First Time NAS

[LordOfTime94]

Greetings,

To add to the endless list of these posts, I'm planning to build my first NAS.
This is mainly going to be used as a media center/backup (don't panic, the important stuff is backed up offsite as well).
From reading some posts on here already I think I know what to go for, but I'd still like some advice on a few things first.

Here is my current part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/JcMDbv

Since I'm hoping to run this as a Plex server eventually, I think the i3 should be enough, though I have seen some recommendations to use a Xeon instead for the higher thread count.
From what I can tell, using non-ECC RAM should be fine for home use, though ECC is still recommended. I'd need to change my motherboard to support this (which I'd prefer not to), and wondered if the swap would be worth it.
I currently have around 2TB worth of stuff in my current external drive, and from this Paul's Hardware video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEwMXsy9v2o&ab_channel=Paul%27sHardware) I think I should have around 5-6TB of usable space, which will be more than enough for quite a while.
FreeNAS looks like the best way to go, though it might take me some time to understand how to use it. Would this be the better option or should I use Windows/Plex for now?
Speaking of Plex, I am not entirely sure how large I need the SSD to be for it. Would I need something like a 256/512 or does that not matter?
The 951 is going to be paired with a PCIe M.2 adapter, since the motherboard only has 4 SATA ports (unless someone can suggest an alternative, though I can't seem to find one that fits my needs)
The PSU was going into my backup system but I've changed my mind on the case so I can get a different one now.
I realise I could maybe build this a bit cheaper with mATX parts, but I'd be wasted and I want the smaller form factor.

Side note:
I currently have 1 of the WD Red's in my desktop, and I was planning to replace it with a WD Green 3/4TB to go for silence. However, since I am swapping my case for a Define R5 soon, I am not sure if it would matter between a Green or Blue since I probably won't hear it anyway. Also, since this drive will mostly have photos and videos, does the higher speed of the Blue make any real-world difference?

Most of this isn't going to be bought immediately, in fact it'll probably be a few months before I even start, but I'd like to get a general idea of what would make a good NAS.
And while I realise that this system is fairly overkill since it is just me right now, I will likely build it up slowly to suit my needs, with the part list above being the end goal.

TL;DR

Is the i3 good enough or should I swap for a Xeon?
Do I need ECC RAM?
Windows or FreeNAS to begin with?
What size SSD do I need for Plex?
Green or Blue to replace the Red?
Muffin?

As always, any help is appreciated.

Regards,

LoT /)

 

[kanewolf]

Are you going to do real-time transcoding? If so, then more threads might be useful?

I think that using an OS that is optimized for the job, like FreeNAS is better than using Windows.

 

[LordOfTime94]

Are you going to do real-time transcoding? If so, then more threads might be useful?

I think that using an OS that is optimized for the job, like FreeNAS is better than using Windows.

I might do some transcoding. I honestly don't know that much about it but from what I can tell it is converting/processing the files for other devices. Since I hope to stream to quite a few(phone, tablet, TV) that would be useful. Any recommendations for an alternative to the i3?

 

[Ethanh100]

I would say go with freenas, your hardware would support it just fine. You shouldnt really need a xeon, as long as your not planning on having more than 2-3 streams of plex going at a time. You dont need ECC ram. And yes, muffin indeed.

 

[Solandri]

Since I'm hoping to run this as a Plex server eventually, I think the i3 should be enough, though I have seen some recommendations to use a Xeon instead for the higher thread count.

The Xeon recommendation comes from people obsessed with performance. When it comes to NASes, I'm a firm believer that less is more. You typically leave a NAS powered on 24/7. The extra power a high-end system will burn over several years it's left on can cost you several hundred dollars more than a low-power system. If you *must* have a high-power server, I'd recommend getting two systems - one low-power NAS left on 24/7, one high-power system turned on only when you need - rather than getting just a single high-power system left on 24/7. Even though it's more hardware, it'll likely cost you less money in the long run.

That said, I haven't been keeping up with the power consumption of the Xeon CPUs at idle. Intel has been doing a great job at reducing the power consumption of its CPUs at idle. When I put together my NAS / virtual machine box, I got a Sandy Bridge i5 and the whole thing + 4 7200 RPM HDDs consumes about 35 Watts at idle. So it's possible they've gotten idle power consumption on the Xeons low enough that an i3 or mobile i5 won't be significantly lower in Wattage. (Yes I know my system contradicts my recommendation to get two systems. My experience of running this single server-that-does-everything is what led me to that conclusion.. I''ve been contemplating buying another system so I can split the NAS and virtual machine functionality into two computers.)

From what I can tell, using non-ECC RAM should be fine for home use, though ECC is still recommended. I'd need to change my motherboard to support this (which I'd prefer not to), and wondered if the swap would be worth it.

FreeNAS looks like the best way to go, though it might take me some time to understand how to use it. Would this be the better option or should I use Windows/Plex for now?

FreeNAS uses ZFS. You're getting 4 HDDs so I assume you're aiming for a 4-disk RAID-Z configuration (one disk redundancy). ZFS RAID-Z gives you more than RAID. If RAID detects a file's parity doesn't match, it assumes one of the drives is bad and dumps it from the array. ZFS only dumps the one file. Actually, it doesn't dump it, it heals it. It uses the parity data to find out which drive's copy of the file is corrupt, and it corrects it.

ZFS will also run a monthly scan (called a scrub) which checks the parity of every single file you've got stored. If any of them have suffered corruption (bit rot), it will heal them.

The important thing to understand though is that all these operations are critically dependent on the file data, parity data, and checksum being correct *in RAM* when ZFS compares them to try to figure out which copy is correct. If the RAM has become corrupted because of a random cosmic ray strike, ZFS can erroneously conclude a file is bad when it's really good, and overwrite it in a way which corrupts it. In that respect it's worse than RAID (which doesn't try to alter your data). The risk of this happening is greatly diminished by using ECC RAM.

So while ECC is not required, it is highly, highly recommended if you're using RAID-Z. Hey, be glad you're putting together your system now. ECC doesn't cost much more than regular memory now. When I put together my system, it cost more than 2x as much. The main drawback is you need to get a server motherboard which supports ECC RAM.

 

[LordOfTime94]

SNIP

From what I can tell, the Xeon's still have a higher TDP than the i3. The only reason I considered was for the Plex transcoding, but since I'll only be using 1 device at a time, I doubt it'll be needed.

Yes, I do plan to run RAID-Z or RAID-Z2, once I know more about each and which would suit me.

From what you've explained, I can definitely see the benefits of ECC RAM. Though as you've said, the drawback is finding a board compatible with it. I've done some scouting in PCP and from the price of those parts, let alone the limited selection and support, I'm not as willing to make the swap to ECC. I may refresh the build in the future and use ECC, but for now I think I'll stick with regular DIMMs. Plus, most of my stuff is replaceable, and anything important is already backed up on my main, spare, and offsite, so if anything does become corrupted, I can either copy it from another backup, or just replace it outright.

Thanks for the advise.