Building First Budget NAS

[xamus]

Hi there. I'm new to building and setting up a NAS and I've been doing alot of research on either buying a pre-built or building my own. Before I begin, I would like to say that I've read through the FAQs, but none seem to sufficiently answer my questions. The hardware thread seems for hardcore or serious enthusiasts and that is not what I'm looking for.

I'm looking to build the best bang for buck NAS under $300. That being said, the goal of this NAS is to backup my MacBook Pro and desktop PC, backup my personal memory media, and create a media server to stream to my PC, Mac, iPhone, and PS3. I've heard issues with Mac compatibility and wondering if that's still an issue. The plan is to start with at least 2 drives and work my way up to 4 then eventually more as my media library expands. I'm not sure if a form of RAID would be recommended for my situation or if I need ZFS.

Here is my AMD build: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/xamus21/saved/nDPgXL
Here is my Intel build: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/xamus21/saved/HpCFf7

Any comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

[anodos]

Hi there. I'm new to building and setting up a NAS and I've been doing alot of research on either buying a pre-built or building my own. Before I begin, I would like to say that I've read through the FAQs, but none seem to sufficiently answer my questions. The hardware thread seems for hardcore or serious enthusiasts and that is not what I'm looking for.

I'm looking to build the best bang for buck NAS under $300. That being said, the goal of this NAS is to backup my MacBook Pro and desktop PC, backup my personal memory media, and create a media server to stream to my PC, Mac, iPhone, and PS3. I've heard issues with Mac compatibility and wondering if that's still an issue. The plan is to start with at least 2 drives and work my way up to 4 then eventually more as my media library expands. I'm not sure if a form of RAID would be recommended for my situation or if I need ZFS.

Here is my AMD build: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/xamus21/saved/nDPgXL
Here is my Intel build: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/xamus21/saved/HpCFf7

Any comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

REQUIRED:
That's a desktop motherboard. Get a proper server one (supermicro is a good choice). ECC RAM is a must (you have cheap desktop RAM) and make sure to purchase sticks from the motherboard manufacturer's hardware compatibility list.

OPTIONAL:
If you only want to get 8GB RAM, then get a single 8GB stick (it gives you more room for upgrade when you realize it's not enough). Intel is better supported than AMD.

Ignore the above "required" items at your own peril. Skimping on hardware (especially ECC RAM) can lead to data loss.

 

[xamus]

REQUIRED:
That's a desktop motherboard. Get a proper server one (supermicro is a good choice). ECC RAM is a must (you have cheap desktop RAM) and make sure to purchase sticks from the motherboard manufacturer's hardware compatibility list.

OPTIONAL:
If you only want to get 8GB RAM, then get a single 8GB stick (it gives you more room for upgrade when you realize it's not enough). Intel is better supported than AMD.

Ignore the above "required" items at your own peril.

Super micro boards are the cost of my budget. Ecc ram is almost double non-ecc. This is not a business grade server, just a consumer level, home NAS. If you can find a build that meets my $300 budget, which super micro mobo and ecc ram would you recommend?

 

[Yatti420]

An x9 and 8gb should run you about 300 without case PSU UPS or drives.. Raidz2 requires 4 drives.. You could setup a mirror with two drives.. zfs is kinda a must as ufs support won't exist next major release..



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[anodos]

Super micro boards are the cost of my budget. Ecc ram is almost double non-ecc. This is not a business grade server, just a consumer level, home NAS. If you can find a build that meets my $300 budget, which super micro mobo and ecc ram would you recommend?

It's not a matter of business vs home use. It's a matter of whether you feel like taking a chance of losing your data.

The aforementioned x9 and 8GB is a good option. As for meeting the $300 budget for all parts, that's hard to do for a regular computer much less a server. I suppose you could always look for a used server on ebay. :)

That being said, there are operating systems with less demanding hardware requirements. In that case you won't be using ZFS.

 

[joeschmuck]

Trust me, I don't want to tell you that you can't do it but the entire system for under $300, I don't see it. Not a FreeNAS system. I have about the cheapest system a person could build for FreeNAS to operate properly and reliably (see tag line). You could use UFS vice ZFS if you want to run 4GB Non-ECC RAM but there is no guarantee it will boot. Some systems will, some will not due to the small amount of RAM available. If you want ZFS then you really need ECC RAM if you value your data. Too many people thought it wouldn't happen to them but ever week or two we see someone who is having problems with their data and it was attributed to bad RAM.

Streaming media, if you plan to use Plex to transcode your media then you need a good CPU. The AMD A-Series CPUs do not all work with FreeNAS, well really FreeBSD 9 which FreeNAS is based on.

I recommend you purchase a good CPU, motherboard which supports at least 16GB ECC RAM, buy at least 8GB ECC RAM, and don't forget a quality power supply (the most important part of the system), any cheap large case to start with, and at least 2 drives if you can afford them.

When adding on additional drives, read cyberjocks noob guide on all things ZFS as if you don't, you will hate yourself if you add a single drive and have just made all your data at risk of loss.

Lastly, before saying you cannot afford a FreeNAS system and would rather purchase a prebuilt, look at the features you get between the two. You seriously get much more bang for the buck with a FreeNAS system.

 

[danb35]

Super micro boards are the cost of my budget. Ecc ram is almost double non-ecc.

Neither of these is true. I'm sure there are Supermicro boards that cost $300, but there are plenty that are well under that--I got mine for $115, but that was as an open-box from Newegg. As to the RAM, this is the cheapest price on Newegg for a non-ECC 8 GB stick: $73.99. And this is the cheapest for ECC: $87.99. Difference of $14.

Now, with that said, I don't think you can build a new machine that will work well with FreeNAS for under $300. You might be able to manage by buying a used HP MicroServer N40L, but I wouldn't expect that to handle any transcoding for you.

 

[Ericloewe]

I'd like to know where this mystical idea that ECC is twice as expensive originated. I too believed it - until I looked around on Amazon and realized that ECC is often less than 1/8 more expensive than non-ECC.

 

[xamus]

Based on all the recommendations for a server motherboard and ecc memory, seems like I'm way over my head here. If someone has some time to help a noob here, what parts would you recommend for a budget build?

 

[cyberjock]

Based on all the recommendations for a server motherboard and ecc memory, seems like I'm way over my head here. If someone has some time to help a noob here, what parts would you recommend for a budget build?

Give our stickies and presentations a read. All of those kinds of answers are there...

 

[ThaDraGun]

..... I have about the cheapest system a person could build for FreeNAS to operate properly and reliably (see tag line)......

How much power does your setup use?
Been looking for something that is low-powered but cant decide on the parts.