1st NAS build

Boilingchip

Boilingchip

Boilingchip

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4 Aug 2016
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11
Hello guys I'd like some advice on parts for a home nas. It'll be on for 24/7 (so it needs to have low power consumption) and will mainly store photos, videos and other files. I've already done some research for the parts and hopefully get some more information from you guys on how to improve my build.

Nas build 1



For this one lose out on sata connectors if I do decide to upgrade in the future. I guess changing to another mobo wouldn't be an issue.

Nas build 2



For this one the processor is oem which means I had to add a cpu cooler to the list.

** No Competitors, re-read the FAQ please ** - RJC
 
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I assume you'll be running something like FreeNas on the box?

If you can find it for a decent price, the ASRock C2750D4I is a stonking little platform, and supports ECC memory.

If that's a bit out of your price range, I would look at pentium g4400, 8gb unbuffered ecc ram and the cheapest compatible Supermicro board with a good amount of sata ports as a a starting point, (link.)

You can probably get better/more advice in the storage sub-forum to be honest; my foray in home NAS is limited.
 
I'm building one at the moment.

Went for a gigabyte Z170N board, for m2 (system drive), 6x sata 3 and 2x bonded gigE ports. PCI-e slot is free if I need more drives. The only missing thing is ECC support - i'll live without that.

Planning on running a i3 6100T (35W) chip. May even consider artificially lowering TDP to enable passive cooking to be achieved during idle.

6 mechanical drives are in at the moment, that will spin down during idle. That and a fanless PSU should keep noise and power to a minimum.
 
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implosiveturnip said:
I assume you'll be running something like FreeNas on the box?

If you can find it for a decent price, the ASRock C2750D4I is a stonking little platform, and supports ECC memory.

If that's a bit out of your price range, I would look at pentium g4400, 8gb unbuffered ecc ram and the cheapest compatible Supermicro board with a good amount of sata ports as a a starting point, (link.)

You can probably get better/more advice in the storage sub-forum to be honest; my foray in home NAS is limited.
Click to expand...

Yes I will be running Freenas. The ASRock is way over my budget. Was hoping for a cheaper mobo.

Skiddley said:
I'm building one at the moment.

Went for a gigabyte Z170N board, for m2 (system drive), 6x sata 3 and 2x bonded gigE ports. PCI-e slot is free if I need more drives. The only missing thing is ECC support - i'll live without that.

Planning on running a i3 6100T (35W) chip. May even consider artificially lowering TDP to enable passive cooking to be achieved during idle.

6 mechanical drives are in at the moment, that will spin down during idle. That and a fanless PSU should keep noise and power to a minimum.
Click to expand...

Please do let me know how your build goes. Also why do you need a system drive? Most builds I've looked at only have a usb stick as a boot drive.


Boilingchip said:
Hello guys I'd like some advice on parts for a home nas. It'll be on for 24/7 (so it needs to have low power consumption) and will mainly store photos, videos and other files. I've already done some research for the parts and hopefully get some more information from you guys on how to improve my build.

Nas build 1



For this one lose out on sata connectors if I do decide to upgrade in the future. I guess changing to another mobo wouldn't be an issue.

Nas build 2



For this one the processor is oem which means I had to add a cpu cooler to the list.

** No Competitors, re-read the FAQ please ** - RJC
Click to expand...

I apologise to the mods about the links. I forgot to read the faqs.
 
To get an idea of required processing you only have to look at the current hardware specs of what NAS systems are available from the likes of Synology to see it does not have to cost much.

I think that is why some people end up building cheap NAS and servers with obsolete hardware such as 775 kit.

Sadly we cant see your previous parts lists, how many TB of storage are you planning on with how many drives?
 
For the HDD I've decided to go for 2 x 2TB Western Digital Reds and then maybe buy another 2 later on if I ever decide to increase my storage.

For the case it's the Fractal Design Node 304 so I will need a mini itx mobo. PSU will be a Corsair CSM 450W as it's semi modular which will be slightly better for cable management.

I'm still looking at what to choose for the cpu, mobo and RAM.
 
This my FreeNAS build:-

CPU: Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor
Motherboard: ASRock E3C226D2I Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard
Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-8648641600 EEC Memory
Storage: 6 X Western Digital Red 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive
Case: Lian-Li PC-Q25B Mini ITX Tower Case
Power Supply: Silverstone 300W 80+ Bronze Certified SFX Power Supply
Boot: Sandisk 2 X 16GB USB flash drive

The 6 drives are in a 4+2 configuration.

Use of EEC RAM is highly recommended and there is a discussion on EEC vs Non-EEC RAM here: https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/ecc-vs-non-ecc-ram-and-zfs.15449/.
 
I've been looking into UnRaidOS.

I like the idea of a PC being a NAS, but having the ability to fire up the Virtual Machines for Windows, Linux etc with all the other bells and whistles that it supports.
 
My FreeNAS build has been running since December 2014.

As for issues, I originally had a single 8GB Sandisk USB flash drive as the start up disk but when this developed a problem around 6 months ago I replaced it with 2 16GB Sandisk USB flash drives to make life a little easier in the event of future corruption.

Another problem is related to the motherboard/power supply whereby I have to remove and replace the CMOS after a power down before I can reboot. Although this can be a bit of a pain, power downs are not necessary unless I make any hardware changes (which is only once for the USB drive) plus it is on a UPS.

I am very pleased with the NAS which replaced a Netgear ReadyNAS which was painfully slow to the point of being unusable.

I use the NAS for media and general storage and backups from Windows and OS X plus I run Owncloud, Plex and Crashplan on it.

The G3220 CPU handles a single 1080p stream to my TV via an Amazon PrimeTV box without problem.
 
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