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DIY NAS build - htpc case

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zer0sum

New Around Here
Looking at building a NAS for home use and thought I would go DIY as the prices for the decent NAS devices like Qnap just seem excessive for what you get.

All Aussie prices...

SilverStone LC17 BLACK ATX Desktop Case - $130.00
Corsair 2GB (2x 1GB Kit) Value Select PC-5300 (667MHz) - $62.00
Seagate SATAII NCQ 1TB 7200RPM 32mb Cache - 5 x $94.00 = $470.00
Gigabyte Superb Power Supply 460W - $48.00
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5050e AM2 45w Energy Efficient CPU - $79.00
4 Pin Power to 2XSATA Cable - $5.00
Gigabyte GA-MA785GM-US2H DDR2 1200oc int.VGA DVI/HDMI SATA II RAID mATX - $96.50

Total - $890.50
Total without disks - $420.50

Will probably run freenas off a usb drive, CF to IDE adapter or any number of old IDE drives I have around.
Although I am tempted to go with a full blown windows or linux server OS.
4gb ram would probably be a better option if I went down that path.

AMD 5050e was chosen as it is highly efficient
PSU is just a cheap and supposedly quiet unit, but I would love to hear some suggestions re. better ones.

Case is HTPC so is semi-hidden amongst the stereo gear.
I could use it for HTPC but already have a PS3 so that is mostly taken care of.
It has 2 external 5.25" drive bays and 6 internal 3.5" drive bays so it will fit 5 x 1TB disks easily enough.

Gigabyte mobo supports 5 x sata II in raid 0, 1, 5, 10, or JBOD.
It also has Gbit lan, VGA, and E-sata etc. as well as PCIExpress slots for video card for HTPC or Raid card.
I could also add a real RAID card for improved performance if the onboard one doesn't cut it.

I would have to put some effort into making it run quietly but this should be easy enough with some fan replacement, control and better cooling.

I am also considering a D-link DNS-323 with loads of hacks as it is only $280 and runs linux and is very easy to modify.
Only 2 disks and the performance won't be huge but perhaps 2 x 2tb drives is enough for home use.
Can't get freenas running on these as they are an arm processor but there is a strong community following.

Another NAS of interest is the Intel SS4200E as it comes bare for $280-300 and supports 4 disks raid 5 and you can get freenas running on it but it takes a little more work.

Thoughts?
Suggestions?
 
Last edited:
Gigabyte mobo supports 5 x sata II in raid 0, 1, 5, 10, or JBOD.

Very nice config, but do keep in mind that most onboard raid (intel software raid ich?r) support max 4 drives per array that you create, even if the mobo has 5 or 6 sata ports. You might consider to buy a cheaper mobo without onboard raid and run linux raid instead, most likely it will also be faster.
 

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