Have a Super Micro 3U Chassis w/ Motherboard, reuse or replace?

[lilybrown7855]

Hi Everyone,
I am looking for some advice before I upgrade my existing NAS, to get a few opinions on how others would proceed.
I currently have a supermicro 3U 16 Bay chassis, supporting E-ATX and ATX mobos, with a supermicro motherboard (X9DRD-7LN4F).  It is quite old, but I have specced it out with a full dual power supply for resiliency, low-ish (for a server, but still relatively loud) volume fans, etc.   It has dual E5-2620 V2 (CPU Mark 6250 x2 = 12500), with no QuickSync.  It has all 16 bays used (a couple SSDs for OS/VMs), though about 10 smaller disks that could be amalgamated with buying ~3 new large stickman hook disks St I have added an Nvidia GPU to do transcoding in plex.
I currently have it running Windows Server 2019, with StableBit DrivePool and snapraid to allow me to use different size disks.  I use it as a home lab, primarily running plex, but running a few various VMs for different functions that are not very intensive.
I have had it for a few years, and I have looked into what my options are, as it is very power hungry (using maybe 20% of the power of my entire home), noisy (not a huge deal, as I have it in a basement), and large.  Additionally I want to add HomeAssistant to this setup, but I am unable to pass through dongles for Zigbee, matter and Z-wave as required due to hyper-v restrictions.
Summary:
Current Specs:

• SuperMicro Chassis/Motherboard
  
• 64GB Ram
  
• Dual E5-2620 V2 (CPU Mark 6250 x2 = 12500)
  
• Windows Server 2019 with VMs for various functions
  
• SnapRAID and DrivePool to manage data
  

My current issues with this setup:

• Power Hungry (and loud)
  
• Unable to pass through dongles for z-wave etc. to allow home assistant use (will otherwise likely buy a mini-pc/rpi)
  
• Annoying to use containers within a Host > VM > Container setup, as opposed to directly on the host.  Not the end of the world, but adds a bit of complexity.
  

My future plans:

• Implement Home Assistant
  
• Likely move to UnRaid (I already own a perpetual license)
  
• Utilize a bunch more containers for various aspects, some of which are being done inside VMs now, some would be net new
  
• Replace hardware (Motherboard/CPU) with something more modern
  
• No need for GPU, as quicksync would cover transcoding
  

I am in no huge rush to replace this, I can run as is for a few years if needed before needing a major upgrade (at longest Jan 2029 when Server 2019 goes EoL), but I likely will need to procure something in the interim for Home Assistant (HA Green/Raspberry Pi), which then may be wasted when I upgrade this.
My Questions:

1. Based on my above specs, do people here think the value is in buying net new everything (besides disks, but I guess even the small disks could be replaced), or utilize the existing chassis, and fit a new (probably non-server grade) motherboard inside it?
   
2. Will I get value in upgrading to one of the recommended mobo/cpu combos with higher specs, mostly from an energy saving perspective?  This server costs me ~20USD/month in electricity to run, but I am not aware of how much is Disks and PSUs (which likely would remain) vs the other.
   

Thanks for the support!!

If your Supermicro chassis is in good condition, it could still provide excellent value. The 16-bay capacity and dual power supplies are a big plus, especially when you're looking for resiliency and plenty of storage space. You can easily keep your existing chassis and swap in a new motherboard and CPU, provided the new components are compatible with the chassis and power supply configuration (especially the 12V connectors).