Urgh, I need to expand my storage space, so NAS fits my requirement. But just wondering thought which one is the cost effective solution. 4 bays NAS is the aim. How much budget should I allocate to have at least 2 bays running with 2 X 2TB with RAID setup. TQ guys!

My Current Setup:
1. HTPC & NAS
HP microserver w/o OS = rm800
4 x 2TB WD Green = rm250/pc
1 x MS Windows Server 2k8 R2 standard = i got it free
(optional) GPU (HD5450 / GT210) + 4GB RAM
Pros: cost effective, very customizable, speed is not bad for daily computing, Power saving, quiet and stable
Cons: Not much RAID option provided, need to setup everything by urself, the blue light from the HP logo very annoying at night

2. NAS
Synology Diskstation DS411j = rm1500
4 x 2TB Hitachi = rm300/pc
Pros: User friendly UI, quiet, power saving, wireless file transfer speed is slow but stable (better use LAN cable)
Cons: EXPENSIVE, first time RAID setup is very time consuming, my WD GREEN running on this system failed once just within 3 months and u need to contact online support to rescue ur data now using hitachi so far so good

.

This post has been edited by felicia666: Oct 28 2011, 10:05 AM

Thanks for sharing your info with me. That`s quite lengthy

I have several questions thought;

1. So OS is required for the thing to run.. Can I have any linux OS to run instead? Cheaper right? Just wondering though in terms of the setup, will it be very difficult of windows users like me? Haha
2. So you have both running right now? Connected to GIGABIT network?
3. WD green failed, is it coincidence or incompatibility in 24x7 environment? Im using green for my 2TB and 1 TB harddisk. So far they are still good. Not running the PC 24x7 obviously. Now bit worried if I were to put in on 24x7 mode, will it fail quickly? Huhu

Is it better to use slower hdd for nas? Less problem and run cooler.

I use 5400rpm Samsung for raid nas. Rather 7200rpm hdd.

+1

What model number is the 2Tb Hitachi HDD? Are they running hot, temperature?

my microserver nas running freenas 7 shuts down quite fast once i hit the shutdown option.. the trick is getting into the interface to shut it down haha..

then again, i hardly turn it off. It's on 24/7.. record uptime so far is 30 days with no reboots.

1. Yes you can runs any OS as long as it's PC compatible.

3. WDC Green series has been bad at "hardware" RAID, maybe you can use the software RAID provide by the OS that you runs.
I have been running my WDC 1TB Green on a 24/7 BT box, so far only 1 unrecoverable sector and 1 pending sector, other than that, it runs smoothly, now the only thing is the temperature, I haven't clean it for long time.

Hi ,

I want to try build some like yours HTPC & NAS. How do you actually do it? What hardware & software is involve? Need any complex setup?

you can use WD black for RAID servers. Black is designed to run 24/7. A little bit more expensive but more reliable as it comes with 5 years warranty.

BTW, you can read about my review of HP Proliant Microserver here.
http://www.miniservernation.com/2010/12/ex...nt-microserver/

Please do comment how is the review. Appreciate all the feedback. Thanks.

nice review there.. was wondering if i am swap the ecc ram with non-ecc ram, will there be any performance impact or should i just turn my existing pc to be a HTPC&NAS combo as it will be a waste to leave my second pc idling there while i buy another pc..

and why is that, if you mind explaining?

Spin faster cause mechanical failure faster and sooner compare lower rpm. And spin faster generate more heat which not just your hdd problem. Even your nas got to cool down more by the fan work harder. All this not a good sign for a NAS which require to run 24/7.

I don't everyday access the NAS and the bottleneck is not the hdd speed or the NAS. It is the network. So get a 7200rpm hdd is no meaning for a NAS. I want less hdd failure which can run non stop for 24/7 endurance. I don't need NAS run like pc.

You can turn any PC into NAS, any OS can be NAS as well.
If you want special OS then use FreeNAS, linux base.
Swapping to non-ECC ram will actually improve the speed as ECC RAM tends to check the data integrity and thus slowing down overall performance but server will benefit for its data reliability.

Wondering why, the DROBO is much more expensive compared to the other NAS? Better isn't it? Huhu ~ Was actually eyeing this, few years back when it was still not in Malaysia. But here, the price exceeds 3000 for 5 bays NAS.. Holy kebaboM!

I think RM3,000+ for 5 bays is common right? It's same for QNAP and other brands.
Expensive due to hardware RAID, hot-swap features and some said future support (you get future firmware upgrade and technical support). And you get all other features such as server services (HTTP, FTP, etc.) and some even includes BT, VPN, etc so you get all-in-one system when you bought it and very easy to get it running out of the box. Also it runs quiet and low power as well.
Get it cheap? Then consider FreeNAS with DIY system, you can configure whatever hardware you wish, up to 8 or 10-port SATAs, any chassis you like, etc. and setup yourself from scratch. HP Microserver is a great way to start off with 4-bay DIY NAS system.

get the new synology 12 bays only 4 grand...

hi there,

have you guys facing this problem as mine? the file transfer speed for the freenas is slowwwwwwww.
i try to save file onto my freenas pc, but my transfer speed is avg 4Mbps/s

is it normal??

i still recommend the HP Microserver more than the QNAP/Synology NAS because its almost a perfect htpc + NAS for me.
It is cheaper, easy to swap HDD (not hotswap), gigabit NIC, etc... I just recently add another usb soundcard for it. The temperature is good (i use it 24/7 in my bedroom, cant feel any heat)

Im using 4x2TB WD green (no RAID) on it and cant hear any disk spinning noise. totally SILENT
i tried the Hitachi drive and is more noisy than the wd green. i not recommend using the WD black because is too noisy when loading (hv it on my gaming desktop) and u need to have SATA 6G port. So better use those green/low rpm HDD

I tried these OS on it: FreeNAS (SLOW), Win Home Server 2011 (Nice UI), Windows 7/XP (cant find some of the driver), Win Server 2k8 R2 (currently using, almost perfect but lack of windows media center )

This post has been edited by wwkkww: Aug 27 2011, 10:42 PM