I am looking for opinions on HL15 build I was planning on purchasing very soon. Is there anything I should add to my build or change?
This will replace a system I built several years ago that I run TrueNas Scale on. I use the system as a file server and Plex media server, but I may play around with adding some new apps. I currently have eight 5200rpm 8TB drives which I plan on transferring over. At some point in the future, I’ll probably add a few big drives (maybe 24tb enterprise drives) in a new vdev.
HL15 - Fully Built & Burned In (Valentine’s 2025)
Front Plate: Standard
Motherboard: X11SPH-nCTPF
Processor: Xeon Silver 4210
Memory: 128GB
AC Power Cord: Type B
Fan Kit: Noctua Fans
Also, I’m a bit concerned about the passive heatsink used on the CPU…wish they had an option for a Noctua CPU cooler with active cooling. I saw one review where the CPU was constantly throttling in summertime and he switched to an active cooler and temps dropped 75c->45c. Does anyone else have issues with CPU temps?
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I’m running the HL15 full build with an upgraded CPU - Silver 4214. I use it as a storage target, file server, and host a few apps including Emby. My CPU temp is 33C at idle. It’s winter in my area so ambient temp in the house is colder around 17C. That said, I am running stock fans and not the Noctua ones. I don’t remember experiencing any throttling the past two summers I’ve had my HL15.
@rymandle05 Just to be clear, your setup with the stock fans and motherboard would be running the fans at 100% 24x7, correct?
@OldSoftwareGuy, the passive heat sinks require sufficient airflow over them, so personally I wouldn’t expect to be able to run passive cooling but then keep noise to a minimum with the Noctua kit with the fans turned way down. The Noctua kit will allow you to have an adjustable RPM fan curve, which is good, versus the stock fans, but that curve will still need to push sufficient air over the heat sink, so it’s not going to be whisper quiet under load… I’d start with the passive heat sinks, and that may be sufficient. But, I’d watch the CPU temp under load compared to your noise level expectations. If the unit will be in the same room as you, you may find you want to upgrade to an active cooler, if it’s not in the same room you’re probably fine.
The Xeon CPUs don’t have the Intel QuickSync feature that allows for easy video transcoding in Plex and other media servers. You can do it, but it puts the CPU under a lot more load. If you rely on transcoding then you will probably want to add a low end GPU to assist with that.
Yep. The six fans are plugged into the distribution board with no pwm control. I suppose it’s possible they are not quite running 100% depending on the exact voltage but should be pretty close.
Interesting. I’m assuming the Noctua fans will make less noise given the same pressure which is why I was interested in paying the extra money.
I looked into graphics cards for transcoding and it looks like Intel Arc 310 for around $100 is a pretty good solution.
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I don’t think there has been an independent verification of this. 45HL published a chart trying to justify the Noctua fans, but seemed to have some of the numbers flipped.
The thing is with the standard full build they ship you DC case fans and a motherboard that only supports PWM fans, so rather than use PWM case fans they chose to wire the case fans as 2-pin running full tilt all the time. So the only way to quiet the full build unit is to replace the DC fans with PWM fans (which is what the Noctua kit has), but that shouldn’t have to cost $230. The DB and CFM specs of the CoolerGuys fans aren’t really a lot different than the Noctuas.
My point is, if you want a quieter full build, yes you have to order the Noctua kit. But don’t blame the CoolerGuys fans, blame the person who decided to not put PWM fans of any brand in the standerd chassis.
Good point. It is odd for a home lab system to not have PWM fans.
The other option would be for me to buy the chassis, backplane, and psu and then buy the same mobo and get other parts (fans, cpu cooler, etc. that I would prefer). It looks like that approach would be much cheaper as the upgraded CPU’s can often be found much cheaper, but I was hoping to simplify things for myself (cuz I’m lazy).
If you’re going to use the X11SPH motherboard, I’d just get 45HL to build the system for you. That way you have proper support. The cost of the Noctua kit, based on what’s included, is reasonable. As much as I like the HL15 chassis, I just have a personal disgust for the 2-pin wiring setup. I just don’t get it, it’s like buying a $50,000 car and then being charged $6,000 for the “optional” brake pedal.
Excellent. Order placed as specified in original post. Thanks for the help.
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