NathanP2007
[H]ard|Gawd
- Joined
- Dec 17, 2007
- Messages
- 1,697
I have had my eye on a couple of NAS boxes for a while, specifically the Synology DS416-Play and the WD MyCloud PR4100 (both around $500). Recently I was asked "why not just make your own for cheaper?" so here I am attempting to do that. I have built PC's before but never a NAS. I have basically no experience with the motherboards and CPU's in this price range, and I have no experience (yet, will do research) on NAS operating systems like FreeNAS, unRaid and the recently recommended for me; Open Media Vault.
My original parts list was derived from this blog which listed the
As you can see this build would be $600+. For my usage I don't think that makes sense. And while I love the NSC-400 and 800 design, the price for one of those cases is steep.
I was recommended a more down to Earth alternative to that build, here it is listed on PC Hound. But I'll list it here too:
1) What will you be doing with this NAS? Storing files (pictures, videos, documents) including TV episodes and movies which I want to stream using Plex.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included? No real budget but spending less than $500 is ideal.
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible. Washington, USA
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need. Case, CPU, RAM, PSU, Mobo.
5) Will you be overclocking? No
6) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc. If the motherboard doesn't have enough SATA ports I can always get a PCIe SATA card. I'd like two RAM DIMM slots so RAM can be expanded if necessary.
What I am curious about is with your experience and knowledge, can you recommend better components that aren't critically more expensive? Maybe you know of a Mobo/CPU combo that would be a better fit for just a bit more money or maybe you know of a better PSU for the same price? I personally haven't even heard of the brand "Team Elite" which the RAM is so any opinions on that would be welcome. I am just trying to find the right components (price, power, quality) that will do what I am desiring (storage, Plex streaming) and then I'll pull the trigger and buy them and build it. I don't have a problem paying a bit more to get the best "bang for your buck" components.
Thanks!
(P.S. Given my needs what is the NAS OS you recommend me using?)
My original parts list was derived from this blog which listed the
- $300 ASRock C2550D4I
- $80 Crucial 16GB kit (2x8GB) of Unbuffered DDR3 PC3-12800 ECC RAM
- U-NAS NSC-400 (which I can't find online to buy) or the $200 U-NAS NSC-800
As you can see this build would be $600+. For my usage I don't think that makes sense. And while I love the NSC-400 and 800 design, the price for one of those cases is steep.
I was recommended a more down to Earth alternative to that build, here it is listed on PC Hound. But I'll list it here too:
- $40 AMD Athlon 5350
- $40 ASRock AM1B-ITX
- $30 Team 8GB Elite Plus
- $60 SeaSonic 360W G-Series SSR-360GP
- $40 Cooler Master Elite 130 RC-130-KKN1 130 (though I just saw it can only hold 3 HDD's, i'd like room for 4)
1) What will you be doing with this NAS? Storing files (pictures, videos, documents) including TV episodes and movies which I want to stream using Plex.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included? No real budget but spending less than $500 is ideal.
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible. Washington, USA
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need. Case, CPU, RAM, PSU, Mobo.
5) Will you be overclocking? No
6) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc. If the motherboard doesn't have enough SATA ports I can always get a PCIe SATA card. I'd like two RAM DIMM slots so RAM can be expanded if necessary.
What I am curious about is with your experience and knowledge, can you recommend better components that aren't critically more expensive? Maybe you know of a Mobo/CPU combo that would be a better fit for just a bit more money or maybe you know of a better PSU for the same price? I personally haven't even heard of the brand "Team Elite" which the RAM is so any opinions on that would be welcome. I am just trying to find the right components (price, power, quality) that will do what I am desiring (storage, Plex streaming) and then I'll pull the trigger and buy them and build it. I don't have a problem paying a bit more to get the best "bang for your buck" components.
Thanks!
(P.S. Given my needs what is the NAS OS you recommend me using?)
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