Desktop Storage, Long Term

[shinegull]

At the moment, I have a main desktop that has 3 drives in total. 2 ssd and 1 hdd (Toshiba).

I also have a 4 drive external Orico DAS with 4 WD Red in Raid 10.

 

The problem I am having is that my PC is relatively silent, except for when my desktop's Toshiba Drive spins up in use, its about as loud as the rest of my computer.

Normally I have no problem with the sound as I only turn on the DAS when I need it. I basically use it as storage for files, I may need every once in a while, but not every single day.

However I have been finding that its a bit slow in comparison.

 

It needs to be expandable in some way, I am hopefully looking at this as a long term solution so I would prefer the capability to add in a large number of drives over time.

While HDD is much cheaper, but running it in a raid where its speed is comparable to an ssd might be a bit hard all at once. Again, I am not expecting to go and get everything all at once.

I have considered SSDs where I can run it in JBOD and simply add more drives as needed/ when it goes on sale ( like everything 6 months to 1 year where I will get maybe 1 drive or 2?)

I have also considered a NAS, however, I share my internet and the speed I get is fibre optic at 150 Mbps. This is then connected to a powerline adapter, so by the time it gets to me, i get something like 3 to 12 MBs. Fine for everyday/Streaming/Gaming, but it seems when I'm transferring files on top of that, the transfer file speed tends to average more like 1 to 3 MBs, so not that ideal. It usually only connect to the 1 computer anyways.

 

I am looking for something that is comparable to a standard SSD in transfer speed where it is simple to use. Preferably I would like to be able to turn it on/off as needed. Expansion Capability, either in case or in multiple stackable cases. If using only SSD,  I will be running in JBOD, prob using 1 or 2 TB drives. I'd also like it to be as quiet as possible.

 

If possible, I would like decent quality at minimum, with minimal cost (Drives excluded). I would rather not shell out like $$$$ for a Drobo, that amount of money for just the case seems like a last resort of 'No way am I getting this thing unless I have nothing better to do'

 

Anyone got any ideas?

 

[Minbari]

Meeting all of those requirements while staying on the cheap is extremely difficult. Cheap large scale expansion can be had but it just won't be quiet when its running. Pre built NAS units like synology/qnap/drobo/etc are expensive but relatively quiet and allow decent drop in expansion to an extent. 

 

My understanding is you was some network attached storage device that can scale up to many drives and maintain decent performance. And preferably cheap and quiet. 

 

If budget is the most important, a used NAS or cheap lga 775 desktop with a bunch of sata ports could probably get you some half decent expansion for the lowest possible outlay. 

 

If the maximum expansion is the most important and you can sacrifice some noise/cost then there are options. One possibility is building a cheap desktop out of some used hardware and in a case with quiet fans. For a couple hundred dollars a system with an X58 board and decent CPU could be built to hold quite a few drives, and with a budget raid card, many more drives could be added. 

 

Another option would be a used server like an R510 or R710 for ~$100 that can hold 8-12 drives and external powervault drive chassis could be added for massive expansion. for under $800 you could have a system capable of handling 60+ drives but it will not be quiet. For either of these solutions, using some system that allows for tiered storage would likely be your best bet. Load many hard drives for bulk storage and take advantage of cheap ssd prices right now to add some cheap ssd storage on top of the hard drives. 

 

Overall the best choice for you is just going to be whatever compromise you make because you can only really pick two from "cheap", "quiet" and "maximum expansion". 

[shinegull]

Sorry if I was a unclear. I do not mind NAS as it seems more popular and widespread. I just find it a bit slow in comparison. Thats why I considered a DAS instead.

 

Price is not a problem so long as I am not spending thousands for a single driveless unit, I'll just save up for it.

 

I am looking for relatively quiet at a minimum, decent read/write speed, expandibility.

 

So whether the device is network attached or not is irrelevant for me, I care more about the speed and expandability.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

What ever you decide on, it will need at least two backups: one onsite and one offsite.

[myselfolli]

4 hours ago, Lady Fitzgerald said:

What ever you decide on, it will need at least two backups: one onsite and one offsite.

Well it depends...

 

A proper backup of the most important data should be stored offsite, yes, but what OP is looking for, is an in house storage solution. He wasn't looking to back up his data.

Spoiler

On 11/18/2018 at 10:54 AM, shinegull said:

At the moment, I have a main desktop that has 3 drives in total. 2 ssd and 1 hdd (Toshiba).

I also have a 4 drive external Orico DAS with 4 WD Red in Raid 10.

 

The problem I am having is that my PC is relatively silent, except for when my desktop's Toshiba Drive spins up in use, its about as loud as the rest of my computer.

Normally I have no problem with the sound as I only turn on the DAS when I need it. I basically use it as storage for files, I may need every once in a while, but not every single day.

However I have been finding that its a bit slow in comparison.

 

It needs to be expandable in some way, I am hopefully looking at this as a long term solution so I would prefer the capability to add in a large number of drives over time.

While HDD is much cheaper, but running it in a raid where its speed is comparable to an ssd might be a bit hard all at once. Again, I am not expecting to go and get everything all at once.

I have considered SSDs where I can run it in JBOD and simply add more drives as needed/ when it goes on sale ( like everything 6 months to 1 year where I will get maybe 1 drive or 2?)

I have also considered a NAS, however, I share my internet and the speed I get is fibre optic at 150 Mbps. This is then connected to a powerline adapter, so by the time it gets to me, i get something like 3 to 12 MBs. Fine for everyday/Streaming/Gaming, but it seems when I'm transferring files on top of that, the transfer file speed tends to average more like 1 to 3 MBs, so not that ideal. It usually only connect to the 1 computer anyways.

 

I am looking for something that is comparable to a standard SSD in transfer speed where it is simple to use. Preferably I would like to be able to turn it on/off as needed. Expansion Capability, either in case or in multiple stackable cases. If using only SSD,  I will be running in JBOD, prob using 1 or 2 TB drives. I'd also like it to be as quiet as possible.

 

If possible, I would like decent quality at minimum, with minimal cost (Drives excluded). I would rather not shell out like $$$$ for a Drobo, that amount of money for just the case seems like a last resort of 'No way am I getting this thing unless I have nothing better to do'

 

Anyone got any ideas?

 

 

Also, just to clearify, a NAS is typically part of your internal network, so your internet speeds don't matter really.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

7 hours ago, myselfolli said:

Well it depends...

 

A proper backup of the most important data should be stored offsite, yes, but what OP is looking for, is an in house storage solution. He wasn't looking to back up his data.

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Also, just to clearify, a NAS is typically part of your internal network, so your internet speeds don't matter really.

If the op values his data, then he had better be also thinking about how he will be backing it up. Whenever I buy additional storage, I also budget in backup storage costs. Not including backups in a data storage scheme is playing Data Russian Roulette with all but one chamber loaded.

[shinegull]

If the NAS is tied internally as you say, unaffected by my internet provider speeds, so what can i expect in terms of transfer speed in general? does it make a difference if i use ssd or hdd?

 

Is it better if I try to build something with freenas or go for a Qnap/ synology?

 

[kirashi]

2 hours ago, shinegull said:

If the NAS is tied internally as you say, unaffected by my internet provider speeds, so what can i expect in terms of transfer speed in general? does it make a difference if i use ssd or hdd?

Is it better if I try to build something with freenas or go for a Qnap/ synology?

If the NAS is internal, it will operate at up to speeds that match the lowest common denominator on your network, so as long as all your devices, router(s), and/or switches are Gigabit, and you're using good quality Cat5E or Cat6 cables, you should expect up to 1000Mbit/s, minus overhead. That being said, different types of files will copy at different rates, and will be absolutely slow as can be if you're using an outdated version of SMB. For example, it's actually faster to copy 5x 1GB files (5GB total) than it is to copy 1000x 3MB files because the devices won't have to start/stop as many copy operations.

 

You're not going to get a NAS capable of faster than Gigabit speeds for under $1000, unless you snag a deal or are buying a unit with no drives, and getting a DAS system that transfers files at full SSD speeds won't happen for under $1000 as you'd need to look at Thunderbolt 3 solutions or SFP+ direct attach copper solutions, plus ensure your computer has the correct ports or PCIe add-in cards to make this happen.

 

Not trying to discourage you at all - in fact, I'm kind of in the same boat in terms of finding storage solutions that fit my budget and needs. Personally, if this is your first storage build, I'd look into whatever Synology NAS fits your budget with the features you need, and go from there.

[shinegull]

Basically a premade NAS would be far easier to setup, right?

 

I was also wondering then, if something a DIY NAS with freenas exists, then is it also possible to build a DIY DAS?

[myselfolli]

7 hours ago, shinegull said:

Basically a premade NAS would be far easier to setup, right?

 

I was also wondering then, if something a DIY NAS with freenas exists, then is it also possible to build a DIY DAS?

A prebuilt NAS is pretty much plug and play these days

[shinegull]

Is there a way other than NAS? with the 1000Mbps translating into 125 MBs, thats not much faster than a HDD.

 

So I need a way to make that faster, or find a large DAS?

 

If NAS is the best option, then if I am planning on eventually having more than 8 drives, is unraid or freenas better over synology? I was looking at costs, and they seem to go for about 100 to 1500 CAD per unit.

[Electronics Wizardy]

7 hours ago, shinegull said:

Is there a way other than NAS? with the 1000Mbps translating into 125 MBs, thats not much faster than a HDD.

 

So I need a way to make that faster, or find a large DAS?

 

If NAS is the best option, then if I am planning on eventually having more than 8 drives, is unraid or freenas better over synology? I was looking at costs, and they seem to go for about 100 to 1500 CAD per unit.

You can get a 10gbe point to point connection for under 50 bucks us.

 

You can also build a das using a external sas hba and a sas enclosure.

 

Get a synology if you want the software and the plug and play ness.

[shinegull]

Ok, Ill try that. this will probably take a while for me to get together, but thank you everyone!