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    Best Hardware?

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Hardware
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    • S
      SixXxShooTeR
      last edited by

      I am new to pfSense but I wanted to build something as I'm currently using an older ASUS router. So far I found this as an example of a build.

      • $40 (Mini-Box) - M350 enclosure
      • $98 (NewEgg) - Intel DN2800MT
      • $13 (Mini-Box) - Riser & I/O Shield for DN2800MT
      • $16 (Mini-Box) - 60W AC/DC Power Adapter
      • $60 (NewEgg) - Intel 525 30GB mSATA SSD
      • $30 (NewEgg) - Corsair 4GB DDR3 SO-DIMM
      • $134 (Soekris) - LAN1841 Quad-Port NIC

      What do you guys think? I want something that can utilize all the powerful options available to the Pfsense platform. Should I be getting an Intel Core 2 Duo instead of something in the Atom platform?

      Any thoughts or advice from current users would help me out greatly. Thanks!

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      • stephenw10S
        stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
        last edited by

        What are your throughput requirements? How many interfaces?

        Steve

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        • B
          binary_dreamer
          last edited by

          i would go for pcengines.ch ALIX 2d13
          it has 3 ethernet interfaces.
          it is around 150€.
          it is very reliable.

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          • J
            jasonlitka
            last edited by

            That's similar to my box at home. I used a larger Intel SSD and i350 NICs rather than 82574L (had to notch out the riser for this) but otherwise it's a pretty capable little system.

            I can break anything.

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            • S
              SixXxShooTeR
              last edited by

              @stephenw10:

              What are your throughput requirements? How many interfaces?

              Steve

              Steve, since I want this to replace my older ASUS router I wanted something with 1x WAN port, 4x gigabit LAN ports, 2x USB 3.0 or 2.0. I don't really have any throughput requirements really, I just want it to at least be as capable as my ASUS router which states WAN to LAN throughput of over 900Mbps. However I am not really sure that my throughout requirements will ever be that high.

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              • S
                SixXxShooTeR
                last edited by

                @Jason:

                That's similar to my box at home. I used a larger Intel SSD and i350 NICs rather than 82574L (had to notch out the riser for this) but otherwise it's a pretty capable little system.

                Hey Jason, small world! The post where I got that list is actually one that you posted. I Googled something like "hardware for pfsense" and that's how I got to these forums. In that post you and another user were debating the quality of the Atom platform and how multiple packages running might effect throughput. I want something that is a little bit future proof and capable of running CPU intensive applications without going to crazy on the price. Is that list still something that you would recommend? So far I have this in my cart at Mini-Box:

                Low Profile LGA1155/1150 Intel Core i3/i5/i7 CPU Cooler

                19v/8.4A 160 Watt AC-DC Power Adapter

                Intel DQ77KB Mini-ITX Motherboard / CPU NOT INCLUDED (Only Compatible with 19v AC Adapter)

                M350 Universal Mini-ITX

                INTEL CPU Corei3-2100

                Another question, is the 19v/8.4A Watt ACDC power adapter the only thing that powers the box? First time using Mini ATX so I was a little confused with the PicoPSU's vs. the power adapters.

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                • stephenw10S
                  stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
                  last edited by

                  That particular board, the DQ77KB, has an onboard DC-DC power supply so, yes, you need only the power 19V power brick to power it. Those boards are becoming very difficult to source though.

                  It's hard to compare your build directly with the Asus. The 4 LAN ports on the Asus are not separate interfaces, effectively it has a switch built in. On some models you can separate ports using internal VLANs but you still only have a single interface feeding it internally. Anyway adding that 4 NIC card to your build is a far more powerful option but much more expensive that a 5 port switch, do you need that?
                  You will not get close to 900Mbps WAN-LAN throughput with that board. The best you could hope for would be ~600Mbps and that would be without any packages running. Again though do you need any faster than that? What is your WAN speed? Do you need to move a lot of traffic between internal interfaces?

                  Steve

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                  • S
                    SixXxShooTeR
                    last edited by

                    Hi Steve,

                    I have an 8port Cisco switch but 7 ports are being used on it and my ASUS router's LAN ports are all being used. I could buy another switch but if it wasn't too costly I'd prefer NICs on the router. My requirements aren't that high as the transfer speeds from my ISP are relatively modest, around 30/10, and I don't expect to hit 1Gb/s. That being said I want the best hardware for my money for future proofing so if you had $400 to spend what would you build or buy?

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                    • stephenw10S
                      stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
                      last edited by

                      Ah, sorry I've mislead you there. Too many threads open at once.  ::)

                      The D2800 will not do more than 600Mbps, the i3 will route at 1Gbps with cycles to spare.
                      In fact you may not even need that. In other threads it has been shown that even the lowliest Sandy bridge Celeron can route 1Gpbs. With that in mind if it were me I would get something very similar to your second parts list but save some money and go for whatever the cheapest Ivy bridge CPU is that fits. If you can still get a DQ77KB then go for that. Personally I would opt for a larger enclosure but that's largely governed by where you're putting it. Unless you need extra interfaces I have to recommend your get an additional switch instead, you'll see better performance for far less money.

                      Steve

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                      • S
                        SixXxShooTeR
                        last edited by

                        Okay thanks Steve! I think I'll get a cheaper CPU and take your advice and look for a bigger enclosure for the build. Is 2GB ram good enough for most pfSense packages?

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                        • stephenw10S
                          stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
                          last edited by

                          2GB is probably fine but RAM is cheap these days and packages like Snort or Squid will eat RAM quick.

                          Steve

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                          • D
                            Darkk
                            last edited by

                            @stephenw10:

                            2GB is probably fine but RAM is cheap these days and packages like Snort or Squid will eat RAM quick.

                            Steve

                            I'd go with 4 gigs to give you some extra headroom.  That is what I did with mine.

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                            • S
                              SixXxShooTeR
                              last edited by

                              Okay, 4gigs it is! I'll look at corsairs prices :) Do you guys recommend a specific NIC or SSD?

                              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • DerelictD
                                Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
                                last edited by

                                @binary_dreamer:

                                i would go for pcengines.ch ALIX 2d13
                                it has 3 ethernet interfaces.
                                it is around 150€.
                                it is very reliable.

                                Doesn't that cap out at about 80Mbit?

                                Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
                                A comprehensive network diagram is worth 10,000 words and 15 conference calls.
                                DO NOT set a source address/port in a port forward or firewall rule unless you KNOW you need it!
                                Do Not Chat For Help! NO_WAN_EGRESS(TM)

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                                • stephenw10S
                                  stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
                                  last edited by

                                  If you have a choice get Intel NICs. The very newest may not be supported yet though.
                                  I don't use SSDs with any pfSense box but Intel and Samsung seem to regularly be recommended. I'm running OCZ drives in various laptops and have seen no issues but they always get slated here.  ::)

                                  Steve

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                                  • J
                                    jasonlitka
                                    last edited by

                                    @SixXxShooTeR:

                                    Okay, 4gigs it is! I'll look at corsairs prices :) Do you guys recommend a specific NIC or SSD?

                                    I prefer Intel SSDs. I'm using a 240GB 520 mSATA in my system at home and the two new boxes I just deployed at work are using the 240GB version of the SATA 530.

                                    As to NICs, my preference is Intel i350 then the 82574L. Once 2.2 drops I'd add the i210 between the two of those as it's considered the replacement for the latter.

                                    I can break anything.

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                                    • S
                                      SixXxShooTeR
                                      last edited by

                                      After doing days of research I've finally started to narrow down my build. I decided that I needed something small, power efficient and fairly silent.

                                      Intel DQ77KB LGA1155 mobo - $155
                                      Kingston 1600MHz 4GB Non-ECC SODIMM - $40
                                      Intel 525 30GB mSATA - $65
                                      In-Win K2 BASIC Thin Mini-ITX Black case with 120W power adapter/heat sink - $75 (http://www.in-win.com.tw/2012_ULTRATOP/k2.html)

                                      Now the only question is do I opt for the Intel Core i3-3240 3.4Ghz with a 55W TDP ($120) or do I get the more power efficient, less fast, and more expensive Intel Core i3-3220T 2.8Ghz with a 35W TDP ($128). What do you guys think? I can't decide if I should go for the extra horsepower or the CPU that uses less power.

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                                      • stephenw10S
                                        stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
                                        last edited by

                                        Those figures are the maximum power consumption remember. The actual idle power may not be that different.

                                        Steve

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                                        • S
                                          SixXxShooTeR
                                          last edited by

                                          Thinking about it more you're right. Seeing as though pfSense isn't going to cause that CPU to be at full load a majority of the time I'll go with the cheaper but faster i3 3240. Too bad the mobo doesn't support ECC.

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                                          • A
                                            Aluminum
                                            last edited by

                                            @SixXxShooTeR:

                                            Intel DQ77KB LGA1155 mobo - $155

                                            DQ77KB is available again? I figured they stopped making it after it disappeared from the channel earlier this year. Its a nice board overall but ironically extra intel NIC support is limited. I mostly like it for being able to run off a power brick, the thin and AIO display features are rarely needed. I wish someone would make a cheap-but-good standard itx 115x board with DC input. (19V 90~150W bricks are plentiful, cheap/free and self-cool their AC/DC conversion heat away from the system. Picopsu and similar solutions are not as common, cost more and dump AC/DC heat inside the case)

                                            Now the only question is do I opt for the Intel Core i3-3240 3.4Ghz with a 55W TDP ($120) or do I get the more power efficient, less fast, and more expensive Intel Core i3-3220T 2.8Ghz with a 35W TDP ($128). What do you guys think? I can't decide if I should go for the extra horsepower or the CPU that uses less power.

                                            Between the two, 3240 hands down. Unless you have need to cap the maximum heat output because it is thermally constrained (aka dense blades or fanless) they will idle the same, ivy bridge is a well known animal.

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