$500 NAS

[Killer_Klownz]

So basically, I'm trying to build a NAS that would cost somewhere around the ball park of $500 USD. Some perks I would like it to have are...

• Low power usage, I pay around 15.98¢/kWh
• As quiet as possible. 

I've been doing some research and found that Intel Atom's are low power usage, but I don't know much about them; or even if they're right for this job.

I also found that many people recommend to use ECC RAM, so I guess I should get that also?

I don't need that much storage, at most 2TB.

I would be running FreeNAS on this machine.

And if it matters at all, I live in California. I'm also open to buying the parts off eBay if they're a bit cheaper (except hard drives).

[TheRandomness]

Pentium K + Whatever mobo + 8GB RAM (ECC or no , idk) + 2 2TB drives + Antec Earthwatts Green 300W PSU + Nice and small case. I can't make a list at the moment because phone :c

[Vitalius]

So basically, I'm trying to build a NAS that would cost somewhere around the ball park of $500 USD. Some perks I would like it to have are...

• Low power usage, I pay around 15.98¢/kWh
• As quiet as possible. 

I've been doing some research and found that Intel Atom's are low power usage, but I don't know much about them; or even if they're right for this job.

I also found that many people recommend to use ECC RAM, so I guess I should get that also?

I don't need that much storage, at most 2TB.

I would be running FreeNAS on this machine.

Motherboard+CPU: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Supermicro-A1SAI-2550F-O-Desktop-Motherboard-Intel-Atom-C2550-CPU-Chip-Combo-/201307597176?hash=item2edede2978:g:ET0AAOSwstxVA9Tf

RAM: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kingston-8GB-204-Pin-DDR3-SO-DIMM-ECC-Unbuffered-DDR3-1600-PC3-12800-Server-Me-/381043285630?hash=item58b7f31e7e:g:QoUAAMXQuCdTh4~t

HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236741&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker,%20LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

 

PSU: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Black-SilverStone-450W-SFX12V-Computer-Power-Supply-ST45SF-80-PLUS-BRONZE-/281259972031?hash=item417c6695bf:m:mkir4Qau-iSjfb_KNC6gpOg

Total cost: $550ish (shipping costs considered; sales tax not considered because: Ebay)

Have a look at price differences between 2TB, 3TB, & 4TB drives. Type in "red" in the search storage bar on the right under "detailed list".

 

Super tiny & super small (based on Case choice, but SFX power supply + MITX Motherboard = tiny space). CPU is passively cooled, only requires 1 fan in the Case.