NAS Build And Question

[Mindovermaster Moderator]

I want to build a new NAS. As those pre-made ones are not upgradable if I want more storage down the line.

 

I am going to run openmediavault on it. I'm a Debian guy, not a BSD one...

 

Now, as for hardware:

 

I'm looking at this motherboard: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157728

Intel Celeron embedded on board.

 

Memory: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231694

16GB of So-Dimm DDR3L, for the lower voltage. 1.35 vs 1.5. 16GB is the max for board.

 

Case: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352011&ignorebbr=1

Micro-ATX case, and has lots of HDD slots.

 

~$270 in all. Budget is open, just I don't want to pay upwards of what I posted above for something I don't need as a simple NAS.

 

I have a 610W PC Power & Cooling Inc. Silencer. Will this be enough to power 4+ HDDs? Or do i need something different? (more efficient)

 

I have the following HDDs that I plan to add:

 

2x3TB WD Green (from my WD Books I had to tear open)

2x3TB WD Blue

 

I may add more HDDs later, as needed. I might need a PCI-E controller/RAID card, as mine are only PCI... But, I'll ask that later.

 

If there is anything else I am missing out on, do tell. Think I got everything in. Please do ask, though.

[Circaflex]

What do you plan to use the NAS for? Just file storage, or do you plan to stream/transcode media? The celeron is pretty weak. I also believe you've had a few NAS threads, 

, where you asked the same question.

[Mindovermaster Moderator]

This is a new thread, old thread(s) do not matter. I am thinking on new hardware here. Entire new scenario. I didn't seem to get much help in the other thread, either...

 

NAS is for family file storage only. I don't need a powerful CPU to just run that.

[Circaflex]

What exactly is the question here? Is it, "is my hardware good enough?" This is entirely over-complicated for a simple storage solution. To me, you come across as someone who only plans for the now, and not the possibility of later. What I mean by that, is do you only ever want to run this for simple storage, or do you ever plan to do something else with it? If it is 100% only ever going to be simple storage, surely a pre-built box with expandable bays is an easier solution. I guess, in the end, what is your question exactly? I would recommend against using your green drives in the NAS. The power supply is plenty, and overkill for such build, but will work.

Edited April 30, 2018 by Circaflex

[Mindovermaster Moderator]

Why do you bash me every time I ask something? I think my above questions are quite clear, no?

 

Pre-made NAS devices, as Synology, are #1, expensive, and #2, not upgradable.

 

I want something that I can transfer files without paying $400+ for a pre-made NAS.

 

I heard many a people here that use their green drives in their NAS. Can't remember any names, but I am only using them for backup, not streaming from.

[Circaflex]

1 minute ago, Mindovermaster said:

I think my above questions are quite clear, no?

It really isn't. Are you just wanting someone to validate your build? It is hard to say yes this will work, without any context. I had to ask you a few questions, in order to determine the use case for this box. The only question I really see is, "will this power supply work." Surely it will, but overkill for such box. Other than that, I really don't see a question, again are you just looking for someone to validate your hardware? It would help if you were a little more specific.

 

2 minutes ago, Mindovermaster said:

Pre-made NAS devices, as Synology, are #1, expensive, and #2, not upgradable

Neither is this machine you are "building." The celeron is soldered onto the motherboard. The only upgrade you can preform is adding more ram, which you can also do with pre-built boxes.

 

3 minutes ago, Mindovermaster said:

I heard many a people here that use their grren drives in their NAS.

It has been discussed many times on Neowin, I've been apart of the conversations, as to why people don't recommend them. Especially if you are storing backups or important data on them, I would never re-use green drives. But hey, this is your build and you seem to be set on this setup.

[Mindovermaster Moderator]

2 minutes ago, Circaflex said:

It really isn't. Are you just wanting someone to validate your build? It is hard to say yes this will work, without any context. I had to ask you a few questions, in order to determine the use case for this box. The only question I really see is, "will this power supply work." Surely it will, but overkill for such box. Other than that, I really don't see a question, again are you just looking for someone to validate your hardware? It would help if you were a little more specific.

 

Neither is this machine you are "building." The celeron is soldered onto the motherboard. The only upgrade you can preform is adding more ram, which you can also do with pre-built boxes.

 

It has been discussed many times on Neowin, I've been apart of the conversations, as to why people don't recommend them. Especially if you are storing backups or important data on them, I would never re-use green drives. But hey, this is your build and you seem to be set on this setup.

You never once, that I saw, did you say that this will work. As I asked, are there any other options? Then you would say, use X Y and Z is better...

 

Pre-built boxes, AFAIK,  have less standard CPU's, are soldered to the board, and I believe, their RAM isn't upgradable. Not to much, at least.

 

And, yes, it has been discussed, I browse over a lot of those. BUT, I did use those Greens as an external USB3 device for a good 2 years. I had no issues, asside from the one PCB board dying...

[+BudMan MVC]

This is something you put together to buy - or stuff you have laying around?

 

I see multiple problems with it as a NAS build..  For starters your CASE supports 6 bays 3.5.. Your MB only has 4 sata ports on it..

 

2 x SATA3 6.0Gb/s Connectors, support NCQ, AHCI and Hot Plug
2 x SATA3 6.0Gb/s Connectors by ASMedia ASM1061, support NCQ, AHCI and Hot Plug

 

650W psu is WAY overkill for a simple nas..  And that MB also has lots of graphics - why?  If its just a simple nas box?  Says it supports transcoding and the like - are you going to use it for that at some point.. Or just a simple file share..   You mention adding a raid controller..  It only has a pcie 2.0 x1 slot - not good for much of anything..  Bandwidth is very limited on a x1 slot..

 

You can for sure find a pre done nas for less for that price point.  And really if all your going to do is share some files off it - 16GB is overkill..

[Circaflex]

7 minutes ago, Mindovermaster said:

Pre-built boxes, AFAIK,  have less standard CPU's, are soldered to the board, and I believe, their RAM isn't upgradable. Not to much, at least.

 

Have you looked at the specs of the cpu+board combo you linked? The CPU is soldered on and the CPU itself is extremely weak. What is a less standard CPU? What do you mean by that? Something non-Intel/AMD? I know on the HP NAS boxes and Synology, you can upgrade the RAM. I wish you the best of luck, hopefully someone else will chime in and you can see their suggestions.

 

2 minutes ago, BudMan said:

You can for sure find a pre done nas for less for that price point.  And really if all your going to do is share some files off it - 16GB is overkill..

I am glad someone else agrees here.

[Mindovermaster Moderator]

Thank you @BudMan

 

I do have some stuff lying around, BUT it is old old hardware. I don't think it would be any good. The highest system I have is a C2D E2140, a Super Micro X7SBL-LN2 LGA 775/Socket T, and 4GB of DDR2. I don't think THAT can produce what I am looking for.

 

650W is only what I had left over... Unless a lower wattage drive, but better 80+ performance will help.

 

OK, I didn't know about the PCI-E controller/RAID card, umm, efficiency. Thanks for that.

 

@Circaflex, what are you talking about? My CPU, on that motherboard, yes, is soldered. On any NAS device you buy, has it soldered as well..

[+BudMan MVC]

You could go with the DS418j over at amazon for $299... Simple 4 bay nas.. Ready to go - just slide in your disks and bam your sharing files..

 

I really would not put this much thought and effort into something your going to use to share some files with.. If your willing to put $300.. Its a no brainer to be honest..

 

Been playing with DSM on the ds918+ I got a bit back.. Its is pretty slick OS.. Drop Dead simple to use.. Features out the wazoo you prob never need, etc.

 

If what you were worried about is upgrade-ability/expand-ability I sure wouldn't go with a MB that you can not change CPUs on - nor would I get something with so few sata and or extra slots, etc. And limited to 16GB of ram, etc.  Then again such features are going to put you over the $300 price point, etc.

 

If what you want is to start sharing some files via some disks you have on hand - unless you can just slap something together with parts you have on hand..  I really would just grab some entry level prebuilt box..

[Circaflex]

5 minutes ago, Mindovermaster said:

what are you talking about? My CPU, on that motherboard, yes, is soldered. On any NAS device you buy, has it soldered as well..

Take a deep breath. You obviously aren't following the conversation. You mentioned upgrade-ability as a pro for a custom built nas, and suggested that pre-built has no such upgrade-ability. I merely pointed out, you cant upgrade anything on your motherboard choice either. By upgrade-ability, you mean adding more ram, which can be done on pre-built boxes as well. Also, your comment about every NAS having them soldered is incorrect.

 

It is clear you only want to argue with me, and your knowledge on the subject makes it difficult to have a conversation with. I hope you find the answers you are looking for.

[Mindovermaster Moderator]

1 minute ago, Circaflex said:

Take a deep breath. You obviously aren't following the conversation. You mentioned upgrade-ability as a pro for a custom built nas, and suggested that pre-built has no such upgrade-ability. I merely pointed out, you cant upgrade anything on your motherboard choice either. By upgrade-ability, you mean adding more ram, which can be done on pre-built boxes as well. Also, your comment about every NAS having them soldered is incorrect.

 

It is clear you only want to argue with me, and your knowledge on the subject makes it difficult to have a conversation with. I hope you find the answers you are looking for.

You were talking about the CPU, not the RAM... Then right at the end of your sentence, you added the RAM is upgradable. I don't think you see my side of it. You only see the door, not the window.

 

@BudMan, does that include Plex, too? J/W...

[Circaflex]

4 minutes ago, Mindovermaster said:

You were talking about the CPU, not the RAM... Then right at the end of your sentence, you added the RAM is upgradable. I don't think you see my side of it. You only see the door, not the window.

Dude, clearly you are trolling at this point. I have mentioned RAM multiple times in this thread... I think you need to re-read the posts. From the very get-go I have told you, in terms of upgrading the prebuilt vs custom is about the same with the parts you have. Only RAM upgrades. I don't see why this is so difficult for you to understand...

 

See my post here, 

 

and again here

 

 

[Mindovermaster Moderator]

3 minutes ago, Circaflex said:

Dude, clearly you are trolling at this point. I have mentioned RAM multiple times in this thread... I think you need to re-read the posts

 

36 minutes ago, Circaflex said:

Have you looked at the specs of the cpu+board combo you linked? The CPU is soldered on and the CPU itself is extremely weak.

I get, ok? I was talking about the CPU soldered on the board, NOT the RAM. Don't tell me that I am trolling. I'm trying to understand your logic, and you aren't showing me...

[Circaflex]

I give up.

[goretsky Supervisor]

Hello,

 

Given that you are using a MicroATX (aka mATX aka µATX) case, I think it would be better to look for a MicroATX form-factor motherboard and start with an Intel i3 CPU in it.  That would give you a motherboard with 2-4 RAM slots and 1-4 PCI expansion slots, which would allow for more flexibility in terms of upgrading, or if you simply decided to repurpose the system for another use.

 

Regards,

 

Aryeh Goretsky

 

 

 

[+BudMan MVC]

So now you want to run plex on this box as well - or just use for storage of your plex?

 

I am running plex on my ds198+ without any problem.  And is handling everything I have thrown at it.  Even running Tautulli and NowShowing2 in dockers for plex.  And have llpd and iperf3 as dockers as well.. I as of yet do not have 4k monitor to test with.. Freaking TV just keeps running and running, budget committee is not going to let me get the 4k tv I want until the old one bites it.. Maybe I could spill a beer on it   And the tv's in the other rooms just keep running as well - so same thing

 

Pretty much all of the synology nas have ability to run plex on them - their transcode support is different based on their hardware.. The ds418j is a group 2.. so check what it can do here

https://www.synology.com/en-us/knowledgebase/DSM/tutorial/Mobile/Can_my_Synology_NAS_transcode_videos_for_my_device

 

Then make sure you do your research, There are some other native apps they have for serving up video that might be able to leverage their hardware better than the plex app for hardware transcoding, etc.

 

But in your OP you make no mention of running plex on it... You stated

13 hours ago, Mindovermaster said:

NAS is for family file storage only. I don't need a powerful CPU to just run that.

You stated its just a "simple" nas..  So what is it?  If now your talking running plex on it you need to take into account what sort of media, how many streams what are the devices watching the video on - will you be able to do directplay or have to transcode.  How many streams at a time are you wanting to be able to do, etc. etc..   If looking to build a plex box, that MB doesn't seem like any sort rocket ship.. The ds918+ has that same J3455 I do believe and not having any problems with any of my files.  And I do stream to sons and friends over the internet from it, etc.  And have not heard any complaints.. But again you really need to understand your media formats..   Prob going to need to drop more than $300 if your wanting some rocketship running plex and lots of bays to expand, etc. etc.

[dipsylalapo Supervisor]

@BudManIf OP is also looking to be able to use Plex on their NAS, as long as their not planning a lot of streaming outside of their home network. I would say a storage device is all they need. 

 

A lot of devices now can handle Direct Play from Plex and if that's the case I think the only limitation here is the network. I have a Samsung TV that's about 4 years old and despite the ageing Plex app on the TV itself it still handles pretty much everything I throw at it without a hiccup. 

 

As @Circaflexsaid I think you need to be more clear with that you want the device for. 

 

• Just file storage vs media server?
• Ability to upgrade or not?
• Do you mind tinkering with the system (off the shelf like Synology vs custom built)?

 

[Mindovermaster Moderator]

Storage is my #1 priority. I am asking about Plex because, down the road, I may want to use it. I'm just asking if this is compatible.

 

What I am asking, what is the better value? Pre-made or custom made? what are the pro/cons of each? I thought upgradability was a good idea? I thought building your own is better, down the road? No?

[dipsylalapo Supervisor]

7 minutes ago, Mindovermaster said:

Storage is my #1 priority. I am asking about Plex because, down the road, I may want to use it. I'm just asking if this is compatible.

 

What I am asking, what is the better value? Pre-made or custom made? what are the pro/cons of each? I thought upgradability was a good idea? I thought building your own is better, down the road? No?

The question of better value is down to an individual :P As I mentioned earlier if you don't mind getting down and dirty and playing around with hardware and software, custom made is the way forward. If you just want something to work, buy pre-built. 

 

Being able to upgrade is definitely a pro of having a custom built system, but what's been pointed out above by @Circaflexand @BudManis that the hardware you've chosen or have available is not good with being able to upgrade (lack of being able to replace the CPU, limited SATA parts and limited PCI-E slots)

 

It would make more sense to re-think the hardware choices to something that isn't as limited (again not sure if you were buying or had it lying around)

 

TL,DR - if you want something that's going to serve a just a file server what you described is fine, but if you want to be future proof or have the option to upgrade you need to re-think the choices :)

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

18 hours ago, Mindovermaster said:

Pre-made NAS devices, as Synology, are #1, expensive, and #2, not upgradable.

Synology allows storage upgrades by replacing a single disk, rebuilding the volume and repeating w/ remaining disks. (of course that depends on what RAID type youre using)

[Mindovermaster Moderator]

I talked to my FB group about this. And they are all saying custom is the best way to go, but get something better than what I posted. (the above)

 

Now, I am looking at this: (FB friend sent me this link)

 

https://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.3754648

 

Motherboard and CPU combo. CPU upgrade, check, SATA ports, check, RAM upgrade to 32GB, check, PCI-E, check.

 

@Jason S., in upgrade, I mean more drives. More than 4.

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

28 minutes ago, Mindovermaster said:

What I am asking, what is the better value? Pre-made or custom made? what are the pro/cons of each? I thought upgradability was a good idea? I thought building your own is better, down the road? No?

imo, buying a pre-built NAS is a better option if you have the money. youre getting a supported ecosystem and minimizing administration. building your own creates more administrative variables. That is to say, if there's a problem then youre diagnosing more components and features. Synology, for example, is a closed ecosystem. if you have an issue, open a ticket w/ Synology and let them handle it. They also offer their own RAID system (SHR) and offer 3rd party plug-in support. Then there's also built in cloud storage options.

 

Again, it boils down to money. I, personally, wouldnt choose to build my own NAS. i'd rather get a canned system that i know is supported by the company.

1 minute ago, Mindovermaster said:

@Jason S., in upgrade, I mean more drives. More than 4.

well, then they offer expansion chassis. i use one here at work; couldnt be easier. the only downside is that you have to create a separate volume. you cant expand a single volume across the main unit and the expansion unit.

[Mindovermaster Moderator]

6 minutes ago, Jason S. said:

well, then they offer expansion chassis. i use one here at work; couldnt be easier. the only downside is that you have to create a separate volume. you cant expand a single volume across the main unit and the expansion unit.

Well, that explains it. OK.