Best cheapest hardware for NAS/Server?

[Aztec]

Hi, 

I'm looking to build a small mini ATX NAS that has a quad core cpu and 8GB RAM (preferable DDR4 if I can) so it can run a VM for basic tasks. my budget if preferably £100 (without the case and hdd). I don't mind paying a little more and looking to get these parts 2nd hand if I can. 

I was going to go with AMD since I know more about their processors but probably might not be the best for this type of machine. 

Any ideas? Thank you! 

[Mira Yurizaki]

What's your use case for this NAS? Like are you using this as just a file server or do you want it to double as a media server with real-time transcoding?

[Aztec]

2 hours ago, M.Yurizaki said:

What's your use case for this NAS? Like are you using this as just a file server or do you want it to double as a media server with real-time transcoding?

I mainly wanted to use it as a file server although it would be nice to have some flexibility for media server in the near future.

[Mira Yurizaki]

46 minutes ago, Aztec said:

I mainly wanted to use it as a file server although it would be nice to have some flexibility for media server in the near future.

Thinking about it more, you can probably get away with potato hardware. I have a NAS box (a QNAP unit) that uses a netbook processor. It functions fine as a file server and a DLNA media server. I keep thinking that real-time transcoding might be nice, but these days everything I get is in H.264 anyway and most devices that I would want to stream from the server can play H.264. So really all the NAS has to do at that point is stream data at a low rate.

 

Something my NAS uses is no different than one of these: https://www.newegg.com/Embedded-Solutions/SubCategory/ID-446?Tid=7623

 

If you don't like the thought of using really low-end hardware, I suggest going no further than a Pentium or A8/A10 APU class.

[Aztec]

19 hours ago, M.Yurizaki said:

Thinking about it more, you can probably get away with potato hardware. I have a NAS box (a QNAP unit) that uses a netbook processor. It functions fine as a file server and a DLNA media server. I keep thinking that real-time transcoding might be nice, but these days everything I get is in H.264 anyway and most devices that I would want to stream from the server can play H.264. So really all the NAS has to do at that point is stream data at a low rate.

 

Something my NAS uses is no different than one of these: https://www.newegg.com/Embedded-Solutions/SubCategory/ID-446?Tid=7623

 

If you don't like the thought of using really low-end hardware, I suggest going no further than a Pentium or A8/A10 APU class.

That seems like a great value deal tbh. Thank you! Will this be able to support low end virtualisation? e.g. Windows/Linux. If not then I'll look into the Pentium or A8/A10. I know it may sound crazy me expecting some form of virtualisation for the price. I'm trying to get the best value and lowest power consumption that's all haha. I currently have a Synology DS213J NAS it's great but... that has a single core CPU and 512mb RAM. It works but looking to expand my work flow instead of leaving on my main PC and controlling that outside of the network since it'll use up more power consumption and will possibly 'burn it out' quicker maybe haha. 

[Mira Yurizaki]

1 minute ago, Aztec said:

That seems like a great value deal tbh. Thank you! Will this be able to support low end virtualisation? e.g. Windows/Linux. If not then I'll look into the Pentium or A8/A10. I know it may sound crazy me expecting some form of virtualisation for the price. I'm trying to get the best value and lowest power consumption that's all haha. I currently have a Synology DS213J NAS it's great but... that has a single core CPU and 512mb RAM. It works but looking to expand my work flow instead of leaving on my main PC and controlling that outside of the network since it'll use up more power consumption and will possibly 'burn it out' quicker maybe haha. 

QNAP claims my unit can do virtualization and VMs. I wouldn't expect it to do more than web browsing though.

[Aztec]

10 minutes ago, M.Yurizaki said:

QNAP claims my unit can do virtualization and VMs. I wouldn't expect it to do more than web browsing though.

Fair doos, that's fine, just low end tasks such as compiling C code and that. just thought it would be a fun project to build one that's hopefully a bit better but same size as my Synology NAS. Do you think that motherboard and cpu bundle would be suitable for that use case or shall I go for something more powerful? 

[Mira Yurizaki]

1 minute ago, Aztec said:

Fair doos, that's fine, just low end tasks such as compiling C code and that. just thought it would be a fun project to build one that's hopefully a bit better but same size as my Synology NAS. Do you think that motherboard and cpu bundle would be suitable for that use case or shall I go for something more powerful? 

That depends on how fast you want this thing to compile stuff.

[Aztec]

14 minutes ago, M.Yurizaki said:

That depends on how fast you want this thing to compile stuff.

Never thought it took that long to compile stuff since all of my code was compiled instantly on my Ubuntu VM but then probs cos I've got an AMD Ryzen CPU in my PC. I'll look into more of the bundle anyway and the other CPU's you've recommended. Thank you for your help! 

[Mira Yurizaki]

5 minutes ago, Aztec said:

Never thought it took that long to compile stuff since all of my code was compiled instantly on my Ubuntu VM but then probs cos I've got an AMD Ryzen CPU in my PC. I'll look into more of the bundle anyway and the other CPU's you've recommended. Thank you for your help! 

If you want to play around with speed, you can probably set the execution cap on the VM to mimic a slower machine.

[Aztec]

30 minutes ago, M.Yurizaki said:

If you want to play around with speed, you can probably set the execution cap on the VM to mimic a slower machine.

Ahh yes good thinking!