Finally getting into server stuff - NAS + Minecraft

[Wallaceman105]

Hello, looking to finally learn some server hosting stuff for real. Any advice and/or mockery welcome!

 

My goals: 

1) Host a media server for my fiancée and I's DVD collection. I'd like us to be able to stream it to our phones from anywhere.

2) File storage for a small non-profit I work at so we don't have to pay for cloud storage

3) Host a Minecraft server for my friend's discord group

 

I have 2 machines I can use to get this going, and the main advice I'm looking for is which machine to use for which purpose, what additional hardware I should get, and what OS/Software is going to be the most newb-friendly.

 

1st Machine:

CPU: Ryzen 5 3400G

GPU: Integrated (Could I get more performance out of the CPU if I get some really mediocre discrete card?)

RAM: 2x8GB 3200 CL16 (Thank GOD I had this on hand from years ago)

PSU: 700w ATX

Boot Drive: 256GB NVME drive

 

2nd Machine:

CPU: Core i5-4570

GPU: Integrated

RAM: 1x4GB DDR3 (I know I need more, pray for me) 

PSU: 255W Dell unit, one of those weird form factors, still in its intended case

Boot Drive: Don't have one yet

 

Additional Hardware:

2 500GB HDD, WD Blue

1 250GB HDD, WD Blue

250W PSU, another weird form factor, plus it's intended case

 

Really appreciate any advice anyone can throw at me!

[Dedayog]

8 minutes ago, Wallaceman105 said:

Hello, looking to finally learn some server hosting stuff for real. Any advice and/or mockery welcome!

 

My goals: 

1) Host a media server for my fiancée and I's DVD collection. I'd like us to be able to stream it to our phones from anywhere.

2) File storage for a small non-profit I work at so we don't have to pay for cloud storage

3) Host a Minecraft server for my friend's discord group

 

I have 2 machines I can use to get this going, and the main advice I'm looking for is which machine to use for which purpose, what additional hardware I should get, and what OS/Software is going to be the most newb-friendly.

 

1st Machine:

CPU: Ryzen 5 3400G

GPU: Integrated (Could I get more performance out of the CPU if I get some really mediocre discrete card?)

RAM: 2x8GB 3200 CL16 (Thank GOD I had this on hand from years ago)

PSU: 700w ATX

Boot Drive: 256GB NVME drive

 

2nd Machine:

CPU: Core i5-4570

GPU: Integrated

RAM: 1x4GB DDR3 (I know I need more, pray for me) 

PSU: 255W Dell unit, one of those weird form factors, still in its intended case

Boot Drive: Don't have one yet

 

Additional Hardware:

2 500GB HDD, WD Blue

1 250GB HDD, WD Blue

250W PSU, another weird form factor, plus it's intended case

 

Really appreciate any advice anyone can throw at me!

So while I have upgraded my NAS/Plex server to add a game server component... it is still wildly overkill for my needs:

 

NAS/Plex:  Ryzen 9 5900XT 16c/32t - Gigabyte B550M AORUS Elite AX - TeamGroup T-Force Vulcan 64GB 3200CL16 - MSI 1050Ti 4GB - Crucial P3 Plus 500GB + TeamGroup MP44L 2TB (Game) + WD Red Plus 4TBx2 (Plex) - TP-Link AC1200 PCIe Wifi - EVGA SuperNOVA 650 P2 - Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120SE - ASUS Prime AP201

 

You really do not need all that for what you want.  I would personally use Machine #1, throwing the Additional Hardware into it.

 

256GB is more than enough for Windows.  Run the Minecraft server off this as well.  Use the 500GB drives as storage for the movies/music/tv shows.

 

use it a while, monitor things like CPU usage, RAM usage, ethernet usage.  These will vary, and IIRC Minecraft likes RAM based on number of palyers.  16GB should be perfectly fine.

 

Plex (my recommendation for watching media on it) won't take up much space nor resources.  It can run on a Ryzen 1600 and 8GB RAM with ease.

 

Once you get a handle on what you're actually using, then you can beef it up or make changes. 

 

One thing I would NOT do it invest any money into it until you have tried it out for a bit.

 

No, you don't need a GPU at all.  

[Ha-Satan]

59 minutes ago, Wallaceman105 said:

2) File storage for a small non-profit I work at so we don't have to pay for cloud storage

First things first, I would strongly consider whether you want to mix your work and your personal stuff on the same machine/network. I wouldn't. Your employer's files should be held on a computer that is owned and managed by your employer, not you (I mean, not you in your personal time. It's obviously fine for you to be managing it on employer-owned hardware if it's literally your job to manage it).

 

Like, just think about what could happen if somebody at your work started embezzling money from the organization and the evidence was in files held on a computer owned by you personally, in your home.

 

If your employer cannot afford to buy and set up their own file server, then you could theoretically donate machine #2 to them and set it up as a file server, since you really don't need much RAM or CPU power to just store files.

 

And I agree with Dedayog that you should use machine #1 for your own home server, it's clearly the better computer of the two and will do fine for the tasks you describe.

[Wallaceman105]

On 12/5/2025 at 3:10 PM, Dedayog said:

So while I have upgraded my NAS/Plex server to add a game server component... it is still wildly overkill for my needs:

 

NAS/Plex:  Ryzen 9 5900XT 16c/32t - Gigabyte B550M AORUS Elite AX - TeamGroup T-Force Vulcan 64GB 3200CL16 - MSI 1050Ti 4GB - Crucial P3 Plus 500GB + TeamGroup MP44L 2TB (Game) + WD Red Plus 4TBx2 (Plex) - TP-Link AC1200 PCIe Wifi - EVGA SuperNOVA 650 P2 - Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120SE - ASUS Prime AP201

 

You really do not need all that for what you want.  I would personally use Machine #1, throwing the Additional Hardware into it.

 

256GB is more than enough for Windows.  Run the Minecraft server off this as well.  Use the 500GB drives as storage for the movies/music/tv shows.

 

use it a while, monitor things like CPU usage, RAM usage, ethernet usage.  These will vary, and IIRC Minecraft likes RAM based on number of palyers.  16GB should be perfectly fine.

 

Plex (my recommendation for watching media on it) won't take up much space nor resources.  It can run on a Ryzen 1600 and 8GB RAM with ease.

 

Once you get a handle on what you're actually using, then you can beef it up or make changes. 

 

One thing I would NOT do it invest any money into it until you have tried it out for a bit.

 

No, you don't need a GPU at all.  

Wow that server build is sick, love it!

Plex has been a really common recommendation, and it turns out my buddy knows it well, so that's gonna be easier than I was worried about!

I probably should have clarified that I want to build these as separate machines, my bad. A friend just offered me a 32gb set of DDR3 for ram, so that can work really well with the i5 system. 

On 12/5/2025 at 4:03 PM, Ha-Satan said:

First things first, I would strongly consider whether you want to mix your work and your personal stuff on the same machine/network. I wouldn't. Your employer's files should be held on a computer that is owned and managed by your employer, not you (I mean, not you in your personal time. It's obviously fine for you to be managing it on employer-owned hardware if it's literally your job to manage it).

 

Like, just think about what could happen if somebody at your work started embezzling money from the organization and the evidence was in files held on a computer owned by you personally, in your home.

 

If your employer cannot afford to buy and set up their own file server, then you could theoretically donate machine #2 to them and set it up as a file server, since you really don't need much RAM or CPU power to just store files.

 

And I agree with Dedayog that you should use machine #1 for your own home server, it's clearly the better computer of the two and will do fine for the tasks you describe.

On the employer thing, its a small, all-volunteer passenger rail advocacy group, those concerns aren't really a thing at our scale, but you make good points. I'll bring it up to them.

 

Like I said above, I just had 32gb of ddr3 (4x8) fall into my lap, so I guess now the question is if I'm doing 2 machines, should the i5 be the Minecraft server with its bigger ram capacity? Then the Ryzen can have more CPU oomf to work with for streaming video. At least, that's where my head is, I could totally be wrong!

 

Regardless of that thanks to both of you for the help and advice!