Thinking of buying a NAS

[Bswann93]

I want to get a NAS for media streaming as I'm getting tired of running plex directly off my pc. I'm pretty new to them so I would like some recommendations on some pre built NAS units. My budget is about ~$400 for the actual unit.(I already have the drives). I am fairly tech savvy so it doesn't need to be super simple to set up but don't make it too hard lol Thank you in advance! 

[TensorVortex]

I suggest you build it your self. I have been running freenas for over a year, been liking it.

[paddy-stone]

Dual core Athlon 200Ge, cheap-ish mobo etc... suitable case and psu and you're done. Throw unraid or freenas on it is IMO the best without being overly complicated setup... just threw freenas on another machine today, like 30 mins setup tops including putting plexmediaserver plugin on it too... the longest part is throwing your media on it.

[paddy-stone]

You can use this as a starting point if you like

 

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Athlon 200GE 3.2 GHz Dual-Core Processor	$54.30 @ SuperBiiz
CPU Cooler	be quiet! Pure Rock Slim 35.14 CFM CPU Cooler	$36.06 @ Amazon
Motherboard	ASRock B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$74.89 @ OutletPC
Memory	GeIL EVO POTENZA 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory	$59.99 @ Newegg
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$245.24
	Mail-in rebates	-$20.00
	Total	$225.24
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-09-30 17:24 EDT-0400

I don't know the US market, so there might be other parts worthwhile getting... but will need to add a PSU and case onto the above. It might even be worthwhile looking at the used market.

[Bswann93]

37 minutes ago, paddy-stone said:

You can use this as a starting point if you like

 

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Athlon 200GE 3.2 GHz Dual-Core Processor	$54.30 @ SuperBiiz
CPU Cooler	be quiet! Pure Rock Slim 35.14 CFM CPU Cooler	$36.06 @ Amazon
Motherboard	ASRock B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$74.89 @ OutletPC
Memory	GeIL EVO POTENZA 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory	$59.99 @ Newegg
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$245.24
	Mail-in rebates	-$20.00
	Total	$225.24
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-09-30 17:24 EDT-0400

I don't know the US market, so there might be other parts worthwhile getting... but will need to add a PSU and case onto the above. It might even be worthwhile looking at the used market.

Okay thank you for the info I will probably just build my own then I guess I didn't realize it'd be so easy. But I do have a couple more questions. 

 

1. Is 16gb of ram necessary or will 8gb be fine. I'll be doing some transcoding but most of it will just be streaming mp4s amoung other file types from plex 

 

2. Will the Athlon 200ge be suitable for 4k transcoding? 

 

3. Do you have a case recommendation? Something small with at least a couple drive expansion bays 

 

Thank you so much! 

[WereCatf]

2 hours ago, Bswann93 said:

1. Is 16gb of ram necessary or will 8gb be fine. I'll be doing some transcoding but most of it will just be streaming mp4s amoung other file types from plex 

 

2. Will the Athlon 200ge be suitable for 4k transcoding?

1. 8GB will be fine.

2. No.

[Bswann93]

7 minutes ago, WereCatf said:

1. 8GB will be fine.

2. No.

Thank you i think im gonna go with a 2200g. that'll be fine right?

[paddy-stone]

It gets complicated when you start with wanting to transcode 4k... depending on the bitrate you might need a pretty beefy CPU, unless you go with a hardware transcoding method, like an Nvidia GPU... and even then you need plex pass IIRC to use it.

IMO the best way is to just buy for a minimal build... and prepare for the fact it may not transcode 4K. So make sure that you have a version suitable for direct streaming instead for the devices you use... and/or use KODI when plex can't do it. You will save a fair bit of money not worrying about transcoding, and it either does ot it doesn't... and KODI will play anything. This is how I have mine set up, and done tons of testing to 4k and non-4k devices. Plus if you're not transcoding your electric bill will thank you too

 

[Donut417]

12 hours ago, Bswann93 said:

Thank you i think im gonna go with a 2200g. that'll be fine right?

The rule on the Plex forum post for 4K states you don’t transcode 4K. Because it takes an insane amount of power to do so. You need to put those videos in a format your devices understand.