Your Top Picks: Tom's Hardware Forums' Q1 2013 BestConfigs

Round-ups
By published

So you like our System Builder Marathon? Ever come up with your own idea for a killer rig? Don't forget to tell us about it on the Tom's Hardware forums. The following ten setups were configured by forum members and chosen in Q1 2013 BestConfigs Poll.

Home NAS Server

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 Five Home NAS Server builds were chosen to represent this category's BestConfigs. 

Breadwhistle’s “No shirt, no shoes, but LOTS of storage” handily took the win with 15 votes. 

Congratulations to forum member Breadwhistle for having his recommended build picked by the Tom's Hardware community this quarter!

Unlike 2011’s NAS PC, Breadwhistle didn’t include a pricey NAS enclosure, which shored up enough cash for a potent processor, unlike the previous build's embedded VIA Nano. This year’s NAS PC is powered by the A6-5400K, a dual-module APU. It's not exactly a gamer’s delight, but surely up to any network storage task.

ASRock’s full-ATX FM2A75 motherboard served as Breadwhistle’s canvas for this build. Plenty of room for additional components, USB 3.0, and SATA 6Gb/s should keep this NAS server relatively modern for years to come.

Four gigs of G.Skill DDR3-1600 and a 64 GB SSD from Crucial also present a step up from the previous build’s DDR3-1333 and 5,400 RPM hard drive. The 80 PLUS-certified CX430 from Corsair’s Builder Series powers yet another system, while the Asus DRW-24B3ST makes a third appearance in a BestConfig this quarter.

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G.Skill RipjawsX

A trio of 3 TB Western Digital Red hard drives handle the network-attached storage need.

One reason that Breadwhistle was able to create a better system than the previous NAS BestConfig winner (at the same price point) was his choice of chassis. Whereas the last system included a purpose-built NAS enclosure, Breadwhistle opted instead for the Cooler Master Elite 430, a pretty standard mid-tower.

This configuration came to $773.38 when originally submitted by Breadwhistle. The current prices of Breadwhistle’s “No shirt, no shoes, but LOTS of storage” can be found in the BestConfigs shopping tables.