Hi, I am currently in the market for a new NAS/Home Server.
My original plan was to buy the new Synology DS1513+ but after they revealed the specs of the new model, it still has the same CPU as last years model. And the price is on the extremely high side aswell around ($1490 Singapore Dollars).
I've been reading around and I guess a good solution for me would be to go for a DIY solution. I still haven't decided which OS/File Format to go with (FreeNas, Windows, OSX, linux (ubuntu)). I just want to tie down which hardware would be powerful enough to be able to stream/transcode 2-3 full HD 1080p streams to client players via Plex Media Server or something of the sort.
The server will be headless but I need to be able to plug in a monitor just incase i have any network issues. I want to run the server 24/7 and be able to set it up so that my family who will be using it to watch movies etc will have almost no issues with having to deal with the back end administration of the server (so far with my old synology I haven't had any issues).
So far this is what I have decided to get.. (prices below in USD)
CPU - Intel Core i3-3225 Ivy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 55W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 - $144
MoBo - ASUS P8H77-I LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard - $109
Case - Fractal Design Node 304 FD-CA-NODE-304-BL Black Aluminum / Steel Mini-ITX Tower Computer Case - $89
RAM - CORSAIR 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop Memory Model CMV8GX3M2A1333C9 -$52
PSU - Athena Power AP-MFATX40 400W Mini ITX 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply - $78
HDDs - Western Digital Red WD30EFRX 3TB IntelliPower RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - $150 each ($754 for 5)
Total Cost is around $476(USD) DISKLESS and $1231 (USD) with 5x3TB WD Reds.
How will these components fair in a 24/7 environment? Will the CPU get extremely hot with the stock cooler in such a small case? Also will the CPU manage to transcode multiple HD streams to different clients over a gigabit network?
In terms of Operating Systems, I am tempted to just go with plain on Win7 just because it will be a lot easier for me to manage. On the other hand I have no idea how to set up win7 as a NAS. I have heard good things about ubuntu (server or desktop?) and other NAS based OS's such as FreeNAS. My basic requirements are as follows
- Cross Platform (windows, mac, linux)
- Mobile Support (android, iOS)
- Able to run Plex Media Server (or some other similar alternative which can stream to roku's/apple TVs/R-pi's)
- Enough documentation online so that I can learn how to set-up/troubleshoot myself
- reliable in a 24/7 low maintenance environment!
- I plan on doing other things with the NAS aswell in the future, maybe experiment with some cloud storage functionality and so on....so any bonus features would be a plus.
Thanks for taking the time to read my post! Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
My original plan was to buy the new Synology DS1513+ but after they revealed the specs of the new model, it still has the same CPU as last years model. And the price is on the extremely high side aswell around ($1490 Singapore Dollars).
I've been reading around and I guess a good solution for me would be to go for a DIY solution. I still haven't decided which OS/File Format to go with (FreeNas, Windows, OSX, linux (ubuntu)). I just want to tie down which hardware would be powerful enough to be able to stream/transcode 2-3 full HD 1080p streams to client players via Plex Media Server or something of the sort.
The server will be headless but I need to be able to plug in a monitor just incase i have any network issues. I want to run the server 24/7 and be able to set it up so that my family who will be using it to watch movies etc will have almost no issues with having to deal with the back end administration of the server (so far with my old synology I haven't had any issues).
So far this is what I have decided to get.. (prices below in USD)
CPU - Intel Core i3-3225 Ivy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 55W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 - $144
MoBo - ASUS P8H77-I LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard - $109
Case - Fractal Design Node 304 FD-CA-NODE-304-BL Black Aluminum / Steel Mini-ITX Tower Computer Case - $89
RAM - CORSAIR 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop Memory Model CMV8GX3M2A1333C9 -$52
PSU - Athena Power AP-MFATX40 400W Mini ITX 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply - $78
HDDs - Western Digital Red WD30EFRX 3TB IntelliPower RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - $150 each ($754 for 5)
Total Cost is around $476(USD) DISKLESS and $1231 (USD) with 5x3TB WD Reds.
How will these components fair in a 24/7 environment? Will the CPU get extremely hot with the stock cooler in such a small case? Also will the CPU manage to transcode multiple HD streams to different clients over a gigabit network?
In terms of Operating Systems, I am tempted to just go with plain on Win7 just because it will be a lot easier for me to manage. On the other hand I have no idea how to set up win7 as a NAS. I have heard good things about ubuntu (server or desktop?) and other NAS based OS's such as FreeNAS. My basic requirements are as follows
- Cross Platform (windows, mac, linux)
- Mobile Support (android, iOS)
- Able to run Plex Media Server (or some other similar alternative which can stream to roku's/apple TVs/R-pi's)
- Enough documentation online so that I can learn how to set-up/troubleshoot myself
- reliable in a 24/7 low maintenance environment!
- I plan on doing other things with the NAS aswell in the future, maybe experiment with some cloud storage functionality and so on....so any bonus features would be a plus.
Thanks for taking the time to read my post! Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.