freid

Thanks for the heads-up. From what I understand, unlike a typical Synology setup, TrueNAS doesn’t use SSDs for caching by default — instead, it relies entirely on RAM. So, if I want better performance, especially for read/write speeds, I should focus on adding more RAM. Is that correct? One of my intended use cases is running Docker containers with databases. If I install M.2 SSDs, would it be possible to combine them with my existing CMR HDDs in a way that prioritizes SSDs for high-performance data, like database workloads? Ideally, I'm hoping this can be handled automatically — does HexOS support that kind of tiered storage behavior?

Exciting update! My AOOSTAR WTR MAX, which I ordered on April 2, 2025, has finally shipped as of May 29, 2025. I'm planning to re-use some existing hard drives, but for RAM and cache, I'm considering the following: RAM: Kingston Fury Impact 64GB (2x32GB) DDR5-5600 (Spec Sheet) Cache SSD: Crucial P3 Plus 1TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD (Product Page) What do you all think? Are these solid picks, or would you recommend something better?

For file sync have you guys considered Seafile instead?

Thanks much for reaching out. I'm guessing that HexOS runs just fine with the WTR Pro. Do you have any issues running docker containers or VMs which I should be aware of? I guess I really won't have more questions until I get the Aoostar WTR Max for myself but so far it looks exciting. The next thing would be to consider the software side which I guess isn't really the point to this thread. To give a little background I'm moving away from my Synology NAS after running various models over the past 10+ years. From a software perspective I really only use these things: Built-in: Cloud Sync (replicate Google Drive content for local backup) DSM Reverse Proxy (secure external access to published services) LDAP Server (authenticate users across multiple apps) SMB Service (encrypted file transfer and Time Machine target) Storage Manager/Snapshot Replication (monthly data scrubbing and daily snapshots) Surveillance Station (camera video storage/manager) Synology Drive Server (agent-based client backup/data sync) Virtual Machine Manager (run lightweight VMs) VPN Server (OpenVPN remote access to the LAN) Third-party: Jellyfin (media server) SABnzbd/Transmission (media download services) Sonarr/Radarr/Lidarr (media management) I would imagine that most of these are either built into HexOS or can be provided via Docker image. I have not researched replacements for Surveillance Station or Synology Drive Server and I would be interested in equivalents that are used within the DIY NAS community.

I also took a look at the upcoming Minisforum N5 Pro and while it compares favourably to to the Aoostar WTR Max, the chipset used does not seem to support ECC. As such, the Aoostar WTR Max seems to be the way I'm leaning. Will look at the other resources soon.

Thanks @Sonic, that is an amazing find. If it can run HexOS then I'm really looking forward to the offerings from AOOSTAR.

Thanks for looking into this. I wanted to build a NAS that supports the following: Docker Containers → Media streaming (Jellyfin), security cameras, other NAS services (Sonarr, etc...) Virtual Machines (VMs) → Some lightweight VM usage (software testing) AV1 Decoding → For efficient transcoding to older formats H.264 & H.265 (HEVC) Encoding → For transcoding via Jellyfin 24/7 Stability & Reliability → ECC Memory Support for data integrity 6+ SATA Ports → To connect at least 5 HDDs + 1 SSD Compact Form Factor → Must fit within 28cm (W) x 26cm (H) x 34cm (D) Ideally, I'd also like for a build that is not too noisy and that I can build with in stock items. I agree that the pricing is quite high but am open to other solutions to my requirements. The TDP of the CPU is a valid concern you point out so perhaps we can go with a lower model or move transcoding to a dedicated GPU?

Looking more into it, I do believe I need a larger case but I don't like the fact that in the Jonsbo N4, not all the drives are hot swappable. Also, the case height is a little taller than the space I have for it. So I've reworked my shopping list for the N2. As noted before I'm reusing existing 4TB data drives so they are not in the build list. See my current list below. Let me know what you think. I've included all the links to make things easier to reference. Component Item Source Price (USD) Case JONSBO N2 Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BQJ6BCB7 $149.98 CPU Intel Xeon E-2386G https://www.ebay.com/itm/186977137815 $595.00 Motherboard Supermicro X12STL-IF https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BQTQNGC8 $292.99 RAM (ECC) OWC 32GB (2x16GB) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CBT1GH4Y $78.99 OS Drive Crucial MX500 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0786QNS9B $59.99 Cache Drive Samsung 970 EVO Plus https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M7Q21N7 $87.60 PSU CORSAIR SF850 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D45PQ8C4 $199.99 CPU Cooler Noctua NH-L9x65 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VB3Y89E $59.95 Case Fan Noctua NF-A12x15 PWM https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071W6HJP6 $21.95 MiniSAS HD Cable 10Gtek SFF-8643 to 4xSATA https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0912DLX31 $9.69

I actually prefer a smaller case closer to what a pre-built NAS offers. Hoping to get some feedback from those who built in an N1. Open to other recommendations on similarly small cases.

Hey @VDO, I’m getting closer to making my purchase but came across a video with several complaints about airflow. Have you experienced any issues with your build? How have the temps been, and how’s the overall performance of the box?

Thanks for catching this. I guess a AsRock Rack E3C256D2I Mini ITX Server Motherboard would be a better fit. Other than the need for OCuLink cables for the SATA, what other server motherboard quirks should I expect? Haven't done a lot of builds so I'd be interested in your insights.

I was looking at building something in a jonsbo case and came up with this build with ChatGPT. It's on the expensive side but I did want something with ECC RAM but also wanted to have an Intel-based graphics that could decode up to AV1. Case: JONSBO N1 CPU: Intel Xeon E-2386G Motherboard: ASUS P11C-I RAM: Kingston 32GB DDR4 ECC (2x16GB) OS Drive: Samsung 970 EVO Plus 500GB NVMe SSD Data Drives: 5x WD Red 4TB NAS HDDs (existing) PSU: Corsair SF450 (SFX) I was undecided on an Intel CPU with integrated graphics or perhaps an AMD CPU (on an ASRock B650M-ITX board) but with a dedicated graphics card. The challenge I saw was that to get a dedicated graphics card that could support up to AV1 decoding, it would need to be a wider card that wouldn't quite fit in the single PCI slot. Any thoughts on this build or recommendations for other options?

Really like that setup. What do you guys think of potentially running this on an actual NAS like this one? UGREEN NASync DXP4800 Plus (Intel Pentium Gold 8505 5-Core CPU, 1 * 10GbE, 1 * 2.5GbE, 4K HDMI)