Hi,
I'm looking to change my current Netgear Readynas Duo with 2 x 2TB drives in to a more conventional PC based file server and HTPC combined. Currently the Netgear serves as backup for the laptops and feeds the Dune media player with movie files (full bluray movie rips (BD-ISO) with menu's and HD audio).
The replacement will be used to back up files from the couple of laptops in the house plus store the movie bluray and DVD rips (mainly full BD-ISO's / ISO's) that i've been doing on and off (currently about 1.5TB). It will still need to feed the Dune but also it will need to act as a HTPC on XBMC for the TV in the back room where its located (Dune is in the lounge). The house network is gigabit via CAT6 mainly.
Now i've chosen to use Win7 Pro x64 as i have a spare copy and i know my way around it.
I did think i wanted to go hardware RAID but have changed my mind since finding out about Drive Bender, Storagebits etc so i will go with one of these as they provide folder (or lower) duplication and the ease of removing a drive and being able to read it in a normal PC as its in NTFS sounds good.
This means i could duplicate the movie rips but not duplicate the stuff from the laptops as its already on the laptops as well.
Now it comes to hardware spec.
I want the case small-ish as it will need to go in an AV cabinet so i've pretty much chosen the Fractel Designs Node 304 which is mini ITX and can accommodate 6 x 3.5" HDD's but its still pretty low profile.
Rest of the spec is up for grabs though, i dont have a mega budget so £300-£350 in total really (which includes ~£70 for the case).
I will be re-using the 2 x 2TB drives i have and probably buying a single 3TB to add to the storage total plus I really want to have it as quiet as possible!
Fractel Designs Node 304 m-ITX case (2x92mm front fans, 1x140mm rear fan)
Corsair 430W CXM Builder Modular 80 Plus Bronze PSU
Corsair XMS3 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-10666C9 1333MHz Dual Channel Kit
Seagate or WD 3TB drve
Either;
Intel - Asus P8H77-I & Pentium G640
or
AMD - ASRock FM2A75M-ITX & A6-5400K Black Edition 3.60GHz
Unsure which mobo/CPU setup to go for to play back 1080p with HD audio potentially (they both have onboard graphics and can output via HDMI).
Also 3D capability would be a bonus so i guess that would rule out the Intel unless i got a separate card?
Any suggestions or changes i should make or anything i have overlooked?
Is the above vastly overkill for what i need?
Thanks for any help.
I'm looking to change my current Netgear Readynas Duo with 2 x 2TB drives in to a more conventional PC based file server and HTPC combined. Currently the Netgear serves as backup for the laptops and feeds the Dune media player with movie files (full bluray movie rips (BD-ISO) with menu's and HD audio).
The replacement will be used to back up files from the couple of laptops in the house plus store the movie bluray and DVD rips (mainly full BD-ISO's / ISO's) that i've been doing on and off (currently about 1.5TB). It will still need to feed the Dune but also it will need to act as a HTPC on XBMC for the TV in the back room where its located (Dune is in the lounge). The house network is gigabit via CAT6 mainly.
Now i've chosen to use Win7 Pro x64 as i have a spare copy and i know my way around it.
I did think i wanted to go hardware RAID but have changed my mind since finding out about Drive Bender, Storagebits etc so i will go with one of these as they provide folder (or lower) duplication and the ease of removing a drive and being able to read it in a normal PC as its in NTFS sounds good.
This means i could duplicate the movie rips but not duplicate the stuff from the laptops as its already on the laptops as well.
Now it comes to hardware spec.
I want the case small-ish as it will need to go in an AV cabinet so i've pretty much chosen the Fractel Designs Node 304 which is mini ITX and can accommodate 6 x 3.5" HDD's but its still pretty low profile.
Rest of the spec is up for grabs though, i dont have a mega budget so £300-£350 in total really (which includes ~£70 for the case).
I will be re-using the 2 x 2TB drives i have and probably buying a single 3TB to add to the storage total plus I really want to have it as quiet as possible!
Fractel Designs Node 304 m-ITX case (2x92mm front fans, 1x140mm rear fan)
Corsair 430W CXM Builder Modular 80 Plus Bronze PSU
Corsair XMS3 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-10666C9 1333MHz Dual Channel Kit
Seagate or WD 3TB drve
Either;
Intel - Asus P8H77-I & Pentium G640
or
AMD - ASRock FM2A75M-ITX & A6-5400K Black Edition 3.60GHz
Unsure which mobo/CPU setup to go for to play back 1080p with HD audio potentially (they both have onboard graphics and can output via HDMI).
Also 3D capability would be a bonus so i guess that would rule out the Intel unless i got a separate card?
Any suggestions or changes i should make or anything i have overlooked?
Is the above vastly overkill for what i need?
Thanks for any help.