Torn between storage options

[NeilFX]

I'm gonna set the theme here: 

- Budget is $180

- Needs 2TB

 

    For months I've spent hours of reading reviews on the MyCloud (NAS). In that span of time, I noticed lots of negative reviews but my inner self was constantly pushing me to buy the MyCloud. First off, my main use is to share media across my network hence the choice of NAS. 

 

    However, recently I thought about getting 2x1TB WD Blue Internal HDDs. It's not the perfect solution to "share media across my network" but it's reliable from the get-go unlike the MyCloud's persistent problems.

 

TL;DR

 

1. Is a NAS worth it? (Specifically, the MyCloud?)

 

2. Am I better off buying an internal drive?

2.a. If so, Any suggestions on how to "share media across my network"?

2.b. Which is better: 1x2TB vs 2x1TB option?

 

 

 

Thanks in advance techies!

[Cokeman]

Well for a NAS you have to buy the NAS its self then you still have to buy the drives. Id just put those blue drives in a raid. And you can hook them up to the internet to have your own cloud.

[NeilFX]

Well for a NAS you have to buy the NAS its self then you still have to buy the drives. Id just put those blue drives in a raid. And you can hook them up to the internet to have your own cloud.

    The MyCloud for $180 comes pre-installed with a 2TB WD Red. Second thing, won't the RAID solution be twice the failure risk? (@ Raid 0). I suppose I could hook them up to the web, but that's not my primary concern - I was going to use the NAS to stream media to my devices, not necessarily the cloud. 

[Cokeman]

[NeilFX]

Sorry for the misconception, I was referring to the product MyCloud. 

http://www.amazon.com/Cloud-2TB-Personal-Storage-WDBCTL0020HWT-NESN/dp/B00EVVGAFI/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

[Whaler_99]

Best bet, buy a 2TB drive, and install it in a PC locally, then create a share and have other machine map to it. Or using a HomeGroup to share the media. That is the simplest and easiest way.

 

Just remember, you have no redundancy here, so one drive fails, data lost. For a bit more resilience, by a low end two drive NAS, netgear for example and run 2 x 2TB in raid1. Bit more money, but protects against single drive failure, then have local machine map to the nas. 

[NeilFX]

Best bet, buy a 2TB drive, and install it in a PC locally, then create a share and have other machine map to it. Or using a HomeGroup to share the media. That is the simplest and easiest way.

 

Just remember, you have no redundancy here, so one drive fails, data lost. For a bit more resilience, by a low end two drive NAS, netgear for example and run 2 x 2TB in raid1. Bit more money, but protects against single drive failure, then have local machine map to the nas. 

 

That's actually a good idea. The Homegroup sharing never occurred to me, until now. Thanks!. I was a bit skeptical to have a local 2TB solely for my backup needs as it tends to be catastrophic when the single drive fails. Sad to say, I'm locked tight on my budget (I'm also saving up for an SSD, that's why).

 

I guess my best bet is the 2x1TB WD Blue's? 

[D_Know_WD]

Hello there NeilFX,

 

Just keep in mind that if you plan to use your computer as a sharing device, it should be always on and working. This will put more pressure on the drives, no matter whether you get 2x1TB or 1x2TB WD Blues. Furthermore, these are not NAS specific drives and are not designed for 24/7 activity. 

Just because of these reasons, I think that the My Cloud will fit your purposes better. It is streaming no matter whether the PC is on or off. Also, it comes with a Red drive which is generally more reliable for NAS environments.

In case you decide to go with the WD My Cloud, I would  suggest you to just set some scheduled back ups to your PC and thus keep your data safe. 

 

Hope this clarified the things a bit,

D_Know_WD

[NeilFX]

 

Hello there NeilFX,

 

Just keep in mind that if you plan to use your computer as a sharing device, it should be always on and working. This will put more pressure on the drives, no matter whether you get 2x1TB or 1x2TB WD Blues. Furthermore, these are not NAS specific drives and are not designed for 24/7 activity. 

Just because of these reasons, I think that the My Cloud will fit your purposes better. It is streaming no matter whether the PC is on or off. Also, it comes with a Red drive which is generally more reliable for NAS environments.

In case you decide to go with the WD My Cloud, I would  suggest you to just set some scheduled back ups to your PC and thus keep your data safe. 

 

Hope this clarified the things a bit,

D_Know_WD

 

 

I concur the MyCloud suits my need perfectly, it's perfect for what it is capable of. Serving media across my network is my primary focus and the NAS drive fits the bill. I'm now leaning over the MyCloud instead of the internal drive. Thanks!