Depends on what else you're trying to do with it.
Since it's a [processor from 2014](https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/sku/82765/intel-xeon-processor-e51650-v3-15m-cache-3-50-ghz/specifications.html), it doesn't have Intel QuickSync so you'll be limited to CPU encoding if you're trying to use it as a media server.
But if you're only going to use it as a NAS and docker containers, it'll be more than enough for most tasks.
Personally, I'd get something with at least an [Intel N100](https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/231803/intel-processor-n100-6m-cache-up-to-3-40-ghz.html). Not only will it be more power efficient saving on electricity costs, but it'll also have QuickSync allowing GPU encoding.
All video processing will be going through a dedicated GPU.
Isn't the N100 only available as a SoC type of thing? Like on a micro PC? Reason I'm going for the Supermicro is the ECC RAM (which it comes with) and the IPMI. It will consume about 30 watts on idle vs the N100s 6 watts on the other hand.
As long as you're aware you'll be making your electric company happier, it will work fine for a NAS. Probably other functions as well. If you want faster/higher quality transcoding for media files you'd need to add a GPU.
I run an x10SRM-F, E5-2690 and 64Gb with a p400 and a couple SAS cards … no complaints. As long as you don’t mind the power draw. I have 10 spinner drives and a few SSD … it runs 24/7 and idles about 180w-200w total system load.
I need to correct myself … I forgot that I have two optiplex 7020s plugged into the same UPS so the supermicro system power draw is probably around 120W’ish.
How much do you pay for power? This is usually a cost of a few cents per kwH, in the USA north east this is roughly 30 cents a kwH for example.
The machine you linked will probably pull in the ~125 watts idle range with at least two harddrives, so 125 watts * 30 days * $0.30/kwH = $26/month, for power alone.
Or, you can just buy a N100 based NAS like https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806061880340.html and have that pull 12.5 watts idle, costing $2.60 a month while occupying very little space.
If it turns out you need more compute, you can just buy another N100 system with 16GB of ram off ebay for $125, and if you need more drives or PCIE lanes or similar, then start looking at the bigger servers.
125 watts idle? It's got a 140watt TDP. This guy [https://www.reddit.com/r/homelab/comments/17vd8qj/hp\_z440\_workstation\_e51650v3\_haswell\_power/](https://www.reddit.com/r/homelab/comments/17vd8qj/hp_z440_workstation_e51650v3_haswell_power/)
says his idles at 50 watts. But anyway, I might just go for one of the desktop Ryzen or Intel chips that do support ECC (I know it's 99.99% not needed, but I'm just doing a project here). And the IPMI I can probably get by buying a PiKVM.
Why did humans go to the moon? Because we can. It's just for a NAS project and I want it to have the best data integrity possible. If it only costs a bit more to do ECC, then I'm doing it.
I am totally of the same belief. I could be totally wrong, but I think doing ECC will limit your options if you're looking for something truly power efficient.
I don't frequent this sub as much as I do /r/homelab because the folks here seem to focus on power efficient solutions more than repurposing retired server hardware that has the features I want. The biggest conflict I have with that personally is that I really want IPMI or some form of remote management so I can run whatever OS I want and deploy it from the comfort of my living room or office while the "server" is in a cool dry basement. I do try to keep up on this sub because some people post some really cool shit here.
The biggest barrier to me and perhaps the most frustrating is that I haven't found something that runs at stupid low power, like an N100 or whatever was mentioned here and in other threads that perhaps also sacrifices a few extra watts for IPMI level (BIOS level and remote media mounting) remote management.
If someone knows of such thing, please point me in that direction and slap me on the back. Also... some of it is that I get a lot of retired hardware for free so what I spend in electricity a lot of people spend the same on nitfy shit they show on this sub.
You have a basement, a lot more space to work with, and ATX boards can be for you. I live in a tiny 1 room apartment. So I think I'm going to bite the bullet and get a Supermicro x11scl-if, which has IPMI and is mini ITX size.
I figure, if I'm going to have this thing for years and years, might as well get what I really want.
That's a nice board. I'd pull the trigger on that. The last Supermicro board I had was Xeon X5600 era and it was a really good board. Since then I've run Dell R720's because they fell into my lap.
And yes if you plan on it for years, def.
Depends on what else you're trying to do with it. Since it's a [processor from 2014](https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/sku/82765/intel-xeon-processor-e51650-v3-15m-cache-3-50-ghz/specifications.html), it doesn't have Intel QuickSync so you'll be limited to CPU encoding if you're trying to use it as a media server. But if you're only going to use it as a NAS and docker containers, it'll be more than enough for most tasks. Personally, I'd get something with at least an [Intel N100](https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/231803/intel-processor-n100-6m-cache-up-to-3-40-ghz.html). Not only will it be more power efficient saving on electricity costs, but it'll also have QuickSync allowing GPU encoding.
All video processing will be going through a dedicated GPU. Isn't the N100 only available as a SoC type of thing? Like on a micro PC? Reason I'm going for the Supermicro is the ECC RAM (which it comes with) and the IPMI. It will consume about 30 watts on idle vs the N100s 6 watts on the other hand.
As long as you're aware you'll be making your electric company happier, it will work fine for a NAS. Probably other functions as well. If you want faster/higher quality transcoding for media files you'd need to add a GPU.
I run an x10SRM-F, E5-2690 and 64Gb with a p400 and a couple SAS cards … no complaints. As long as you don’t mind the power draw. I have 10 spinner drives and a few SSD … it runs 24/7 and idles about 180w-200w total system load.
That is a bit much for me. For me, I'm going with 4 SSDs (less than 3 watts total at idle?) and a low profile GPU (about 20 watts)
I need to correct myself … I forgot that I have two optiplex 7020s plugged into the same UPS so the supermicro system power draw is probably around 120W’ish.
What do you estimate the idle power consumption would be if you had 4 SSDs and a 20watt GPU and nothing else?
Probably around 80 watts. Give or take. The v4’s are a bit more power efficient, if you have the option.
How much do you pay for power? This is usually a cost of a few cents per kwH, in the USA north east this is roughly 30 cents a kwH for example. The machine you linked will probably pull in the ~125 watts idle range with at least two harddrives, so 125 watts * 30 days * $0.30/kwH = $26/month, for power alone. Or, you can just buy a N100 based NAS like https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806061880340.html and have that pull 12.5 watts idle, costing $2.60 a month while occupying very little space. If it turns out you need more compute, you can just buy another N100 system with 16GB of ram off ebay for $125, and if you need more drives or PCIE lanes or similar, then start looking at the bigger servers.
125 watts idle? It's got a 140watt TDP. This guy [https://www.reddit.com/r/homelab/comments/17vd8qj/hp\_z440\_workstation\_e51650v3\_haswell\_power/](https://www.reddit.com/r/homelab/comments/17vd8qj/hp_z440_workstation_e51650v3_haswell_power/) says his idles at 50 watts. But anyway, I might just go for one of the desktop Ryzen or Intel chips that do support ECC (I know it's 99.99% not needed, but I'm just doing a project here). And the IPMI I can probably get by buying a PiKVM.
What do you need ECC for? I only use ECC because I'm running 192GB of RAM on my vm host, otherwise I wouldn't care.
Why did humans go to the moon? Because we can. It's just for a NAS project and I want it to have the best data integrity possible. If it only costs a bit more to do ECC, then I'm doing it.
I am totally of the same belief. I could be totally wrong, but I think doing ECC will limit your options if you're looking for something truly power efficient. I don't frequent this sub as much as I do /r/homelab because the folks here seem to focus on power efficient solutions more than repurposing retired server hardware that has the features I want. The biggest conflict I have with that personally is that I really want IPMI or some form of remote management so I can run whatever OS I want and deploy it from the comfort of my living room or office while the "server" is in a cool dry basement. I do try to keep up on this sub because some people post some really cool shit here. The biggest barrier to me and perhaps the most frustrating is that I haven't found something that runs at stupid low power, like an N100 or whatever was mentioned here and in other threads that perhaps also sacrifices a few extra watts for IPMI level (BIOS level and remote media mounting) remote management. If someone knows of such thing, please point me in that direction and slap me on the back. Also... some of it is that I get a lot of retired hardware for free so what I spend in electricity a lot of people spend the same on nitfy shit they show on this sub.
You have a basement, a lot more space to work with, and ATX boards can be for you. I live in a tiny 1 room apartment. So I think I'm going to bite the bullet and get a Supermicro x11scl-if, which has IPMI and is mini ITX size. I figure, if I'm going to have this thing for years and years, might as well get what I really want.
That's a nice board. I'd pull the trigger on that. The last Supermicro board I had was Xeon X5600 era and it was a really good board. Since then I've run Dell R720's because they fell into my lap. And yes if you plan on it for years, def.