Question Self build Home/Storage NAS (AIO vs Self Build)

[kevin.karthaus97]

Hello, I'm currently confused.

I want to build a NAS machine, or potentially buy an AIO solution.However, I want to get as cost-efficient as possible without risking data loss, so considering DIY.

My goal:

• OS: TrueNas or something you can recommend (User friendly UI)
• RAM: enough to handle 48TB in the end
• HDDs: 2x EXOS X12 (12TB HDD) -> 4x 12TB later
• Purpose is 99% media storing of old client footage

Option 1:

I have an old rig lying around with these components:

• G41 based motherboard (only 4GB Ram support)
• Intel Pentium E5800

I think the old rig has too less power to actually run the 48TB I planned. Also, only offers 4x SATA2 (1 reserved for OS).

Option 2:

I was looking into other cheap mainboards like the MSI G41M-P33, offers 8GB max RAM and upgrade the CPU to Intel Core2 Quad Q9300. However, still SATA2 and only 4 SATA slots (1 reserved for OS).

What would be great for this option is that it is very cheap to get the parts. Total of like 50€-100€. Maybe there is a motherboard you can recommend, where I can find cheap parts online, that offers something like

• Max. 32-64GB RAM, so I can upgrade on the go
• Cheap multicore CPU options
• SATA3
• USB3 or M2 slot to run the OS
• At least 4 SATA slots

Option 3:

I also found interesting AIO solutions like these:

• TERRAMASTER F4-210 (Quad Core, max. 1GB Ram, 4 Bays) 230€
• TERRAMASTER F4-210 (Quad Core, max. 2GB Ram, 4 Bays) 300€
• TERRAMASTER F4-223 (Dual Core, max. 32GB Ram, 4 Bays) 460€

Only thing that keeps me from the Terramasters is that I hear the OS is bad, also two of them are limited to small RAM and when considering the expensive version I think I might be more effective with building it myself.

Option 4:

A high/mid-range build with following specs:

• AMD Ryzen5 4600G
• Biostar A520MH 3.0 Mainboard (4x Sata 1x M2)
• 32GB Ram (Up to 64GB)
• Some cheap case and mid PSU

What's great here is that it is only 250€, has relatively good/high specs, has a M2 slot for the OS

 

[USAFRet]

I am a BIG fan of prebuilt NAS options. QNAP or Synology.
(I have a QNAP, considering buying another one)

2017, I was looking to change my "house server" from a basic PC to something else.
Better PC + Windows Server
Better PC + Linux
Commercial NAS (QNAP or Synology)

The QNAP TS-453a won.
Almost 7 years on, 24/7 ops.


Data loss, in ANY configuration, is alleviated with multiple copies of your data.
ANY system is susceptible to loss. But that generally won't happen on more than one device at the same time.

 

[kevin.karthaus97]

I am a BIG fan of prebuilt NAS options. QNAP or Synology.
(I have a QNAP, considering buying another one)

2017, I was looking to change my "house server" from a basic PC to something else.
Better PC + Windows Server
Better PC + Linux
Commercial NAS (QNAP or Synology)

The QNAP TS-453a won.
Almost 7 years on, 24/7 ops.


Data loss, in ANY configuration, is alleviated with multiple copies of your data.
ANY system is susceptible to loss. But that generally won't happen on more than one device at the same time.

Hey, thanks for your fast reply first!

I have looked into the QNAP, looks promising.
Do you know if it supports 4x 12TB and maybe later even 4x20TB and upwards?

 

[USAFRet]

Hey, thanks for your fast reply first!

I have looked into the QNAP, looks promising.
Do you know if it supports 4x 12TB and maybe later even 4x20TB and upwards?

My 7 year old TS-453a will.

They'll take pretty much anything

In it currently:
480GB SATA SSD (system drive)
8TB Toshiba
14TB Seagate
18TB Seagate

USB attached TR-004:
4x 4TB Seagate Ironwolf

USB attached MediaSonic ProBox:
3TB WD
8TB Seagate
8TB Seagate
16TB Toshiba

90+TB online and available.

 

[kevin.karthaus97]

My 7 year old TS-453a will.

They'll take pretty much anything

In it currently:
480GB SATA SSD (system drive)
8TB Toshiba
14TB Seagate
18TB Seagate

USB attached TR-004:
4x 4TB Seagate Ironwolf

USB attached MediaSonic ProBox:
3TB WD
8TB Seagate
8TB Seagate
16TB Toshiba

90+TB online and available.

Hey, just getting back once more.

I found a good deal on ebay for like 240€ for the TS-453A.
It looks really promising, and I like to not having to deal with all the installation and building as it takes quite some time.

I just have my last thoughts on this, you said you have like 90TB online through this one?
The website says something like 32TB on the device only and up to 96TB max with expansions.
However, you seem to have completely surpassed these "limits".
I just want to be sure I don't buy it, and it won't work or lets me upgrade the drives later, as I already got the 12TB drives ready.

Do you run raids on your setup? I was looking to create two Raid1 (RAID10) volumes, each 12TB later on.

Thanks again for your help!

 

[USAFRet]

Hey, just getting back once more.

I found a good deal on ebay for like 240€ for the TS-453A.
It looks really promising, and I like to not having to deal with all the installation and building as it takes quite some time.

I just have my last thoughts on this, you said you have like 90TB online through this one?
The website says something like 32TB on the device only and up to 96TB max with expansions.
However, you seem to have completely surpassed these "limits".
I just want to be sure I don't buy it, and it won't work or lets me upgrade the drives later, as I already got the 12TB drives ready.

Do you run raids on your setup? I was looking to create two Raid1 (RAID10) volumes, each 12TB later on.

Thanks again for your help!

Initially, I had a 4x3TB RAID 5.
Then, changed it to 4x4TB.

Now, no RAID at all.
In the regular consumer space, a good backup routine alleviates any need for a RAID, of any type.

The 4x 4TB drives in the TR-004 are a single JBOD volume.
All the others are just individual drives.

 

[hotaru.hino]

If you want another back up strategy, you could go with a 2-bay system with drives such that one drive can hold everything you need and thensome for growth, then get a drive that is of the same size. Have one drive be the primary that you update, access, etc. Then set something up in the NAS to periodically (like once a week) copy the contents over to the other drive.

Why not just RAID1 this thing and get that "copying over" for free? Because:

• Only the primary drive is accessible through the network. The other drive is not visible. This means that if malware were to poke at the NAS over the network from my machine, it could only do damage to the one drive. Since my mirroring happens once a week, I'd only lose a most, a week's worth of data.
• The secondary drive isn't active as much. This theoretically means it should last longer than the primary (random chance of dying not withstanding).
• If one drive dies, I can still swap it out. Depending on which drive dies, I could be losing at most one week's worth of data.

So I still basically get most of the benefits of RAID1, just that one copy may be slightly behind.