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Jammrock

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  1. For your next CAPS I would look into the ATOM server SoC's or the newer Intel Xeon-D SoC's. They are lower cost than the Xeon E3, significantly lower power, and still more than enough power for a NAS and jRiver server. Take a look at the D-1520 (soon to be D-1521) line. Sub-$500 for board, CPU, and 10Gb NICs. 35W or 45W TDP for the CPU. mITX board which gives you options for smaller cases and M.2 storage options.
  2. An option you should look into for CAPS NAS v5 is the newer Intel Atom server line. These procs are more than enough to handle NAS duties and the prices are very reasonable. An Atom C2750 sports 8-cores, supports up to 64GB RAM, and is x86 based so it will run Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, etc. SuperMicro, ASRock, Gigabyte and ASUS make boards based on the C2750 ranging from $350-$500 (that includes motherboard, processor, up to 4 server-grade NICs, dKVM, and an expansion slot) packed into a mini-ITX format with a 20W TDP. The 4-core versions start around $250 with a 14W TDP and are completely fanless. At the mini-ITX range you can get into some very interesting case options. The SilverStone DS380B has 8 hot swappable bays and looks stunning. Costs about the same or less than the Corsair, and is smaller and quieter. Or the LIAN LI PC-Q25B, which has 5 hot swap bays for ~$100. There is a new game in town too, U-NAS, which has some interesting looking cases that support mini-ITX as well. Using this kind of hardware you can build a 16TB server (raw capacity) with 16GB RAM for about the same cost, or less, than the Cortes with identical or better file server performance. If you want to go all fancy you can throw on Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials. This allows you to team NICs, have centralized auth (creates a domain) for easy file sharing, access from the Internet, automatic backups, and all sorts of other goodies. All of this is auto-magically setup through a wizard and run through a pretty easy to use Dashboard, so no need to be a server admin to run the show.
  3. If you're hitting 80C on the processor you have a serious problem. Given the size of the case and apparent airflow I would guess one of two things: you're running 100% CPU all the time, or the heatsink is not properly mounted on the CPU. Task Manager or Reliability Monitor can tell if and what is eating CPU. If you're CPU usage is low then I would guess the latter.
  4. If the price is right I'm up for it. I wouldn't mind having a bench supply anyway. Are there any good supplies I should look at? With a 35W CPU and not a lot of components I don't think I'll need more than 60W-80W.
  5. The Schiit Modi looks very interesting. I think it would be a better option for a starter music server. I can get two for the price of a dragonfly, and for the cost of the DragonFly plus cables I can get a Modi for home and a Modi/Magni for work. So if I swtich to the Modi, drop the SotM, and grab the FC8 EVO on sale I could get the music server for about $800. Not too shabby for an entry level music server.
  6. There is room for a 2.5" drive, but I'm not worried about write speed. The SSD is just there to boot and load apps. The SSD with 95MB/s of write speed is more than enough to handle the small amount of temp file writing the system will do. Thanks for the recommendation for Schiit DACs. I am in the USA so I'll keep them in mind. I would be interested to see how the Schiit compares to a Peachtree and the DragonFly. Thank you for the recommendation, Bill. There is an Ivy Bridge Pentium now, the G2120, but has the same TDP as the i3-3220, and only $30 less. The i3-3220T could be a good option to get down to 35W TDP. Then I could use a smaller power brick. I'd like to stick with Ivy Bridge and the 7-series chipsets for native SATA 3.0 and USB 3.0 and PCIe 3.0 (for future updates). The 7-series chipsets have TDP's at 6.7W so I'm not worried about using passive colling in this case. There is no secondary bridge on the new boards, as the memory controller and most of the PCIe lanes are integrated into the processor, so my only serious heat generators are the Q77 (6.7W) and the processor (35W or 55W). ARK | Intel® Q77 Express Chipset (Intel® BD82Q77 PCH) The FC8 EVO has top and back vents to dissipate internal heat, and with most of the CPU heat being passively pushed out via the heatsink, and no spindles generating heat, I'm not worried about heat. No video playback planned so no need to install a DVD/BD player. With the mSATA on-board the top of the case is free of obstructions to allow for optimal heat transfer out of the case. Music will be stored on my home server, which is an HP ProLiant Microserver N40L running Windows Server 2012 Essentials. Wired Ethernet for data transport.
  7. I've been toying around with a music server for a while. Something to replace my aging setup, but won't break the bank. I am not looking for a battery or linear PSU, or high-end DAC, at this time. This is something to get me started that I can upgrade later. I used the CAPS 3.0 Zuma as a template and made some modifications. Mini-ITX board and case, added a DragonFly w/ cables, lower-end/power CPU. Total cost of the parts below is about $1400. I have some questions for veteran music server builders. 1. Is the SotM worth it if I'm just using a DragonFly? Should I wait until I get a better DAC to pick one up? 2. Is there a better 19V PSU I can get? I'm looking in the sub-$100 space. Could go a little higher if there was something significantly better without breaking the bank. 3. Any other suggestions? Thanks, James Motherboard: Intel BOXDQ77KB - $140 Newegg.com - Intel BOXDQ77KB LGA 1155 Intel Q77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard Processor: Intel Core i3-3220 - $130 Newegg.com - Intel Core i3-3220 Ivy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 55W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2500 BX80637i33220 Memory: G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM - $40 Newegg.com - G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Laptop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBSQ SSD: Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD3 mSATA 64GB - $70 Newegg.com - Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD3 mSATA 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) Sound: AudioQuest DragonFly - $250 Amazon.com: AudioQuest DragonFly Asynchronous USB Digital-Audio Converter (DAC): Electronics Case: Streacom FC8 EVO fanless mini-ITX case - $220 (on sale for $176 at the moment) ITX HTPC chassis. Power Supply: FSP Group NB S90 90W - $43 Newegg.com - FSP Group NB S90 90W Switchable Voltage Universal Notebook PC Adapter Operating System: Windows 8 Pro Upgrade - $40 Software: JRIver Media Center - $50 Cables: AudioQuest Evergreen 1.5m 3.5mm to RCA - $32 Amazon.com: AudioQuest Evergreen 1.5m (4.92 ft.) 3.5mm to RCA Analog Audio Interconnect Cable: Electronics AudioQuest DragonTail - $17 Amazon.com: AudioQuest DragonTail USB Extension Cable: Electronics USB: SOtM tX-USBexp - $350 SOtM tX-USB Audiophile PCI to USB Audio Card
  8. I really like this build. It's extremely well-rounded, capable, expandable and could easily double as a HTPC. It's almost identical to what I would build. My main question is, why an i7? That's some serious horsepower. Any of the Core gen 3 processors should handle any music server load, and most HTPC loads, without breaking a sweat. Going for an i7 seems like serious overkill, especially since this server is designed to offload the music processing to an outboard DAC via the SotM. I would recommend to keep the i7 as an option, but for those who want to shave cost and power, give some alternate processors. I would suggest the i5-3225 (55W TDP, 4 cores without HT, $145) as a mid-range alternate and the i3-3220T (35W TDP, 2 cores w/ HT, $130) as a low-end alternate. Personally, I think the i3-3220T is the best way to go for a pure music server. It still has some serious processing power, and should last a lot longer on battery power than its i7 counterpart. Which brings me a power question... The Red Wine Audio, Black Lightning High-Current Battery Power Supply... What happens when the batteries are about to die? Does it auto-switch to wall power? is there an optional USB connection that will power down the computer before power is lost, like a UPS? Or does the computer simply lose power and go down?
  9. No need for a special SATA cables. They are designed to handle all you data moving needs with error recovery and business grade data integrity built in. The regular old in-the-motherboard-box SATA cables are as good as any other out there. The only time you *might* need a special cable is for external connections or long runs, neither of which are applicable inside a CAPS case, or any normal computer case for that matter.
  10. The CAS latency timings (7-7-7-7-20) are only important for applications that need every tiny little drop of speed. These low CAS timings are typically used by hardcore gamers to eek out a few more frames per second in video games, and I'm sure there are some business and scientific applications that would run better with faster, low latency memory. For the purpose of a home audio server I would not worry about CAS latencies. Not even a little. Even high latency DDR3-1066 RAM will be more than fast enough to play the most demanding high resolution tracks. I personally prefer G.Skill, Crucial and Corsair RAM. Mushkin has been around for a while but I've never used them. For a CAPS server the ~$20 G.Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3-1333 SoDIMMs are all you really need.
  11. The Atom N2800 is rated for full 1080p playback as the Intel GMA3600 (rebadged PowerVR SGX 545) has a hardware video decoder. Most GPUs do these days. Just don't do anything else crazy on the computer at the same time.
  12. It would appear you're right. I had never seen it for sale until I did some digging. Looks like CAT 7[a] is still a bit on the expensive side, but with that serious shielding on those cables it's to be expected.
  13. http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10232 Even if you're paranoid about signal loss and want to go shielded you can get high quality CAT 6a STP for well under $1/ft. a = Augemented, which is the highest quality Ethernet cable standard currently released (CAT 7 is in draft and designed to carry 10Gb up to 100m, though CAT 6a can typically do 10GB up to 50m-75m). http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10232#1023216
  14. Why am I not surprised they are selling audiophile network cables? At work I have regular old unshielded CAT 5e cables running by (not in parallel to) a dozen 220V 30A and 120V 30A power cords with no degradation to the Ethernet signal. There are times and places where shielding are needed, but not in a home network. Passing by industrial machinery, yes. Passing by, or in parallel to, industrial power lines, yes. Running 10Gb Ethernet...maybe. Otherwise standard UTP CAT 5e or CAT 6 is all you need. www.monoprice.com On a similar topic, digital cables are not the same beast as analog cables. I won't argue any analog cabling points to avoid contention, but with digital cables you rarely need anything fancy. In all my years I have only experienced one issue with a digital cable. I have a 28 AWG Monoprice.com HDMI cable that has artifacts on 1080p/60 playback (little white dots on black screens kind of stuff). Works fine on 1080i, so I moved the cable to a different device and got a 24 AWG HDMI cable from Monoprice.com for $10 and now the picture is crystal clear at 1080p.
  15. I'm curious if the issues are resolved with the new firmware, too. The newest is about 2 weeks old.<br /> <br /> http://www.qnap.com/download_detail.asp?pl=1&p_mn=154&ct_name=Firmware
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