NAS vs PC File Servers

[Filtrator]

Hi,

I can't decide between buying a NAS, Infrant ReadyNAS NV+ or building my own file server box.

I like Infrant's small size and no OS

On the the other hand, PC file server has more configuration options and is cheaper, however I'll probably run a windows on it so it makes it kinda more vulnerable.


From the hardware point of view I think they're both equal, I mean if Infrant fails your RAID 5 data is gone, the same thing with the motherboard RAID.

[Cyrilix]

Of course a NAS has an OS. It's just transparent to the end user.

I have the Thecus N5200 NAS, and it works pretty well in a RAID 5 setup. What do you intend to do with the box? If the NAS box itself fails, you can probably just get another box and rebuild most of your data.

[Filtrator]

I'm going to put some files like divx and some app install files to have online, so I can access with via my Laptop.

That's pretty much it.

[Cyrilix]

I'm going to put some files like divx and some app install files to have online, so I can access with via my Laptop.

That's pretty much it.

I use my NAS through direct connect via ethernet -- for that purpose, I think it works well and is reliable, but if you want a lot of the extended functionality, then you might want to build your own machine.

The benefits of a NAS:
-small
-very easy "just works" setup process

The benefits of a PC:
-good choice of parts
-could be a bit cheaper, but could also be way more expensive, depending on configuration
-highly configurable and provides for a lot of management power

In my opinion, if all you want is to drop files on a server that you will access via a network connection, the NAS is the optimal choice. If you want to run different software on your server to do a variety of things, the PC is the optimal choice.

[ilikecake]

I agree with the above. I have the Infrant ReadyNAS NV+. While I recognize I could have built a server that was more versatile for (probably) less money, I would also have to configure it myself and it would be a bit bigger and louder than the NV+.

One thing to note about the Infrant: It isn't quiet (Although, a server would probably be louder). For me this isn't a problem because I just put it in my basement and it does its thing, but if you intend to get this box and put it somewhere where you sleep, you may want to reconsider.

[Cyrilix]

You can probably switch out the fan for your NAS -- I intend to do that in the future.