Need some advice on starting a small NAS

Buyingbf_ · April 12, 2018

I have some old hard drives that I want to try using as a part of a personal storage server, their sizes being 250GB, 160GB, 80GB, and 40GB. Would it be a good idea to try to make a small 24/7 sever with these drives? Do I have to run these guys in RAID? Is a storage server even possible on hardware like this? This is my first time making a NAS, so I'm not really that knowledgeable about this.

I'm getting a free Pentium 4 PC from a friend to try it out, but honestly, I feel like the hardware is way too old and slow. Would it be better to start from scratch, dropping some money on some modern low power hardware and 1TB hard drives?

LienusLateTips · April 12, 2018

Try to get 24/7 operation rated HDDs, and RAID 1/5 them.

LeoQuentin · April 13, 2018

I have found that the best budget oriented solution to a personal NAS is getting decommissioned server/workstation gear, and a throw in a few NAS rated hard drives.

A NAS is basically a PC that is meant for 24/7 usage. Its sole purpose is to move files back and forth, and to store them.

If you are looking for a good drive to use, I would definitively recommend the WD Red lineup, as they make an excellent addition to a 24/7 NAS. These drives are a lot better than most others for a NAS, as they are rated for 24/7 operation, so they will not wear out as quickly. Buying a few of these (whatever fits your budget) and running raid will probably be the best solution.

I would say the 4TB models are the best price/performance, but if that is out of budget you should go for the 2TB version.

An old Pentium 4 will struggle with almost anything you throw at it, even if it is just moving files back and forth. You should probably not buy new, as used hardware will do just as well for a server like this, whilst being a fraction of the price.

You should look around a little for older workstations. I picked up a dual socket 1366 workstation for right under $100, and it works like a charm. If you find a socket 771, 1366 or 2011 workstation or server that fits within your budget, you should probably buy it, as workstations and servers often have a lot of SATA ports, meaning that you can hook up a lot of drives.

My dual 1366 system has insane value. It has 12 cores, 24 threads. Works great for a NAS, Plex media server, website hosting or rendering. Almost anything you could imagine.

Hope this helps

If you wonder about anything else, just ask.

-Leo