How To Build Your Own Home Server
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I built a 36TB home server this month, and before I tell you about it, I need to make one thing clear: I really don’t need 36TB of storage. That’s excessive, and most of that space will sit empty and unused for years. You might call it excessive, but I’ll take it
How To Build Your Own Home Server
Ok, so I got carried away. But believe it or not, the goal of building my home server, which I’ve been planning since quarantine started in March, was to make a practical replacement for my existing server, which I first built in 2014 and have since upgraded several times since then. That server consisted of an i7-4790K CPU, five HDDs (3-4TB each) and one 128GB SSD in a Fractal Design Define Mini (opens in new tab) case. My server runs headless Ubuntu, which means I control it remotely via terminal and web browser tools, and mostly runs the Plex media center (opens in a new tab), although I also run a Discord bot and a few other things on it.
Make A Home Made Nas For Less Than £300 16
As I got the urge for a new project, I identified the things I would like to improve with a new server build:
The biggest motivation here was the CPU. It’s still a powerful enough CPU for most functions, but I really wanted to be able to use hardware acceleration on the newer CPU, which would allow me to run several Plex streams at once without any risk of throttling. With that thought getting me excited for the new build, I started researching the components I would like to use to build a brand new server. That’s when I discovered U-NAS.
The first case I looked at was this 3D printed NAS box (also known as network attached storage) that we wrote about in March. It looked really cool! Could I do something like that? I don’t have a 3D printer, but there are workshops I could go to if I did… except they’re all closed due to COVID-19. But I know people who have 3D printers! I asked former Maximum PC editor-in-chief Will Smith about it, and he said, “It’s a hard print. The precision required for the case is great.”
I started reading about popular home server cases and ended up finding exactly what I wanted: the U-NAS NSC-810A, an 8-bay NAS case that could fit a micro-ATX motherboard on top. It also has two PCIe slots, and I determined that I would need one of them for a SATA expansion card, since most small motherboards only have 6 SATA ports.
Build A Home Server Lab On A Budget
The quick-change disc outfits were exciting. I wouldn’t have to open the side panel to add or remove the HDD and the initial installation would be much faster. It was hard to imagine the server case getting much more compact. It has a volume of 17 liters, compared to 40 liters for my current box!
Someone on reddit (opens in new tab) built a similar server to mine three years ago and documented the build process with the NSC-810A, which gave me a good look at what would fit in the case. That made one decision very easy:
I chose the Noctuin NH-L9i for the cooler, because there is very little space between the motherboard tray and the top of the case. Anything more would either not leave enough room for proper airflow or wouldn’t fit, period. I also planned to add a Noctua fan to the case for stronger and quieter airflow.
As for the power supply, I had to research the Flex 1U form factor, which is smaller than regular ATX and even SFX power supplies, and not often used in consumer tech. I found out about one model that is really popular among small form factor enthusiasts: Enhance Electronics ENP-7660B, 600 watt power supply. As far as I know, it’s the only Flex 1U PSU that goes above 400W (there are also custom versions of this PSU)
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Offers an 80+ platinum efficiency rating. I really didn’t need nearly 600 watts of power without a graphics card, but the efficiency is great, and, well, be prepared for anything, right?
For storage, I waited for a sale to buy an affordable 500GB WD SN750 NVMe SSD. It was important for me to switch from my old SATA SSD to the new NVMe model, as it would take up less space in the solid state version and would not have a SATA port. For the motherboard, I wanted a micro-ATX model with a PCIe x4 slot, which I could use for a SATA expansion card. I knew I would have to use a riser cable to connect the card to the motherboard, but I didn’t
Sure it will stay properly slotted into the longer x16 slot. Also, leaving the x16 slot open gives me the opportunity to one day add something like an Nvidia Quadro P2000.
To be able to support up to eight drives, I ordered a well-reviewed SATA expansion card (opens in new tab) on Amazon, making sure it has reviews that say it works well in Linux and supports full SATA speeds. It ended up being a PCIe x1 card, so my choice of motherboard wasn’t strictly necessary, but everything worked fine.
The Ultimate Home Server
That was the extent of my storage plans, until just a few days before I started my build, I saw a sale on Western Digital’s Easystore external hard drives, which you can remove from their enclosures for some perfectly good internal storage drives. I impulsively bought two 8TB drives, almost doubling my total storage capacity from the old server.
Last try: fake plug (opens in new tab), which you need on some headless systems to “trick” the internal GPU into thinking a monitor is attached and allow hardware acceleration to kick in. I’ve read conflicting reports on whether I should use one for Ubuntu, so I have one just to be sure.
COVID has really wreaked havoc with the supply lines of smaller electronics companies like U-NAS and Enhance. I contacted both in April to ask about the case and power supply, but neither had units available in the US until the summer. Finally, in mid-August, I had everything I needed. well,
I started by installing my CPU and heatsink on the motherboard and then placing it in the case to make sure it fit properly. I didn’t screw the power supply into the case at this point, but I placed it roughly where it might go to check the problem that the Redditor mentioned above, and that I was hoping to avoid: the CPU power connector is too short to reach the motherboard plates.
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I stretched it as far as I could, but there was just no way it would come (and even if it did, it would be stretched over the CPU cooler, which isn’t ideal). So I had to order an extension cord and focus on the rest of the build.
It was tight. I wanted as much airflow as possible through this case because it’s so compact, which meant keeping the cables out of the way as best I could. I unscrewed and reattached the back panel of the case a few times while fiddling with the cable routing. Here’s how construction progressed.
Although I originally planned to use the i7-8700K, the 6-core i5-9600K will be a strong Plex CPU and run a bit cooler. (Image credit: Wes Fenlon)
There are a lot of very long SATA cables here, leading from the control panels on the back of the case where the HDDs slide. (Image credit: Wes Fenlon)
Building A Nas Server/home Server In 2017
Nothing wrong with these Gelid fans, but I removed the back panel to gain access and replaced one with a Noctu one. (Image credit: Wes Fenlon)
I put the mighty Noctua NF-A12 up against my two new 8TB HDDs, which some Redditors said were running on the hot side. (Image credit: Wes Fenlon)
I usually plug these little guys in last, but since installing the PSU in this case is a chore, I did some cabling first. (Image credit: Wes Fenlon)
Here you can see how little space there is from the top of the CPU cooler to the top of the case. (Image credit: Wes Fenl
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Home Server Room Power Upgrade + Multi Room Ups
The HDD shelves are extremely easy to pull out and put back into place. (Image credit: Wes Fenlon)
Here’s what it looks like with most of the drawers removed. Each board here provides power/data for 4 HDDs. (Image credit: Wes Fenlon)
The back part between the fan and the HDD boards. I was able to slide cables above and below the boards (including the PSU extension in the foreground) to allow clear airflow for the fans. (Image credit: Wes Fenlon)
I plugged both rear fans into a Noctua splitter, which I stuck in the space around the I/O shield to keep it out of the way. (Image credit: Wes Fenlon)
My Home Server Data Built
The build is mostly complete, with a SATA expansion card installed. The space in front of the 60mm fan is mostly clean. (Image credit: Wes Fenlon)
Run! CPU
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