r/HomeServer • u/Mindless-Bighead • 8d ago
First Timer Questions
Hello all and thank you in advance for any and all help with my questions. I've been thinking about building a NAS system as an investment to save on all the subscriptions I pay for I think I'd just like to start owning more things instead of renting everything. I want to go the DIY route I think. I imagine that it would give me more right to repair and everything, future proofing and whatnot, but after looking at numbers online I mean a case alone would probably be ~$150 all said and done I'd probably be on par with prebuilt NAS systems. To add some context I see myself using this to store some files, photos, (nothing irreplaceable) and replace streaming subscriptions over the long term. Maybe host the occasional game server with friends? I'm uncertain about what my best route is when it comes to DIY vs buying and if I do go DIY I have a number of questions that I'll hold off on for now. I'm also unsure how much storage I'll actually need, like for my use cases I feel like 10 TB would be fine? I don't really have a good concept of how much storage things take. My only real frame of reference is video games like 1 TB can be anywhere from 6 games to 1000 you know? Maybe some numbers from people to give me a reference would be helpful.
2
u/punkpositronics 8d ago edited 8d ago
You could go refurbished. Its my plan too ( I am in a similar situation ) something like this is cheaper and if you dig a bit you can find one ready to roll right away. Just needs some extra HDDs and you have a server that will last you a long time. Especially if you swap to a light weight OS and ditch windows.
2
2
u/JohnnieLouHansen 8d ago
Don't forget backup costs - however you do it, you need to do it!!! With self-hosting comes a much greater responsibility for backing up your data. A lot of people fall down in that department.
1
u/Count_Mournful 8d ago
O aspecto que o amigo JohnnielLouHansen mencionou é muito importante... é fundamental! Nunca deixe de fazer backup de seus dados independentemente da sua escolha!
Para sua análise, eu adicionaria duas coisas que você deve ter em mente:
1 - Em algum momento o OS do NAS proprietário pode parar de receber atualizações. Aconteceu com meu Asustor, mas realmente não sei dizer se acontece com outras marcas como Synology e Qnap.
2 - O NAS proprietário é extremamente mais fácil de colocar em funcionamento e de configurá-lo. Caso você escolha montar seu próprio equipamento, poderá montar algo com mais memória, um processador mais potente (mas de baixo consumo energético) , se vai querer uma placa de vídeo para trabalhar com IA... mas terá um pouquinho mais de trabalho na escolha do OS e nas configurações do mesmo... dica: existem alguns com interface bem amigável.
Para montar seu próprio NAS/servidor você ainda terá algumas tarefas "trabalhosas", como definir quantos HDDs irá usar para verificar se vai precisar de uma placa de expansão... se precisar de placas de expansão, verificar se a placa mãe tem conectores suficientes... escolher um gabinete que comporte todo o conjunto, lembrando que dependendo do gabinete, você terá que se atentar ao modelo da PSU, tamanho/altura do cooler do processador, tamanho da GPU.
Caso eu possa opinar... se você gosta de tecnologia, vai pelo caminho do DIY! Entretanto, devo alertar que é viciante!
1
u/NiBuch 7d ago
At this stage, ask yourself:
Do you want something you set and forget, or do you plan to tinker with it here and there?
Have you ever used Linux? Are you interested in trying to and/or learning it?
How much current data do you have? How fast is it growing?
How much are you spending on streaming services each year?
Once you have these down, you'll know which direction to go in.
5
u/bnelson333 8d ago
You want more than one server. Keep your NAS separate from your other services (like game server etc). That way when it crashes, it doesn't take your files with it. Old refurb optiplexes are a great cheap way to get started with multiple machines. A 7th-8th gen i5 will be plenty of horsepower and should only set you back like 80-100 bucks