First Build Hardware Questions - Media Server

[tumblemonster]

First and formost, thanks everyone for being so helpful across these forums. This is my first post, mainly because until now I've been able to find answers to my questions in responses to others' posts!

I am building a media/file server which has these functions and features:
-Plex Media Server will serve at most 2 simultaneous clients
-Automated download, unpack, and transcode of media files from various sources
-Archive server for video editing project files
-Possibly directly connected to HDTV, but more likely will run headless once it's configured, and managed using Remote Desktop
-20tb RAID 5 Array


I have a couple of questions:

1. Are any of the components in the following list over or under powered for my application?
2. I chose the NZXT case mainly because it has 8 3.5 inch drive bays to accommodate my RAID drives, and enough 5.25 for the boot drive, but I'm concerned about cooling and haven't been able to find much about it. Is it a good choice, or is there a better choice for the number of drives I require?
3. What am I missing? I'm not familiar with the various cooling options available, so any suggestions on that front specifically would be very helpful.



I've chosen most of my components from the January 2013 guide:

Gigabyte Intel Z77 LGA 1155 AMD CrossFireX/NVIDIA SLI Dual LAN Dual UEFI BIOS ATX Motherboard
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007R21JK4/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=tonymacx86com-20

Intel Core i5-3570K Quad-Core Processor 3.4 GHz 4 Core LGA 1155
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007SZ0E1K/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=tonymacx86com-20

Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007TG8QRW/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=tonymacx86com-20

SanDisk Extreme SSD 120 GB SATA 6.0 Gb-s2.5-Inch Solid State Drive
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006EKJCWM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=tonymacx86com-20

TP-LINK TL-WDN4800 Dual Band Wireless N900 PCI Express Adapter
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007GMPZ0A/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=tonymacx86com-20

Corsair Professional Series* HX 650 Watt ATX/EPS Modular 80 PLUS Gold
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0090I9VX0/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=tonymacx86com-20

HighPoint RocketRAID 2720SGL PCI-Express 2.0 x8 Low Profile SATA / SAS Controller Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816115100

HighPoint Int-MS-1M4S SFF-8087 to 4 SATA Fan Out Cable - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816115064

8x Seagate Barracuda 7200 3 TB 7200RPM SATA 6 Gb/s NCQ 64MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive
http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Barracuda-3-5-Inch-Internal-ST3000DM001/dp/B005T3GRLY/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1359134763&sr=1-1&keywords=3tb+hard+drive

NZXT Source 210 -Inches ELITE-Inches Midtower Case with 3.0 USB - White
http://www.amazon.com/Source-210-Inches-ELITE-Inches-Midtower/dp/B005869IUY/ref=pd_sim_pc_96


Thanks in advance!

 

[Going Bald]

Looks good as a media file server. I would suggest another SSD if you have enough in the budget for a bootable backup.

 

[tumblemonster]

Thanks for the reply. DO you have any suggestions on cooling?

 

[Dr_Oh]

I probably wouldn't be too worried about cooling, I have 6 drives as well a graphics card that isn't reference design (doesn't pump the hot air out of the case) and my drives rarely go 10 degrees over ambient temp. I would recommend waiting to see what kind of temps you get in the case. Then you can decide if you need/want more cooling.

Current temps in my case (antec 300 midtower with 3x120mm fans negative pressure):

CPU:30C idle, 53C stressed (i5 2500k w/ coolmaster Hyper 212+ OC'ed at 4.5GHZ)
GPU:27C idle
HDDs: 16-24C
SSD:30C
Ambient:16C

 

[tumblemonster]

Great, thanks!

 

[tumblemonster]

One last question: should I consider a i7 instead? Do I need to have any performance concerns?

Thanks!

 

[StickyS]

One last question: should I consider a i7 instead? Do I need to have any performance concerns?

Thanks!

The 3770k is much better than the 3570k with regards to everything concerning video-hyperthreading helps tremendously. I'm not an expert though, have just seen this from reading these forums and from use.

 

[tumblemonster]

Regarding the processor: If I use an i7 do I then need a graphics card?

Regarding the build: In my head it makes sense to build incrementally. Assemble and install software for the core machine first, then add the RAID card and array. Does that make sense?

Thanks!

 

[zaptoons]

I've used that same NZXT case in builds, and I really like it. However: if I were using as many hard drives as you're planning to, I wouldn't choose it. I'd recommend finding a case with outward facing drive bays, IE like this:

Instead of the type that face back toward the motherboard. You'll quickly find it's an absolute nightmare of wiring to have 16 cables (SATA and power for each drive) hanging out over the back end of your motherboard. Swapping drives or doing any sort of maintenance becomes a real hassle. Outward facing drives make cable and drive management a lot easier, and won't obstruct any part of the motherboard.

I would recommend get the machine up and running first, then do all the added storage and RAID/setup/

 

[tumblemonster]

That's excellent advice, I can't believe I didn't think of that. Can you recommend a case with 8 3.5 inch drive bays?

Thanks!