Media server PC??

[Cotton_Cup]

My dad's asking me about him getting a media pc where he stores all his media files and yeah he plans to access it with his other pc like file sharing. this is what came up with me.

Processor: AMD A4-5300 (54.99$)
Motherboard: MSi FM2-A75IA (89.99$)
Memory: Corsair Vengance 4GB (2X2GB) 1600Mhz CL9 (29.99$)
Power Supply: Corsair CX430 (44.99$ +5$ off w/ promo and 24.99$ after rebate)
Graphics Card: (not needed I guess)
Chassis: Bitfenix Prodigy White (89.99$ this one is a must)
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 7200RPM (169.99$ +30$ off w/promo) x2 (not included in the budget)
SSD: (not needed I guess)
ODD: (not needed I guess)

Total: 309.95 (W/o HDD & Promo)

used newegg site for reference. the case is fixed he loves the way it look so we can't change it. the HDD is already ordered. and well he will probably order the case somewhere else since it's out of stock.

what do you guys think about the other parts? his budget is 300$ and maybe 10$-20$ max (shipping not included).

is that good or are there better parts for it. of course the cheaper the better. btw are there any other parts needed so other devices like phones or laptops to connect to the pc?

[sttubs]

Wouldn't a NAS be cheaper, if he's just looking for more storage? Or is he planning on using it as a HTPC?


Edit: Argh, sorry about the double post.

[Cotton_Cup]

nah it's ok, well he can still return the hdd's which I believe he can since it hasn't arrived yet(or i think cancel the order) i'll look into nas is that the red one from wd?? ahahaha got no idea for now I'll post again once i know something little about nas.

but no he won't be using it for htpc it's like just there with the case no monitor 24/7 just so device can access the files like play vids or something.

[newtekie1]

Everything looks good parts wise, I don't see anything super obvious that I would change.

Originally Posted by sttubs

Wouldn't a NAS be cheaper, if he's just looking for more storage? Or is he planning on using it as a HTPC?


Edit: Argh, sorry about the double post.

Inexpensive NAS devices suck, they are usually underpowered and slow. It is better to just build an actual media server. And since a server can be build that would destroy any NAS in performance for $300, cheaper actually if he wasn't buying a $90 case, I don't see much point in a NAS unless you really want something compact.

[Cotton_Cup]

I see, but my dad fell in love with the case when I was showing him some video's on youtube while he was looking for chassis. btw do you guys know any intel alternative? well since this would be on for 24/7 and yeah amd are pretty heavy on the electricity bill or so I hear.

[newtekie1]

Intel alternatives:

ASRock H77M-ITX $99.99
Intel Celeron G540 $49.99

Both the Intel and AMD processors are rated as 65w, so the Intel probably would be a few watts less, but nothing that would actually matter. Unfortunately, Ivy Bridge processors haven't made their way into the low end yet.

Of course the AMD system gives all SATA 6.0Gbps ports, but that won't really matter if you plan on using all mechanical hard drives.

[Cotton_Cup]

yeah there won't be any ssd in there just seagate barracuda's

[TriggerWolf]

I don't know if it appeals to you, but why not an Atom based system?

I have an Atom 330 with ION graphics and it can easily playback 1080p. I could even play a few games on it.

Of course I built the rig for low power consumption and as file/media server, as it's on 24/7. It has a Zotac ION ITX, Atom 330, 4GB DDR2 800, 2x Barracuda ES.2 1TB RAID1 and 80GB 2.5" 7.2kRPM Hitachi for OS, 300W Delta 80+ Bronze PSU all inside a Lian-Li PCQ-11B case.

I know the ES.2 are not the most power friendly HDDs, but they were a bargain and I needed more space than the 2 500GB WD Green gave me, and also much faster.

[Cotton_Cup]

are those atoms the already built ones?

[TriggerWolf]

Originally Posted by Cotton_Cup

are those atoms the already built ones?

There are nettop PCs that are based on Atoms, but you can buy motherboards with Atom CPUs, they are soldered to the mobo. Here's a good example. Note I preferred the older generation atom due to it using desktop DDR3 RAM, 4 SATA ports, a m-PCIE and a PCI-E 1x slot.

Here's more from Zotac, Gigabyte and ASUS (select Intel CPU on board), but do stay away from the very old 945G chipset based if you consider an Atom system.

Regarding AMD CPU on board I can't tell you about those as I have very little knowledge of those.


It's true that Atoms are quite under-performing, but they also draw very little power, my system, from my calculations, at full load draws at most about 50W, and idling, as file server, should be roughly 35W. I prefered a Zotac ION ITX D-E over a (IIRC) AMD 700 series ITX + LE1640b due to the big power difference.

[Vulpesveritas]

Originally Posted by TriggerWolf

There are nettop PCs that are based on Atoms, but you can buy motherboards with Atom CPUs, they are soldered to the mobo. Here's a good example. Note I preferred the older generation atom due to it using desktop DDR3 RAM, 4 SATA ports, a m-PCIE and a PCI-E 1x slot.

Here's more from Zotac, Gigabyte and ASUS (select Intel CPU on board), but do stay away from the very old 945G chipset based if you consider an Atom system.

Regarding AMD CPU on board I can't tell you about those as I have very little knowledge of those.


It's true that Atoms are quite under-performing, but they also draw very little power, my system, from my calculations, at full load draws at most about 50W, and idling, as file server, should be roughly 35W. I prefered a Zotac ION ITX D-E over a (IIRC) AMD 700 series ITX + LE1640b due to the big power difference.

As for the Brazos AMD APUs, they outperform the Intel Atom chips, but consume about 10 watts more at load. They are also a good choice, especially if you want a slightly better system than you'll get with an Atom.
A couple of boards;
ASRock E350M1/USB3 AMD E-350 APU (1.6GHz, Dual-Cor...
ASUS E45M1-M PRO AMD E-450 APU AMD Hudson M1 Micro...

[Wrigleyvillain]

Originally Posted by TriggerWolf

It's true that Atoms are quite under-performing, but they also draw very little power, my system, from my calculations, at full load draws at most about 50W, and idling, as file server, should be roughly 35W. I prefered a Zotac ION ITX D-E over a (IIRC) AMD 700 series ITX + LE1640b due to the big power difference.

Thinking about one of these for a domain controller/nameserver box for my home lab.

[brandonwh64]

Unless you are going to be using the media server directly on a TV then a H61/G440 would do the trick cheap.