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Physical Hardware

Basic Components

Compute

Processor

Intel Core i7-8700k - This is the processor I had been using in this PC prior to converting it into a "home server" and there is nothing particularly special about it other than it was at the top of the charts for performance when I bought it. It is a great consumer CPU even to this day but it is starting to feel more limiting as a server CPU due to its lack of ECC support, lower cores/thread count, and limited PCI lanes that it provides.
Cores / Threads 6 / 12
Base Frequency 3.6 GHz
Burst Frequency 4.7 GHz
Cache 12MB L3 Cache
TDP 95W

GPU

Intel UHD Graphics 630
Base Frequency 350 MHz
Burst Frequency 1.2 GHz
Max Memory 64GB
QuickSync Video Yes

Motherboard

Similarly this motherboard was bought with the intent of building a powerful PC instead of a more server oriented box. It mirrors a lot of the same constraints as the processor but since it was intended for higher end gamers it manages to provide just enough storage and expansion that it has ended up being as good of a motherboard as you'll get without upgrading to one with a more specific server focus.
Manufacturer Gigabyte
Model Z370 AORUS Gaming 7 (rev 1.0)
CPU Support for 8th Generation Intel Core i7 / i5 / i3 processors in the LGA1151 package
Chipset Intel Z370
Memory
  • 4x DDR4 DIMM supporting up to 64GB
  • Dual channel memory architecture
Display
  • 1x HDMI 1.4
  • 1x DisplayPort 1.2
Networking
  • 1x Intel 1GbE
  • 1x Rivet Networks Killer E2500
Expansion
  • 2x PCIe 3.0 x16 (running x16/x0 or x8/x8)
  • 1x PCIe 3.0 x16 (running at x4)
  • 3x PCIe 3.0 x1
Storage
  • 3x M.2 PCIe x4/x2
  • 6x SATA3
USB
  • 2x USB 3.1 Gen2 (Type-C)
  • 1x USB 3.1 Gen2 (Type-A)
  • 7x USB 3.1 Gen1 (Type-A)

Memory
Slot 1 Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB DDR4 2666MHz (1x16GB)
  • 2Rx8 Dual Rank
  • CAS Latency 16
  • timing 16-18-18-35
  • 1.2V
Slot 2 Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB DDR4 2666MHz (1x16GB)
  • 2Rx8 Dual Rank
  • CAS Latency 16
  • timing 16-18-18-35
  • 1.2V
Slot 3 Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB DDR4 2666MHz (1x16GB)
  • 2Rx8 Dual Rank
  • CAS Latency 16
  • timing 16-18-18-35
  • 1.2V
Slot 4 Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB DDR4 2666MHz (1x16GB)
  • 2Rx8 Dual Rank
  • CAS Latency 16
  • timing 16-18-18-35
  • 1.2V

Case

Fractal Design - Define R6 USB C (Blackout) - A fantastic case with an attractive minimalistic design that holds a lot of hard drives and is exceptionally quiet due to sound dampening panels and excellent construction.
Manufacturer Fractal Design
Model Define R6 USB C (Blackout)
Features
  • 10x HDD, 2x SSD
  • Sound dampening
  • Excellent build quality

Storage

# Capacity Interface Type Manufacturer & Model Speed
6x 10TB SATA HDD Western Digital WD1000WMAZ SATA3 6.0Gb/s
4x 18TB SATA HDD Western Digital WD181KFGX SATA3 6.0Gb/s
2x 512GB SATA SDD Samsung SSD 860 EVO SATA3 6.0Gb/s
2x 1TB NVMe SDD Inland Professional PCIe 3.0 x2
2x 1TB NVMe SDD SK hynix MN8BN16291080BN2A PCIe 3.0 x4
2x 16GB NVMe SDD Intel MEMPEK1W016GA PCIe 3.0 x2

Cooling
CPU Noctua NH-D15
Case (rear) Noctua NF-A14 PWM 140mm
3x Case (front) Noctua NF-F12 PWM 120mm
Case (bottom) Noctua NF-F12 PWM 120mm

Power Supply
Manufacturer EVGA
Model SuperNOVA 850 G+
Features
  • 850W
  • fully module

UPS
Manufacturer APC
Model Back UPS PRO BN-M2 1500VA
Features
  • 900Watts / 1.5kVA
  • 6x Batter backed outlets
  • 4x Surge outlets

Add-On Cards
PCIe 3.0 x1 10Gtek Intel 82576 Dual RJ45
  • PCIe Gen3 x1
  • 2x RJ45 1GbE ports
PCIe 3.0 x8 (x16 physical) QNAP QM2-4P-384A Quad M.2 PCIe SSD Expansion Card
  • PCIe Gen3 x8
  • 4x switched PCIe x4 NVMe
PCIe 3.0 x8 (x16 physical) LSI SAS9211-8I 8PORT
  • PCIe Gen3 x8 (x16 physical)
  • 2x Mini SAS SFF-8087 ports
PCIe 3.0 x1 ZOTAC GeForce GT 710 1GB PCIe
  • PCIe Gen3 x1
 (removed)
PCIe 3.0 x4 (x16 physical) 10Gtek Intel 82599ES Dual SFP+ PCIe x8
  • PCIe Gen3 x8
  • 2x SFP+ 10GbE ports
  • SR-IOV
 (removed)
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