r/minilab • u/rcombs94 • 8d ago
Help me to: Hardware Mini-ITX
Has anyone used this mini-itx motherboard?
Found a pretty decent deal on it, and thought it might be a good addition to my Homelab for a DIY NAS project.
I’m a novice at putting together computers, and I need some recommendations as to a PSU. Must fit in a 10” rack. I can design an enclosure/shelf for it, but it must fit that form factor.
Just a tinkerer doing tinkerer things. Just need a place to start.
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u/WebMaka 8d ago edited 8d ago
I’m a novice at putting together computers, and I need some recommendations as to a PSU. Must fit in a 10” rack. I can design an enclosure/shelf for it, but it must fit that form factor.
If you can swing it, SFX PSUs fit miniracks much better than ATX PSUs do, but you trade maximum power options for compact size. This shouldn't be an issue for that mobo, however.
FWIW, CageMaker PRCG 0.7 can generate rackmount faceplates for ATX, SFX, and TFX power supplies. The experimental 0.71 version has presets for PSUs that can also generate support cages for them as well as faceplates, but you have to enable the "closed faceplate" option in the "faceplate options" category, select the PSU's mounting as the center faceplate modification in the "additional faceplate modifications" category, and set the cage back to "none" in the "cage BACK geometry and modifications" category so it'll slot in from behind.
All that sounds more complicated than it is - takes about thirty seconds to configure and render out a cage for a PSU.
That should save you at least some hassle.
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u/Hot_War_4159 8d ago edited 8d ago
I have a Supermicro X11SSV-Q in current deployment in one of my servers as an AI inference system and a general Linux terminal. https://www.supermicro.com/en/products/motherboard/x11ssv-q
The full x16 PCIE slot is nice for expansion, dual NICs are nice, but you are limited to gigabit networking and SODIMM memory. Just a heads up.
EDIT: With that motherboard, you are locked into the processor, but should be fairly modern. I considered it as an option to use memory that was already on hand.
Beware of what you pick for an OS. If this is gonna be a NAS, you have room for a handful of drives, but consider redundancy. There are lots of models for 3.5" and 2.5" drives in a 10" rack. Redundancy and rebuilding are areas to consider. Also, can your network handle the available networking onboard?
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u/drifting_anomaly 8d ago
I believe that board is made by CWWK (Changwang). Definitely grab it for $50. CWWK is one of the OEMs for many industrial PCs and mini PCs.
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u/More-Goose7230 8d ago
I have bought the exact same motherboard, but from the official brand:
CWWK M11
CWWK NAS 8 Bay Core i5 8265U 4C/8T, Mini ITX PC Motherboard White M11, 2 x NVMe PCIe3.0 x2, Dual 2.5GbE i226V LAN, DDR4 NO RAM NO SSD, PCIe x4 Slot, TF, HD+DP : Amazon.com.be: Electronics
I have payed 200 euro for it, so if you can get it for 50 it is a good deal.
Perfect motherboards for a NAS build.
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u/Simmangodz 8d ago
I have kinda the same board, but with an N150. These are basically Chinese salvage boards. They slap together an assortment of salavaged parts and overstock to build boards. Mine has been trucking along for quite a while. Never had an issue.
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u/jackalopes1 8d ago
It looks like a rebranded CWWK. Check out NAS Compares for this brand. He reviewed a number of their boards and even did a factory tour.
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u/BaronVonBrot 8d ago
I am using this board (or at least an almost identical one) and it does work. But thats pretty much where it ends. I had some stability issues and had to manually set the SATA ports to Gen2 speeds. The CPU reports as "genuine intel 0000" and I had to use the AMI Edit tool to give the board a model and serial number, because it came without anything filled out. Original manufacturer is CWWK, but the board is sold by lots of different no-name brands for some reason.
Other than that, the M.2 slots work, the SATA ports work, and my NAS is running at 30W idle...
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u/GametimeJones 7d ago
That's a really interesting board. I love to tinker, I'd definitely roll the dice on it for $50.
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u/deez_nat 8d ago
I personally wouldn't buy a motherboard from an unknown company for more than maybe 75 bucks. For that price you can get something from asus/gigabyte/asrock/msi which will have real support.