workingnonstop
2[H]4U
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2003
- Messages
- 3,222
I've been tentatively exploring the idea of setting up a NAS or other type of mass storage device, and would value some input. Majority of the storage would be used for my home media collection. My current setup (combo HTPC / Plex server) is -
Dell Optiplex 9020 SFF PC
i7-4790
24gb RAM (non-ECC)
2gb R7 250 video card
250gb 850 EVO SSD boot drive
2x4TB USB externals
4x5TB USB externals
I've got all but ~5TB of the above full, and each time I've added a new USB drive, I've thought a bit more about how a more elegant solution may make sense.
Given the specs of the above system, I think that I could get away with something pretty simple from a server perspective and let the existing PC continue to do all the required transcoding etc for Plex. I'm considering a few options -
1 - pick up a cheap server, drop in my own drives, set up as a basic NAS. Something along the lines of a Dell T20, Lenovo TS140 or TS440 - these go on sale pretty often and probably fit the bill. I like the TS440 over the other two because I'm not maxed out at 6 drives.
2 - build a custom NAS from ground up and load something like FreeNAS on it to run. More customizable, but more work and potentially not as cost effective as waiting on a deal on one of the above configs.
3 - set up a DAS instead of a NAS. It appears the Lenovo ThinkServer SA120 can be picked up for a few hundred dollars on ebay. This has slots for 12x 3.5" drives, would fit in my home theater setup, and could connect to existing PC with a SAS adapter
4 - pre configured NAS like a Synology or Qnap. Easy to set up, seemingly less bang for the buck
5 - other suggestions?
3 seems like an interesting option given I have a pretty powerful PC that is already acting as a server, and there are just so many drive bays on that thing... but what does [H] think?
Thanks.
Dell Optiplex 9020 SFF PC
i7-4790
24gb RAM (non-ECC)
2gb R7 250 video card
250gb 850 EVO SSD boot drive
2x4TB USB externals
4x5TB USB externals
I've got all but ~5TB of the above full, and each time I've added a new USB drive, I've thought a bit more about how a more elegant solution may make sense.
Given the specs of the above system, I think that I could get away with something pretty simple from a server perspective and let the existing PC continue to do all the required transcoding etc for Plex. I'm considering a few options -
1 - pick up a cheap server, drop in my own drives, set up as a basic NAS. Something along the lines of a Dell T20, Lenovo TS140 or TS440 - these go on sale pretty often and probably fit the bill. I like the TS440 over the other two because I'm not maxed out at 6 drives.
2 - build a custom NAS from ground up and load something like FreeNAS on it to run. More customizable, but more work and potentially not as cost effective as waiting on a deal on one of the above configs.
3 - set up a DAS instead of a NAS. It appears the Lenovo ThinkServer SA120 can be picked up for a few hundred dollars on ebay. This has slots for 12x 3.5" drives, would fit in my home theater setup, and could connect to existing PC with a SAS adapter
4 - pre configured NAS like a Synology or Qnap. Easy to set up, seemingly less bang for the buck
5 - other suggestions?
3 seems like an interesting option given I have a pretty powerful PC that is already acting as a server, and there are just so many drive bays on that thing... but what does [H] think?
Thanks.