I’m looking for some advice or alternate perspectives on what I should do with my server.
I built it in 2018 with a Ryzen 2700X, X470 Taichi, 32GB RAM, 1080TI, and it’s (now) up to around 100TB raw in storage space that I’ve been adding bit by bit in this Fractal Define R6 case. It hosts Plex, the *arr stack, Qbit, but also is used for my general purpose PC stuff like shitposting, 3d printing (CAD and slicers), retro gaming (roms and emulators), general NAS storage, etc and it all runs on Windows 10 (which is where the issue arises).
I knew long term that Windows would be an issue (but didn’t and still don’t have adequate knowledge of Linux), and it’s now to the point that things are becoming a bit unstable and I would like to split the server stuff out from everything else and put it in a dedicated machine. In addition to the above services, I also have a Pi with HomeAssistant that I’d like to migrate to the new server along with setting up Frigate to gain some object recognition with my NVR camera setup
I am wanting to do this in the most efficient and economical way but I’m not sure what the best path to choose is.
Option A) Slap a Ryzen 5xxx into my current system and migrate to another OS like TrueNAS, build something small and lightweight for general PC stuff
Pros- Less stuff to buy
Cons- data migration out of Windows (SnapRAID + Drivepool) will be an issue as I’ll need to have both the ‘old’ and ‘new’ server running at the same time to copy everything over
Option B) build a new server
Pros- can switch to Intel for the iGPU, newer hardware with more longevity and efficiency, data migration is easier
Cons- more cost, I’ll want to reuse my case so I’ll need to cobble together a solution during data migration, not sure what to do the current hardware that’s leftover as I’m not big on Marketplace selling.
Option C) ??
I’m not exactly dead set on what to run on the server for an OS or hypervisor. I’ve briefly looked at Proxmox which would be nice for my dynamic interests but as I said I’m not exactly proficient in Linux for the media OS. I recently saw a video on TrueNAS which appeared easier to setup and manage, but it doesn’t seem to be the right choice for VMs and whatnot.
And advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated!
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I moved from a 2700x to a 5700g. iGPU and faster than the old one, but compatible with my old mainboard.
My advice is to put all the server-y stuff on a server and use other machines for the rest. Far easier to keep that stuff separated, although you need an additional machine.
it all runs on Windows 10 (which is where the issue arises)
what ‘issue’? your hardware should ‘officially’ support win11.
The problem is not that it’s Windows 10 instead of 11, the problem is that it’s Windows.
Pretty much. The system isn’t designed to run 24/7 and I wind up with lots of glitchyness, programs freezing, and just generally weird behavior as of late. I want something I can just tuck away and ignore for the most part.
If you’re near a Microcenter, this makes an excellent deal. 12700K bundled with mobo and 16 GB RAM.
I got this bundle and it’s been amazing. I use my single machine for all services due to space constraints. The CPU never goes beyond 30%. The downside is it uses DDR4 so you’re still on older hardware. Still completely viable for everyday use.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails?ItemList=Combo.4762942
This is not as good a deal but it’s available for shipping. RAM isn’t included.
A few things that might help narrow options down:
- What’s your budget?
- Do you expect to host more stuff in the future? Do you need more RAM/CPU performance?
- How much physical space do you have? Do you have a place where could store equipment if it were noisier?
- How expensive is your electricity? Is efficiency important?
- How much of your 100TB is full?
-I don’t have a set budget, but like I said, would prefer to spend the least amount while meeting my needs (I understand this is ambiguous). That could be $500 or $2k, but I don’t want to buy something like a Synology as I feel they’re a big waste of money especially with how many drives I have.
-Possibly. I have thought of hosting a Minecraft server for my daughter, Frigate as mentioned, and who knows what else. I think I have ADHD and pick up new projects left and right
-Physical space is actually a huge issue. I currently have my Fractal Define 6 sitting on my desk but my office is already jam packed with stuff and I can’t think of any other practical space in the house to keep an entire server plus all my networking stuff is in the office. The Define is actually quite silent for having 11 drives, a GPU and 6 fans inside of it.
-Electricity isn’t terribly expensive. I think it’s around $0.12KWh, though conserving energy would be a good thing, so I don’t think an old Xeon server would be a good fit.
-I think I have somewhere around 15TB free still. My storage is JBOD so some are only 8TB while the larger ones are 14TB (currently for parity). I plan on buying at least two more 14TB when I get this going so that I have plenty of space to condense things and form the new pool, and to phase out some of the smaller HDDs so that I can better utilize the storage and not waste TBs of space.
Physical space is actually a huge issue
Ah then I’d recommend keep the existing machine as the server (it sounds like it’s serving you well hardware wise), and get a SFF machine for regular desktop use, be that a new build or a used office machine. The trick will be in migrating the server to Linux, and without endangering your data in the process.
In short, I’d recommend option B/C, where you buy used enterprise grade equipment, learn to run Linux, and build out that way. I can’t overstate just how good a deal can be had on eBay, even from reputable sellers. This goes for everything, from the computer itself, to disk shelves, to HDDs and SSDs. Plus you’re reducing on e-waste! Used HDDs are a great deal if you buy enough to run redundancy (RAID 6 or equivalent), because the seller will often include a warranty (up to 5 years!). I’ve only had a handful of drive failures and 0 issues with warranty refund/exchanges.
You’re running roughly the same services as I do (though a bit more storage), so if it means anything, I’ve ended up using the following (all purchased used)
spoiler
- HP Z440 Workstation (upgraded over time)
- CPU: Intel Xeon E5-2698 V4 (20 core)
- RAM: 128GB DDR4 2133MT/s
- GPU: Intel Arc A380
- Storage: Boot SSD + HBA card for bulk storage
- 2 x Dell EMC KTN-STL3 JBOD
- 15 x 3.5" bays
- Mix of HDDs spread across the two JBODs
- 7 x 12TB
- 6 x 14TB
- 6 x 10TB
- 2 x 16TB
- 1 x 8TB
- 1 x HP QR490A JBOD
- 24 x 2.5" bays
- Mix of SSDs
- 6 x 3.84TB
- 5 x 1TB
Broadly, I find the following with my setup:
- Pros
- Easily expandable storage using a HBA
- High reliability (ECC memory, server grade equipment)
- Used equipment is cheap
- Cons
- Running mostly older-gen hardware, not cutting edge performance
- Bulky, noisy cooling, less power efficient
Examples of some of the deals I’ve personally gotten (ymmv, some were auctions):
- 5 x 3.84TB SAS SSDs
- $521.54 total (stunning deal, I got lucky)
- $104.31/drive
- $27.16/TB
- 5 x 960GB SAS SSDs
- $165.17 total
- $33.03/drive
- $34.41/TB
- 7 x 12TB Toshiba SAS HDDs
- $427.31 total
- $61.04/drive
- $5.09/TB
- 2 x 8TB Seagate SAS HDDs
- $49.99 total
- $25/drive
- $3.13/TB
- 2 x KTN-STL3 JBODs each including 15x3TB SAS HDDs
- $532.73 total
- $266.37/shelf
- $17.76/drive bay+drive
- $5.92/TB not including value of JBODs (~$150/each without drives)
- 5 x 3.84TB SAS SSDs
- HP Z440 Workstation (upgraded over time)