Need some advice for building a NAS / HTPC

[Draxx]

Hi guys !

I'd like to build a NAS / HTPC.

What I want to do with it :

* store and share files to several machines (local and remote)
* play multimedia content on my tv screen (photos, 1080p movies, tv shows, music...)
* stream multimedia content on mobile devices (smartphones, tablet), and on my laptop when I'm away from home

Here is what I've got in mind :

Mobo : ASUS H87I-PLUS
Proc : Intel Core i3-4130T
Case : Fractal design node 304
PSU : Be Quiet ! Pure Power L8-530W CM 80PLUS Bronze
System disk : SanDisk SSD 64 Go
RAM : 4Go DDR3 (Gskill, Crucial, or Corsair... not really important !)

Now, here is what I'd like to know :

1 / What do you think about this build ? Is it enough for what I want to do? Is it overkill ? Do you see some improvements ? I'd like not to go over 450€ for this build (without the storage disks).

2 / Do you have any advice about the software ?
For the NAS : I tried Openmediavault on a VM, it seems fine.
For streaming files : I installed Plex server on it, looks good !
But I'm not sure how to do for playing content directly on my TV. I've got a WD Tv Live, but I find it slow for browsing photos, and i'd lke the interface to be smoother.
I guess I could install a XBMC or a Plex Client on my build, but I don't see how to make them coexist.

Do you have any advice concerning those 2 points ? Thanks in advance ! I'll take any idea you can have =)

 

[Outlander_04]

The intel graphics drivers suck . They are hard to configure manually but you should be fine if the screens you are using are recent models and have standard resolutions

I would probably use an H81 motherboard , and lose a couple of RAM slots . Even a pentium processor should be able to do this well enough too so you can save more money there

A 350 - 400 watt psu will more than handle the load

 

[Draxx]

Hi !

Thanks for your advice ! The build will be plugged on my TV screen, so I don't really know if it's standard res.
Do you think I should rather go AMD ?

Do you have any idea about the software part ? How to make OMV and a Plex (or XBMC) client coexist ?

 

[flamefire999]

If you decide to go the AMD route then I suggest getting something like an A6-2800.

 

[Outlander_04]

At some point TV will move to 4K resolutions . I think that is the best argument for AMD in this kind of build right now . The latest AMD APU's not only perform well but are able to push out 4K resolutions
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-a10-7800-kaveri-apu-efficiency,3899.html
and an FM2+ motherboard might have the longest service life

 

[flamefire999]

Getting a beast APU now could be good, but I think it would be better to get a good MOBO now that can support the future AMD APU chips and get maybe a low end a10 or a higher end A8.

 

[Outlander_04]

Getting a beast APU now could be good, but I think it would be better to get a good MOBO now that can support the future AMD APU chips and get maybe a low end a10 or a higher end A8.

I guess it depends on the budget , and perhaps on how much multitasking the machine will do .

 

[flamefire999]

Getting a beast APU now could be good, but I think it would be better to get a good MOBO now that can support the future AMD APU chips and get maybe a low end a10 or a higher end A8.

I guess it depends on the budget , and perhaps on how much multitasking the machine will do .

Well if he wants to run NAS software and have a 4k movie running then he needs a good APU

 

[Outlander_04]

Getting a beast APU now could be good, but I think it would be better to get a good MOBO now that can support the future AMD APU chips and get maybe a low end a10 or a higher end A8.

I guess it depends on the budget , and perhaps on how much multitasking the machine will do .

Well if he wants to run NAS software and have a 4k movie running then he needs a good APU

yes, one with 4 cores probably

 

[flamefire999]

Getting a beast APU now could be good, but I think it would be better to get a good MOBO now that can support the future AMD APU chips and get maybe a low end a10 or a higher end A8.

I guess it depends on the budget , and perhaps on how much multitasking the machine will do .

Well if he wants to run NAS software and have a 4k movie running then he needs a good APU

yes, one with 4 cores probably

Whenever the new APU's come out they will probably have 6+ cores but it will be pretty expensive

 

[Draxx]

Hi !

I couldn't find any info about the A6-2800.
I checked the A10-7800, it looks like a badass cpu, but maybe it would be overkill for me.
I don't have a 4k tv screen, and I don't think I will get one for at least a couple of years.
I'm concerned about power efficency, because this build would be on 24/7.
So I'd like to go for something that is powerful enough for my needs, but that won't need to much electricity.

Do you know which one I could choose ?

 

[flamefire999]

I would go with something like the A8-5500 or A8-6500. They are low power CPU's and should be able to run everything you want it to at once. Just make sure you get some fast RAM for best performance (something around 2133 or 2400). And if you want to have a NAS you need a lot of storage space. I would recommend getting a 2tb or 4tb HDD along with the SSD.

 

[Draxx]

Ok, thanks for the tips, flamefire ! Let's go AMD, then !
And yeah, for the storage, I'm going to buy a couple of 3Tb drives, it's planned. =)

Any advice concerning the OS ? I'd like to go for a Linux, but not sure about the distrib.

 

[flamefire999]

Ok, thanks for the tips, flamefire ! Let's go AMD, then !
And yeah, for the storage, I'm going to buy a couple of 3Tb drives, it's planned. =)

Any advice concerning the OS ? I'd like to go for a Linux, but not sure about the distrib.

I'm not sure what OS is best for NAS but for a HTPC just about OS will do. If you want to go down the Linux path it depends: does everyone who will be using the HTPC know how to use Linux? If they don't I would go with Linux Mint as it is really basic and easy to use, but if they are somewhat comfortable with Linux or just computers in general I would go with Ubuntu

 

[Draxx]

Hi !
Yeah, I digged around and heard about Mint. It looks fine, I think i'll give it a try. Thank you for confirming me this. =)
With some configuration, I think I should be able to make it work as a NAS (Samba sharing, FTP, SSH, and so on...) .

There will only be my gf and me that will use it, but something easy to use will be good !