Question Looking for help on picking a system for self hosting applications.

[SSlipknot]

I'm seeking advice on setting up a self-hosted system for my home. I plan to host a large Plex server (currently 1TB of data, expected to grow to 8TB) and a shared file server for personal pictures and videos. This is a new venture for me, so I’m open to additional suggestions on what else I might need.

My company is covering all costs as it's related to my job and a learning experience. While I currently have a high-end system, I prefer not to keep it running 24/7.

I'm considering a NAS for this purpose, but I'm also open to other external devices with ample drive capacity.

There’s no strict budget, though I’d like to stay reasonable—up to $1,000, but my company is willing to go higher if necessary.

Any recommendations on hardware or setups would be greatly appreciated!

Other things to note:

Plex server will have up to 3 people on it.

Willing to leave my high end gaming pc on 24/7 if there is a better choice to use that instead of another system.

 

[kanewolf]

I'm seeking advice on setting up a self-hosted system for my home. I plan to host a large Plex server (currently 1TB of data, expected to grow to 8TB) and a shared file server for personal pictures and videos. This is a new venture for me, so I’m open to additional suggestions on what else I might need.

My company is covering all costs as it's related to my job and a learning experience. While I currently have a high-end system, I prefer not to keep it running 24/7.

I'm considering a NAS for this purpose, but I'm also open to other external devices with ample drive capacity.

There’s no strict budget, though I’d like to stay reasonable—up to $1,000, but my company is willing to go higher if necessary.

Any recommendations on hardware or setups would be greatly appreciated!

Other things to note:

Plex server will have up to 3 people on it.

Willing to leave my high end gaming pc on 24/7 if there is a better choice to use that instead of another system.

The benefits of a commercial NAS is that the software is all sorted out. You plug it in, you put some disks in, you connect it to your network, you power it up. It just works. If you choose a DIY, then you are responsible for figuring out the most secure method for remote access. The best way to keep software updated, etc.
There are tutorials for DIY.
A mid-range commercial NAS that has RAM expandability would be fine. With disk space being so cheaply available a two disk NAS can provide 14+ TB of storage. Get one with 2.5Gb or 10Gb interface.
I have been a Synology user for many years. Something like the DS723+

 

[Eximo]

You don't need a whole lot if you want to build a system.

i3-12100, 2x16GB DDR4 on a higher end motherboard with 2.5Gbps networking would do. Just add drives. Typical to boot off of USB and use all the SATA / NVMe slots for storage.

You could also do a cheap AM4 APU like the 5600GT.

I believe FreeNAS offers Plex as an optional install.

 

[USAFRet]

I would also vote for a commercial NAS.

QNAP, for instance, has a built in cloud function, where access from outside your LAN is handled for you.

QNAP and Synology sites both have a preview function, where you can take the OSs for a test drive. Free.

 

[artk2219]

If you do go the system route, get a motherboard that lets you remotely manage the system. Asrock rack makes some decent options, but most manufacturers also have an embedded and industrial systems line with these features.

 

[kanewolf]

If you do go the system route, get a motherboard that lets you remotely manage the system. Asrock rack makes some decent options, but most manufacturers also have an embedded and industrial systems line with these features.

Very few home users would know what to do with an iLO type out of band management interface. It is unlikely that a home user does not have physical access to the device.

 

[artk2219]

Very few home users would know what to do with an iLO type out of band management interface. It is unlikely that a home user does not have physical access to the device.

Fair enough but they're also built to a slightly better standard because they're meant for it, and if the company is footing the bill, you may as well go with a board that has some features that you may use and that you could learn about. Of course you could also just buy a used server and get all of that as well, just not necessarily in as small of a footprint.

 

[thestryker]

You don't state here whether there is supposed to be external access to this device. If there is then I agree completely with the posters above about using QNAP/Synology even though their popularity does make them an attack vector. It's still a lot better to use their systems if you aren't confident in your network security skills.

If it's just internal then I think it would be a worthwhile learning experience to setup your own. TrueNAS and Unraid are both fairly self explanatory installation wise, but give a huge amount of customization options. You could also poke around with virtualization, but I wouldn't recommend that for long term storage with regards to data security/integrity.