The original post: /r/datahoarder by /u/RollingRoles on 2025-01-01 18:48:56.
One year ago I decided to decommission my old system which I used for >9years and was waiting for some final components to be delivered. Build was completed by the end of Jan 2024.
After almost a year of use, thought I'd share my experience with the components and see if there are any suggestions from the group to further improve / optimize it. Let me know
Systems stays online 24/7, storage is the main use-case; processing of that data 2nd in line; media consumption 3rd in line. System processes heavy duty workloads during "peak periods", sometimes CPU is at >80% days on end, sometimes at <10% for weeks on end.
Main components:
* CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7900
* MoBo: Asus ProArt X670E-Creator
* GPU: Asus TUF RTX 4070 OC
* RAM: 2x G.Skill F5-5200 32Gb
* PSU: Be Quiet Dark Power Pro 12 1200watt
* Case: Fractal Design Define 7 XL w additional hdd brackets etc
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For the CPU was looking for a workhorse that would have some margin for growth further down the line. Opted for the none-x as I have long periodes of idle time where i'd like to keep power consumption as low as possible.
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Options for Mobo were limited at the time, especially with AM5 and slots for the hba / expander / nvmes, found it to be on the expensive side when purchasing, but no issues sofar. Stable as can be.
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For the GPU was looking for something that could run current / upcoming games and offer additional processing power. Once again fact that it has low idle power consumption, 3 fans that keep it cool'n'quiet were factored in as well.
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At the time I ordered faster low profile (and even then I had issues with the CPU fan, hence I mounted one in a different direction) G.Skill F5-6000 sticks but the 32GB sticks couldnt be delivered on time for some reason, so opted for some slower ones, overclocked a bit with xpo but still below the 6000s to keep the system as stable as possible.
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For PSU as I needed to have +20 sata power connections, brands and types were limited. Felt that 1200watts was overkill but didnt find any with enough connectors below such wattage. Took an old version of the dark power as I read bad reviews of the newer generation variants (quality/coil whine). Ultra high quality of PSU, even the packaging is like art.
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First time I went with Fractal design, popped up when looking at some LTT videos. Very big case but with all components, it's full. Building was sometimes a hassle, especially the PSU, connecting everything was a bitch, had bleeding cuts on my hands all over. Started out cable managing everything as well as I could. Cables that are now not so order are for components I installed after the initial build. Didnt want to redo everything :)
Storage components:
* 1x LSI SAS 9201-16i
* 1x Intel RES2SV240 SAS-2 Expander
- Purchased both of them through the art of server, only making use of the HBA initially but as more disks were added, added the expander last month as well, resulting in a completely stuffed case.
NVMe:
* 1x SOLIDIGM P44 Pro - 1TB - currently at 99% health - runs a little bit hot for my taste at ~47°C - dedicated to the OS
* 1x Seagate FireCuda 530 - 4TB - currently at 97% health - ~31°C - dedicated to processing workloads
SDD:
* 2x Samsung SSD 870 QVO 4TB - one currently at 97%: the other one currently at 96% health - ~32°C - dedicated to temporaly location for downloads / content watching
HDDs:
3x WDC WD221KRYZ - 22TB
7x WDC WD202KRYZ/WD201KRYZ - 20TB
6x WDC WD181KRYZ - 18TB
1x WDC WD161KRYZ - 16TB
- Disks were for the most part migrated from my previous system, with some new purchases during the year, think I end up with around 3 new once per year. When case is full, they will be put in one of my NASs.
Cooling components:
* CPU: 1x Noctua NH-D15
* HDDS: 6x 140mm Noctua NF-A14 PWM + 1x 80mm Noctua NF-A8 PWM
* Case: 1x 140mm Noctua NF-A14 PWM
* HBA: 2x Noctua NF-A4 PWM
* Hub: 1x Noctua NA-FH1
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Decided for all Noctua fans. Previous systems had mostly Nexus silent fans (aside from cpu, was the predesessor of the NH-D15) which were quiet and reliable all those years but couldnt find them in the right size(s). As these were install-once-and-forget-about-them, I wanted to make sure this was the case for this system as well. Fact that Noctua had all the needed sizes made me pull the trigger.
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For the CPU, Noctua seemed a good choice to keep it cool. Might have been a bit overkill, Ryzen 9 7900 does not get that hot even during peak periodes.
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For the case fans, was led by my experience with my previous case, a Lian Li from way back which had a column of fans in front and behind the hdd bays. Was looking for some 3d printed brackets to put the fans behind the hdd bays but with the 3x 140mm just stacked on top of each other, snugly fits in the case. Put some rubber pads at the bottom and between the fans to reduce possible vibration.
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Mounted a small fan on the HBA and expander heatsinks as I read some reviews mentioning those could get toasty.
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As I installed 2x hdd cages at the bottom of the case I mounted a small fan between them to make sure there is airflow at the bottom as well. Have my doubts if this is fully optimized, the hdd at the bottom closest to the PSU gets hottest at ~35°C at idle. Worries me a bit.
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Aside from the small fan between the HDD cages, all fans cooling my HDDs are connected to the fanhub and all of them run at the same rpm and have same fan curves. Heard this might increase noiselevels, but with the amount of HDDs and other fans spinning, all in all system is very quiet. My Synology NAS makes more noise.
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Disk for the stay cool with most of them just below 30°C when idle.
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Removed the fanhub that was shipped with the case as it did not have enough dedicated PWM connections. Noctua was one of the smallest formfactors I could find that allowed enough connections. It was initially mounted at the top of the case with the small magnets it had. As I filled my system more and more with HDDs and mounted another 2x HDDs at the top of the case, I removed the small magnets to avoid any issues with the HDDs that are now too close by. With the connected cables of the various fans, seems to be self supporting :)
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all other fans are connected to mobo headers, with specific speeds and fancurves for all of them
