server or nas please advise

adbp1

adbp1

adbp1

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looking at taking out all my hdds from pc as were building desk into pc
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18159148

want to go to sever or nas of some sort.

which is better?

all i want to do is basiclly stream files to htpc(t.v) and laptop and for torrents.

want it to sit in cupboard out of the way and keep quiet!!

is a sever overkill, i know you can do backups and a lot more than nas.
or is nas fine for basic home use.

is there any prebuilt servers i should be looking for like the hp mediasmart
which nas should i look for.

thanks
Ali
 
I'm going through the same decision and I found prebuilt NAS is horribly expensive for what you get. I'm now just about ready to set up a server running FreeNAS.
 
I already have plenty of hdd's i can put into it, are the nas without hdds just as bad?
 
Go the freenas/server route
If you transfer any amount of data to and from the box you will soon be ticked off with the speed of a nas.20MBS if you are lucky even if it is advertised as gigabit
 
Home server sounds like a much better idea, as stated above NAS drives are frustratingly slow and don't offer as much functionality as a server.
 
Not all NAS drives are frustratingly slow. It's just the cheap ones that are. As soon as you start spending £200+, they're fast enough for anything you could want to do with it.
 
What do modern PCs use when idle? Hundred to a couple hundred watts? Reusing an older computer with multiple old hard drives will use even more.

NAS' usually run at less than 50 watts under load.
 
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I'd also be interested in the conclusion of this thread. Currently looking at NAS's but would be equally as interested in a server.
 
Also just curious as to what you'd call 'cheap'. The reason I ask is because I've been looking at a Netgear one with 2 drive bays for £135. Would that be considered cheap?
 
im not to worried about power!! not worried about backing up anything (should be but back by disc anyway)
is there any decent nas that takes 4 bays or is it worth while jsut saving a little more and jsut do server. if so build own or by ready built?
 
If you're buying either new, just get a good NAS. The extra cost of a proper server isn't justified by any increase in speed or reliability. It'll just use more power, be noisier, take up more space and still by limited by your network more than anything else.

Google "SmallNetBuilder" for reviews and comparison charts. I would link but it contains competitors and stuff, probably.

For your needs, a server is overkill if you're buying new.

Synology, Qnap, Thecus, Netgear, and even Seagate are all pretty good NAS manufacturers.
 
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With that Netgear Nas, do you have to have the two disks in raid for backup purposes. I'd rather just have the extra space, so two 2tb disks equalling 4tb instead of 2tb and a backup 2tb disk. It may sound silly but all its going to house is media so nothing vital.

EDIT - Found out it does in fact do this, hurrah.
 
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