Building a NAS for ~$600

[dbcooper]

Hi guys, I'm thinking on buying a NAS for around U$S 600. I need it to have 6TB of redundant storage (RAID 1?).

I was thinking on using this hardware:

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/FsQvP6

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/FsQvP6/by_merchant/

 

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($64.89 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard: Asus Z87-Plus ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($96.00 @ NCIX US) 

Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport XT 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($27.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($82.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($82.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($82.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($82.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Case: NZXT Source 210 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($34.99 @ Directron) 

Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($47.99 @ Amazon) 

Total: $603.82

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-02 18:11 EST-0500

 

Do you guys know if i would be able to build a RAID array with that motherboard? Something i might consider replacing? Thanks!

[Luc401]

I think you should go with the WD Red drives 3tb, at least thats what i did for my NAS. What im running in my nas is

I7 3770K

Asus Z77 sabertooth

2X8GB vengeance ram

4 WD Red drives

600T Case with hotswappable drive bays

AX 860I PSU

 

I pretty well took high end parts from my old rig. Plus these parts are decent for reliability, if you running 24/7 id go with something better for a PSU and drives..

[dbcooper]

I think you should go with the WD Red drives 3tb, at least thats what i did for my NAS. What im running in my nas is

I7 3770K

Asus Z77 sabertooth

2X8GB vengeance ram

4 WD Red drives

600T Case with hotswappable drive bays

AX 860I PSU

 

I pretty well took high end parts from my old rig. Plus these parts are decent for reliability, if you running 24/7 id go with something better for a PSU and drives..

 

 

Are RAM and processor important for a NAS? You are right about the reliability, i will use a better PSU and drives

[Oshino Shinobu]

Are RAM and processor important for a NAS? You are right about the reliability, i will use a better PSU and drives

The PSU is just fine for that build. An AX series PSU is MASSIVE overkill for a NAS. 

 

The drives should definitely be NAS drives, though. WD Reds are a good option. 

 

The RAM and CPU will depend on what you're using the NAS for. If it's strictly just data storage, then you don't need a powerful CPU or that much RAM (unless you're using ZFS with FreeNAS. In which case, you need at least 8GB). If you're going to be running things like a transcoding Plex sever or apps on a FreeNAS system, you're going to need a more powerful CPU and more RAM (8GB minimum for FreeNAS with apps). 

[DarkTerbear]

If you want 6TB of redundant storage with 4 3TB drives, I think you are aiming for RAID 10. RAID 10 is only supported on REALLY high end mobos, like the Asus Z170 Deluxe. You need a RAID controller/card for RAID 10 on that.

[Oshino Shinobu]

If you want 6TB of redundant storage with 4 3TB drives, I think you are aiming for RAID 10. RAID 10 is only supported on REALLY high end mobos, like the Asus Z170 Deluxe. You need a RAID controller/card for RAID 10 on that.

Most NAS software will use software RAID, rather than hardware RAID, so the board shouldn't matter too much. 

[Luc401]

Are RAM and processor important for a NAS? You are right about the reliability, i will use a better PSU and drives

If your using RAID 5 or 6, or 51/50 ect. which need a lot of calculation to build the array, it would be better. As for ram Im using my NAS as a server also so i need the ram.