Finalizing my build, please advise if I am going to have a problem.

[Fett]

I have been wanting to have a Home NAS for a while, particularly to to do the follow:

 

• Run a LocalAI that i can hopefully also access remotely, instead of using DuckAI, ChatGPT through Siri, ect.
• Store my movie collection and access it through devices through Plex (i think?)
• Have a replacement for ProtonDrive so i am not dependant on paying a company to store my files and hopefully be able to access it also off-network through my phone, laptop, or whatever remotely as well as in-house.

 

I am finally in a position to begin aquiring the hardware and stuff i need and as such i am hoping for some feedback, warnings about potential pitfulls my googling and youtubin may have failed me on, and any advice about how to make sure the above-mentioned stuff will work before i fully commit in-case i need to change tracks somehow. 

 

okay, first off is the PC i will be using, i was planning on getting an old optiplex or something like that and stuffing it with drives.  HOWEVER, today i stumbled upon this brand-new in box (unopened too!) at a pawn store and i offered $250 out the door and they took it.  so i am ecstatic that this will work.   

https://www.newegg.com/p/3D5-0005-00EA3

 

it is not listed but it does come with an RX 5500 as well as its integrated GPU, a quick bit of googling showed this should be more than enough for processing videos even if it dosen't have that HAVI.. (AVI?) codec support that recently started taking over.  And while i can use the included 250gb nvme drive as a boot drive it only has 3 SATA ports so that will limit my options.   Unfortunately I found that i can not get a 4 pin to 3 sata power connector, only a 4 pin to 2 sata power connector like the one that comes with the PC which is why i will need to replace the PSU;  and while i can use the included 250gb nvme drive as a boot drive it only has 3 SATA ports so that will limit my options.     I am planning to order these

• 3 X 6TB WD Blue (amazon.com/gp/product/B0BNGL4BND)
• 1 x Rosewill VMG 750W Modular (amazon.com/gp/product/B0FFQC5VGM)

the reason for the WD Blue's instead of Red's is because of price, I saw people commenting they used Blue's before for NAS storage solutions and while they might not hold up as long as enterprise or nas-intended drives they should last a long while still while also being more affordable... or as affordable as it can be when each 6TB drive costs $205 😭.     And if im reading/looking correctly this PSU should work, even if i cant physically fit it inside i can just sticky it to the top of the PC and route the cables inside, the included cables should work for the two 4 pin power plugs that this motherboard uses. 

 

I do need to upgrade to either 16 or 32 GB of ram, but i haven't figured out if 16 would be enough for my use case and which kit would be best.     anyone who can chime in would be massively appreciated.  

 

if this is a bit rambly and i forgot stuff im sorry, i worked an 10+ hour shift and am very tired lol.

[Fett]

Double checked my post and I noticed I forgot to add I also have my VPN configured in my Router and was unsure if I could also add my NAS to the VPN use list without issue’s.   I saw some people mention certain NAS’s wont setup on connect properly if you tie it to VPN but I didnt see an answer about HexOS anywhere. 

[mill3000]

Hello. HexOS run on TrueNAS Scale version 25.10. I'd do some google searches with your motherboard. I'm not familar with it. Your hard drives are good. Need 3 so the array is expandable. For a boot drive a 128 gig ssd works great for the boot drive.  Local AI will be a thing in the next 5 to 10 years and they'll be apps that can do it but currently they are very slow without special video cards with crazy memory. Not worth doing unless you just want to mess around with it as it will be so slooooooow. Currently HexOS is mostly about Stoarge, network file shares, and apps. Over this year will add buddy backups and I'm not sure when but Virtural Machines will be next. Lots of options after that for us but in the meantime if you just want to play around you can do searches for TrueNAS Scale 25.10 how to .... and find guides on how to custom do things. As we continue to add things it will just work. If customers do things on their own we can' help them with it but they can experiment. 

[Todd Miller]

I think you are doing what everyone else has done but you, like everyone else, has to be realistic.  HexOS has it's small system requirement as both its biggest plus and minus.  Yup, there is equipment that just doesn't work and equipment that works but not at peak performance.  We all want the best performance to cost ratio but I'm not sure HexOS fits that mold.  Storage then memory seem to be the keys to a good experience.  Yeah newer motherboards and newer generation CPU's can give you an extra kick but that's not really the point.  I've looked at the promotional materials for HexOS and decided to prove for myself if a Pentium chip was good enough.  It was though I fried my almost 20 year old motherboard in the process.  I can't be angry or surprised because HexOS did exactly what they said it would.  Now for a dose of realism.  I bought two licenses so I can buddy backup with myself.  I probably make it sound weirder than it is but it should work for me.  If that original PC hadn't gone up in smoke I would have replaced it anyway with newer equipment because in the back of my mind I would have always wondered if 32GB versus 16GB would have made the difference o did I really need a 14th gen CPU or di I really need to load the full 30ish TB media mess I have.  Turns out the correct answer has been yes but am I missing the point.  With such a low level of entry to run HexOS, I wonder if the new refrigerators I saw last month can run it.  But I think it was Microsoft that taught us good enough is never really good enough.  So, buy responsibly and within your means.  It's not a competition because some young person with no responsibilities or older person with more money that brains will outpace you.  And HexOS runs fine at the top and bottom.  I believe the known stuff you really need to avoid has been called out so if you don't get bad news you should be good enough.  Or as 'good enough' as any computer nut ever is.  Just enjoy the ride.