While talking about Intel, make sure the motherboard has an Intel NIC (network controller). That'll be so much better than a Realtek or a Killer one for a multi-user server.
Excuse my ignorance. So you're saying I should have a Raid 1 array for boot drive and another RAID1 array for storage drives? So with a drive failure (either boot or storage), I can simply swap out with a new drive and rebuild the array? I'm planning on using the Gigabyte GA-H87M-HD3 board. Any better suggestions?
I would suggest the ASUS H97M-PLUS. It's 15€ more expensive but has 4 ram slot, an Intel NIC and is supposed to support the broadwell CPU (unlike the H87 chipset). The Q87 chipset suggested above is nice too and is more oriented toward workstations.
Unfortunately the Q87 boards are a bit out of my budget. Here is what I have so far: i5 4440 Asus H97M-PLUS Crucial Ballistix Sport VLP 2x4GB RAM Noctua NH-C14 Corsair CX-500W PSU (yay, nay?) Corsair Obsidian 350D (I'm not changing my mind about this case, don't even try...) 2x WD RED 1TB drives (unless I can find RE4 drives cheaply, but I hear the reds do well in RAID?) Samsung 840 Evo 120GB Size is a bit of a restriction, so I've gone with matx form factor.
Q87 gives you the ability to remote onto the server at hardware (BIOS) level, even if the O/S won't boot. I'm not 100% sure what else is needed for it to work. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_vPro
Wow! So I could remote into their server and see it booting (or not) to provide assistance? Do you have any control over it or can you just spectate? This is what I have, and add 20 quid for the Noctua NH-C14 as scan didn't have it. Still debating about the Q87 board. Need to do some reading.
Never underestimate the benefit of bare metal remote control when remotely supporting a server, especially if you are in another country and it won't start because some idiot has plugged in a non-bootable USB stick and restarted the server. Also, if the cleaner unplugs the power cable and restarting causes it to say "The computer was not shut down properly, press F1 to continue"... Amazon do the Gigabyte Q87M-D2H for £88 - I have one of these in my backup NAS, the Q87 choices on Scan aren't the best. http://www.amazon.co.uk/GIGABYTE-GA-Q87M-D2H-1150-Socket-PCI-E/dp/B00DVDSYKQ/
Hahaha. Good point. Looking at the requirements, though, the motherboard and processor must both support vpro. The cheapest i5 that supports vpro and is in stock at Scan is the i5 4590. Its just over a tenner more expensive than the 4460, but then the q87 boards are like 30 quid pricier than the h87 boards. Edit: Found a Gigabyte GA-Q87M-D2H for 88 quid. Will this do?
The Intel 4590T supports vPro and is less than £3 more than the choice in your basket. Scan is showing them as pre-order though. The 4570T is available at Amazon and is less than a tenner more but this is a dual core with 4 thread, not a quad core. The T processors have a 35w TDP so less heat. The 4570 is a true quad core and is £141 at Scan, this also supports vPro but has an 84w TDP. For a list of 4th Gen CPU's that support vPro, see here: http://ark.intel.com/search/advance...ntel® Core™ i5 Processors&VProTechnology=true
If you are thinking about putting SSDs in raid1 make sure that MB supports trim then in raid1. Even then worth of putting two identical SSDs in raid is debatable, there is high change that they both fail at the same time (firmware bug, identical physical wear). Although last point is from what I gathered from other people in forums, maybe someone with actual experience with raided SSD will chime in.
