[SOLVED] Hard Drive Storage Question

[solidstate77]

Currently, I have a pc with 5 internal hard drives(movies and such) and 5 external hard drives(for backup). Is my current setup the most efficient way to use and store this data, or would some RAID config, or other wizardry, serve me better? I'm going to be building a new pc in the coming year and could consolidate the data to new drives if needed.

 

[justin.m.beauvais]

That is a lot of drives... I'd suggest just getting a big NAS (network attached storage, basically an external drive that is accessible over your network instead of by USB so you can always have it available) to store it all and cut back on the sheer confusion of all those drive letters. Plus a NAS means a LOT fewer headaches as you won't have to move all that around when you get a new PC. How much total storage are we talking about here anyways?

 

[ss202sl]

What size are the drives? maybe 1 or 2 larger drives for data and a reasonable SSD for the OS and apps

 

[solidstate77]

three 2TB drives, one 4TB, and one 8TB drive(1/2 full). Yeah it's a pain having to plug each external drive in every so often for backups.

 

[ss202sl]

a NAS will be your best option.

 

[solidstate77]

Would I use RAID 10 config? Performance isn't a major concern but backup would be.

 

[justin.m.beauvais]

Ooooookay, change of plans. Unless you want to spend $800 on a 16TB NAS system... I'm thinking you take all those drives and build your own NAS server.

... ok I priced out a NAS PC, and with 20TB of storage... aaaaand well...


PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Athlon 200GE 3.2 GHz Dual-Core Processor ($81.60 @ PCM)
Motherboard: Asus PRIME B450M-A/CSM Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($78.99 @ B&H)
Memory: Crucial 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($31.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Kingston A400 120 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($33.48 @ Best Buy)
Storage: Seagate Enterprise Capacity 10 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($260.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Seagate Enterprise Capacity 10 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($260.99 @ B&H)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12III 500 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ B&H)
Total: $848.02
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-02-26 14:24 EST-0500

Suddenly that much for a more a more elegant solution doesn't seem so bad.

Eeesh. Storage gets expensive fast.

So... maybe get one 10TB drive to consolidate your externals in one place, then throw your internal drives into it. You'd know better about how it would hash out than me.

 

[solidstate77]

Ooooookay, change of plans. Unless you want to spend $800 on a 16TB NAS system... I'm thinking you take all those drives and build your own NAS server.

... ok I priced out a NAS PC, and with 20TB of storage... aaaaand well...


PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Athlon 200GE 3.2 GHz Dual-Core Processor ($81.60 @ PCM)
Motherboard: Asus PRIME B450M-A/CSM Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($78.99 @ B&H)
Memory: Crucial 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($31.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Kingston A400 120 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($33.48 @ Best Buy)
Storage: Seagate Enterprise Capacity 10 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($260.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Seagate Enterprise Capacity 10 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($260.99 @ B&H)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12III 500 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ B&H)
Total: $848.02
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-02-26 14:24 EST-0500

Suddenly that much for a more a more elegant solution doesn't seem so bad.

Eeesh. Storage gets expensive fast.

So... maybe get one 10TB drive to consolidate your externals in one place, then throw your internal drives into it. You'd know better about how it would hash out than me.

wow thank you so much for your time! You've given me a lot to think about

I have a 2nd computer I could use already. I'd just need to buy the hard drives. But not sure of how to set it up as a media server.