NAS/GameServer/Mediaserver Build

[Enquiries]

Hi, I m trying to build a all in one Server and am currently struggling with some things:
Choices so far are, Sagitarius 8 bay nas case, i7 12700, Unraid, 2x Seagate Exos 22tb. Im just not sure what mainboard to get. Maybe you have some advice. Should i get one from aliexpress that seems to fit my needs? I also saw some biostar ones that didnt seem too bad. Im also thinking if i get an aliexpress one should i get one with sodimm slots or not (should be more efficient no?) also is it hard to get good c states with aliexpress booards? technically i got 32gb corsair dominator plats laying around but i couuld also sell them to get a bigger more reasonably priced kit. Also should i go for ECC board/Ram? the cpu is capable of doing so after all.

Thanks in advance

[ed]

That’s a strong parts list so far, and it should make a very capable all-in-one server. The i7-12700 is ideal for Unraid since it gives you enough threads for Docker, VMs, and media transcoding.

For the motherboard, I’d suggest sticking with a known brand (ASRock, ASUS, Gigabyte, or MSI) rather than the cheaper AliExpress boards. Many of the no-name or Chinese OEM boards work fine, but they often have incomplete BIOS options, poor power management, or missing C-states — which can hurt idle power efficiency.

If you really want a compact or cost-effective option from AliExpress, go for one that uses Intel Q670, B660, or W680 chipsets and confirm it supports ECC if that matters to you. W680 is the only one that fully supports ECC UDIMM with your CPU.

On RAM, you can absolutely start with your Corsair Dominator kit; it’s perfectly fine for Unraid. ECC is nice to have, but not essential unless you’re running ZFS with heavy virtualization or long-term uptime.

As for SODIMM vs UDIMM, the difference in power savings is minimal — SODIMM only makes sense for very small cases or low-power builds.

So the recommended setup would be:
• CPU: i7-12700 (as planned)
• Motherboard: ASUS or ASRock W680 (for ECC) or B660 (for standard DDR4)
• RAM: Use your current 32GB DDR4 first, upgrade later if needed
• Storage: Your 2×22TB Exos is a great start — you can add an NVMe or SATA SSD cache for Docker and VMs
• OS: Unraid (great choice for all-in-one flexibility)

That will give you a quiet, efficient system that’s stable for Plex, game hosting, and general NAS use.