My plan is to have a single box that can reliably store (Raid 5 probably) my data and also play content onto my TV. Something that is easily upgradable and future proof.
The case I chose was Lian Li PC-Q08 A . It was the only SFF that had 6 internal 3.5" drives and one external 5.25" drive. I know 5.25" drives are going out of fashion, but I wanted it to have the kitchen sink and be able to play DVD-discs and blu-ray without too much fuss.
I want this to be able to play any hi-def content, uncompressed lossless 1080p content. The main player will be XBMC. I also want it to store files without to many issues. I will be using a software raid.
One of the main questions is what environment should I use? Linux (mix of FreeNas with XBMC running? or just Ubuntu? ), Windows Home Server 2008? Just plain old Windows 7, or the new and shiny Windows 8?
I want my wife -- who has a mac -- to be able to access the file server end via SMB or whatever protocol, do time machine backups, etc.
How does this build sound below:
Lian Li PCQ08a (recently purchased)
ASUS P8H77-I LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard
MSI R6570-MD1G/LP Radeon HD 6570 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Low Profile Ready Video Card not to sure about this one, any recommendations? is it even needed?
SILVERSTONE Strider Plus ST50F-P 500W ATX
Silverstone Model PP05 Short Cable Set For Silverstone Strider Series Modular PSU
Intel Core i3-3220 Ivy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Desktop Memory Model F3-8500CL7D-8GBRL
Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive (4 QUANTITY, recently bought - black friday)
Blu-ray player / DVD burner (already own)
Does anyone have the PC-Q08 or similar chassis (Lian Li PC-Q25 for example), what is your experience with them? Is the G.Skill ram too high to fit in this cramped case? Any recommendations from others who have gone the server - htpc route?
The case I chose was Lian Li PC-Q08 A . It was the only SFF that had 6 internal 3.5" drives and one external 5.25" drive. I know 5.25" drives are going out of fashion, but I wanted it to have the kitchen sink and be able to play DVD-discs and blu-ray without too much fuss.
I want this to be able to play any hi-def content, uncompressed lossless 1080p content. The main player will be XBMC. I also want it to store files without to many issues. I will be using a software raid.
One of the main questions is what environment should I use? Linux (mix of FreeNas with XBMC running? or just Ubuntu? ), Windows Home Server 2008? Just plain old Windows 7, or the new and shiny Windows 8?
I want my wife -- who has a mac -- to be able to access the file server end via SMB or whatever protocol, do time machine backups, etc.
How does this build sound below:
Lian Li PCQ08a (recently purchased)
ASUS P8H77-I LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard
MSI R6570-MD1G/LP Radeon HD 6570 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Low Profile Ready Video Card not to sure about this one, any recommendations? is it even needed?
SILVERSTONE Strider Plus ST50F-P 500W ATX
Silverstone Model PP05 Short Cable Set For Silverstone Strider Series Modular PSU
Intel Core i3-3220 Ivy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Desktop Memory Model F3-8500CL7D-8GBRL
Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive (4 QUANTITY, recently bought - black friday)
Blu-ray player / DVD burner (already own)
Does anyone have the PC-Q08 or similar chassis (Lian Li PC-Q25 for example), what is your experience with them? Is the G.Skill ram too high to fit in this cramped case? Any recommendations from others who have gone the server - htpc route?
