NAS Recommendations - Canadian TV, Computing and Home Theatre Forums

QuickSilver · 2011-11-01, 06:40 PM

I currently run an Acer Easystore with WHS as the OS. It's sole purpose is to be my NAS. I do not use any of the WHS features for backups, iTunes server, etc. It has shared folders that server my ripped media. Ranging from 5-7gb MKV rips of my movies, DIVX rips of my old DVD's and some odd TV shows that Bell does not show.

I am considering moving away from it as it has begun to show signs of its age. Multiple shutoff's for no reason and freezing.

The NAS would serve:

Mac Mini running Plex
Apple TV 2 running XBMC
iMac (Plex Client)
Apple TV 1st Gen for Bedroom

I am looking for recommendations for a replacement. I have been looking at a few products but was wondering what you run for a NAS if you do.

My budget is $300.00 - $500.00
RAID is a plus. I love how the WHS allows drive addition.
Low Power consumption would be nice.

Thanks

Tikker · 2011-11-02, 10:17 AM

you're not really going to find simple drive addition for a low cost these days

that being said, as a simple NAS solution for media storage/streaming you can go with pretty much anything

lots around here have had relatively good luck with the dlink 323's

qnap makes good NAS

I've got a couple of Linksys NAS units that I've played with over the years

IMO I still prefer to build a low power machine on my own, pair it with my OS of choice, and run a full fileserver, rather than a NAS.

hugh · 2011-11-02, 10:35 AM

Which 4-Bay NAS Enclosure would you buy might be of interest to you.

If you just want 2 bays then the D-Link units for under $150 seem to make an excellent choice. I have had my Dlink DNS-323 NAS running for years serving up files without a problem.

I have yet to buy my 4 bay (just haven't had the time) but hope to in the next month or two.

QuickSilver · 2011-11-02, 11:09 AM

Thanks. That link is helpful not sure it missed it when I searched

I really need 4 bays as I currently have 3X1TB drives in my 340.

jeneral · 2011-11-04, 12:53 AM

If you're technically savvy, you may want to consider replacing the power supply in your Easystore. Overheating (unlikely unless a fan is dead) or a weak power supply (more likely) could be the culprits for the issues you are having. The freezing could be due to bad sectors on your hard disks. Check the event viewer for any errors. Good luck.

HDTV101 · 2011-11-04, 01:40 AM

I'd setup a Linux box running a software RAID. Run a cron job to rsync your backups... the nice thing about rsync is incremental backups... only changing what has changed in the backup directory. Build a cheap system using a tower case... you'll have lots of room for the 8gb's worth of RAIDed hard drive space!

WarrenC12 · 2011-11-04, 12:10 PM

I'll toss in a vote for FreeNAS if you're comfortable with some tinkering. I built one recently with an old chassis and a RocketRAID 1740 SATA card I bought used for $50.

It's a great flexible solution, and allows you to run things like a BT client, DLNA server or other apps without jumping through excess hoops.

QuickSilver · 2011-11-04, 12:31 PM

Well I am not sure at this point what type of specifications I would need if I were to build one myself. As per my original post in regards to how my media is accessed it would seem to me that my devices only need direct file access to the system. I would think very little processing power is needed in my situation.

hugh · 2011-11-04, 12:35 PM

Yeah, a 2 or 4 bay NAS is all you need. Its cheap and there is no muss and fuss.

QuickSilver · 2011-11-04, 12:37 PM

So the spec's really don't matter? The easystore had 2gb of ram and an Atom processor.

Tikker · 2011-11-06, 09:50 AM

For simple file streaming where the end device does all the heavy lifting you don't need much horsepower at the server/nas end

My original file server was based on a celeron 400 with less than 1gb of ram.

Only reason to beef up the fileserver is if you want to do stuff on it

Rip/encode movies. Torrent. Etc

NeilN · 2011-11-06, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by QuickSilver

So the spec's really don't matter? The easystore had 2gb of ram and an Atom processor.

Just check out the max bandwidth speed. For example the DNS-323 is a gigabit NAS but can only stream max ~17 megabytes/sec as it's limited by the processor.

markf · 2011-11-06, 01:46 PM

I've mentioned this in other threads, but if all you need is a file server, you can use an older laptop running Linux. I have an old Pentium M 1.3 GHz, with 256 or 512 MB RAM with drives hooked up externally. The laptop was run over by a car, so the screen is cracked and the keyboard is broken, but for the few times I've ever needed to configure it directly on the machine (and not through Webmin), I just hook up a keyboard.

So if you pick up an old cheap laptop (very power efficient vs a tower), install Linux on it and hook your drives up through USB (there are 2 and 4 bay external enclosures well within your budget, and you can always add as you need) you may be able to create a custom solution.

May not be your thing, but I'm very happy with this in my setup.

QuickSilver · 2011-11-06, 05:57 PM

I am looking at the QNAP TS-412. It is fairly low on the spec list as only having 256mb of ram. I also need to find out if it will run with my 3 WD Green 1TB drives.

I have immediate plans to do anything on whatever NAS I do end up purchasing in terms of processing downloads, database, etc. I do not it to handle largish (7-10)gb MKV files to my mini and the Apple TV. My home network is full gigabit.

DentedMarble · 2011-11-07, 07:17 AM

I'll throw my hat in. The QNAP's are really nice pieces of hardware from what I have seen.

Having said that I second the vote for a home built LINUX server. This is what I use and it serves well and has room for expansion both in function as well as hard drives.

Off the shelf NAS' are going to be limited by what apps are available. For the cost of a WNAP it'd be a shame to have spent that kind of money only down the road to find out you'd wish you had more functionality.

DM

2011-11-01, 06:40 PM	#1
QuickSilver Moderator Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 3,135	NAS Recommendations I currently run an Acer Easystore with WHS as the OS. It's sole purpose is to be my NAS. I do not use any of the WHS features for backups, iTunes server, etc. It has shared folders that server my ripped media. Ranging from 5-7gb MKV rips of my movies, DIVX rips of my old DVD's and some odd TV shows that Bell does not show. I am considering moving away from it as it has begun to show signs of its age. Multiple shutoff's for no reason and freezing. The NAS would serve: Mac Mini running Plex Apple TV 2 running XBMC iMac (Plex Client) Apple TV 1st Gen for Bedroom I am looking for recommendations for a replacement. I have been looking at a few products but was wondering what you run for a NAS if you do. My budget is $300.00 - $500.00 RAID is a plus. I love how the WHS allows drive addition. Low Power consumption would be nice. Thanks

2011-11-02, 10:35 AM	#3
hugh Member #1 Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Toronto Posts: 47,501	Which 4-Bay NAS Enclosure would you buy might be of interest to you. If you just want 2 bays then the D-Link units for under $150 seem to make an excellent choice. I have had my Dlink DNS-323 NAS running for years serving up files without a problem. I have yet to buy my 4 bay (just haven't had the time) but hope to in the next month or two. __________________ As of January 2012, I am no longer the owner of the Digital Home website. If you have questions about the operation of the site, please contact VSAdmin. For personal inquiries contact me at the Hugh Thompson website.

2011-11-04, 12:35 PM	#9
hugh Member #1 Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Toronto Posts: 47,501	Yeah, a 2 or 4 bay NAS is all you need. Its cheap and there is no muss and fuss. __________________ As of January 2012, I am no longer the owner of the Digital Home website. If you have questions about the operation of the site, please contact VSAdmin. For personal inquiries contact me at the Hugh Thompson website.

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2011-11-02, 10:17 AM	#2
Tikker Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: SaskTel Posts: 906	you're not really going to find simple drive addition for a low cost these days that being said, as a simple NAS solution for media storage/streaming you can go with pretty much anything lots around here have had relatively good luck with the dlink 323's qnap makes good NAS I've got a couple of Linksys NAS units that I've played with over the years IMO I still prefer to build a low power machine on my own, pair it with my OS of choice, and run a full fileserver, rather than a NAS.

2011-11-02, 11:09 AM	#4
QuickSilver Moderator Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 3,135	Thanks. That link is helpful not sure it missed it when I searched I really need 4 bays as I currently have 3X1TB drives in my 340.

2011-11-04, 12:53 AM	#5
jeneral Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Mississauga, ON Posts: 323	If you're technically savvy, you may want to consider replacing the power supply in your Easystore. Overheating (unlikely unless a fan is dead) or a weak power supply (more likely) could be the culprits for the issues you are having. The freezing could be due to bad sectors on your hard disks. Check the event viewer for any errors. Good luck.

2011-11-04, 01:40 AM	#6
HDTV101 Veteran Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 2,000	I'd setup a Linux box running a software RAID. Run a cron job to rsync your backups... the nice thing about rsync is incremental backups... only changing what has changed in the backup directory. Build a cheap system using a tower case... you'll have lots of room for the 8gb's worth of RAIDed hard drive space!

2011-11-04, 12:10 PM	#7
WarrenC12 Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Vancouver Posts: 247	I'll toss in a vote for FreeNAS if you're comfortable with some tinkering. I built one recently with an old chassis and a RocketRAID 1740 SATA card I bought used for $50. It's a great flexible solution, and allows you to run things like a BT client, DLNA server or other apps without jumping through excess hoops.

2011-11-04, 12:31 PM	#8
QuickSilver Moderator Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 3,135	Well I am not sure at this point what type of specifications I would need if I were to build one myself. As per my original post in regards to how my media is accessed it would seem to me that my devices only need direct file access to the system. I would think very little processing power is needed in my situation.

2011-11-04, 12:37 PM	#10
QuickSilver Moderator Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 3,135	So the spec's really don't matter? The easystore had 2gb of ram and an Atom processor.

2011-11-06, 09:50 AM	#11
Tikker Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: SaskTel Posts: 906	For simple file streaming where the end device does all the heavy lifting you don't need much horsepower at the server/nas end My original file server was based on a celeron 400 with less than 1gb of ram. Only reason to beef up the fileserver is if you want to do stuff on it Rip/encode movies. Torrent. Etc

2011-11-06, 01:46 PM	#13
markf Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Walkers/Dundas Burlington Posts: 273	I've mentioned this in other threads, but if all you need is a file server, you can use an older laptop running Linux. I have an old Pentium M 1.3 GHz, with 256 or 512 MB RAM with drives hooked up externally. The laptop was run over by a car, so the screen is cracked and the keyboard is broken, but for the few times I've ever needed to configure it directly on the machine (and not through Webmin), I just hook up a keyboard. So if you pick up an old cheap laptop (very power efficient vs a tower), install Linux on it and hook your drives up through USB (there are 2 and 4 bay external enclosures well within your budget, and you can always add as you need) you may be able to create a custom solution. May not be your thing, but I'm very happy with this in my setup.

2011-11-06, 05:57 PM	#14
QuickSilver Moderator Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 3,135	I am looking at the QNAP TS-412. It is fairly low on the spec list as only having 256mb of ram. I also need to find out if it will run with my 3 WD Green 1TB drives. I have immediate plans to do anything on whatever NAS I do end up purchasing in terms of processing downloads, database, etc. I do not it to handle largish (7-10)gb MKV files to my mini and the Apple TV. My home network is full gigabit.

2011-11-07, 07:17 AM	#15
DentedMarble Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Welland, ON Canada Posts: 30	I'll throw my hat in. The QNAP's are really nice pieces of hardware from what I have seen. Having said that I second the vote for a home built LINUX server. This is what I use and it serves well and has room for expansion both in function as well as hard drives. Off the shelf NAS' are going to be limited by what apps are available. For the cost of a WNAP it'd be a shame to have spent that kind of money only down the road to find out you'd wish you had more functionality. DM