ITX NAS Case

Associate
Joined
12 May 2004
Posts
264
I'm building my own NAS and I am after a 4 bay dedicated NAS case that will fit a mini/ micro ITX or ITX board . I'm looking for something similar to the turnkey solutions like Synology 4 bays in terms of size.

Any recommendations welcome please
 
I've been looking for something similar. The Jonsbo cases seen to fit the bill perfectly. Mine will be hidden away so it's not really an issue, but it helps that they're decent looking cases as well as practical.
 
Probably bigger than what you wanted but I use the fractal node 304 as my plex server for a few reasons that mostly point towards silence as it sits in my front room.
Full size atx psu
Tower cooler capable (Sort of passive.)
140mm exhaust.
 
I recommend the Fratal Node 304 aswell, it's ideal for it really provided the footprint isn't too big for where you want to put it.
 
This looks ideal for a new Plex Server I'm going to build

Stupid question - does a regular PSU fit in?

It does. Up to 160mm.

Availability is a bit of an issue for the case though. It seems to be out of stock a lot or has a pre-order option, which is strange considering it launched in 2012.
 
Oldie checking in.

I went with an N3 and an N100 mITX board that got posted over here by boat from the otherside of the globe. Chosen for aethetics and size - I had a very particular physical shelf for it to fit in.

Completely happy with it despite being a bit tight to cable manage at times.
 
Post some pics.

i was tempted by one of the jonsbo cases, but in the end i modified a coolermaster NC100 nuc extreme case to fit an itx board (Asrock J5040-ITX, its passively cooled) because it was stupid cheap and came with an SFX PSU. 3D printed some drive bays, need to finish it off a bit but its working well. going to build a backup machine with another NC100 case and a motherboard out of a NUC, thats that plan anyway, i might get it done eventually.
 
Same for pics please. I repurposed an old Antec 900 case but it is huge to hold just the N305 board(also from same.place as you I think) and a few SSDs.
Looking to change the case to a smaller one.
 
Last edited:
Will dig out the internal photos from the build later.

Specs:
Jonsbo N3
CW-ADLN-NAS N100 board (6 SATA ports directly on board)
Corsair SF450 PSU
1 * 16GB DDR5
2 * m.2 1TB drives for Unraid cache
3 * 3.5 drives for Unraid Array

Any questions, just shout.

1000065750.jpg

1000065749.jpg

1000063537.jpg
 
Last edited:
More and more! Currently trying to import a 300GB takeout from Google Photos into Immich on it. Not quite sure how all that adds up as Google says I'm only using 80GB of photo storage.

But other stuff I've learnt (first Linux machine) and have had running since March:
  • Plex media server (and at least five of the assorted related services)
  • VPN
  • Logitech Media Server
  • Assetto Corsa server via SteamCMD
  • Personal work/media storage
Nothing mission critical, but would like it to be my main file backup and less reliant on Google etc.
 
Last edited:
More and more! Currently trying to import a 300GB takeout from Google Photos into Immich on it. Not quite sure how all that adds up as Google says I'm only using 80GB of photo storage.

Very nice! Is the CPU soldered onto the motherboard? I looked it up and it would appear to be but the listing also mentions "12th Gen Intel" so not sure what's going on there. Looking at it with the non-traditional socket holes, I'm guessing it's more of a SoC situation?
 
Yeah, the board is specifically the CW-ADLN-NAS V10
I think all the N100 are soldered on, mostly.

Thought I had misread the 12th N Series as relating to Intel but went back to the listing and Intel is definitely in there, probably for keyword results.

The board is really interesting. From what I've read it looks to be aimed at efficiency but how are you finding it for power? Are you running any 4K content on PLEX?
 
Once I was happy it was all working after a few weeks I started looking into power management. Using a Meross smart plug, the lowest I've seen it at is 18W for a split second. Right now it's mostly idle with the 3.5 disks parked and it's fluctuating between 21-28W.

If you want really low power draw, go for the DC power version of these boards, or look elsewhere.

I tend to avoid 4K transcoding, but I take it you mean in respect to the processing power? Most of my media will direct play and as it has Intel Quick sync, could cope with multiple 4k direct play streams in parallel.

@Slogan for instance, image showing transcoding down to 720p then back to direct streaming.
Screenshot-20240601-141910.png
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom