Nas Box or a computer?

[iKatoz]

I saw that a 4 slot NAS (WD My Cloud EX4) costs about 330€ so I decided to look at what computer I could build with 300 €, this is the result:

 

CPU AMD FM2 A10-5700 111€

 

MB Asrock FM2A75M-HD+ 58€

 

RAM Kingston 4gb @160mhz 37€

 

PSU Corsair CX430 41€

 

CASE CoolerMaster N200 36€

 

SSD: Kingston 60GB (I don't know if it's necessary)

 

Mainly i want to automatically backup my gaming rig and my laptop both with windows 8.1 and my iMac with Yosemite but also i want to store other data that are currently on other Hard Disk. with this 2 configuration it's possible do all this stuff?

 

Thanks

 

 

 

[soaringchicken]

Nas

[iKatoz]

a little bit of argumentation?

[Captain_WD]

 

I saw that a 4 slot NAS (WD My Cloud EX4) costs about 330€ so I decided to look at what computer I could build with 300 €, this is the result:

 

CPU AMD FM2 A10-5700 111€

 

MB Asrock FM2A75M-HD+ 58€

 

RAM Kingston 4gb @160mhz 37€

 

PSU Corsair CX430 41€

 

CASE CoolerMaster N200 36€

 

SSD: Kingston 60GB (I don't know if it's necessary)

 

Mainly i want to automatically backup my gaming rig and my laptop both with windows 8.1 and my iMac with Yosemite but also i want to store other data that are currently on other Hard Disk. with this 2 configuration it's possible do all this stuff?

 

Thanks

 

 

Hey iKatoz,

 

Yes, it is possible to backup all those devices both on a single NAS or on a home-built computer that acts as a NAS.

The advantage of a ready-built NAS (such as the My Cloud EX4) is that they use less power and are designed for easy usage (ready to set up and use out of the box) while a custom built PC would use much more power and would be a pain to instal the OS and set up all the custom settings. 

The advantage of a self-built NAS, on the other side, is that you could find more powerful parts for a smaller cost, upgrade it any time you want and have longer warranties on the different parts instead on the whole setup. Moreover, you have the choice of whichever parts for CPU, RAM, MOBO, etc you prefer instead of settling with whatever the pre-built product offers.

 

IMHO a pre-built is the better option as it was designed and optimized specifically for this purpose, troubleshoots easier and it's easier to setup and use.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Captain_WD.

[iKatoz]

Thanks a lot, I guess that a ready-build nas is quieter than a pc, right? And a nas must be on 24/7 or it turn on the hard disks when it's necessary?

[Captain_WD]

Thanks a lot, I guess that a ready-build nas is quieter than a pc, right? And a nas must be on 24/7 or it turn on the hard disks when it's necessary?

 

 

It really depends on the specific NAS and how you build your self-built rig. But in general, a ready-built has less fans, which contribute to the noise that comes from the device.  

 

Captain_WD.

[ErrorNumber419]

 

It really depends on the specific NAS and how you build your self-built rig. But in general, a ready-built has less fans, which contribute to the noise that comes from the device.  

 

Captain_WD.

 

 

Less fans yes, but, the fans in a prebuilt NAS are generally smaller and louder. They also tend to die faster and are harder to replace.

 

I'd say build your own so you have more expandability and functionality in the future. 

FreeNAS, and Unraid are both very popular free operating systems for a NAS environment. Or you can go for something more powerful such as an Windows or Ubuntu based OS.

I would suggest keeping the 60GB SSD in mind, that way your stored files are always on their own drives, independent from your OS.

 

The only reason I would go for a prebuilt system is if you are worried about the power bill difference. And we're only talking a few dollars a year, nothing major.

 

edit: No matter which way you go, if you use efficient drives (I suggest something built for a NAS environment), your drives will spin down when not in use. Hell, even my WD blacks in my desktop spin down after a while.