tabor Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 I'm looking to purchase a stand-alone NAS server for my home network. I know the DIY NAS server with FreeNAS, but I need something with much lower power consumption, so no need for video card and unnecessary hardware. Here are some things I will need from the NAS: 1. RAID 0/1/5 striping 2. 4 drive bays 3. Support for 1TB or 1.5TB drives per bay, so max capacity is about 3TB to 4.5TB for a single shared drive 4. Warning/Error notifications: ie. a drive has failed 5. Low power consumption and noise (fans?) 6. Powers down when inactive for a set amount of time 7. Decent GUI web interface for configurations Not needed, but pluses to have: 8. Video Media server- for PS3 9. iTunes Server If all else fails, is there a guide somewhere on the web, that can guide you to building a home NAS with minimal hardware requirements? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shift Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 I was debating doing the same thing for my media server.. So far it seems like it would be cheaper to just buy a decent mother board/process or that has 6 sata plugs and throw it all in a cheap case.. then just run freenas or openfiler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tabor Posted May 28, 2009 Author Share Posted May 28, 2009 I was debating doing the same thing for my media server.. So far it seems like it would be cheaper to just buy a decent mother board/process or that has 6 sata plugs and throw it all in a cheap case.. then just run freenas or openfiler It's definitely cheapter when it comes to what you can buy with the same amount of money. MB $50 Proc $50 Ram $30 PSU $50 Case $50 Video $30 For around $250 for a basic box compared to NAS cage Although, I don't mind spending a little more for a much smaller device, such as the HP Mediasmart or ReadyNas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shift Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 Frick now i want to build one to :P Now i just need a mobo with 6-8 sata spots in it.. Theres one product thats pretty cool called unraid its an os that runs on a usb stick and lets you mix any type of drive into the raid only restriction is the largest one is used for parity.. anyone know of a free alternative to that one? If i build one i want to be able to load it up with drives (5-8) 1tb drives.. . :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Sierakowski Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 What is your budget? I know of a couple of good consumer grade NAS units, but you'll be over a couple hundred bucks if you want 4-6TB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tabor Posted May 30, 2009 Author Share Posted May 30, 2009 My budget is around $500, which doesn't really include the hard drives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Sierakowski Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 Well, $500 for parts, and then 4 drives @ $100-$125 each is already putting you at $900 to $1000, it may be worthwhile looking through a couple of pre-made solutions to see if you can't find a winner. I've used things like this before, which is OK (now that they've fixed a raid controller issue), but seems to be a bit over your price range. Seems to me $1000 is the price point, if you want to do if for less then $1000, you're going to have to diy, but more then that you'll be able to get a prefab solution (and probably better done). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tabor Posted May 31, 2009 Author Share Posted May 31, 2009 I don't plan on buying all the hard drives at once, but for the NAS to have a more scalable design. I currently have some hard drives at home that I can use for a NAS. As hard drives get much cheaper, that's when I will purchase more HDs. As of now, I have a budget to buy a NAS that ranges around $500. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazaruswws Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 I was thinking about doing something similar as well and centralizing all my external HDDs. I thought about cutting corners using an Atom Board with a SATA card that didn't have built in raid, and use freeNAS's software RAID but I have no clue about the performance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shift Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 Personally mine would more or less be a file server for my media center. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaKo Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 http://www.tranquilpc-shop.co.uk/acatalog/...NE_SERVERS.html Dual Core Atom 330, 2GB RAM, 5x HDD bays, 4 of which are RAID5 capable. Runs any OS including x64 ones, so openfiler, freenas, Ubuntu, or MS Server 2008/Windows Home Server. Bit pricey but your paying for a packaged product rather than parts. £360/$590 with shipping to the US. I don't think you could build a cheaper system that does what this can do in the same form factor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.