NAS Drive recommendation 8TB +

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Hi,

I am building a unraid server, using i3-10100 or i5-10400 as CPU. What are you recommendations for storage drives, want to keep it cheap and reliable.

also any recommendation on MB, i will be getting one with atleast 6 SATA ports and a M2 slot for OS

I will be having separate backup drive as well.

looking to build an array with 4TB HDD to start with (3 + 1 parity drive) and then extend later, depending upon, how much I can fill it up

 

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appreciate any inputs folks?

 

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thank you

 

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I have 10 Toshiba 3TB (CMR) P300 drives and for the money... more than happy.

I am comfortable with what I have and know they are not "NAS" drives but they are 7200rpm and get the job done but have had no total failures and after 2 years, a couple of drives are showing unreadable sectors but I am pushing them beyond their intended use so no biggie.

They are not SSD silent but they are not a tractor either, with 10 in a single case, I would expect more noise.

I always find these an interesting read...

An online backup company gets through its fair share of drives so the info they have is interesting...

Backblaze Hard Drive Stats



For the most part, sticking with the big brands, despite what some may say about Brand X being ****, Brand X never failed me, there is always someone who will say the opposite.

The tech has just matured to such a point where it is as stable as anyone can make them.

Go with the drives you need for the price you can afford, just avoid SMR drives.

I would suggest looking at AMD as an option. Most people suggest "Go Intel, they are more stable" but the reality is, this is just a default, legacy mindset. AMD are making headway into the Enterprise market and it is becoming more accepted to use AMD in the server space once dominated by Intel.

It has to be remembered, companies do not refresh servers each year, it is a slow process but the numbers are climbing in AMD's favour.

I only mention this as I have seen consumer AMD boards with a shed load of SATA ports on them, the Intel chipsets always seem lite on SATA ports.

Ultimately though, something with a lower power draw the better while keeping optimum efficiency. Also, do not skimp on the heastink/fan. I would suggest Noctua for a 24x7 scenario but I am biased.

Sure, you can add seperate SATA controllers (can be pricey) but you need to factor that into how many expansion slots your board has and what your future (if any) upgrade plans are. You never have enough storage/backup space.

Some MATX boards have 2 SATA ports and worse, 2 DIMM slots.

Avoid MATX boards and go for a mid tier ATX motherboard with decent power management/components.

If your Mobo does not have an Intel NIC, BUY AN INTEL NIC.

Just my two cents. Have fun.

 

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thank you for informative and detailed post. I started with opting for AMD based NAS for unrai but google search/forums say there is too much tweaking and there are issues implementing unraid on AMD architecture. I don't have all the specifics but flavour was to avoid AM4 for unraid. Which shifted me to intel.

what will you recommend for AM4 NAS build pls - HW , Software

 

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thanks now need to find this in UK , any pointers where to buy them ? or best to google as can't put competitors names here

 

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What is the intended use for the appliance?

Simply managing data? Any media transcoding?

Act as data store for my home - family pics/videos/documents
be able to play to TV directly from the device - will be keeping it under the TV cabinet so aesthetics may play a part but not too worried if it a mid tower case
stream to 3-5 devices - phone/tablet/laptop

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i wanted to add more use cases to this machine but i think it might be better in a separate machine it was more to be able to run 2-5 VM's for my own learning as and when required

 

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A suggestion as your usage scenario seems similiar to mine....

Keep the NAS AWAY from the TV... I built a 3200G system for the TV which is smaller and quieter than the NAS will ever be, it is almost silent and sits under the TV with no problem. Also, if using a PC on a TV, this is awesome...

https://www.logitech.com/en-gb/product/wireless-touch-keyboard-k400-plus

Get the biggest case you can for the NAS, you will be thankful when you can stick 8 or 10 HDD's in the same case as your needs grow and stick it somewhere it will not be seen/heard.

Everyone has their own needs/wants of course, but that was my thoughts having gone through the same questions as yourself.

thank you, so for NAS i was going for Fractal R5 or similar, i don't get the 3200G system, did you meant

3200G for media playback into TV and being fed from NAS, can you also provide part recommendations (motherboard, cpu, ram, powersupply) for both these

NAS and 3200G please?

I quite like the wireless keyboard that looks like a must have

 

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thank you very much, very helpful and informative, now glued on HUK deals to get the right case..or buy a 3D printer and print my NAS case

 

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thanks so which NAS cpu/motherboard shall i go for to minimise power footprint

 

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i am now a confused grinch...

so can you help me with CPU/Motherboard/Memory/Power supply spec

i am thinking of buying Fractal R5

 

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googling R5 is getting me between £108 - £132, thinking of having 16GB RAM, have already bought 3 10TB WD Elements (2 + 1 parity to start with, expanding to 3 more 10 TB)

 

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3200G vs 8th/9th celeron is big difference.

One is rated 65w TDP
One is rated 10w TDP

matx board is bigger and more dimm slots more features etc thus consumes even more power.

for a basic network storage solution you don’t need any of those features thus power consumption unless you want to have some gaming capabilities.

thanks so i am after explicit list of parts recommendation, reading on forums there are so many options and they all may be right based on OP specific requirements. gathering them I have built partslist below but still want to check if I am on the right track

NAS : G5400, Asrock H370MITXac, 16gb 2400mhz Crucial

or shall I go with latest G6400 or 8th/9th generation

the other PC I may got for a AMD one but want to do NAS first

 

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any further pointers please?