Simple NAS - options

[Cherry Dude]

Hi there!

It seems I have been bitten by some strange creature, as i simply cannot stop looking at other electronics while I wait for the components for my new mini-ITX build. The latest is flavor of the week is NAS.

I am not looking for anything fancy, primarily only for storage and delivering files to my shield TV. Other than that, some file sharing options would be nice. Just to clarify, HDD in my primary rig, and external drives are not interesting solutions

I have been looking at the ASUSTOR AS3102T, WD My Cloud Mirror Gen 2, and a DIY* solution.

• The ASUSTOR AS3102T have received some pretty nice reviews, not at all bad to look at, and it allows me to choose the disks I want, but the total price with disks are pretty far from the My Cloud mirror which costs roughly half per TB where I live.
  
  
• The My Cloud Mirror seems like a no hassle, very cheap, option, although with limited features.
  
  
• And then there is the DIY solution - I am going to have some spare parts lying around, but from the forums it seems like power efficiency and form factor will never be able to compete with prebuild NAS.

As I am writing this, it seems pretty obvious that my subconscious is leaning towards the My Cloud Mirror, but none the less I would appreciate your thoughts on storage solutions for my needs.
I apologize if a similar thread exists, but with the search function is down, I have not been able to locate any in my browsing.

Ta-ta! Cherry Dude


* This word does not really need a footnote

 

[rsq]

but from the forums it seems like power efficiency and form factor will never be able to compete with prebuild NAS

I disagree with this. It can be done.

This mainboard will be power efficient, and can accept 12 hdd's and ECC memory. It is a winner for a DIY* NAS.
ASRock C2550D4I Mini ITX Server Motherboard FCBGA1283 DDR3 1600 / 1333 - Newegg.com

Going the DIY route with the above mainboard will run circles around the prebuilt appliances. And it can do more then just serve files. It could serve some basic VM's if you put enough RAM in it. There is also a C2750 based version of that mobo which has 8 cores but eats a bit more power (20W vs 14W according to intel's specs).

As added bonus, it has a PCIe express slot that you could put a 10 GB Ethernet card in...

Best Regards, RsQ

* I agree!

 

[Bandalo]

I disagree with this. It can be done.

This mainboard will be power efficient, and can accept 12 hdd's and ECC memory. It is a winner for a DIY* NAS.
ASRock C2550D4I Mini ITX Server Motherboard FCBGA1283 DDR3 1600 / 1333 - Newegg.com

Going the DIY route with the above mainboard will run circles around the prebuilt appliances. And it can do more then just serve files. It could serve some basic VM's if you put enough RAM in it. There is also a C2750 based version of that mobo which has 8 cores but eats a bit more power (20W vs 14W according to intel's specs).

The one problem is that MB costs about $100 more than the pre-build NAS. Add in a case, power supply and RAM, and you're into fairly expensive territory for a simple home file-sharing device.

Hi there!

It seems I have been bitten by some strange creature, as i simply cannot stop looking at other electronics while I wait for the components for my new mini-ITX build. The latest is flavor of the week is NAS.

I am not looking for anything fancy, primarily only for storage and delivering files to my shield TV. Other than that, some file sharing options would be nice. Just to clarify, HDD in my primary rig, and external drives are not interesting solutions

I have been looking at the ASUSTOR AS3102T, WD My Cloud Mirror Gen 2, and a DIY* solution.

Have you looked at Synology or QNAP's 2-bay solutions? The QNAP TS-231+ would probably fit your needs.

 

[Cherry Dude]

This mainboard will be power efficient, and can accept 12 hdd's and ECC memory. It is a winner for a DIY* NAS...

Going the DIY route with the above mainboard will run circles around the prebuilt appliances. And it can do more then just serve files. It could serve some basic VM's if you put enough RAM in it.

The one problem is that MB costs about $100 more than the pre-build NAS. Add in a case, power supply and RAM, and you're into fairly expensive territory for a simple home file-sharing device.

I have to agree with the both of you on this one. That's is a pretty cool motherboard, and the ability to just add more HDD's as needed is nice, not to speak of all the other stuff than just file serving you could do.

Then again, as Bandalo says, the price is miles apart. However, in the long run the DIY might be the right choice, not at least if the need for more advanced uses should appear.

Have you looked at Synology or QNAP's 2-bay solutions? The QNAP TS-231+ would probably fit your needs.

I actually have, it is not at all bad - but perhaps the same issue as with the DIY solution, although in a smaller scale, persists - if it is only for simple home file sharing, it is a $300 increase from My Cloud Mirror if both are equipped with 12TB as an example.

 

[Bandalo]

I have to agree with the both of you on this one. That's is a pretty cool motherboard, and the ability to just add more HDD's as needed is nice, not to speak of all the other stuff than just file serving you could do.

Then again, as Bandalo says, the price is miles apart. However, in the long run the DIY might be the right choice, not at least if the need for more advanced uses should appear.



I actually have, it is not at all bad - but perhaps the same issue as with the DIY solution, although in a smaller scale, persists - if it is only for simple home file sharing, it is a $300 increase from My Cloud Mirror if both are equipped with 12TB as an example.

It really just depends on your budget and your actual needs. If it's nothing but home file sharing, then the WD options work great. Or get a couple external HDDs and a RasberryPi for $30 and run FreeNAS or something similar. That will do everything you NEED for dirt cheap.

A full-on NAS will give you a lot more flexibility and capability for the future if you need it, just want it, and can afford it. Plus it's in a nice, neat package with a warranty. A custom built will probably give you even more flexibility for the future.

 

[Cherry Dude]

Agreed ;-)