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> Only downer is no 10GbE ethernet. I've been trying to solve this problem in the ~1L chassis size. I have two problems I'm trying to solve: - Multi-port 10G

> Only downer is no 10GbE ethernet. I've been trying to solve this problem in the ~1L chassis size. I have two problems I'm trying to solve: - Multi-port 10GbE for a PFSense/OpnSense router replacement - Reasonable GPU for Plex Transcoding - at least two concurrent 4K HEVC decodes + re-encodes to 4K or 1080p (Intel QuickSync isn't fast enough for this) Both configurations of them have to be silent, or near silent. I think the Lenovo P330 Tiny is probably the best option here, as it has a PCIe Gen 3 x8 slot. The factory options let you put either a quad-port 1GbE NIC in, or a Nvidia Quadro P620/P1000. I think I should be able to put an Intel X710-DA4 (quad-port SFP+ NIC) in for my PFSense box, or upgrade to a Quadro P2000/2200 for the Plex transcode needs.

geoffeg 5y ago
I've been looking for something similar, but lower power usage is more important to me than silence.
MrFoof 5y ago
For a custom build it's simply difficult to cram all of that in if you want a very small form factor. You may want to look at the DEC840 (AMD EPYC Embedded 3101) or DEC850 (AMD EPYC Embedded 3201) that uses Deciso's Netboard A20 and is sold on the OPNSense website's shop. It has two SFP+ transceivers and four 1GbE ports in a 199x186x46mm form factor. It is entirely passively cooled (the enclosure itself is a giant heatsink) and contains zero fans. They don't yet have this available for sale in a 1U rackmount enclosure, but I assume it's in the works. From what I've heard it tends to use about 15W or so of power at idle and more around 20ish under some real loads. Not bad for something that can supposedly shove 2.3Gbps of IPsec VPN traffic! It won't cover all of your use cases, as it would require a custom build, but if you're looking for a super beefy router (that you can just connect to an aggregation switch) it's an option. You could probably use it for the next 10-15 years and it'd likely still serve all of your needs.
- paranoidrobot 5y ago
  That DEC840, by the time it lands here in Australia is over AUD$2100 (EUR999, plus Euro VAT, plus Australian GST). While I'm sure it's a really nice unit, it's just too expensive for my home use. The Lenovo P330 Tiny (I7-8700T, 16GB RAM, 256GB m.2 SSD) I can get for AUD$750, and a X710-DA4 for AUD$300 - so roughly half the price, and it'll give me more SFP+ ports. I'll give that having dedicated hardware like that is probably going to be more reliable. I've got a Netgate two-port unit that's been going great for years who's only problem is that it's onboard eMMC storage started going wonky. But hey, if it doesn't work out as an OpnSense router, well I'll just stick an nVidia Quadro in it and make it the Plex server instead.
  - walterbell 5y ago
    Data point: an Intel quad-port GbE NIC did not work for PCI/IOMMU passthrough to a VM in my P330 Tiny, while a Broadcom quad-port GbE NIC did. Root cause unknown. Broadcom may also offer a bit of isolation from vPro.
    - paranoidrobot 5y ago
      Cool, thanks for the info.

geoffeg 5y ago

I've been looking for something similar, but lower power usage is more important to me than silence.

MrFoof 5y ago

For a custom build it's simply difficult to cram all of that in if you want a very small form factor. You may want to look at the DEC840 (AMD EPYC Embedded 3101) or DEC850 (AMD EPYC Embedded 3201) that uses Deciso's Netboard A20 and is sold on the OPNSense website's shop. It has two SFP+ transceivers and four 1GbE ports in a 199x186x46mm form factor. It is entirely passively cooled (the enclosure itself is a giant heatsink) and contains zero fans. They don't yet have this available for sale in a 1U rackmount enclosure, but I assume it's in the works. From what I've heard it tends to use about 15W or so of power at idle and more around 20ish under some real loads. Not bad for something that can supposedly shove 2.3Gbps of IPsec VPN traffic! It won't cover all of your use cases, as it would require a custom build, but if you're looking for a super beefy router (that you can just connect to an aggregation switch) it's an option. You could probably use it for the next 10-15 years and it'd likely still serve all of your needs.

paranoidrobot 5y ago
That DEC840, by the time it lands here in Australia is over AUD$2100 (EUR999, plus Euro VAT, plus Australian GST). While I'm sure it's a really nice unit, it's just too expensive for my home use. The Lenovo P330 Tiny (I7-8700T, 16GB RAM, 256GB m.2 SSD) I can get for AUD$750, and a X710-DA4 for AUD$300 - so roughly half the price, and it'll give me more SFP+ ports. I'll give that having dedicated hardware like that is probably going to be more reliable. I've got a Netgate two-port unit that's been going great for years who's only problem is that it's onboard eMMC storage started going wonky. But hey, if it doesn't work out as an OpnSense router, well I'll just stick an nVidia Quadro in it and make it the Plex server instead.
- walterbell 5y ago
  Data point: an Intel quad-port GbE NIC did not work for PCI/IOMMU passthrough to a VM in my P330 Tiny, while a Broadcom quad-port GbE NIC did. Root cause unknown. Broadcom may also offer a bit of isolation from vPro.
  - paranoidrobot 5y ago
    Cool, thanks for the info.