NAS vs HDDs in case? - Pros and Cons

[boYce]

Currently I have a laptop and a messy storage setup, split between laptop SSD, portable HDD, and a very old tower PC HDD. I want to bring it all neatly together, and have it mirrored in RAID 1.

If I was sticking with a laptop the NAS is an easy choice (probably the WD PR2100), but I'm also thinking of building an ITX desktop instead and could just stick 2x HDDs in there. This means I wouldn't need a separate NAS running, but does mean the data is locked to that desktop, which can be more messy in the future.

I want 2x 4TB drives. And the data is used for;

• Photography (Lightroom)
• Design work (Solidworks, keyshot, Abobe)
• Media (films, docs, misc. storage)

What's the PROS and CONS of each set-up?

 

[MassiveJim]

Sounds like you already know the pros and cons.

NAS is low power on all the time and accessible by multiple devices, can be configured to be accessible over the internet.

if you don't need to access your files with other devices (or at least not often) then probably just go with the extra drives in your main rig (which is also the cheaper option)

 

[Cooler running]

Based on what you've said, maybe this can help:

NAS Pro
- Is designed for this purpose
- built in feature sets for doing advanced stuff easily
- 24/7 operation
... CON
- Generally more expensive disks than desktop grade stuff
- NAS compute might be a bit underpowered
- If you dont need 24/7 operation, then it will eat into electricity bill
- RAID or ZFS setups often lead to you pre-emptively overbuying storage

Desktop Pro
- Most power and performance for the money
- Could make it your primary computing device with higher end hardware replacing laptop as primary compute device
- Easy to setup
...CON
- If you want high end compute the price will spike up fast
- Possibly less convenient than your current setup as you'll have bits on laptop, bits on desktop, and it will probably continue this way as desktop is not mobile.
- not realistic to run it 24/7

Home Server Pro
- can be both a NAS and a computing device in theory
- extreme flexibility
- high end server hardware offer low wattage components for long usage while still maintaining similar performance to desktop
...CON
- Difficult to setup
- Can be extremely expensive unless you source for scrap heaps
- You might just end up using it like a normal NAS

 

[FreeStream]

Don’t bother with RAID 1.
I did in the past. Waste of time.

Backup regularly to a disk that’s offline and ideally in a different location.

I personally have four copies of everything more than a month old and two copies of everything now (hourly NAS backups with everything that changes being kept).

Master + NAS + Offline x2 (gets swapped offsite regularly).

RAID does not protect you against you deleting something by accident (yes I’ve learnt the hard way).

NAS isn’t that difficult to setup. Have a look at UnRAID. Install to a USB and boot. Easy!

 

[Quartz]

Don’t bother with RAID 1.

I disagree. RAID 1 is not a backup solution but a data uptime solution.

Backup regularly to a disk that’s offline and ideally in a different location.

I do, however, agree with this.

 

[FreeStream]

I disagree. RAID 1 is not a backup solution but a data uptime solution.

Except when the raid 1 array falls over and causes a whole host of other issues...

Been there. Done that. Never again!

This isn’t a data centre or a business. It’s seemingly someone at home on a laptop...