Help. I Have NO Idea What I'm Doing.

[Beeeyeee]

It is still not backup. RAID is never backup.

 

Levels above zero simply protect from one (or more) hdd unit failures. That is all.

 

They do not protect against virus. Provide no protection against theft, fire, flood, impact, surges, brown outs, lightning, application error, o/s error, or user error. Good backups do provide this protection.

well what else can I do?

[Beeeyeee]

The setup you have there is mostly fine, I agree with the rest of the group on the graphics.  Since you plan on doing UHD/4K edits but didn't specify what games you will be playing, a high end gaming the card doesn't matter so much as a UHD/4K monitor.  Just be sure your memory has a low Latency for good smooth edits and your setup can smoothly run 4K without hiccups.

 

Now, the drives are another matter.  A lot of people have been suggesting a RAID 5 array.  In arrays this small please don't.  The 10 array you have planned is a good place to go, but don't be stingy though. Get proper small NAS drives and not regular consumer grade. Do all raid arrays through the hardware as well.  If you are forced to go to a software raid just pick up a cheap raid card.  They will typically run at SATA II, and they will be mostly supported (research your product). Also, a RAID array will improve some of the lost speed.  If you can swing for lowering your internal storage for setting up a nice NAS then I can help you. 

 

I have a few Fiber Optic cards coming in that run at 4Gb/s that are being shed by a company for as cheap as gigabit ethernet. You can also get proper fiber optic cable for a reasonable price. They are LC connection, and are compatible with Windows/Linux.  IF I can give them a positive review I will send you the parts list to build a great NAS on the cheap.  Be sure to also do proper backups of your data on stable mediums.

 

Other than that your build looks very promising.

thanks! I plan on gaming at 1080p, 60 fps minimum. would outsourcing my backups really be cheaper than using these HDD's?

[Beeeyeee]

So my only question remaining is: what is the best way to store my files? I want the SSD for general use, OS, etc. a dedicated HDD for normal files if possible. I was planning on RAID 10 with 4 2tb HDD's, because that would improve read time by four times, and allow for a backup in case a hard drive fails. because I want to keep a standing copy of all of my media safe. but people are saying thats a bad idea?

whats the best way to permanently store Data? remotely? outside of the case or in a separate one? I'm not entirely sure what to do.

[Krinkleneck]

thanks! I plan on gaming at 1080p, 60 fps minimum. would outsourcing my backups really be cheaper than using these HDD's?

For graphics just follow the recommendations that were put up by the other members.  That will give you phenomenal detail at high frame rates at 1080.  Just be sure to pick up a high frame rate IPS/PLS for true HD Glory.  It will also give you a way to play at 4K when you want to do the Switch.

 

Using those HDDs in a NAS wouldn't be a true backup, but instead think of it as temporary storage where you want to keep your files safe until they are lock and key backed up.  If you want to do backups on the cheap, it's best to do them locally and regularly. So, you might be able to temporarily skip the NAS . 

 

Here are your options:

Optical such as blueray: can be scratched and sustain UV damage and natural wear without use

Magnetic like an external HDD/Tape Deck: Can be affected by magnetic impulses or impact and water

Flash: Charge degrades over time causing data errors

 

For price/performance/ease of storage I would recommend Flash Memory first, and then Hard Drives.  Flash doesn't need to be fast, it consumes low quantities of space, it isn't susceptible to shock, storage is increasing every year (you can get 1TB flash drives and Samsung T1 External SSD) and it's resistant to nature.  But, if you have multiple Terabytes of needed storage instead of Gigabytes, I suggest picking up a HDD Dock.  That way you can plug regular HDDs into your system.  They're cheaper than external drives, and they tend to store more than external drives.  And, if you're wanting to get even more bang for your buck and don't mind doing some Macgyvering, pick up a SATA to IDE converter with a couple SATA power and data cords to gain access to older unused drives.  There is a lot of choice in backing up your system. Just make sure you read Microsoft's backup manual, and you store your physical devices in a safety box that's designed to fight the elements.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/products/features/backup-and-restore