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What's the best way to save off a "clean install"? If I load up a new OS, apply all service packs and updates, then put on all the apps I normally use, that is one hella time-consuming chore. I would like to then save off a ghost of that and be able to restore it when wanted/needed. Is this...

So what PS would you guys recommend given the extra connector this thing needs, assuming two GPUs? Does it do 4GHz pretty easy with a good chip?

Nice sneak peek Kyle. How's it benching? Any early comments before you release the review? This thing is looking sweet - Definitely looking hard at this one vs. the R3E!

wow that's an impressive project - Will is very talented and has so many great toys! His shop and tools are top notch, his cameras are awesome and he certainly knows how to use them! Bravo.

For disk controller: Adaptec 51645 can be had for around $750 (maybe cheaper), and nobody beats their storage manager interface. Mobo: its very hard to tell what you need since you provided no information about the kind of loads your server needs to deal with.

+1 That indeed is a very curious set of questions. They are made of silicon, am I right? Same basic materials as CPUs?

All good until that last part. A controller failure doesn't necessarily imply anything about the data stored in the array.

I freed up some space on my Adaptec controller and I'd like to move some of my disks over from the motherboard SATA connections to the dedicated controller. Can I just move them, or will WHS flip out and think that the drives went away?

You'll definitely hear the fans in a 4020. It's a great case though. I have several enterprise 15k SAS drives in mine and it keeps them cool as can be!

Seems like an important detail.

As was said, you'll need a rip tool such as AnyDVD HD, and then EAC3TO. Mastering all the CLI settings for EAC3TO can be very challenging, thus many people use the front-end tools listed in this thread. I have been using RipBot264 with good success on my BluRays. Honestly, I can't tell the...

Update on Ripbot. Atak has released a new version of RipBot264. It now handles subtitles for m2ts. I just used it to demux/encode Kill Bill 1 BD. The forced subtitles for all the Japanese dialogue are in the english subtitle stream (#11 I think?), and RipBot handled them flawlessly. Thought I'd...

+1 for AnyDVD. The program is great. Support 'em!

+1 for HandBrake on multiple cut or complex DVDs. I had a tough time with the Band of Brothers disks since it is two episodes per disk and RipBot264 wasn't working correctly. HandBrake is nice since it shows you the multiple titles on the disk and allows you to encode each one independently. I...

You're right, you are crazy. 1. the two systems have really different hardware requirements 2. you'll drive yourself nuts trying to find drivers and HTPC gear that will run under WHS 3. functionally, there will be clashes when WHS is trying to do what it does while the HTPC is trying to do...

Looks like you are well on your way. My advice is this - don't buy a damn thing until you draw up your plans and revise them twice. When you think you have it all figured out, read/research for another couple of weeks and ponder it over.

I've had success using RipBot264. I typically use the [high 4.0 console] video preset, and either the [x.x Copy Stream] or the [Aften 5.1] audio presets. Since I'm streaming to my PS3, I choose the AVCHD container. Both Blue Rays and DVDs come out looking fantastic. Some DVDs are...

^ Agree with Nitro. Or save yourself the money and build one. Quad core/8GB RAM/SSD for OS/VRaptors for data if you need kick-ass speed.

Great thread. Thanks for all the veiwpoints, and thanks to the OP for stirring all this up.

WHS itself can run quite well on a minimal config. Plenty of P4-based systems running WHS if that tells you anything. The twist here is that you want to stream videos from it as well - and depending on how you intend to do that and if you will need on-the-fly transcoding - as these things can...

Read this and see if it helps.

LoL. Just terrific. Sigged.

Just wanted to let you folks know about an ugly problem I ran into with WHS and how I solved it. I have been wrestling with a WHS install recently. I'm trying to get all the drives set up just the way I want them and have a multipurpose server. Long story, and more than pertains to this...

Ender... Showoff!:D

Read Joshua Moore's excellent article on RAID.

Excellent to know. I need a heatsink that fits and this looks good. Did you use the crappy plastic push pins, the bracket that came with the Norco, or something else?

Good idea. My TRUE is too tall to allow the lid to go back on, so I'm looking for another CPU cooler...

Here's the benchie from the new 880GB Raid-5 array in the Norco box:

+1 The 300GB is so much cheaper $/GB. Just get the 300 and short-stroke it.

I too look forward to hearing if the OP finds that RAID-0 improves performance of his system. One more thing to think about is that RAID-0 is inherently risky. You multiply your chances of total loss by a factor equal to the number of drives you have in the array. Back up any data you consider...

Update: The SAS drives work just fine with the "SATA" backplane. Just use the cables I mentioned, and all is just fine. I had one of the SATA connectors on the backplane pull off in my hand though - :rolleyes: very disappointed in the build quality. Luckily, I was able to use some hemostats...

Just another AG overreaching to score political points...

Looks very beefy! I'm building the same kind of server right now. One thing to be mindful of is that WHS is really Server2K3 and all of your drivers and software will need to run on that. Even things we take for granted like mobo driver files typically don't ship with support for server o/s's...

Perhaps what you're getting at is to match the solution to the need. Which is cool. But what you said simply isn't true. I know of enterprise SAN solutions that use RAID5 - and I mean some very large installs for business-critical apps. Granted, some of the arrays used here where I work also...

LoL you guys crack me up. Hi-tech hillbillies. No wonder I feel like I fit in here :D

The solution to your problem may be a few different things. When you say "something is thrashing the hard drive" - may I recommend that you look into this a bit further? What is causing this? Do you have memory pressure? What kind of apps are you running? What is your expectation of "fast"? Do...

You should count on having to copy the data if you move those drives to another system or use a different controller.

So I called Norco today. Their tech called me back about an hour later and told me that it will work just fine plugging SAS drives into the 4020 backplane and connecting the drives up with a mini-SAS (SFF-8087)-to-SATA cable. He told me they had tested this and it works fine. I am suspect as you...

Thanks Axan - just read your Norco build thread. Nice job! So am I screwed with the SATA backplane with all my SAS drives? Or is it just that I will have to have a SAS to SATA cable for my 31605 controller?

Tons of pics and great info on this acclaimed 4u server enclosure: The Norco 4020 Pictorial Odyssey