Computer HW Suggestions
I often get questions about what to buy (or not), this is a short summary of my hardware suggestions for home workstations and servers, with focus on stable and quiet systems.
PSU¶
Brands to consider¶
- Antec
- Seasonic
Suggestion¶
ATX
- Seasonic X-series
- Value/Budget choice: Seasonic G-series
SFX
- Only Choice: Silverstone ST45SF-G 450W SFX
USB Power Supply / Charger¶
Brand to consider¶
- Anker
Suggestion¶
- Anker PowerPort+ 5
CPU cooler¶
Brands to consider¶
- Noctua
- Scythe
- Thermalright
Suggestion¶
Noctua NH-U12P
Cooling Fan¶
Brands to consider¶
- Nexus
- Noctua
Suggestion¶
Noctua NF-S12 Series (under volted)
Case¶
Brands to consider¶
- Antec
- Silverstone (HTPC)
- Supermicro
Suggestions¶
- Server: Antec P183
- Server with few or external disks:
- Storage Server: Supermicro SC721TQ-250B
- Workstation:
- MicroATX, Antec NSK3480
- ATX, Antec Sonata Proto
- HTPC Mini-ITX: Silverstone SST-SG06B
Motherboards¶
Brands to consider¶
- Supermicro
- Intel
- Tyan (sometimes have reasonably priced offerings)
ASUS
Suggestion¶
- Supermicro X10SDV-2C-TLN2F
- Supermicro A1SAM-2550F-O
Do not buy¶
ASUS E35M1-M PRO, as it can not handle IRQs properly
Or any ASUS board with a ASM1083 PCIx-PCI bridge, it is totally broken and ASUS does nothing!
CPU¶
- High-end Server: Entry level Intel XEON (e.g. E3-1200 series or XEON-D) and ECC memory modules
- Low-end Server: Intel Avoton and ECC memory modules
- Workstation: Intel i3/i5 or XEON E3-1200
- HTPC: Intel ATOM with Nvidia ION chip-set on the m/b.
- HTPC: SolidRun CuBox-i2eX (complete system with case) or Raspberry Pi 2 or 3.
Suggestion¶
- Intel XEON-D D1508 (high-end Server)
- Intel Avoton C2550 4-Core 14W TDP
Memory¶
Brands to consider¶
- Corsair
- Samsung
- Kingston (only ECC modules)
Storage¶
I strongly recommend you to use hot-swap cases for disks in a server setting. Replacing a failed drive by dismantling a sever case is way to risky when you RAID is already degraded (you want do get into consistent RAID state ASAP, not risk more faults).
You can use hot-swap enclosures for 5.25" inch bays or fully external. I personally try to use fully external so I can use a smaller case for the server it self. Or use the great little HP MicroServer.
SSDs I suggest you place in an internal enclosure for a 5.25" inch bay that holds 4x2.5" disks. Or put each of them in small external eSATA cases.
Brands to consider¶
- SSD
- Intel
- Samsung
- HDD
- Western Digital
- SLC USB stick
- Mach Xtreme Technology
Suggestions¶
SSD
- Best: Samsung SM863 (has power-loss data protection)
- Intel SSD DC S3500/S3510 (has power-loss data protection)
- Samsung 850 EVO (only together with UPS)
- Intel 320 Series SSD (has power-loss data protection)
HDD
- High End choice: WD - Red Pro
- Budget choice: WD - Red
SLC USB stick
- SLC NAND flash for server use: MX-ES Series, USB3.0 stick from Mach Xtreme Technology
Example Systems¶
XEN Server¶
Nice XEN server system where you can run file server (e.g. Debian with ZFS on Linux) in one domU and MythTV backend in an other with lots of room to grow.
dom0 boots from USB-stick, Storage domU with mirrored SSDs for SLOG and a fast SSD pool then add WD RED 3.5" disks mirrored for the data pool.
http://www.prisjakt.nu/list.php?l=3224975&view=m
"Entry level" XEN Server¶
Like above but Avoton based and a bit more simple in specs (e.g no SSDs) and in price:
http://www.prisjakt.nu/list.php?l=2206358&view=m
or
FreeNAS storage server¶
Small box with hot-swap disks and enough RAM to use ZFS
http://www.prisjakt.nu/list.php?l=2172522&view=m
Mini network server (e.g. FW)¶
Brand to consider¶
- Soekris - http://soekris.com/
Laptop¶
There seems to be only one place where you can buy laptops with GNU/Linux in Sweden: http://www.ggsdata.se/. (Note: I have not tried them yet.)
WLAN AP/Router¶
My requirements are stability and good indoor coverage. On top of this it is mandatory that OpenWRT works on the device with no issues what so ever.
Suggestion¶
- TP-Link Archer C7 AC1750 v2.0, 16MB flash, 128 MB ram, 802.11 ac/n/g/b/a (2.4GHz and 5 GHz Bands), GBIC switch and USB.
VLAN Ethernet switch¶
Try to get a VLAN Ethernet switch with security features like Port Security, DHCP-snooping and Storm control. For me it is also essential that it can be manged via SSH and that the switch is fan-less.
Suggestion¶
- TP-Link TL-SG3216
UPS¶
Brands to consider¶
- APC
- Eaton
Suggestion¶
- Line-interactive for home servers and workstations
-
Offline for switches, modems, wlan-ap:s, etc.
-
APC Smart-UPS is a good family of line-interactive UPSes
- Eaton 3S is a good offline UPS choice
Note that if you have a PSU with Active PFC you should select a UPS with true sine wave output like the APC Smart-UPS series (avoid Smart-UPS SC) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APC_Smart-UPS
Where to buy the more hard to get stuff¶
Supermicro stuff & HDDs for RAID use - http://mullet.se