Hello Everyone,
I am brand new to the forums, be gentle with me 😉
I currently have a QNAP TS-853 Pro which has just hit 10 years old, and it is showing its age. I run a Plex server on a separate PC with an RTX 4060 GPU that accesses files from the NAS, as the NAS hits 100% CPU usage doing a single CPU video transcode operation.
I looked at upgrading to a QNAP TVS-h874-i5-32G but the cost of QNAPs has substantially increased in the last 10 years and it costs far too much. The i5 version is also the lowest SKU with an i7 and i9 CPU version sitting above it. I have instead decided to DIY my own NAS using HexOS (or TrueNAS vanilla) and wanted to sanity check my parts and look at any possible compatibility issues. A DIY NAS is also less than half the price of a QNAP TVS-h874-i5-32G and I will gladly listen to any constructive feedback on my hardware choices as follows:
Case - Jonsbo N3 SFF 18L Mini-ITX 8-Bay NAS Case (Black)
CPU/Mobo Combo - Topton 9-Bay NAS Motherboard AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS (https://www.toptonpc.com/product/9-bay-nas-motherboard-amd-ryzen-7-8845hs-usb4-4xi226-v-2-5g-lan-9xsata3-0-2xm-2-nvme-pcie-x16-2xddr5-mini-itx-firewall-mainboard/)
CPU Cooler - Thermalright Peerless Assassin 90 SE Black CPU Cooler
RAM - Crucial 64GB (2x32GB) 5600MHz DDR5 SODIMM
PSU - CORSAIR SF Series SF750 750W Power Supply - More power than I need but chosen for the 80 Plus Platinum efficiency rating
GPU - GeForce RTX 4060 (to be migrated over from other PC currently running Plex Server)
HDDs - 8 x Seagate Ironwolf 12TB NAS Drives - Migrating these over from the old NAS after backing up my data. Drives are in good condition with no issues.
M.2 Port #1 - Crucial P3 Plus 2TB M.2 2280 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD
M.2 Port #2 - IO Crest 10 Gigabit M.2 M Key Ethernet Network Expansion Card - UNSURE ON COMPATIBILITY OF THIS (https://www.amazon.com.au/IO-Crest-Gigabit-Ethernet-Expansion/dp/B0BWSLSK78?th=1)
Fans - 2 x Noctua 80mm NF-R8 Redux Edition 1800RPM PWM Fan
OS - HexOS primarily, TrueNAS vanilla as a backup
Notes:
1. I am tracking that Intel CPUs are better for Plex transcoding due to their Quick Sync technology that is optimised for Plex.
2. I am using an AMD CPU that is not really optimised for Plex transcoding, but I have dealt with that by using a dedicated GPU with the RTX 4060, and Plex can use nVidia NVEC for transcoding which is Plex optimised.
3. I looked at other ITX motherboard CPU combos but the Topton one offered much better performance than the other Intel variants and I refuse to use any 13th/14th gen Intel CPUs due to the ongoing issues with them.
4. I want to move to 10 Gigabit networking thus the M.2 adapter but if it does not work then I can use one of the four Intel 2.5gbe i226-v NICs on the motherboard.
Thank you.
