I haven’t built a TrueNAS system before, but I believe the configuration below would provide a reliable way to back up my most important files. Before I begin purchasing the components, I’d appreciate some reassurance that there are no obvious hardware compatibility issues.
The primary purpose of this NAS is to maintain a secure copy of critical data. I realise the proposed hardware may be somewhat overkill for this use case, but my goal is to keep the system as compact and quiet as possible.
Proposed build:
Component
Selection
Case
Generic TA80 ITX Case
CPU
Intel Core i3-9100T
CPU Cooler
Thermalright AXP90-X36
Motherboard
AsRock Rack E3C246D2I
Memory
Crucial CT16G4XFD8266 16 GB * 2 (32GB)
Boot OS SSD
Western Digital SN520 128GB
Data SSD
Samsung 980 1TB * 4 (in RAID-Z2)
PCIe Bifurcation NVMe Adapter
GLOTRENDS PA40
PSU
PicoPSU-160-XT
I’m hoping to configure the BIOS and install TrueNAS using the motherboard’s VGA output.
My understanding is that this motherboard does not support PCIe bifurcation at x4/x4/x4/x4, which is why I’m considering an active adapter such as the GLOTRENDS PA40 for the Samsung 980 NVMe drives—though I’m happy to be corrected if that assumption is incorrect.
Does anyone see any potential issues with this build that might prevent it from working as intended?
If your goal of SFF, quiet and efficient operation is worth the relatively huge cost of the SSDs compared to two HDDs to you then I see no issues with your part list - @Farout 's recommendation is worth considering as well though, especially because of the 10GbE and bifuraction. Running an all NVMe NAS on 1GbE would be a really huge bottleneck, even for backups (if your network could theoretically handle 10 or at least 2.5G).
I’ve reviewed the board and the referenced thread, and it looks like it should meet my needs.
I found some of these boards on eBay around $230 USD, and I’m considering one. I’ve asked the seller to confirm the CPU and board revision—hoping it’s a D-1521. If that’s the case, will this board work for my setup?
Also, can anyone confirm whether the Samsung M393A2K43BB1-CTD is compatible with the X10SDV-4C-TLN2F?
Yeah - I was thinking of adding a Noctua NF-A6x15-PWM with an adapter or the Gelid Solutions Silent 5 (50mm). I was hesitant to get the version with the fan as most people did say it has an annoying whine, which I know will drive me mad.
If it’s not a D-1540 or D-1520 it should bifurcate x4x4x4x4.
If possible, get a board with a passive heatsink, and put a NF-A4x25 on it. Active heatsinks have a noisy fan (high-pitch whine). Don’t forget the I/O shield…
Samsung DDR4 RDIMM: Should work (not at 2666 MHz, of course).
Thanks for the reminder about the I/O shield — I’ve reached out to the seller to check on that.
Also, thanks for confirming that the Samsung RAM should work. I’m aware it’s 2666 MHz rather than 2133 MHz or 2400 MHz, but given the current state of the memory market, I wasn’t able to find other suitable options locally.
There are a few tweaks compared to what I mentioned earlier today, but I think this setup should cover everything I need.
If anyone spots any potential issues or has suggestions for improvements , I’d really appreciate your thoughts. I’m planning to finalize the order for the parts I don’t already have by Sunday evening, so any feedback before then would be amazing!
I thought the GLOTRENDS PA41 was a passive card, while the GLOTRENDS PA40 was an active card. I will need to check again and decide what to do. I chose the PA41 due to its compact size.
Thank you for your suggested card, if I have to go with that then I will have to find a new case as well as I doubt it will fit in my TA80 case.
For some reason this “passive” board has a ASMEDIA chip on it. Dont ask me why, because if the motherboard supports 4x4x4x4x bifurcation, you dont need any sort of additional chipset. Just PCB traces.
The small heatsink on this PA41 is puzzling…
Here’s the kind of adapter I would trust. A sub-question is whether there’s enough cooling, especially to the drives on the back side.
Oh dear… A PCIe 2.0 5-port switch. That’s how the PA41 comes so cheap. But then even its product description is total crap: It does not require bifurcation, but it falls very, very far from PCIe 4.0.
Thanks for finding this. Keeping the system cool has been a minor concern of mine as well. I’ve considered adding thermal pads to the chips and controller, but given the current setup, I’m not entirely sure what additional steps I could take. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks everyone for your help — it’s been much appreciated. With the exception of the case and PSU, I’ve now ordered the remaining parts that I didn’t already have. Unfortunately, I’ve been advised that there’s a lead time of around three months on some components. Once I start assembling everything, I’ll be sure to post an update.
, I’d really appreciate your thoughts. I’m planning to finalize the order for the parts I don’t already have by Sunday evening, so any feedback before then would be amazing!
That’s how the PA41 comes so cheap. But then even its product description is total crap: It does not require bifurcation, but it falls very, very far from PCIe 4.0.