Excited First time user with hardware questions.

[Flyboy]

Hello all,

First time NAS user here from what I assume is the flood from the LTT video.  Setting up a NAS has always intimidated me and I have been excited about Hex ever since I heard LTT halfway mention it weeks ago. I am okay with no license yet as I do not yet have any hardware, but the LTT video and the sale was finally the kick in the butt I needed to try this NAS stuff for a reliable source of data backup for my families cherished photos/video and watching movies we own.

I have never built my own PC before, but have been learning and feel like I could pull it off now, but honestly the software and making sure things are compatible has always intimidated more than hardware. That being said I am not looking to build anything new for this NAS setup, but I am looking to have a reliable build from an older PC with lots of expansion options. (Probably want to start with 3-4 4TB HDDs with potential for adding more 3-4 in several years.) Can anyone point me in the right direction for what kind of system I might want? I am not opposed to something like the LTT video, but I think I want to be able to add more storage easier? It seemed they could only have 2 HDD's and with that had to be "creative." Any thoughts? Thanks in advance!

[Clixxi]

You can always build your own systems. There are a lot of guides online. There  is the N100 CPU by Intel already on motherboards to buy which is on the cheaper side.

I think these N100 MBs are great hardware to dip your toes into building your own system. Just think about your needs and google a bit. You can also always ask questions about compatibility and purpose of hardware here

[Flyboy]

4 hours ago, Clixxi said:

You can always build your own systems. There are a lot of guides online. There  is the N100 CPU by Intel already on motherboards to buy which is on the cheaper side.

I think these N100 MBs are great hardware to dip your toes into building your own system. Just think about your needs and google a bit. You can also always ask questions about compatibility and purpose of hardware here

So if I were to look up guides, I assume I would be looking up how to build your own NAS?

[Dylan]

It sounds like you are right on the edge of it being a good idea to either buy into a vendor (QNAP, Synology) device or jumping in and attempting your own build. Your risk/cost/use-case and available time profile should guide you.

A vendor device can do wonders if you've not yet put the time into learning the "in's and out's" of a DIY NAS. Of course that also means probable higher costs and vendor lock.

Conversely, like LTT shows, it only takes a small amount of (initial) knowledge and cost to get your own "test" build up and running to start learning more. Remember, A NAS is just a  PC specifically/primarily dedicated to storing and making data available to more than one person or device.

If you at all enjoy tinkering with hardware and software, I highly recommend doing what LTT did - spend a few hundred on an old device with a drive or two and a HexOS license while spending time on youtube and other NAS forums. If that sounds like a pain in the ass, then it might be a better idea to go with an out of the box solution like the vendors I mention above.

Hope to see you around and good luck!

[Zucr]

So I have a laptop I was thinking of using for this. I think its a UX360 from ~2017. CPU i5-7Y54, 8Gbs, 1tb SSD.

Now since this is a laptop I was wondering if I could use External storage for HexOS?

I know this would be stupid for reliability and speed due to slow ports but I want to know if it can be done.

[Flyboy]

On 11/30/2024 at 11:09 PM, Dylan said:

It sounds like you are right on the edge of it being a good idea to either buy into a vendor (QNAP, Synology) device or jumping in and attempting your own build. Your risk/cost/use-case and available time profile should guide you.

A vendor device can do wonders if you've not yet put the time into learning the "in's and out's" of a DIY NAS. Of course that also means probable higher costs and vendor lock.

Conversely, like LTT shows, it only takes a small amount of (initial) knowledge and cost to get your own "test" build up and running to start learning more. Remember, A NAS is just a  PC specifically/primarily dedicated to storing and making data available to more than one person or device.

If you at all enjoy tinkering with hardware and software, I highly recommend doing what LTT did - spend a few hundred on an old device with a drive or two and a HexOS license while spending time on youtube and other NAS forums. If that sounds like a pain in the ass, then it might be a better idea to go with an out of the box solution like the vendors I mention above.

Hope to see you around and good luck!

Dylan, you are spot on. I definitely feel like I am right on the edge. I do like tinkering though so I really do feel like I would rather build my own. Plus I don't like the idea of being vendor locked and it could be a great intro to building my own full PC from scratch one day.

Also, I really appreciate the simple explanation of the NAS simply being a PC with a dedicated use. It makes it feel less complicated. Especially when looking at a vendor NAS setup.

 

If someone has the time I have 2 quick questions if you could answer or point me in the right direction.

1. Are there any other things I should be wary of other than simply meeting minimum specs Hex OS posted? 2-core 64-bit CPU, 8GB of memory, 16GB+ SSD for boot

2. Can you point me toward a case or form factor I could start looking at or even one I should stay away from if I am looking at having probably 4 HDDs to start with and would like the option of adding some more in maybe 3-5 years time? I know there are ATX, Micro ATX and Mini ITX form factors, but i do not really know the difference for a NAS use case other than size.

Thanks for your time.

 

[Shim]

7 minutes ago, Flyboy said:

Dylan, you are spot on. I definitely feel like I am right on the edge. I do like tinkering though so I really do feel like I would rather build my own. Plus I don't like the idea of being vendor locked and it could be a great intro to building my own full PC from scratch one day.

Also, I really appreciate the simple explanation of the NAS simply being a PC with a dedicated use. It makes it feel less complicated. Especially when looking at a vendor NAS setup.

 

If someone has the time I have 2 quick questions if you could answer or point me in the right direction.

1. Are there any other things I should be wary of other than simply meeting minimum specs Hex OS posted? 2-core 64-bit CPU, 8GB of memory, 16GB+ SSD for boot

2. Can you point me toward a case or form factor I could start looking at or even one I should stay away from if I am looking at having probably 4 HDDs to start with and would like the option of adding some more in maybe 3-5 years time? I know there are ATX, Micro ATX and Mini ITX form factors, but i do not really know the difference for a NAS use case other than size.

Thanks for your time.

 

Check out these cases, I have the NSC-410:
https://www.u-nas.com/xcart/cart.php?target=product&product_id=17638&category_id=249
https://www.u-nas.com/xcart/cart.php?target=product&product_id=17640&category_id=249

[Dylan]

12 minutes ago, Flyboy said:

Dylan, you are spot on. I definitely feel like I am right on the edge. I do like tinkering though so I really do feel like I would rather build my own. Plus I don't like the idea of being vendor locked and it could be a great intro to building my own full PC from scratch one day.

Also, I really appreciate the simple explanation of the NAS simply being a PC with a dedicated use. It makes it feel less complicated. Especially when looking at a vendor NAS setup.

 

If someone has the time I have 2 quick questions if you could answer or point me in the right direction.

1. Are there any other things I should be wary of other than simply meeting minimum specs Hex OS posted? 2-core 64-bit CPU, 8GB of memory, 16GB+ SSD for boot

2. Can you point me toward a case or form factor I could start looking at or even one I should stay away from if I am looking at having probably 4 HDDs to start with and would like the option of adding some more in maybe 3-5 years time? I know there are ATX, Micro ATX and Mini ITX form factors, but i do not really know the difference for a NAS use case other than size.

Thanks for your time.

 

Meeting the minimum specs is just that, the minimum. See if you can bump up that RAM or a larger SSD. Other then that, you should be good. I just picked up this puppy. Note, I have not used it or other products from the vendor, I just did some research and compared. Alternatively, the guy in the comment above posted some cool looking empty chassis that might be fun to build out, too. I just didn't want to spend the kind of time building from the ground up...I've been doing this for too damn long.

[Vroar]

I'd just build my own system tbh. Theres really not that much u can do wrong and if u buy some dated pc hardware it won't break the bank either. Youtube makes it so easy to get started from scratch too. If u like u said, u like tinkering and you want something that fully serves your needs then go for it !

[Dylan]

On 12/1/2024 at 1:27 AM, Zucr said:

So I have a laptop I was thinking of using for this. I think its a UX360 from ~2017. CPU i5-7Y54, 8Gbs, 1tb SSD.

Now since this is a laptop I was wondering if I could use External storage for HexOS?

I know this would be stupid for reliability and speed due to slow ports but I want to know if it can be done.

External storage is not recommended for the OS.