Need Guidance for a Custom NAS Build

Lcheap chip on 13/12/2021 - 16:16

Hi all,

I am looking to do a custom build NAS this Christmas as a project. I have looked at Synology, QNAP etc. and honestly they are overrated for the specs they are offering (just clarifying - the products themselves are good, but I personally could not justify the price). I am leaning more towards the custom build NAS due to the prospects of upgrading in future depending on the storage/ streaming needs.

At the moment, I am looking at building one mostly for storage (85% of the purpose) although I want to use it as a Plex server in the near future.

I really need valuable suggestions on putting together parts (either sourced locally or internationally whichever works out to have the best bang for the buck). Budget is $1000 or near (excluding the drives). With the disruptions on shipping, silicon shortage etc. did any one face any issues in sourcing the best parts for their build ?

Below are the points that I need clarity on and I appreciate anyone for their time to respond to my questions

  • Looking for a MOBO with RAID (0,1,5,6,10) support (or buy a RAID controller separately ? Software vs Hardware RAID ??)
  • I am looking at building a 8 bay NAS. So MOBO with 8 SATA ports ? (or alternatively buy a SATA controller ?)
  • Server Grade motherboard vs a gaming motherboard. AMD vs Intel ?
  • Just the right amount of graphics supported by the MOBO for 4k video transcoding (not a huge priority at the moment, but in future).
  • ECC RAM vs non-ECC ram. I am happy to spend a little bit more for ECC, but is it really worth ?
  • Best case for NAS - confused between CS380 and Fractal Design Node 804 ?

Your inputs are much appreciated and I would be glad to approach anyone who did a nice build recently.

Computing NAS

Comments

  • Hybroid on 13/12/2021 - 16:24
    +6

    The questions you're asking need a significant amount of research and cannot be effectively answered at a place like this. You also omit the purpose of needing 8-bay NAS, whether it's an archive machine or media server or Docker/virtualisation unit will affect your requirements.

    You need to spend hours watching YouTube videos on these topics to gain more knowledge. Everything from hardware reviews to software uses to custom builds.

    Start here: https://nascompares.com/

    Alternatively: Plug and play a Synology or Drobo…

  • garetz on 13/12/2021 - 17:11
    +1

    have a look at

    https://www.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/

  • 7ekn00 on 13/12/2021 - 17:18
    +1

    Depends on expertise, software RAID (like unRAID, etc) probably best as it's hardware independent (but requires setup skills) …
    Mobo with 8 ports will be more expensive, a SATA card will transfer to other motherboards, but will also be a point of failure …
    No point going Server grade mobo, more expensive and harder to find when faults arise …
    Mobo's don't support graphics, it's either video card or CPU (like QuickSync) …
    ECC is pointless, point of failure and errors will be mechanic drives, not memory …
    Best case depends on uptime needs, will you be hot swapping HDDs, or can you spare the 5 mins to change HDDs ..

  • Caped Baldy on 13/12/2021 - 17:38

    Can't really comment on custom NAS but I went the route of a terramaster + 8gb ram + TrueNAS. Working well so far as a backup for movies and shows. From memory, anything Intel that's not a celeron should work well for streaming. I was watching stuff remotely at 1080 and some 4k rips at home without too many issues.

    Have been trying to set up phone photo back up and having it viewable on windows. Managed to get SMB via home wifi working but this doesn't work remotely. So I need to do some more research.

    You also need to consider power use which was a factor why I went the "pre-built" route.

    Edit: I've got the F5-221

    • kogi on 13/12/2021 - 20:51

      I was told terramaster was a hot mess. I guess it applies to the software and not the hardware. How is your unit?

      • Caped Baldy on 13/12/2021 - 21:31
        +1

        It's been really solid. No real downtime. I didn't bother with the stock software but figuring out TrueNAS installation was annoying as the documentation I was looking at was poor. TrueNAS needs 8gb ram minimum and my ram wasn't compatible and it wasn't clear that I needed two USB drives for the installation.

        Plex has occasionally been spotty but I think it has more to do with my slow NBN. Has been good since getting the lifetime sub too.

  • [Deactivated] on 13/12/2021 - 20:31
    +2

    I'd recommend forgetting about transcoding with your build. I spent many many hours trying to find a server grade motherboard that had IPMI, ECC support, transcoding support, availability in Australia and decent price and couldn't find anything that met all my criteria. Just buy a cheap dell optiplex for transcoding and leave the NAS for storage only.

  • jv on 13/12/2021 - 23:54

    QNAP etc. and honestly they are overrated for the specs

    I've been using QNAPs for around 15 years or more now… They are awesome.

  • avoidfullprice on 14/12/2021 - 08:49
    +1

    I am leaning more towards the custom build NAS due to the prospects of upgrading in future depending on the storage/ streaming needs.

    What do you want to upgrade in the future? There isn't much cost saving there with DIY. E.g. newer CPU family will require a new motherboard. You can run software in virtualised environment on a nas, so there is future proofing there. The only benefit for DIY is with graphics card upgrade, which is an overkill for nas or a high cost path to "repurpose" your Nas as a gaming station.

    The novelty to build your own Nas wears off after a while. Ive built htpc using new parts that was fun but not cost effective to upgrade CPU/MB. Ive built Nas out of old part on the cheap, but it takes time to maintain and monitor the system. it was cheaper to get a commercial Nas to upgrade the hardware.

    Qnap still provides me with all the monitoring features and firmware update after 5.5 years. It saved me time to run my Nas.

    Edit: answering your point in original post

    1. I prefer hardware RAID, so you can upgrade your OS anytime. Might offer you utility to rebuild RAID if you replace one HDD and not require booing into the OS first (if you install OS on the RAID). Maybe you will install the OS on a separate SSD?

    2. No experience re SATA location, but would want any SATA controller be accessible at the UEFI level so you can boot into it? You might need to research more on the MB/Controller combo.

    3. Choosing between AMD/Intel processor has little bearing. Pick one which has at least quad core is what I've learnt.

    4. Case - where you going to keep/display it? Not the living room right lol. Neither tells me much on cooling effectiveness, so pick one you like the look the most/fit in where you going to keep it?

    What PSU you going with?

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