What to pick new microserver or NAS

[SkippyTheSnake132]

I'm in the market for a NAS/microserver but am unsure of what to go with as I am very new to this scene.
The idea of having nightly backups of my pc greatly appeals to me as well as the ability to access a large pool of data on my home network. I am also interested in using remote access and running small python programs on the unit.
I am only looking to have around 4-6TB of storage to start off with as I feel that would be enough space for me. I have looked into software and feenas seems like a compelling option.

I currently have a few options, I have a HP N54L microserver a friend is willing to give to me but I don't know the exact specifications of it. Looking online the specs seem quite dated and I'm not sure it would have enough ram.
Another option is an old PC running a 2500k with 8GB of ram and an ATX motherboard (so the tower would be kind of large without a motherboard change) however this seems like it will draw an excessive amount of power serving as a NAS. 

Any information, advice or suggestions would be appreciated as I am not sure whether I should purchase a more updated HP microserver, re-purpose the old PC or just invest in a Synology NAS and forgo the remote access and small applications.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

[8uhbbhu8]

The 2500k will do much better then the HP. Just underclock it a bit and you'll be fine. It will only draw a lot of power when its under heavy load.

[Gamerguy207]

I like to have a NAS but whatever works for you

 

[SkippyTheSnake132]

2 minutes ago, 8uhbbhu8 said:

The 2500k will do much better then the HP. Just underclock it a bit and you'll be fine. It will only draw a lot of power when its under heavy load.

Okay, good to hear. I think a motherboard change is in order for a smaller, more convenient case though.
I'm assuming i'm not looking for anything too specific with the motherboard, just as many sata ports as possible?

[SkippyTheSnake132]

3 minutes ago, Gamerguy207 said:

I like to have a NAS but whatever works for you

 

I originally started by only looking at NAS units but the extra features of a more full featured setup seems useful to me and I can have the standard NAS experience along with these extra features.

[Gamerguy207]

Well if you want and need those extra features and have the money to spend then go out and buy one  

[8uhbbhu8]

7 minutes ago, SkippyTheSnake132 said:

Okay, good to hear. I think a motherboard change is in order for a smaller, more convenient case though.
I'm assuming i'm not looking for anything too specific with the motherboard, just as many sata ports as possible?

I do not recommend trying to cram everything in a small case. Drives do need airflow and cooling especially when packed together. For more sata ports id say get a sas jbod card then you can run up to 4 sata drives from one sas port. Just make sure to get at least a 6gb variant not the 3

[SkippyTheSnake132]

1 minute ago, 8uhbbhu8 said:

I do not recommend trying to cram everything in a small case. Drives do need airflow and cooling especially when packed together. For more sata ports id say get a sas jbod card then you can run up to 4 sata drives from one sas port. Just make sure to get at least a 6gb variant not the 3  I'd say go on the Servers and Nas sub forum for more and better information

Ah... good point. Well i'll stick with my HAF-X just a little longer then . 
Yeah i'll check some pages out. Thanks for the help.