPU is FM1.

Hah. I didn't pay attention to the cpu at all lol

[Dougie Fresh]

Given the price you posted for the A6-3500 I am going to guess you're going to MicroCenter?

If they have the Intel Celeron G530 or 540, look at that for $34.99. Then pair that with an ATX or micro-ATX board with 6-8 SATA ports and you're good to go.

See here too: http://www.assassinserver.com/

[snowboarder33]

Given the price you posted for the A6-3500 I am going to guess you're going to MicroCenter?

If they have the Intel Celeron G530 or 540, look at that for $34.99. Then pair that with an ATX or micro-ATX board with 6-8 SATA ports and you're good to go.

See here too: http://www.assassinserver.com/

You are correct.

According to their website, they only carry the Intel Pentium G630 for $49.99. Newegg has the G530/540 for around $50. And the cheapest Intel MOBO with 6 SATAs runs about $90. So unless those parts would be necessary, I don't see how going that route would be better. Could you elaborate?

[assassin]

Given the price you posted for the A6-3500 I am going to guess you're going to MicroCenter?

If they have the Intel Celeron G530 or 540, look at that for $34.99. Then pair that with an ATX or micro-ATX board with 6-8 SATA ports and you're good to go.

See here too: http://www.assassinserver.com/

And the cheapest Intel MOBO with 6 SATAs runs about $90. So unless those parts would be necessary, I don't see how going that route would be better. Could you elaborate?

That's not correct.

[snowboarder33]

You're right. I did some more digging and the cheapest I could find was the ASRock H61M/U3S3 Intel H61 for $67. Still a lot more expensive then the AMD alternative. And I still don't know why I would be going the Intel route instead.

[snowboarder33]

See here too: http://www.assassinserver.com/

Also, I don't see anything useful on that website. Looks like you need to make a donation in order to see anything and I don't feel like paying for something which I have no idea what I am getting or what to expect. Do you perhaps have another website that may be helpful?

[jangjong]

I was able to snatch G530 when it was $34.99 at MC.. I got lucky on that one i guess. I was able to build my server under $100 initially..

I don't think MC's have them anymore, but if you want to spend the least amount of money and going with unRAID, you may want to think about getting http://www.microcenter.com/single_produc...id=0373195

A lot of people over at unRAID likes Semprons and recommend it for budget unRAID builds.
It would be compatible with the MOBO you picked initially (GA-78LMT-S2P), but then over at unRAID forum, people don't really recommend any of Gigabyte boards. It's because of some BIOS feature that they generally have.. but I don't have too much info on that... some people actualyl use gigabytes for unRAID though, so I may be totally wrong.

Also, if you're not in a hurry, wait for PSU to be on sale to save few more bucks. CX430 goes on sale under $20 every month. I bought mine for $20 AR.

[assassin]

See here too: http://www.assassinserver.com/

Also, I don't see anything useful on that website. Looks like you need to make a donation in order to see anything and I don't feel like paying for something which I have no idea what I am getting or what to expect. Do you perhaps have another website that may be helpful?

Table of contents located here: http://www.assassinserver.com/?page_id=40

A few reviews of my other guides located here: http://assassinhtpcblog.com/?page_id=161

[snowboarder33]

I was able to snatch G530 when it was $34.99 at MC.. I got lucky on that one i guess. I was able to build my server under $100 initially..

I don't think MC's have them anymore, but if you want to spend the least amount of money and going with unRAID, you may want to think about getting http://www.microcenter.com/single_produc...id=0373195

A lot of people over at unRAID likes Semprons and recommend it for budget unRAID builds.
It would be compatible with the MOBO you picked initially (GA-78LMT-S2P), but then over at unRAID forum, people don't really recommend any of Gigabyte boards. It's because of some BIOS feature that they generally have.. but I don't have too much info on that... some people actualyl use gigabytes for unRAID though, so I may be totally wrong.

Also, if you're not in a hurry, wait for PSU to be on sale to save few more bucks. CX430 goes on sale under $20 every month. I bought mine for $20 AR.

Well I'm not not on a SUPER tight budget, so I am not really trying to go for the cheapest build possible. Just trying to build a quality, entry level system.

The processor you linked is not an APU, so I would need to buy a GPU, correct? Anyways, the price is $34.99, wouldn't it be better to just spend an extra $15 and get the A6-3500 (an APU unit)?

Regarding the power supply, yeah I've seen it go for $20 too, but I mean it is on sale for $28, so $8 isn't that big of a deal.

Time frame wise, I'm not sure when exactly I'll get around to building it. Currently studying for the CPA exam, but if it would only take a couple hours to setup - I could manage that.

[jangjong]

Well I'm not not on a SUPER tight budget, so I am not really trying to go for the cheapest build possible. Just trying to build a quality, entry level system.

The processor you linked is not an APU, so I would need to buy a GPU, correct? Anyways, the price is $34.99, wouldn't it be better to just spend an extra $15 and get the A6-3500 (an APU unit)?

Regarding the power supply, yeah I've seen it go for $20 too, but I mean it is on sale for $28, so $8 isn't that big of a deal.

Time frame wise, I'm not sure when exactly I'll get around to building it. Currently studying for the CPA exam, but if it would only take a couple hours to setup - I could manage that.

Actually, G530 has integrated gpu in it. Intel HD 2000 i think.. And they the processor itself performabout the same. or G530 has slightly higher rank over at http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php
I'd get G540 since MC has it for the same price, and slightly better than G530..

I think A6-3500 is better for a htpc, but G540 is better for NAS Server. that's just my opinion though. Well that's my setup at least. A6-3500 for HTPC and G530 for the server..

My gf is studying for CPA exams as well! Good luck with that! I hear it's hell on earth. Literally.