Hi,

I can buy a Dlink DNS 323 for $170, or build a PC (AMD SEMPRON-LE1100 + mATX ECS board+1Gb RAM+mATX case) for the exact same price!!!
What would be the smartest choice?
I like the Dlink since it has good reviews, it's ready to use and certainly power efficient and small
But I was wondering what could be the assets of the FreeNAS solution vs the Dlink DNS 323?
I plan to install 2 x 500Gb SATA 3.0Gb/s seagate drives, and make Raid 1

thanks

Need to include cost of OS in your calculations....

FreeNAS is (as the name says) Free...
Using a PC as a NAS (from personal experience) will give a far better data transfer rate, however the power consumption will be significantly higher.
Also (last time I used it) FreeNAS only supported true hardware RAID not Soft/Fake RAID.

Go with Free NAS it does soft ware raid and it's BSD based and very secure.

Actually, I need a central storage, safe (with raid 1) to store all my digital pictures and share with my 4 PCs
I need something "simple" I guess, and probably 2x500Gb will be the good size
Is FreeNas will be faster than the DNS (have to know that 3 of my PC use Wifi - "g" )?
Can FreeNAS be programed to shut down every night, and start when I access it (or something like that)?

Thanks

OK, I spent some time on Internet, trying to find the cheapest solution to build my Home NAS with FreeNAS
Motherboard = ECS AMD 690G (Newegg)
CPU = Sempron LE-1100 (45W) (Newegg)
Mem = 512 Mb DDR2 800Mhz (Newegg)
Case = PowerSpec 300 W mATX (Micro center)
Total price is $125.....Cheaper than the Dlink DNS 323 at $166 (Centralcost.com)
Should I expect some particular issues with that config, or it should be fine? Anyone running this config (or at least one of the component?)

Thanks