Unused parts... DIY NAS?

[maclem8223]

So I have a i5 6500, 16GB of DDR4, solid PSU, and 4 8tb Reds not doing anything right now. Building my own NAS seemed like a decent idea. I had a Synology DS216 Play that I sold. I like the idea of expansion which off-the-shelf solutions only go so far. From what I've read ECC ram is out using the i5 (please correct me if I'm wrong). Is FreeNas still the go to for DIY NAS solutions? Just looking for some suggestions I guess regarding a mobo and possible case. Shouldn't need room for more that 8 drives ever (maybe, I think).

 

[Nakulz]

Freenas and unraid both seem like popular option

 

[Zedicus]

unraid would be the recommendation if you are not going to use ECC.

 

[maclem8223]

If I stick with the parts I cant. I5 doesn't support ECC. ATX mobo recommendations from anyone for this build?

 

[TheSmJ]

That's a lot of hardware to dedicate to storage and storage alone. I think you'd be better off setting up a server (Windows or Linux) hosting not only storage space, but also Plex and a few other apps.

 

[BigJayDogg3]

That's a lot of hardware to dedicate to storage and storage alone. I think you'd be better off setting up a server (Windows or Linux) hosting not only storage space, but also Plex and a few other apps.

I don't disagree with this, but I'd also suggest picking up a RAID card. If you have a mobo failure with RAID enabled, you can pretty much kiss all your data goodbye. With a RAID card, you can bring it anywhere and set it back up. If the RAID card fails, you can get another like model and your data should still be there.

From what I've been told, even getting the same motherboard as a replacement doesn't guarantee you'll have a functional array afterward.

You may also want to look into getting with a buddy and have a system where your NAS backs up to their NAS as some kind of off site backup.

 

[maclem8223]

That's a lot of hardware to dedicate to storage and storage alone. I think you'd be better off setting up a server (Windows or Linux) hosting not only storage space, but also Plex and a few other apps.

You must have been in my head the past few hours, as this is what I'm leaning towards. I just want to pick out a new board and case. Current mobo is overkill and the i5 can't really take advantage of it's features either (Asus Maximus Hero VIII). I'm budgeting 300 (adjustable) for a solid case and mobo. I'll put the Asus mobo up in FS/FT.

I don't disagree with this, but I'd also suggest picking up a RAID card. If you have a mobo failure with RAID enabled, you can pretty much kiss all your data goodbye. With a RAID card, you can bring it anywhere and set it back up. If the RAID card fails, you can get another like model and your data should still be there.

From what I've been told, even getting the same motherboard as a replacement doesn't guarantee you'll have a functional array afterward.

You may also want to look into getting with a buddy and have a system where your NAS backs up to their NAS as some kind of off site backup.

Raid card isn't out of the question, but nothing I'll be storing is extremely crucial and/or already backed up elsewhere. This will mainly be for media storage, school files and some odds and ends. This will be for media and tinkering, hence the quote I posted above. Nothing being too crucial, I'm not even sure I'll go with raid, I'd rather have the raw storage. I live dangerously.... Plus, with a 1gb up/down connection the hell with it Thanks for the insight either way!

 

[Zedicus]

so for pennies you can pick up an AM3+ system now that supports ECC ddr3, IOMMU, and VTD. then with a dell perc h310 you can add an HBA again for pennies. you end up with a complete virtualization box and the ability to virtualize freenas or unraid and a full server environment. Ryzen can do the same thing with the correct board, but it is a little more expensive, still no where near the cost of intel for a full virt solution though.

just sayin.

 

[maclem8223]

so for pennies you can pick up an AM3+ system now that supports ECC ddr3, IOMMU, and VTD. then with a dell perc h310 you can add an HBA again for pennies. you end up with a complete virtualization box and the ability to virtualize freenas or unraid and a full server environment. Ryzen can do the same thing with the correct board, but it is a little more expensive, still no where near the cost of intel for a full virt solution though.

just sayin.

My whole point is to try and use the hardware I currently have...

 

[Zedicus]

My whole point is to try and use the hardware I currently have...

then install unraid and be done with it. unraid has no hard ECC requirement, and is capable of doing everything you suggested originally.