New to TrueNas Scale: Will my build work?

TrueNAS General
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Hi everybody,

I am Chris from Germany and new to the world of TrueNas. After being a long-term Synology user, I want to switch to TrueNas Scale and, therefore, build my own system.

I hope that I will get some feedback, if my build will work for the newest version of TrueNas Scale.

What is the porpuse of my system?
I want to be future-proof / expandable. My system should be able to work for the next 10 years (I will only switch it on a few times per month, no 24/7 operation).
I will use it as data-storage / backup, no VMs or Docker.

What I think about my system?
Maybe it is “overkill” (from a hardware / performance point of view). However, I want to build it one time and it should last 10 years with the option to add more harddrives at a later stage. So I am willing to “outperform” data-storage use cases for the sake of convenience and to know that it will also perform later on, if i add more storage.

My system:

Case:
Fractal Design Define 7 XL BK (is able to accommodate 18 harddisks).

Mainboard:
Asus Pro WS W680-Ace (Workstation-Mainboard, ECC-Support, 1x SlimSas, 4x SATA → with the right cable from SlimSas to SATA, I should be able to connect 8 harddisks)

CPU:
Intel Core i9-12900K (maybe overkill)

RAM:
2x Micron RDIMM 16GB, DDR5-4800, reg ECC and on-die ECC

Power Supply:
Seasonic Vertex PX-1000 ATX 3.0 1000 Watt (has 18 SATA connectors)

Harddisks:
For now: 6x Seagate Ironwolf Pro 22 TB (which will be 1 vdev with RaidZ2).
For the future: Enough place in the case and support by power supply to add 2 additional vdevs with 6 HDDs each (so 18 HDDs total in 3 vdevs).

I know that I will need an additional Host Bus Adapter - Card for additional SATA-Connectors, if I add more drives. However, for the 6 HDDs to start with, I will only use the mainboard connectors.

I want to have a reasonable silent system, therefore I will only use Noctua fans.

Now the big questions:
Is my build compatible with TrueNas Scale?
Do I miss something in my thinking process?

Any feedback / information is very welcome :-).

Thank you and best regards,
Chris from Germany

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I forgot to add the SSDs:
I want add 2x Western Digial WD Black SN850 NVMe SSDs with 500 GB. This should be the boot SSDs with TrueNas Scale (mirrored).

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My initial take is that you are, indeed, overspending.
Sure, buying 10-year old used server equipment might not be ideal when your stated plan is for it to last another 10 years, but even so, you’re in my opinion wasting money.

You didn’t mention fan configuration but I suspect you will trouble cooling the drives even when you use premium Noctua. The case is not designed for optimal airflow over all the spots you will be putting drives in to get it all the way to 18.

Which takes us to the hope that it will be reasonably silent. A system with 18 drives and adequate cooling will make noise when it’s on. I guess it comes down to your definition of “reasonable”.

Personally, I’d look into used server gear from 4-6 years ago.

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IMHO in your place, i would spend less on boot drives [1], on CPU [2]… For put more RAM and a platinum PSU.

  1. 2 x120gb will be more than enough, or even 1 only disk if you can backup config ↩︎

  2. an i9 for only storage Is oversized, and watt waste ↩︎

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I was going to correct you in regards to the ECC support but to my surprise, it is supported. Thanks for sharing your build :slight_smile:

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Thank you neofusion for your feedback :-).

Yes, it is one of my main reasons, why I am willing to “overspend”. I don’t want to buy an old server and add 10 more years to the lifespan. I can sleep better, when I know that it’s a fancy new server, which is expandable and will last very long into the future ;).

Thank you for pointing out the cooling issue with this case! I’ve just checked the documentation of the fractal case and, indeed, 3 drives would be added at the top of the case (if fully populated with 18 drives) and hide some ventilation vents / possible fan locations. Maybe it’s better to stick “just” with the storage-slots at the front of the case, which is located very near to the front fans.

Thank you again for your feedback!

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Thank you for your feedback, oxyde :-).

I will consider to add more RAM (especially if I add more drives in the future).

Yes, I was also thinking about a smaller SSD drive. However, from a price point of view, it doesn’t change much. The price differences for 250 GB or 500 GB are very small (I don’t even get a 120 GB SSD at my local computer shop, which I like - therefore, I want to support this shop and buy my build at this store).

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The suggested Seasonic Vertex PX-1000 is platinum with a 12-year warranty.
It was one of the pieces I was happy with.

Not sure more RAM will be helpful in a “data-storage / backup” “a few times per month” scenario, but I may underestimate it’s usefulness. If the OP is going to use DEDUP, that changes drastically. Don’t use DEDUP. Realistically, it’s for specialised cases only.

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@argumentum: You are welcome :wink:

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I mentioned the “Seasonic Vertex PX-1000 1000W ATX 3.0” in my first post. If you use the same, I will definitely take it as a recommendation ;).

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Mmm i see was Gold, i probably pick the wrong one :thinking:

Edit: yeah, definetly picked the wrong one!

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It’s definitely a platinum.

Maybe you saw the “Seasonic Vertex GX-1000 1000W ATX 3.0”. This one is gold.

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Yep, was editing the previous message, i picked another model. My bad!

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As nobody is saying so far: “This build will never work”… am I correct to reason that this build will work with TrueNas scale? :wink:

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What’s good for storage now will still be good in ten years. Some here still use, and may recommend, Broadwell-era Xeon D-1500 systems (still sold new by the way…)

Will be a pain to wire for 18 drives, cost several times the price of the case for extra drive holders, and may not be that good at cooling the drives, including those in front (due to these holders…).
Think hard how many drives you’d want, and consider downsizing the case accordingly, or relying on external SAS shelves to host more drives.

A non-K CPU would serve you just as good. Overkill, yes.

Core and Xeon E CPUs use UDIMM, not RDIMM!

For RDIMM, go for Atom C3000 / Xeon-D / Xeon Scalable / EPYC (not 4004P).
A DDR4 RDIMM system would be a very good basis for storage server.

Since you’re in Germany…

55 E with cooler. 6 SATA for your first vdev. Add a Ryzen 5600 (non-X) or similar ECC-capable AM4 Ryzen CPU and 32 GB of DDR4 ECC UDIMM and you’re set.
Open x4 slot for a 10 GbE NIC, if that is in your plan.
x16 slot for your future HBA. You can use a x8x4x4 riser to host 2 M.2 in this slot alongside the HBA. (But a single M.2 boot drive, in the on-board x1 slot, will do for home use.)

Intel Core with ECC support:
Up to Cascade Lake (8th/9th gen.) Core i3, with C2x2/ C2x6 chipset
Comet/Rocket Lake (10th/11th): none (mandatory use of Xeon E-2300 with C252/C256, or Xeon W-1200/1300 with W480/W580 chipset)
Alder Lake and later (12th gen. onwards) Core i5 and higher (not i3)

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Sounds like a great build.

Way overkill for the scenario outlined. Maybe in the next 10 years you’ll begin using it for more :wink:

Also, you should leave your hibernating system enough time periodically to run scrubs and smart extended tests. Perhaps once a month.

(Edit: no I have not compatibility checked all components of your build)

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Wow, so much new and useful information. Thank you etorix :-).
I have never considered an external SAS shelve - will investigate… .

Yes, definitely overkill - I acknowledge that now ;).

Thank you for pointing to this issue! I will check other RAMs.

Thank you for this alternative solution. I will check it out (but I think I will stick to my “overspending” campaign :sunglasses:

Okay, with 12th and i5+ I am on the good side ;).

Thank you etorix!

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I want to be clear, I don’t use that specific PSU myself but I am very happy with the Seasonic PSU’s I do have.

With your stated goal of 10 years of service it makes sense to have a quality PSU and the one you chose looks like it fits the bill.

I understand you want to support your local shop, but if things had been different and you had picked used gear I would still recommend a new PSU to pair it with.

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Damn! I may fail to put on my Winnielinnie’s hat and ask for a moderate consulting fee of 10% of your savings… :stuck_out_tongue:

If you insist on overspending to have a “current” CPU and socket rather than “previous-generation-still-sold-new” (in ten years, both will look equally obsolete but one will have cost you twice as much as the other), consider also:

Still DDR5 UDIMM, but you gain IPMI for remote administration. And the “full server” kick.

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haha… well, nice try :-).

However, I think I am already in love with my build suggestion (and different RAMs, thanks to you ;).