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**Force Flow** · 02-09-2008, 11:08 PM

Alright, since I was unable to find an inexpensive RAID 5 rackmount server in another thread, the alternative is to just build it myself. Since I haven't kept up with hardware all that much in the past couple years, I thought I'd toss this up so another pair of eyes could give it the once over.

Adaptec 2420SA 4-Ch SATA II RAID PCIx Controller 128MB No Cables Single RoHS
http://www.provantage.com/adaptec-22...r~7ADPD00T.htm

ASUS P5KPL-VM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...7&Tpk=P5KPL-VM

Intel E2180 Allendale 2.0GHz 1MB L2 Cache
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116052

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 CAS 5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145590

ENERMAX Whisper II EG565P-VE FMA(24P) ATX12V Ver 2.0 535W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817103512

(4) Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST380815AS 80GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148231

(4) OKGEAR 10" SATA II CABLE (since the RAID card doesn't come with any)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16812123107

Two things...First, I'm unsure about the PSU...I'm thinking it's a bit overkill for this, but with the number of drives I'll be putting in it, maybe not.

Second, a case. I'd like to find a smallish case that is designed to lay on its side rather than standing up (iif possible), and that can actually hold 4 HDDs and a CD drive (I have plenty of extra CD drives kicking around, so no need to get a new one)

Total comes to about $715 (minus the case, of course).

Any comments? Thanks

***glc*** · 02-10-2008, 12:35 AM

That's a PCI-X controller, not PCI or PCI-E. Here's a more suitable card:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16816103085

If you need to cut costs, any of the lesser E21xx processors would be fine.

Major overkill on the PSU.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371006

The only desktop style cases I can find with 4 internal 3.5" bays are Lian Li. Big $$$. Lots of 4+ bay midtowers though, Rosewills start at 20 bucks.

I'd get ES type drives - those are made for servers and raid. Less than twice the price and 3 times the capacity.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148309

The ram is also overkill, but the price is right. I use DDR2-667 with E21xx builds.

**Force Flow** · 02-10-2008, 01:38 AM

whoops, good catch on the RAID card

There's only about an $8 difference between the E2180 and the lesser models. Might as well just stick with the E2180.

I can't tell from the specs or the pics, but does that PSU have at least 4 SATA power connectors?

Storage capacity would be a bit overkill, but it looks like those 250GB drives are the smallest ones of the ES line.

This case looks good...the fan grills aren't sticking out from the side panel, which would've made stacking problematic:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811156053

doubledragon5 · 02-10-2008, 10:07 AM

It does have 4 sata connections florce flow, I checked the spec

adam416 · 02-10-2008, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Force Flow

Alright, since I was unable to find an inexpensive RAID 5 rackmount server in another thread, the alternative is to just build it myself. Since I haven't kept up with hardware all that much in the past couple years....

Continuing from the other thread..
1. Have you considered the warranty/ support you would get with a pre-built server? How much is that worth?
2. I thought you wanted a rack mountable case and not a tower that you can "stack" as you put it. We suggested using a tower server in your other thread. Why did you post a link to a tower case?

**Force Flow** · 02-10-2008, 11:20 AM

1. Yes...I'm satisfied with the manufacturer's warranty. Out of all the parts I've puchased over the years, if they're bad, they're either DOA or usually die right at the beginning.

2. $$$$. If building it myself saves me a grand, this build and O/S and licensing will fall around my original $2000 target price.

***glc*** · 02-10-2008, 11:29 AM

Adam, I'm sure he realizes the warranty issue, he's an IT pro. He built a raid server a couple of years ago for himself and all his personal computers are self-built and maintained. He's one of us - he's a retired moderator and former editor-in-chief of this site. I also believe he has given up on a prebuilt rackmount in his customer's budget.

Force, that case is pretty tinny, I'd look at some others.

Here's some other raid duty drives to look at that are smaller and cheaper:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136062

adam416 · 02-10-2008, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glc

Adam, I'm sure he realizes the warranty issue, he's an IT pro. He built a raid server a couple of years ago for himself and all his personal computers are self-built and maintained. He's one of us - he's a retired moderator and former editor-in-chief of this site. I also believe he has given up on a prebuilt rackmount in his customer's budget.

Okay, I didn't know his experience because I don't know him personally. I assumed otherwise because if someone has built RAID servers and desktops before I would think that's how they would handle this build. (Of course he may not want to put the time into building a computer. I can understand that.) Yes, it looks like he has given up on the pre-built rackmount but I didn't see where he stated that in a post. I mentioned in a post in his other thread that he could try looking at a tower server and he seemed to dismiss it. And now in this thread he went right for the tower server. As you know it helps when people state they are gonna try something else. This post is not meant to sound mean or bitter so please don't take it that way. It's hard to read the tone online.

**Force Flow** · 02-10-2008, 12:15 PM

The case is too small, even though it's a mid tower? What makes it too small?

Excellent, that HDD will do fine

[edit]: Adam, I did say in the other thread I was going to forgo the rackmount, since the price ended up being too high. The client was hoping for a rackmount, but since the price was too high, it was time to turn to alternatives.

***glc*** · 02-10-2008, 12:33 PM

Tinny as in flimsy, not tiny as in small.

doubledragon5 · 02-10-2008, 12:36 PM

You could check out this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811165007 It is a full tower and only $100.00

**Force Flow** · 02-10-2008, 12:52 PM

A little to expensive and too big.

I'm still going to be putting this thing on a rack (there's a shelf). A mid-tower would fit, but a full tower would be too tall to lay down on its side.

I was looking for something black and something that doesn't have a side air duct.

This looks a bit sturdier than the other one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811147093

***glc*** · 02-10-2008, 06:05 PM

That one is flimsy too - and the PSU is crap. I think you need to look in the $40 range without PSU to get any kind of sturdiness.

**Force Flow** · 02-10-2008, 06:35 PM

I was going to junk the PSU if the case came with one.

It's harder than I thought to find a black case with flat sides.

**Alaron** · 02-10-2008, 07:43 PM

How about an Antec? Price is ok after rebate. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129018

**Force Flow** · 02-10-2008, 08:38 PM

Looks like we have a winner

**Force Flow** · 02-26-2008, 04:44 PM

I finally ordered the parts for this today (actually saved a few bucks since some of the prices went down).

Thanks guys

piasabird · 02-27-2008, 09:19 AM

www.directron.com

This site seems to have some nice 4U and 3U cases.

http://www.directron.com/ds600s.html#caption
http://www.norcotek.com/item_detail....elno=rpc-9108s

I have never used this case but it says it has a back plane and hot swappable drive bays. Looks like you bought something else so it does not matter much.

brizey · 02-27-2008, 03:42 PM

DVR cases are usually rack mountable and can do 4 drives.

Lespaul20 · 02-27-2008, 03:48 PM

I don't think you needed to order the sata cables. Looks like the adaptec card has a special cable for that.

**Force Flow** · 02-27-2008, 08:11 PM

Aw, wish I saw those 4U cases earlier. Oh well.

Drat on the SATA cables. The other card I selected didn't come with them. Oh well (again).

02-09-2008, 11:08 PM	#1
Force Flow Barefoot on the Moon! Staff Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Northeastern USA Posts: 13,381	RAID 5 server Alright, since I was unable to find an inexpensive RAID 5 rackmount server in another thread, the alternative is to just build it myself. Since I haven't kept up with hardware all that much in the past couple years, I thought I'd toss this up so another pair of eyes could give it the once over. Adaptec 2420SA 4-Ch SATA II RAID PCIx Controller 128MB No Cables Single RoHS http://www.provantage.com/adaptec-22...r~7ADPD00T.htm ASUS P5KPL-VM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...7&Tpk=P5KPL-VM Intel E2180 Allendale 2.0GHz 1MB L2 Cache http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116052 CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 CAS 5 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145590 ENERMAX Whisper II EG565P-VE FMA(24P) ATX12V Ver 2.0 535W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817103512 (4) Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST380815AS 80GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148231 (4) OKGEAR 10" SATA II CABLE (since the RAID card doesn't come with any) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16812123107 Two things...First, I'm unsure about the PSU...I'm thinking it's a bit overkill for this, but with the number of drives I'll be putting in it, maybe not. Second, a case. I'd like to find a smallish case that is designed to lay on its side rather than standing up (iif possible), and that can actually hold 4 HDDs and a CD drive (I have plenty of extra CD drives kicking around, so no need to get a new one) Total comes to about $715 (minus the case, of course). Any comments? Thanks Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter __________________ There are two secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day, and you have to have a dream.

02-10-2008, 12:35 AM	#2
*glc* Forum Administrator Staff Premium Member Join Date: May 2000 Location: Joplin MO Posts: 37,765	That's a PCI-X controller, not PCI or PCI-E. Here's a more suitable card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16816103085 If you need to cut costs, any of the lesser E21xx processors would be fine. Major overkill on the PSU. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371006 The only desktop style cases I can find with 4 internal 3.5" bays are Lian Li. Big $$$. Lots of 4+ bay midtowers though, Rosewills start at 20 bucks. I'd get ES type drives - those are made for servers and raid. Less than twice the price and 3 times the capacity. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148309 The ram is also overkill, but the price is right. I use DDR2-667 with E21xx builds. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter

02-10-2008, 01:38 AM	#3
Force Flow Barefoot on the Moon! Staff Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Northeastern USA Posts: 13,381	whoops, good catch on the RAID card There's only about an $8 difference between the E2180 and the lesser models. Might as well just stick with the E2180. I can't tell from the specs or the pics, but does that PSU have at least 4 SATA power connectors? Storage capacity would be a bit overkill, but it looks like those 250GB drives are the smallest ones of the ES line. This case looks good...the fan grills aren't sticking out from the side panel, which would've made stacking problematic: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811156053 Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter

02-10-2008, 10:07 AM	#4
doubledragon5 Tanker Yanker Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Lewisville TX Posts: 2,920	It does have 4 sata connections florce flow, I checked the spec Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter __________________ MB: DFI Lanparty UT-NF4 SLI-D/Processor AMD Athlon 64x2 Toledo/video Card:XFX 9800GTX+/Audio:Sound Blaster Audigy 4/Ram:Corsair XMS Extreme 4x1Gig PC3200/HD:1x150GBWestern Digital Raptor 1x80GB Segate Beracuda 7200 SATA /Monitor:ASUS VS247 H-P 23.6"/Keyboard Mouse:Logitech Cordless Wave/Speakers: Logitech G51/Printer/Fax/Scanner:Brother MFC-685CW

02-10-2008, 11:20 AM	#6
Force Flow Barefoot on the Moon! Staff Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Northeastern USA Posts: 13,381	1. Yes...I'm satisfied with the manufacturer's warranty. Out of all the parts I've puchased over the years, if they're bad, they're either DOA or usually die right at the beginning. 2. $$$$. If building it myself saves me a grand, this build and O/S and licensing will fall around my original $2000 target price. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter

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02-10-2008, 11:29 AM	#7
*glc* Forum Administrator Staff Premium Member Join Date: May 2000 Location: Joplin MO Posts: 37,765	Adam, I'm sure he realizes the warranty issue, he's an IT pro. He built a raid server a couple of years ago for himself and all his personal computers are self-built and maintained. He's one of us - he's a retired moderator and former editor-in-chief of this site. I also believe he has given up on a prebuilt rackmount in his customer's budget. Force, that case is pretty tinny, I'd look at some others. Here's some other raid duty drives to look at that are smaller and cheaper: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136062 Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter

02-10-2008, 12:15 PM	#9
Force Flow Barefoot on the Moon! Staff Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Northeastern USA Posts: 13,381	The case is too small, even though it's a mid tower? What makes it too small? Excellent, that HDD will do fine [edit]: Adam, I did say in the other thread I was going to forgo the rackmount, since the price ended up being too high. The client was hoping for a rackmount, but since the price was too high, it was time to turn to alternatives. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter Last edited by Force Flow; 02-10-2008 at 12:21 PM.

02-10-2008, 12:33 PM	#10
*glc* Forum Administrator Staff Premium Member Join Date: May 2000 Location: Joplin MO Posts: 37,765	Tinny as in flimsy, not tiny as in small. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter

02-10-2008, 12:36 PM	#11
doubledragon5 Tanker Yanker Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Lewisville TX Posts: 2,920	You could check out this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811165007 It is a full tower and only $100.00 Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter

02-10-2008, 12:52 PM	#12
Force Flow Barefoot on the Moon! Staff Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Northeastern USA Posts: 13,381	A little to expensive and too big. I'm still going to be putting this thing on a rack (there's a shelf). A mid-tower would fit, but a full tower would be too tall to lay down on its side. I was looking for something black and something that doesn't have a side air duct. This looks a bit sturdier than the other one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811147093 Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter

02-10-2008, 06:05 PM	#13
*glc* Forum Administrator Staff Premium Member Join Date: May 2000 Location: Joplin MO Posts: 37,765	That one is flimsy too - and the PSU is crap. I think you need to look in the $40 range without PSU to get any kind of sturdiness. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter

02-10-2008, 06:35 PM	#14
Force Flow Barefoot on the Moon! Staff Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Northeastern USA Posts: 13,381	I was going to junk the PSU if the case came with one. It's harder than I thought to find a black case with flat sides. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter

02-10-2008, 07:43 PM	#15
Alaron Kickin' it Staff Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: USA Posts: 7,723	How about an Antec? Price is ok after rebate. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129018 Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter __________________ Fold for PCMech: Team 13761

02-10-2008, 08:38 PM	#16
Force Flow Barefoot on the Moon! Staff Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Northeastern USA Posts: 13,381	Looks like we have a winner Adaptec 2251800-R 4-lane PCIe SATA http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16816103085 ASUS P5KPL-VM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...7&Tpk=P5KPL-VM Intel E2180 Allendale 2.0GHz 1MB L2 Cache http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116052 CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 CAS 5 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145590 Antec earthwatts EA430 ATX12V v2.0 430W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371006 (4) Western Digital Caviar RE WD1600YS 160GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136062 (4) OKGEAR 10" SATA II CABLE http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16812123107 Antec Solo Black/Silver Steel ATX Mid Tower: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129018 Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter

02-26-2008, 04:44 PM	#17
Force Flow Barefoot on the Moon! Staff Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Northeastern USA Posts: 13,381	I finally ordered the parts for this today (actually saved a few bucks since some of the prices went down). Thanks guys Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter

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02-27-2008, 09:19 AM	#18
piasabird Member (11 bit) Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Confluence of the Mississippi and Misouri Rivers Posts: 1,242	www.directron.com This site seems to have some nice 4U and 3U cases. http://www.directron.com/ds600s.html#caption http://www.norcotek.com/item_detail....elno=rpc-9108s I have never used this case but it says it has a back plane and hot swappable drive bays. Looks like you bought something else so it does not matter much. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter

02-27-2008, 03:42 PM	#19
brizey Member (7 bit) Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Dallas, TX Metro Area Posts: 83	DVR cases are usually rack mountable and can do 4 drives. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter

02-27-2008, 03:48 PM	#20
Lespaul20 Member (11 bit) Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Iowa Posts: 1,652	I don't think you needed to order the sata cables. Looks like the adaptec card has a special cable for that. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter __________________ LP

02-27-2008, 08:11 PM	#21
Force Flow Barefoot on the Moon! Staff Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Northeastern USA Posts: 13,381	Aw, wish I saw those 4U cases earlier. Oh well. Drat on the SATA cables. The other card I selected didn't come with them. Oh well (again). Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter

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