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Best way to setup a media server, NAS or Win8 PC?

Tags:
  • NAS / RAID
  • Media Server
Last response: in Networking
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September 21, 2014 3:52:57 PM

I have never done a NAS setup, but it sounds like the latest way to distribute content.

I am building a new PC, plan to be networked to my media room, running XBOX, Sonos, and XMBC Raspberry Pi, to play my music, movies, and Photos stored on the PC through the network.

Do I need a separate NAS system? or can I just setup my PC with Win 8.1, to act as the server, as well as my main Gaming, office PC? If so, what do I need to know to make sure it's setup correctly?

Would an AMD FX-8350 be a good option? Using SSD as main driver, and 2 HDDs for media?

More about : setup media server nas win8

September 21, 2014 4:01:51 PM

Do you plan on having your PC on 24/7 ? If so, then an AMD FX CPU, plus gaming graphics card plus gaminig RAM would have a much higher power usage than a box, either homemade or purchased, that is optimized for NAS.

Usually a NAS does not require a lot of CPU or memory resources. Commercial NAS units would have at most a dual core Atom or Celeron. Tailoring your parts for NAS and using an OS like FreeNAS, or purchasing a purposely designed commercial unit is my recommendation.

Remember that, no matter what you use for network storage, have a backup plan for important data.
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September 21, 2014 4:05:16 PM

It doesn't take much for a PC to serve up media files - suggested 1GB LAN, and good hard drives, such as WD Black drives to store the files. Windows 7/8 will work for networking.

I have a dedicated HTPC that replaces my cable boxes, XBOX to display content to the TV's. It is a mid-grade AMD processor (quad core) with 8GB RAM and a 2TB WD Black drive. I can watch/record 3 live HD channels as well as view recorded content.

The big two concerns are the speed of the drives and the LAN card.
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September 21, 2014 8:34:36 PM

Thanks guys. I don't plan to run the PC or NAS all the time but probably on most of the time. Question is mostly if it doesn't spending extra money into a NAS if I'm already building a capable PC and plan to have most of my media files stored there.

I also have a basic AMD PC that I could use as another source to feed media to my receiver but that might not be necessary I guess.
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