Jonsbo N2 vs Jonsbo N3 vs Jonsbo N4 – Which NAS Case Is Best?

Last updated on 05 Apr 2024 📧 Subscribe
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1 Should You Buy the Jonsbo N4, N3 or N2 for your NAS DiY Build?
1.1 Jonsbo N2 vs N3 vs N4 – The TLDR
2 Jonsbo N3 vs N2 vs N4 – NAS Size and Physical Footprint
3 Jonsbo N2 vs N4 vs N2 – Storage Capacity
4 Jonsbo N3 vs N2 vs N4 – Motherboard, PCIe and Cooler Support
5 Jonsbo N3 vs N2 vs N4 – Cooling and Ventilation
6 Jonsbo N3 vs N2 vs N4 – Conclusion and Verdict, Which Should You Choose?
7 Need Advice on Data Storage from an Expert?

Should You Buy the Jonsbo N4, N3 or N2 for your NAS DiY Build?

Building your NAS has inarguably become easier in recent years, thanks in large part to considerably more tailored and NAS-designed components arriving on the market that allow users to take a lot of the guesswork out of building a private cloud and network server from scratch. Although a lot of improvements and innovations have occurred in power-efficient SoC/Mobile CPUs and the miniaturization of technology, when it comes to actual NAS enclosures/cases – it’s actually a much less populated market than you might think. NAS cases are not really the same as traditional PC cases – designed with a greater focus on storage capabilities, hot swapping storage when needed, engineered for 24×7 use and designed to house the NAS-focused CPU+MoBo combos that have rolled out from brands such as ASrock, Topton, CWWK, Minisforum and more. Indeed, arguably one of the most popular brand’s in the market for NAS enclosures is Jonsbo, with its growing range of NAS-designed enclosures. Now that its fourth iteration has rolled out, the Jonsbo N4, I thought it time to find out what the main differences are between their three most popular NAS cases right now, the Jonsbo N2, N3 and N4. Each one has its strengths and weaknesses, ranging from scalability and day 1 storage, to motherboard compatibility and cooling systems. So, let’s compare the Jonsbo N4 vs N3 vs N2 and help you decide which one is best for you and your data!

USEFUL RESOURCES:

Here are links to the previous full reviews of the Jonsbo N2, N3 and N4 NAS Cases:
N2

Best for Low/Efficient NAS Deployment

Lowest Price Point

Smallest Physical Footprint

Smallest Storage Capacity

Only 1 PCIe Card Slot and Half Height

 N3

Best for  a Power NAS Build + Bigger CPU Cooling

Largest Storage Capacity + Full Size PCIe Cards

Best Prosumer Deployment

BIG Size and oddly tall

Noisiest System of the Three

 N4

Better MoBo Compatibility (MITX and MATX)

Best Size vs Storage Option + 4x PCIe Slots

Most Conventially Aesthetically Appealing

Most Expensive

PCIe Cards Must Be Half Height
======= Where To Buy? =======
$76 (Check Aliexpress HERE) $99.42 (Check Aliexpress HERE) $76.99 (Check Aliexpress HERE)
$149 (Check Amazon HERE) $170 (Check Amazon HERE) $199* (Check Amazon HERE)

Jonsbo N2 vs N3 vs N4 – The TLDR

The Jonsbo N2, N3, and N4 NAS Enclosures cater to an interesting range of storage and cooling needs for DiY NAS builders, which is most likely the reason that Jonsbo has become so popular with home lab’ers and server enthusiasts. First up, the N2, with its compact footprint, is designed around the ITX motherboard form factor, accommodating up to 5 3.5″ HDDs for storage. Its built-in 120mm fan ensures efficient cooling within a tightly packed space, while the design accommodates a maximum CPU cooler height of 65mm, emphasizing its focus on compact, yet powerful builds. The N3 expands on these capabilities, offering support for up to 8 3.5″ HDDs, thereby increasing the potential storage capacity significantly. Despite its larger size, it retains support for ITX motherboards only but allows for a taller CPU cooler (up to 130mm), addressing the needs of users requiring more robust cooling solutions and storage within a still compact NAS solution.

The N4 model diverges notably in terms of design and compatibility, embracing a more eclectic mix of materials with its steel and wood construction. This enclosure is compatible with both ITX and M-ATX motherboards, broadening its appeal to users with varying motherboard preferences. It supports up to 6 3.5″ HDDs, positioning it between the N2 and N3 in terms of storage capacity but makes a distinct statement with its unique material choice and aesthetic. The N4 also supports a slightly larger CPU cooler height than the N2, up to 70mm, but less than the N3, balancing between compact design and cooling efficiency. Its cooling strategy is centered around a single built-in 120mm fan, ensuring that despite its capacity for larger motherboards, thermal management remains a priority. Through these nuanced differences in storage capacity, motherboard support, CPU cooler height, and cooling strategies, the Jonsbo N2, N3, and N4 enclosures offer tailored solutions for a range of user requirements, from compact, efficient setups to more expansive, versatile builds.

Jonsbo N3 vs N2 vs N4 – NAS Size and Physical Footprint

The Jonsbo N2, N3, and N4 NAS cases exhibit a thoughtful progression in physical size to accommodate varying user needs and preferences. The N2, the most compact of the trio, measures 222.5mm in width and depth, standing 224mm tall. This square-like dimension underscores its design for efficiency and minimal spatial footprint, ideal for users seeking a space-saving solution without compromising on storage capacity, with room for up to five 3.5″ HDDs. In contrast, the N3 slightly expands on this design philosophy, with dimensions of 233mm by 262mm by 298mm (WxDxH), thereby offering a larger internal volume. This additional space is leveraged to support up to eight 3.5″ HDDs, catering to users with greater storage needs while still maintaining a relatively compact form factor suitable for small office or home environments.
Model Dimensions (WxDxH) mm Max. CPU Cooler Height (mm) Cooling System Ventilation
N2 222.5 x 222.5 x 224 65 120x15mm fan *1 (built-in) Side panels, top, rear
N3 233 x 262 x 298 130 100x25mm *2 (optional), 80x25mm *2 (built-in) Side, back, ventilated front panel
N4 286 x 300 x 228 70 120mm *1 (built-in) Side panels, top, rear, wooden front panel

Moving further up in size, the N4 distinguishes itself with dimensions of 286mm by 300mm by 228mm (WxDxH), making it the widest and deepest, yet not the tallest among the three. This layout is indicative of its design to accommodate both ITX and M-ATX motherboards, providing flexibility for users who may require more expansive motherboard support. The increased width and depth also facilitate an enhanced cooling solution and additional drive bays, accommodating up to six 3.5″ HDDs. Despite its larger size relative to the N2 and N3, the N4’s design remains conscious of space efficiency, striking a balance between accommodating more powerful hardware and maintaining a form factor that is still manageable within a variety of settings. This gradation in size across the Jonsbo NAS case lineup reflects a deliberate approach to meet diverse user requirements, from the most space-conscious to those needing a broader scope of hardware support and cooling efficiency.

Jonsbo N2 vs N4 vs N2 – Storage Capacity

The storage capacity of the Jonsbo N2, N3, and N4 NAS cases varies to cater to different user demands, reflecting a clear gradation in terms of available drive bays for HDDs and SSDs. The N2 offers the starting point with room for one 2.5″ SSD and five 3.5″ HDDs, presenting a balanced option for moderate storage needs within a compact frame. Stepping up, the N3 enhances this capability significantly, accommodating one 2.5″ SSD and eight 3.5″ HDDs, thus positioning itself as a more suitable option for users requiring higher data storage capacity in a still relatively compact NAS solution.

Model 2.5″ SSD Bays 3.5″ HDD Bays Motherboard Compatibility Max. CPU Cooler Height (mm) PCI Expansion Slots
N2 1 5 ITX 65 1
N3 1 8 ITX 130 2
N4 2 6 ITX / M-ATX 70 4

The N4, while providing support for two 2.5″ SSDs and six 3.5″ HDDs, offers a middle ground in terms of storage capacity; it supports slightly more SSD storage than the N2 and N3 but has fewer bays for HDDs compared to the N3. This structured variation in storage capacity across the Jonsbo lineup ensures that users can select a case that best matches their specific storage requirements, from basic setups to more demanding data accumulation needs.

HOWEVER, keep in mind that only the first 4 bays of the Jonsbo N4 NAS Case support hotswapping, as the 2x 3.5″ (bay 5 and 6) and the 2x 2.5″ SATA SSD bays (bay 7 and 8) do NOT support any kind of backplane ou-the-box and require separate cabling for the individual SATA and SATA-POWER connectors. This was a very odd choice by the brand, and we cover this in more detail HERE in the written review of the N4 and HERE in the video review.

Jonsbo N3 vs N2 vs N4 – Motherboard, PCIe and Cooler Support

The Jonsbo N2, N3, and N4 cases offer varied motherboard support to cater to different preferences and needs, with a particular focus on ITX form factors but with some variation in support that reflects their differing designs and intended use cases. The N2 and N3 are specifically designed for ITX motherboards, aligning with their emphasis on compact, efficient space usage while providing robust storage solutions within their size constraints. This singular focus on ITX boards in the N2 and N3 cases is ideal for users looking for NAS solutions that prioritize space-saving without sacrificing performance. The ITX form factor’s compact size allows these cases to maintain a smaller footprint, making them suitable for environments where space is at a premium.

Jonsbo N2 and N3 Motherboard Cavity

In contrast, the N4 expands its compatibility to include both ITX and M-ATX motherboards, offering greater flexibility and accommodating a broader range of user requirements. This dual compatibility allows for more significant expansion and upgrade possibilities, catering to users who may seek additional performance or connectivity options that M-ATX motherboards can provide.

The Jonsbo N4 Motherboard Cavity

The M-ATX support in the N4 not only broadens the potential use cases for the case but also makes it a more versatile choice for users who may want to repurpose or upgrade their system in the future without being constrained by the smaller ITX form factor.

Model Motherboard Type PCIe Expansion Slots Max. Number of PCIe Cards Max. PCIe Card Height Max. PCIe Card Width Max. CPU Cooler Height (mm)
N2 ITX 1 1 (Low profile) Low profile Single slot 65
N3 ITX 2 2 Standard Up to 2 slots 130
N4 ITX / M-ATX 4 4 Standard Up to 2 slots 70

The consideration of CPU cooler space and PCIe expansion slots further differentiates these cases. The N2 and N3 allow for CPU coolers up to 65mm and 130mm in height, respectively, reflecting their different design priorities and internal space allocations. The N4, while providing for CPU coolers up to 70mm in height, notably offers support for up to four PCIe expansion slots due to its M-ATX compatibility. This added expansion capability is a significant advantage for users looking to install additional graphics cards, network cards, or other PCIe devices, enhancing the system’s overall versatility and performance potential. The increased space and flexibility in the N4 make it an appealing option for users who prioritize expandability and upgradeability in their NAS or PC builds, offering a balance between compact design and the enhanced utility afforded by the M-ATX form factor.

Jonsbo N3 vs N2 vs N4 – Cooling and Ventilation

The cooling and ventilation strategies employed by the Jonsbo N2, N3, and N4 cases are critical to their design, influencing not only their thermal management capabilities but also their aesthetic appeal and functionality. The N2 case features ventilation on the side panels, a considerable vent panel on the top, and additional venting on the rear, facilitating multidirectional airflow that supports effective heat dissipation from internal components. This arrangement is particularly advantageous for maintaining optimal operating temperatures within the compact confines of the case, ensuring that even when fully loaded with storage drives, airflow remains unimpeded. The inclusion of a large top vent is noteworthy, as it capitalizes on the natural rise of hot air, thereby enhancing the cooling efficiency without the need for excessive fan use, which can be beneficial for users seeking a quieter operation.

Jonsbo N2 NAS Case

The N3, on the other hand, extends the ventilation scheme to include vents on the sides, back, and notably, a ventilated front panel. This comprehensive approach to airflow management ensures that cool air can be drawn in from the front and expelled through the side and rear vents, creating a constant flow of air through the chassis. The ventilated front panel not only contributes to the cooling efficiency but also adds to the case’s visual identity, merging functional design with aesthetic considerations. The ability to intake air from the front is particularly beneficial for systems with multiple drives, as it helps to mitigate heat buildup around the storage bays, maintaining optimal performance of the drives and other internal components.

The N4 case adopts a similar ventilation strategy to the N2, with vents on the side panels, a large top vent, and rear ventilation, ensuring ample airflow through the case. However, it distinguishes itself with a wooden front panel that covers half of the front, adding a unique aesthetic touch while still allowing for air intake through the lower half of the front panel. This design choice strikes a balance between form and function, offering effective cooling by combining the benefits of the N2’s ventilation pattern with a stylistic differentiation. The wooden panel adds a touch of elegance and natural texture to the case, setting it apart visually from many other NAS and PC cases on the market, without compromising on the thermal management aspect.

Across all three models, the use of rubber pull handles on the drive bays instead of trays not only simplifies the installation and removal process but also reduces vibration transmission, contributing to quieter operation. This design choice reflects a thoughtful consideration of usability and noise reduction, further enhancing the user experience.

Jonsbo N3 vs N2 vs N4 – Conclusion and Verdict, Which Should You Choose?

The Jonsbo N2, N3, and N4 NAS cases offer a diverse range of options catering to various user needs, from compact, efficient storage solutions to more versatile systems that allow for significant expansion and customization. The N2 stands out for its compact design and efficient use of space, making it ideal for users seeking a minimal footprint without sacrificing storage capability. Its focused cooling strategy ensures that it remains suitable for environments where noise levels and space are critical considerations. The N3, with its expanded storage capacity and comprehensive ventilation system, caters to users requiring more extensive data storage without venturing into the realm of bulkier, less aesthetically pleasing solutions. Its design balances the need for increased storage with effective thermal management, making it a compelling option for power users in need of a compact yet capable NAS case. On the other hand, the N4 broadens the horizon with its support for both ITX and M-ATX motherboards, offering a bridge between compact NAS solutions and more expansive PC builds. Its unique aesthetic, highlighted by the wooden front panel, adds a touch of sophistication, distinguishing it from typical NAS and PC cases. The N4’s design flexibility, coupled with effective cooling and ventilation, positions it as a versatile choice for users who prioritize both form and function. Across the board, Jonsbo’s NAS cases reflect a commitment to quality, innovation, and user-focused design. Whether prioritizing compactness, storage capacity, or flexibility in motherboard support, users are provided with thoughtfully designed options that do not compromise on performance or aesthetic appeal, making the N2, N3, and N4 standout choices in their respective categories.

N2

Best for Low/Efficient NAS Deployment

Lowest Price Point

Smallest Physical Footprint

Smallest Storage Capacity

Only 1 PCIe Card Slot and Half Height

 N3

Best for  a Power NAS Build + Bigger CPU Cooling

Largest Storage Capacity + Full Size PCIe Cards

Best Prosumer Deployment

BIG Size and oddly tall

Noisiest System of the Three

 N4

Better MoBo Compatibility (MITX and MATX)

Best Size vs Storage Option + 4x PCIe Slots

Most Conventially Aesthetically Appealing

Most Expensive

PCIe Cards Must Be Half Height
======= Where To Buy? =======
$76 (Check Aliexpress HERE) $99.42 (Check Aliexpress HERE) $76.99 (Check Aliexpress HERE)
$149 (Check Amazon HERE) $170 (Check Amazon HERE) $199* (Check Amazon HERE)

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      560 thoughts on “Jonsbo N2 vs Jonsbo N3 vs Jonsbo N4 – Which NAS Case Is Best?”

      3. tl;dr: get an 8bay server. With lights-out management, more ports and options than you can shake a stick at, redundent power supplies, sensor information and then some, drive bays made to not irritate each other with vibrations, an air flow concept validated to support a full load of drives, a backplane with ventilations slots, the list goes on. For your stuff at home, if a microserver with 4x20TB won’t do you need to look for enterprise solutions.
        Thorough review, though.
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      10. Bought this case from AliExpress for $85 w/ free shipping about 4-6 weeks ago to build my Homelab server/NAS/cluster in & I’m feeling a little 50/50 on it. Maybe it is just because I’m still waiting on shipping, maybe it is because Unifi just dropped their dedicated solution. Maybe also my mind will change when I get it in-hand & actually get stuck in on the project, who knows?
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      12. I wonder how are you going to plug 8 nvme drives with that expansion card, if pcie bifurcation can be set up as 4+4+4+4 as a max? I’m curious because I’m planning to use 4xnvme in a BIOS RAID0 as a cache drive for my NAS, and that can be made with Aorus B550 mITX motherboard.
        PS Unless that’s a PCIex4-to-8xSATA expansion card for SATA M.2 drives…
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      14. 6:20 You have seen nothing. I once received a server power cable packed in a box which was larger then the case box on your desk. Bit shorter but much wider. It was also packed in all kinds of bubble wrap. A fricking standard power cable! ????
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      18. Perfect case, literally checks every box for me. EXCEPT when I discovered its only 6x 3.5in drives + 2x 2.5 drives. What a fucking re***ded design, just give me 8x 3.5 bays. Excuse my french. The next choice for me would be the N3. The problem is I aleady have a CPU and ATX mobo. If I go N3 I need a new mobo. How annoying.
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      20. Damn I really like this case, but the cooling for the HDD being just a single fan far away from the HDD’s.. I really like Jonsbo they tend to make simple but well made cases.
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      21. The *MASSIVE* Jonsbo N5 Review is NOW LIVE. Watch the video here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVkZk9Impnk or read the written Review/Guide – https://nascompares.com/2024/10/04/jonsbo-n5-review/ on NASCompares #jobsno #diynas #datastorage #byo #diy
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      29. So you get the unraid license for free? So your nas cost hundred bucks more. And it is an Motherboard and a io shield.

        And proxmox is a hypervisor and has absolutely nothing to do with network attached storage.
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      36. It’s clearly not geared towards “beefy cpu”, but MATX mobo gives you more slots and stuff to play with. Even then, something like 8500G only draws 40 wats yet can be called “beefy CPU” for a NAS. It’s Okay.
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      38. the problem is that manufacturer don’t do low profile gpu anymore, not even short lenght itx, because it’s costly, so to reduce costs, computers are turning bigger and bigger. technology improvements? who cares! this is just about profit!
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      43. 11:00 What i want is a wider N3, call it an N5, and rather than built in bays(or maybe an optional variant without drive bays), it just has 6×5.25 bays so you can install your own drive cages.
        Want 10×3.5 drives? Get a pair of those silverstone drive enclosure 3×5.25 into 5×3.5 No tools whatsoever to use those, just pop the drive in and out no screws, no trays no rubber bumpers. Want a mix of SATA bulk storage and SATA SSDs? Get one of those silverstone enclosures, then one of those 16 bay ICYDOCK enclosures, and the last 5.25 bay could be for an actual optical drive.
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      48. Considering it’s only 5mm..say maybe 7mm taking into account metal thickness, difference in the case size versus ATX mb you should see if it’s possible to shoehorn one on there. Yeah you’d have to use half height cards but all 4 rear slots should work(I bet most boards could be carefully shaved along the edges to take out the extra size for the N4 nas case
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      53. Thank you. I’d love to see the next steps: actually connecting the box to the internet and your in-house network and configuring the system to function as intended. Good job!
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      55. I think the thing you’re missing is the cost. Firstly the fact that mATX motherboards are usually cheaper than mITX because the latter has less space and expansion. Also the N4 is, at least at the retailer I’m looking at, by far the cheapest of these Jonsbo NAS cases. It’s even cheaper than the Node 304/804 which don’t have any backplane

        Speaking for myself, my NAS is a i5-4590 in a 10 year old mATX motherboard with 2x 10TB HDDs (new-ish) and 2x 2TB HDDs. Mostly repurposing old hardware. I’ll almost surely upgrade it fairly soon but when I do it’ll be to the Ryzen 5 3600X that’s my current daily driver which also has an mATX board. This N4 case? Seems perfect for my needs. None of their other cases really meet my requirements as well as this one does. And is certainly a decent upgrade from what can be best be described as the curbside case I’m currently using which is ugly, loud and has poor HDD ventilation
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      56. Anyone who’s building PC’s should already have a toolkit with allen key bits, surely. Getting hung up on one of those seems a little over the top. Either way, nice case, seems like an iron plated pain in the posterior to get one after a quick look around. A Supermicro Mini-ITX mobo with an Atom processor on would be a great combo with this, some come with 12 SATA ports. My main concern about this case are all those small and thus noisy fans. I’d have liked to see a big-ass 20 cm fan on the rear or something to suck air through the whole thing.
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      57. Marketing this as a NAS case is a mistake. This is a desktop lab case. If you want more than 6 drives in a NAS, one should be using a rack-mounted solution anyway with 4-6 fans. I already have a 16 drive 3U rackable and ordered one of these to move docker off the other system. I’d have been happy with only 4 total swapable bays (2×2) and a lower profile case.
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      60. Helpful hints:
        1) first boot the motherboard outside of the case. If it is dead you don’t want to be wasting time installing it and routing cables
        2) never use a cheap USB drive. Use a Samsung Fit or Bar USB Drive. You can do a search for the guy who tested them out and they beat out the rest. I am not sure but I think you can clone the USB. If so get two so when the first one dies you are not scambling looking for configurations.
        3) update the BIOS. If the board dies it can be RMA’ed.
        4) Use the Preclear tool in Unraid on the hard drives before using them. Side note, if you want a really nice NAS case SuperMirco offers a 4 bay one. It is not cheap but it will last and also keep your drives cool. best of luck.
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      61. why are my replies being deleted, i try telling a guy that was asking me what to do and my comments are gone after a few seconds, what gives?
        shit antibot reply filters, I can’t even tell the guy to email me instead, what a joke
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      62. back when i build my nas , i buy a full atx lga 1150 with 2pcie 16x 2pci 6 drives 4dim , for 70eu , and got a celeron for 40 that i later upgrade with i5 , got a 10gb nic , and still got a free pcie for gpu or extra storage , and house everthing in old style case that had 8 drive slot , and 4dvd slots , yes is bit bigger and you may need more time to swap a drive , but is much more powerful and upgradable ,
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      63. The fan runs at full speed, sound like a helicopter up side is hd is very chilled even if they are stacked next to each other. The 4 alan key screws can be replaced with the 4 Countersunk computer screws. This case is really big even for a mini itx.
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      64. So a N5 with :
        12 hdd 3.5” and 3 120mm fan at the bottom, full backplane
        A top space for full ATX motherboord and full length pcie card and itx power supply.
        When ?
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      67. I got the information from the truenas scale community to avoid these sata extender however they gonna look like (pcie, m2, etc) because the chips on them aren’t that stable overall. Also the chip which comes with the motherboard. Therefore there recommendation is to buy a isa 9300 hba card and use the pcie slot for it.
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      68. Something is not clear for me for the wiring of the internal HDDs board. There are 2 connectors, one Molex and one SATA Power. Should I connect both of them? Only one?
        There is no mention of this part in the instruction manual. In addition I can say that in my build (did yesterday) I used only the Molex and the rear FAN is not working.
        Please somebody had experience with this?
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      69. so basically wait for the N5 (or whatever they plan to call it)that is an improvement on the N3 to be wider to allow for more pcie slots, bigger motherboards ???? this is the only thing holding me back from buying for now. Will stick to my current nas for now until there is something more interesting to perk my interest.
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      70. those trays are god damn awful.

        the psu vents, there is the vents above, so it’s not like there is none. so not sure that was a big issue.

        Couldn’t you have just set it up then run a temp test to be conclusive? to at least make your point valid about heating issues.

        Though your argument about beefy heatsink not fitting is valid, but is there any cpu heatsinks that would fit in this type of case? why not mention and test for that to see the temp results? that would be worth exploring wouldn’t it?
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      71. It’s really crazy how budget you can go! ATM I’m looking at a total budget of 200usd for a NAS with 16TBs of storage in a raid 6 config no idea how I did it but it’s an amazing thing crazy utility.
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      72. They botched the N4 hard. So much opportunity to make it great and they make it worse than the N3. What we need is an N5 with 10X hotswaps, room for a proper ATX, and full PCIe slots.
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      78. NVMe SSD in NAS with even 10GbE it’s wasted potential, single drive capabel to read/write even 6000MB/s is limited to 1000MB/s and they works in raid xD. I have DS220+ and I replace two 4TB ironwolf with 2TB sata ssd for system and VM, and for quieter operations and 12TB Toshiba HDD for storage, two replaced ironwolfs are for backup
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      80. you deserve a like and sub
        give this man a like
        ????????????????????????????????????????????
        it’s rare to find legend people nowadays
        Thanks man that was super helpful
        ❤
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      81. I still like 2.5″ drives. Primary reason, so I can use the NVMe slot for expansion and boot off the 2.5″ SSD if needed. 2.5″ are still SATA too, so no need for a bunch on PCIe lanes. I agree with the rubber straps though, those are annoying.
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      82. There’s a lot of people complaining a lot about this case, forgetting that not everyone *needs* 8 hot swappable drives and full height/length PCI-E cards. I just did a build in one of these, and it’s perfect for my needs. I’ve gone with a mid-range CPU (Ryzen 5 5600G), 4 drives, and a couple of 2.5Gbe NICs. It’s been happily running my Proxmox VMs and TrueNAS for weeks. If they made something as big as the N3, it wouldn’t fit in the space where I have the N4.

        Jonsbo probably can and should update the N3 in the same style for those who do need the extra power and storage. I think the N2 and N3 look a little cheap personally, but there’s room for them to make options for everyone here. I am really impressed with the quality overall. I do kind of agree with your comments on drive mounting, but swapping drives is a very rare occurrence for me, so I’m okay with it.

        I will add that I have two very minor complaints about the N4:
        – The stock 120mm fan is a little louder than I’d like – not uncomfortably loud, but I probably will replace it in the future.
        – The PSU placement is pretty bad. This is my first build with a SFX PSU, and I was caught out by the short 24-pin ATX connector. I had to buy an extension for it to reach. Something to be aware of for anyone doing a build with the N4.
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      86. Hate to disagree because your reviews are great, but the N3 has a lots of issue you dismissed. first these 2 x 100mm stupid that you you have to replace (noisy and bad) adds to the price, also its is a big fat case. I agree on the pros but these cons are what make the N2 a great deal (cheaper, smaller) so unless you really need to put a gpu or need 8 drives, I would go with the n2. the n4 is just a dumb idea
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      90. I still don’t get why you want to put a nice piece of WOOD on a NAS, whilst you use RUBBER bands to pull out the HDD’s…
        I’d prefer the money invested in wood, to have real HDD bays with buttons!
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      93. Hopefully they fix everything on the N4 and launch it as a N5.
        6x 3.5″ + 2x 2.5″ + possibly 2x M.2 on the board, mATX, ATX PSU, full height PCIe, all sata drives hot swappable on a back plate… probably the competition already has something like that surely.
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      94. How about Kotumy (seems present also with different names) 6 or 8 bay cases? They have proper hdd caddies, they can fit mATX mobo with 4 full slot PCIe. Looks like it ticks all the boxes. I’d welcome review of this case. Look is not the best but maybe repaint will help.
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      95. I’ve already ordered my N4 because I’m repurposing my matx gaming hardware as i upgrade away from it. I’m using a Thermalright AXP90-X53 with a Silverstone 180mm Penetrator instead of the coolers own fan probably mounted diagonal with rubber fan mounts.(going to be snug) grabbed a PSU from wolfgang’s database of good idle PSU’s, my intention is to use the gaming matx boards pcie to add a few nvme for read/write caching, I’m also eyeballing the intel a380 low profile, but honestly, I’m not sure i even want to fall down the transcoding rabbit hole
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      96. I bought the N2, mainly for the compact footprint and, because I have a lot of 2.5″ SSDs, I’m in the middle of swapping out the 5 disk backplane for a IBM 69Y0650 8×2.5-inch backplane, just spending a bit of time building a custom power cable for the new backplane as it uses a 16 pin to 14 pin cable. The width is identical to the 5×3.5″ board, so it’ll fit without any serious case modding and I can print a guide for inserting SATA SSDs. It uses a pair of SFF-8087 connectors, so I’ll probably grab a IT mode HBA card.

        Using SSDs also lets me bring the backplane forward to create more space at the black for a bigger fan and better cable management.

        Well, that’s the plan anyway.
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      99. Regarding Chapters! YouTube is not indexing the chapters for this video correctly. You can find the correct chapters linked in the description, or the time stamps below:
        00:00 – The Start
        00:18 – Why Jonsbo?
        01:08 – Price and Value
        02:28 – Design
        05:06 – Storage
        08:30 – Internal Hardware
        12:51 – Conclusion
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      101. Hello, Does an storage external HHD only powered up every 6 months have to be refreshed to another HHD every 3 to 5 years to prevent data loss? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.????????
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      102. Do I win a prize for having the most disks inside a Jonsbo N3 Case – 18?

        8 x 3.5″ HDDs, 4 x NVMe SSDs (PCIe x16 slot – quad NVMe card) plus 6 x 2.5″ SATA SSDs (2 using the upper case supports, 2 using a dual-bay expansion slot bracket and 2 stuck on top of the PSU).
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      103. Thanks to your channel and excellent videos I chose the N2 case 2-3 months ago and I’m very happy with it.

        In it I built the following:
        ————————————–
        sata card —- MZHOU ASM1166 6xSATA PCIe 3.0 x4
        cpu —- Raptor Lake i5-14500T + Termalright LGA1700 Frame
        cpu cooler —- Noctua NH-L12 Ghost S1 Edition
        motherboard —- ASRock Z790M-ITX WiFi
        ram —- Kingston FURY Beast RGB 64GB DDR5
        ZFS Mirror —- 2x Kingston FURY Renegade 500GB
        ZFS Raidz2 —- 5x Western Digital Red Plus 6TB
        case —- Jonsbo N2 White
        psu —- HDPLEX 250W GaN Passive
        case cooler —- Noctua NF-A12x25

        Some notes:
        ——————–
        – the 25mm case cooler fitted perfectly with right angled Sata power and data cables
        – it’s currently running proxmox with multiple services on the mirrored zfs
        – the cpu is a 14 core, 20 thread beast and zfs keeps my ram usage busy
        – the rgb ram was on sale, so don’t judge me lol
        – i do wish it were 6 bay at least, that would have been perfect for raidz2
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      104. after few good months of using my N3 what I can say:
        1- with 5 Noctua fans inside, I have temperature of HDDs always around 35C (I can set this up anything between 30 adn 50C from my Home Assistant) and that is with around 25% of the fans speed
        2- similarly CPU and NVMe – very low temperatures – actually NVMe are around 25C and CPU around 40C
        3- the bays… hmm, that was ONE TIME issue while putting the disks, after that… install and forget
        4- I put inside: 4x WD and 2x… 2.5″ Crucial SSD – yeap, the m2 slots on my mobo are used as boot disks (in mirror) so no way of reusing them for fast storage
        5- storage speed: my mobo has 4x 2.5Gbps NICs, and I connected 2 of them – from my SSD pool I can copy with around 230MB/s, from my HDD pool: … 230MB/s – cannot see the difference 😉
        6- power consumption: average 40W
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      106. 10:30 Jonsbo shows an image of the N3 with a de-branded MSI RTX 3070 Ventus OC 2X inside the case in their website, so you might be able to fit some mid to mid-high end cards in there providing they’re not longer than 250mm. Though the best card to go with it IMO would be the RTX 4000 Ada SFF, which is only slightly worse than the RTX 4090 but is a half height 2 slot card which requires no PCIe power connectors.
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      111. This layout actually sucks. The backplane is going to make it very difficult to install an Icy Dock if you want to run SSD only. Otherwise you could install 12 SSD’s into those 3.5″ slots.
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      113. This should have 8 drive supports full 3.5 and full 170 mm cpu cooler support. Then it could also fit full size gpus and order pci-e cards. Pci-e is the future of storage cards and other types of cards. Jonsbo really did a swing and miss here. Maybe a n6 will come that will fix it all?
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      116. Will this support sfx-l or just sfx psu’s? I’ve bought the case in the ali holiday celebration at 98 quid with delivery (which I feel is worth it for my needs) and looking for a PSU to pair with it. I see a really nice deal on an sfx-l but worry about fitting length in.
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      117. I thing showing off a plain old linux (ubuntu, fedora or anything, of course server flavour) with Cockpit would be nice. (there’s addon for smb/nfs, zfs and podman)
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      123. A Chinese netizen named “曝躁老鸽” launched a computer case named “Treasure寶藏盒” a long time ago.
        However, this “Jonsbo N4” product clearly plagiarizes his work.
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      124. Hello there, Im looking to get into the homlab community and build my own server.
        After a bit of research I came across a very interesting case that barely anybody in the YT homelab / NAS realm seems to be aware of.

        Im talking about the Aerocool Cipher mid tower case. There are only 2 videos about it on whole YT, despite it having space for 12 sata hdd’s and costs only around 80€.
        Maybe you find the time to take a look at it.
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      125. Wow. another great video. Thanks so much for all the excellent content. I’ve been gearing up to replace my old Dell PowerEdge r510 12-HDD server. It’s such a noise generator and power hog. I wonder if you could maybe do a video that focuses on daisy-chaining servers for more space. I don’t want to manage multiple Unraid instances. What I’d like to do is set up one server and then attach multiple SANs as my library grows.
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      128. Thaks a lot for this! It made building my N2 NAS a breeze. Different motherboard, different power supply, but this video is an excellent resource in any case.
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      129. Id be interested in seeing how higher quality fans would make a difference in the cooling capability, like replacing that stock 120mm fan with a Phanteks T30, and adding an 60 or 80mm Noctua as an intake in the top right 2 3.5in drive bays (since there’s no SATA/SAS backplane there anyway) that would give cool air to both the PSU and bottom of the motherboard.

        You could mod fans into the top cover as well but then you’d have to deal with the cables every time you open it, unless you add some thin pieces of metal to mount the fans to
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      130. I’m getting Fractal Design Terra vibes. Maybe they’re hoping to pair the two things together? Although why Fractal and others don’t do their own, I’ll never know. And in an ideal world, why not do the Terra in a mid sized version as well, and do things like case with built in or modular area for a NAS so we can stop having unnecessary additional boxes everywhere.
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      134. Jonsbo N4 Mini feels more like a case that tries to be cheaper and more available “System 76” cases – but more into a “SFF PC with some media” instead of “Home Nas”

        Tho… honestly making a slim Video editing case… with ERYING Mobile CPU mobos.. or Intel Core “T” chip + low profile A380… could be a interesting thing to try

        and since it has already places for storage.. instead of making it a NAS, use SSD for OS and the SAS area for RAID storage which this video editing machine would be based on
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      136. Вот отличная видеокарта для этого корпуса GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 4060 OC Low Profile [GV-N4060OC-8GL], а остальные отсеки без Горячей замены из-за блока питания. Т.ч. это компромиссы. Лично для меня этот корпус то что мне нужно.
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      138. 10:12 – you dont need a base/side level vent because you should install the PSU upside down, so that it also helps the two HDDs and SSDs with cooling by sucking the air from the front of the case, passing through the HDDs/SSDs and exhausting it via the back, just like the 120 fan is doing it for the other half of the case
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      139. N4 is a stopgap solution for Jonsbo, Because most of these manufacturers have at least one product line support: MATX + SFX PSU + 6 to 8 bay.

        Even its design is nothing new, that wooden panel and half height PCIE design was there 3 years ago, looks cool and the cooling is actually bad
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      140. IMO this was a downgrade in comparison to the N3 simply because the N3 is a smaller case for Minit-ITX mobos, but it can fit 8 3.5″ drives into a backplane. And it’s not like they couldn’t simply maintain the 8 drive structure from the N3 and add the extra two spaces for 2.5″ drives. You can comfortably fit 10 drives in there if they go vertical like they are in the N2 and N3.
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      141. 0:38: ???? Review of the latest Jonsbo N4 NAS case highlighting its aesthetic design and potential software options.
        2:39: ⚙️ Analysis of storage bays and interfaces in Jonsbo N4 NAS Case.
        4:44: ⚙️ Limitations of GPU and storage card compatibility in Jonsbo N4 NAS Case.
        7:42: ⚙️ Limitations in cooling capabilities of the M ATX case may hinder performance potential.
        9:43: ⚠️ Challenges with PSU placement and airflow in the Jonsbo N4 NAS Case.

        Timestamps by Tammy AI
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      142. While you’re points are valid, for most use cases it won’t matter. NAS only can be run by a dual core and a low height cooler. mATX typically has 2 nvme. You can add a dual or quad low height nvme card(s). If you are going to run it as more of a server then a NAS, all of that above still applies as most Homelab server builds are typically running the CPU at 50% or less most of the time. If you have an Intel chip, you can use the iGPU for transcoding. So, while this case could be improved, I wouldn’t let any of this stop you if you need mATX. Cooling for the drives may be an issue depending on your environment but you can put a fan or two above the PSU.
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      143. Some really sus design choices for an otherwise good case. Ideas for the eventual N5 case: Clone the left side of the hard drive compartment to the right, but make the second backplane an optional upsell if you’re that concerned about cost Jonsbo. Keep the Micro-Atx mobo compatibility but allow for full height/length add-on cards and use the required increase in compartment space to include a pair 120mm fan mounts on one side. Ditch the rubber bands for actual drive sleds (even stamped sheet metal would be an improvement). Because at $142.31 (shipping included and a 25% off base price discount) you’re approaching Silverstone territory (CS380 ($239.99)/CS382($249.99)) price-wise. As it stands with the N4 the juice (money saved vs SST) is not worth the squeeze.
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      151. I hope the 8 bay Ugreen works out. If they lock it down super hard between now and May so I’d be forced to use their shitty software, I think I can cancel the pledge.

        All Jonsbo needs to do is release a bigger Jonsbo N3 with 120/140mm rear fan(s), drive trays that don’t suck, 8 bays, etc.
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      153. You’re just set on it being some top of the line power system and the whole review is about how it’s not something else, including the rubbers that are great for a design ‘not too huge living room piece’ 🙂
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      154. This actually is great for my use case, but I just can’t justify spending about $200 for what amounts to just a case swap. I know most of that is just shipping to the states but still, it’s mostly just a (very nice) cosmetic upgrade to what I’m using now.
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      156. The N4 looks pretty but its performance is worse then N3 my favourite still is the N2 after modding you can install a thicker fun on the back and SSD cage on the side after removing the hex key.
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      157. This box design is quite schtewpid, innit ?

        I don’t see why would anyone choose this case over a N3. MATX support is useless if you can’t fit large cards, just stick with ITX.

        I think a Define R6 (or XL if you need more drives) is cheaper and you can slightly mod it to fit a SAS backplane with the proper SFF connectors.
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      161. Another great presentation on a NAS case, well done and thank you for all your videos. Personally, I would like to see an Unraid installation on this Jonsbo N4 case. I have watched many of your presentations and was seriously considering the Jonsbo N3 case for my NAS solution. However, delivery delays and the PSU being a 1U limitation meant that the SFX PSU I already had available could not be used. In the end I plumbed for a Silverstone CS380, with my Corsair 850 FSX PSU, ASUS micro ATX motherboard, 16 Gbyte DDR4, AMD Ryzen 5 5600G with on board graphics and a low profile Noctua cooling fan I had as a spare. Twin 2.5 G ethernet ports and a 8 port SATA card in the PCIe slots. I used Unraid as it was the only one to support different disc sizes in the storage pool and has ZFS, so storage wise 18 Tb parity disc, 18 Tb, 16 TB and two 6 TB HDD, two 2Tb NVMe drives, One 2TB SSD Cache pool, one 2TB SSD RAID 1 cache pool. So, I would love to see how this N4 setup compares with my CS380 NAS using using Unraid, different HDD sized discs in the storage pool with ZFS and maybe multiple cache pools with the NVMe slots. I will be intereseted to know what the cabling is like to get maximum use out of the available slots.
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      162. I just built mine with a Audheid K7 8 bay, cheap but I like the drive bays, and aesthetics. Sharp edges, light weight, cooling options could be improved, but over all, I liked the 1u flex power supply, as I purchased a eco bronze efficiency PS.
        As my other server is an older dual Xeon 600watt dual power sully, that can double as a space heater, even at idle.
        This one can run 24-7, at 75watts idle before the 8 drives spin down to standby.
        I was looking for an ATX option before deciding on the eco option.
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      163. I own this case. Some issues are: My 24-pin atx cable from my Corsair SF750 is slightly too short to make the run on the w680ace mobo. The aforementioned 4-bay hotswap instead of 6 is not the end of the world. Half-height cards aren’t the end of the world either. The good thing about this case is it looks amazing. 12600k CPU temps with the Noctua L12S (Low profile mode) are great, I have only seen it go to 44 degrees under load. 4 8 TB drives only stay around 41-44 degrees with Noctua fans at 840rpm. I’d say it’s a good chassis if you don’t mind the small footprint and only 4 hot swaps.
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      164. I’m almost positive I saw a a full NAS advertised that used that same case! I bet they made it for somebody and decided that since they had all the tooling set up they might as well release it under there own name.
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      165. They just copied another Chinese NAS case called the “Treasure Box”, which has eight 3.5inch bays and MATX motherboard.

        The Jonsbo NAS cases are really not that great, and not priced competitively. There is another case called the “Sagittarius”, also eight hotswap 3.5inch bays and MATX and retails for CN￥349 which is about US$48.
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      171. i watch other video and it has backplane on each 4 bays. you can search this video ” Finalizing my NAS build based on the 9-bay Chinese motherboard and case ”
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      172. i got so excited for a moment thinking that the n4 had space for more 3.5″ drives than the n3. I’ve been waiting for a bigger n3 for a while now and i’m so close to pulling the gun on a node 804 instead
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      173. Oh god, if I try to buy this case I’ll get it end of May…. And it’s 170 Dollars with the delivery to boot. It’s a beautiful case, but I’ll pass. Do try to make a OMV machine with it, should be fun.
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      177. Great experiments! May I ask What’s the power consumption of this DIY NAS? Also if we don’t mind put the power block into the case, can I use my old pc regular power block to power up this DIY NAS? Many thanks!
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      179. In the days of lore, way back, when Drobo first appeared and later all the little NAS boxen were born; I decided that they were too expensive and way under-powered. Then I found a way to build my own home lab NAS, one where I could host containers as well as serve shares, etc. This predates Unraid and TrueNAS. Many pros were building rackmount 4U servers but then came along some very well suited m-ITX server boards. Supermicro, Asrock, Gigabyte, etc. The first build utilized Joyent’s fork of OpenSolaris and their base image called SmartOS, providing ZFS, Zones, networking, etc. in a private cloud. Then Linux became capable of the same (Joyent was bought by Samsung and development slowed). I switched to Ubuntu Server with LXD to manage native containers and VM’s and Microk8s for Kubernetes. I was even able to import my zpool. But now I am thinking I may switch to TrueNAS Scale and build a 3rd generation NAS with a Jonsbo NAS case. Newer m-ITX boards have come a long way. The advent of those M.2 PCIe SATA adapters, will free up the 16x PCIe slot allowing for dual 10GbE network card. Ultimately, home builds can be built for less but if you put a bit more power into the build, you get a lot more out of it. However, you will end up being more expensive but your NAS will be more of a home lab server.
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      183. Little late to the party, but they give you more than enought rubber grommets for the drives that you can use four on each drive plus the pull on the front of them.
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      184. I have the same NAS case, and I’m curious about your hard drives’ behavior. Mine are always active and noisy, even when not in use. Do you experience the same issue with your setup?
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      187. Would you make an episode about what’s better? UnRAID or TrueNAS? What gives more possibilities? What is updated more often? And what, in general, will be a better solution?
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      190. I have been using this case for a couple months for my Unraid server which hosts PLEX. It’s an amazing case. I use an Intel 12500t which is pretty powerful for my needs and low power usage but I also have an RTX 3060 in the case because I got a really good deal on it and use it to auto convert media to be more compatible with families playback devices. It’s overkill but it’s awesome and this case handles it all fine. The GPU gets fresh air from the side vent and I added two 80mm Noctua fans to the top back for exhaust so they pull in air from the front and sides which gives fresh air to the CPU cooler and gets rid of all of the hot air in the top section. This little case for me holds 164 TB. 160 in HDD(8x20TB) and a 4TB Sata SSD for a cache drive and for Unraid/PLEX meta data. I could use an M.2 for cache but it’s not needed.

        I have my PSU so it pulls in fresh air from the front of the case and exhausts it out of the side and for the extra data ports I used an M.2 to SATA adapter. it has 6 additional SATA ports so with all of what I have I still have an available data slot.

        If you want a great case for a NAS or home server and want to keep it pretty small, this is the way to go. There are smaller options but this one has the benefit of amazing cooling performance…at least for a NAS case.
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      191. Thanks for the great info. 
        I have just built my home made NAS based on this tutorial with Unraid and it is spinning away happily on my table.
        I deviated slightly by going with the Node 304 case which I purchased locally from eBuyer for £74 delivered and the same board with 4 GB memory and the 128 GB NVME from Amazon for £151. With the saving I also added a 10 Gbe PCI card from Ali Express for £71 and a Hisource 4 port 2.5 Gbe + 2 10 Gbe uplink ports for for £29 from Ali Express
        I have to admit that getting the 10 Gbe link working with Unraid (!***!) was a bit stressful, but everything now works as it should.
        Onwards and upwards and thanks again.
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      194. I have two Lacie. One in my office and one at home. Can you do a video on how to link these two so that they act as backups of each other? If you already have done something like that, please send me that way.
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      198. Anyone using jonsbo n3, the height clerance is 298mm, does this include the bottom rubber stand. Would like to know the rubber can be unscrew out to make it lower than 298mm.
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      199. Thank you so much for this detailed video. I used it for my own Jonsbo N2 build and it was so helpful with the step-by-step instructions and guidance on the gotchas. It saved me so much time to pre-plan. Excellent video!
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      204. Hey, as this vid is 4 months old, I just wanted to ask if the mobo is holding out good? I’ve been considering it myself, just wondering if theres anything you found out later that someone looking to buy one may want to know before making a decision. Cheers for the good vid ????
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      208. While I get the confusion about several different screws types used, I do generally appreciate hex screws.
        Phillips is a nightmare waiting to strip. For me it could all be torx haha
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      210. HI, Great vid! I must have watched this a few times now, and am currently building my own. Currently unable to track down the pdf for the header pin layout. Did you ever add the link in for that?
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      211. Does anyone know anything about the SATA Power Connector on the back plane? I can see the 2 molex connectors powering the drives, but is the SATA necessary or just in case a power supply only has on molex. I’m confused. Jonsbo has answered all of my questions, except that one and of course the instructions are……well you know.
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      217. Am not sure whether to lean towards the N2 or N3 ???? probably go with a ROG mini-ITX board and smash in a decent Ryzen processor and bags of memory as-well. Wish to have something that can leave on 24/7 that will run Proxmox to cover all my needs ie. PfSense/OPNSense, Storage and probably a mail server. Would welcome your thoughts please and keep up the great work ????
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      222. This video is really well done. I have been trying to give an answer to this question for four years now. The problem is summarized at the end of the video. My time costs much more than what I save by building it myself “from scratch”. But on the other hand I am too stingy , and I like to build things myself. Frustration.
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      223. Have we figured out the power plug weirdness? I am also doubtful that three plugs are required, what makes the most sense to me is one dedicated cable plug for molex, and one dedicated cable plug for sata since most modern psu will only have one cable for molex, i have this on order and want to try it but it seems everyone just plugs in all three
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      225. I’ve got a fractal Node 304 running a socket 2011-3 xeon, 64gb ram, and all 6 internal 3.5″ slots populated. I wish I’d have known that the Jonsbo N3 was either a thing or going to be a thing before I put this thing together. I had to get very creative with the SATA power and data connectors in the 304 to keep from running them into my Noctua fan on the cpu cooler. And even with a fully modular PSU the cramped space makes me hate it. There’s decent airflow between the drives and towards the CPU fan but.. that gives time for the drives to heat the air on the way to the CPU. Not sure if that’s a big deal or not but the thing is running well enough.

        I’m half tempted to tear the whole thing down and stuff it into an N3. Especially with the addition of the drive status LED’s and two more SATA bays.
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      226. I am kind of sad that I got this case now. Looks like I am stuck with max 4 drives if I want to do 10gb fiber NIC. I tried to find a way to do bifurcation that would allow 10gb nic + the 8 drives sata. I did buy an NVME to SATA but only support is 3.0 and its rather slow when booting. Not sure I really trust it either for the long hall that would allow 8 drives to be used. But then you loose ability to do mirrored cache pool. Just every little road block that makes this thing not ideal and as stated having it in a bigger form factor would be way better. It would be nice if you could do the ultimate Jonsbo N3 build and show us how to overcome what I perceive are limitations. Support all 8 drives, 10gb network and dual mirrored NVME cache pool.
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      230. The price of the shipping from Aliexpress not only varies, but can make or break your budget so it should definitely not be left out. For example here are the prices as of Nov 2023:
        Jonsbo N2 (Aliexpress): $93 + $97 shipping to the US = $190
        Jonsbo N2 (Amazon): $150
        Jonsbo N2 (Newegg): $140

        Jonsbo N3 (Aliexpress): $117 + $99 shipping = $216
        Jonsbo N3 (Amazon): $170
        Jonsbo N3 (Newegg): $162

        As you can see, if you are in the US it’s a no-brainer to buy the case from Amazon/Newegg as Aliexpress offers an inferior shipping experience.
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      235. Imagine they would’ve gone for mATX – its entirely possible in that size and they come with up to 3x PCIe Ports and sometimes 6 SATA ports too …

        I also really don’t like how they’ve not even tought about the possibility of someone using these slots for 2.5 inch e.g. for SATA-SSDS.

        A backplane like this makes it really hard to use without any kind of attempt in proper design by the manufacturer (port multipliers, adapters, what gives, what takes … in the end you can only remove the backplane). For me these two points make these sadly a hard pass 🙁 – as I would gain nothing from those extra 3 slots.

        Who in the world uses just 8 mechanical drives. SSDs are so much better for many things (power consumption too), and are nothing special but more or less a given use-case for many of us looking into slowly adopting many parts towards flash storage as they become cheaper and cheaper …
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      237. 0:09: ???? This video compares the Johnb N2 and Johnb N3 systems, highlighting seven important differences.
        3:33: ???? The video discusses the features of two ITX motherboards that support M2 mvme slots and have multiple bays for storage.
        5:58: ???? The video discusses the differences in vibration dissipation and ventilation between the N2 and N3 systems.
        9:14: ???? The N3 system has better active and passive cooling capabilities compared to the other system.
        12:12: ???? The video discusses the placement and functionality of an internal PSU in a computer case.
        15:31: ???? The video discusses the importance of CPU heat sinks and fans in dissipating heat and the limited space for expansion cards in ITX motherboards.
        18:42: ???? The Jbow N3 case offers more space and better compatibility for larger and more powerful PCI upgrades compared to the Jbow N2 case.
        Recapped using TammyAI
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      238. Which diy NAS would you recommend to someone who is going to use it as a Jellyfin server for movies and transcoding movies to phones. Also might use it to hold basic documents/photos.
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      244. Hello, first thanks for the amazing help. You have me helped to decide building my own NAS. But I have a question. I have bought a Jonsbo N3 case. But there are no cooling fans behind the case. Can you tell me which fan coolers I can use for the Jonsbo N3 case on AliExpress ? Because it was not clear in the video !!!
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      248. Just a couple notes on this as I have the same case. First if you did NOT use the angled sata cables on the backplane they won’t warranty the case. Second I found a flat dual molex adapter that saved me even more room. Between the angled sata cables (same slim blue your using with 90 degree one end), and the molex adapter I was able to replace that loud inefficient 15mm fan with the standard 25mm one. Also replaced those grates on both side with basic wire grills. Both those things got me better air flow as well as less noise.
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      253. i’m a bit disappointed, your title said you were gonna build a NAS, but you just assembled a NAS :/ (i was expecting electronic component tinkering, not computer parts tinkering…)
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      254. I have just built a TopTon board (Same version) with a Jonsbo case. One note is you can actually fit that board out with 64Gb Mem so Truenas has plenty of spare capacity. I also spec’d out a lot better power supply just for the peace of mind. Wish you had done this review earlier as I would have gone with the case you had.
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      261. The limitations and drawbacks of this N3 case as you outlined really shoots some major holes in the feasibility of this DIY NAS. Looks like I’ll be sticking to my Synology 8-bay or Asustor (for cheaper 2-6 bay setups) units for awhile longer it seems.

        If Jonsbo ever does a N4 with the fixes/limitations worked out…maybe then I’ll start weighing a “might-try” then. Probably a year or two more wait, I guess…with also more stability with pricing and availability to come as well. Cheers.
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      262. I’m a little confused… Did you show the correct extra parts (Re: video ~35:00)? Of the four parts shown, it seems that I would need (1) of the parts shown (top & bottom right side parts), but nothing from the left top/bottom parts. Additionally, if I select either top or bottom right side parts then I now have (2) 20-pin connectors (one from the front panel USB and one from the adapter (top/bottom right side parts)) which now need to go to a 20-pin + 20-pin splitter (not shown on your display of parts). Unfortunately, my Topton MoBo has not arrived yet so I can’t reference what is there in order to understand what’s what with all the parts you showed. Can you provide any more clarity to this? Thank you so much and thanks, again, for making this very informative video!!!!
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      265. Investing that much time and effort probably isn’t worth it unless you have time to waste or very specific possibly high-end applications.
        Also, you may want to got get a more current ITX board + CPU for more performance and RAM in this case.
        Honestly for a simple setup like that it probably is better connecting something like a TerraMaster D5-300C or ORICO-NS500RC3 to a Raspberry Pi.
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      266. I dont think you save so much time going turn key as you have to learn the software. Easiest is take an old machine, install Nas software learn how it fits in your life. Then upgrade hardware later. As a person whos built many computers, the hardware part wasnt the issue. Learning the Truenas/Proxmox/Unraid interface probably didnt take longer than the Synology interface. Now I have a machine which can grow cheaply if needed.
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      268. Those front USB connectors are standard, USB3 and USB3.1 for the Type A and Type C connector respectively, and are found on most modern motherboards. That Topton board is made as cheaply as possible, so it only has basic USB2 connectors, which is why they wouldn’t fit.
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      270. Totally a great replacement for another orange channel. You explain everything that you had to go through and other options to tackle those issues. Great vid! It s subscribe for me bud!
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      277. I’m doing a hypothetical nas build that I’m gonna build once I have the finances, and the jonsbo cases were super interesting to me. I wanna use an intel 13th gen, the 13500 specifically, and this video convinced me to get the N3, as well as having more drive bays, the possibility for more storage later is alluring, especially given that it’s relatively not much more expensive, I think it’s a much better pick than the N2
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      278. You could also consider the Fractal Design Node 304 for a 4 bay unit which has sufficient room for a small GPU card and standard ATX power supply.
        Space is tight if you select a fairly powerful CPU and large air-cooling device. Temperatures are brilliant with 4 noctua fans.
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      280. Great review. I bought this case, it took a very long time to arrive, but when it did the things you pointed out on video is what I felt too. I think the bit of this case that annoys me the most is they use 100mm fans at the back (bottom) and 80mm at the top. 100mm is a odd size, to the point you cannot really buy fans. As in noctua dont make a 100mm. Moreover, I agree with no caddies, dont like the rubber bits. Also the hdds do rattle a lot, so dont feel its that well dampered. I would say its a good case for the money, 8 drives. But I wish the cooling was on the drives, not at the back, which means drives dont get great cooling. Overall, 6/10 for me
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      281. according to Topton, the pin headers on their motherboards (N5xxx and N6xxx) is only USB 2.0, were you able to confirm/deny it? The blue ports on the mobo however are indeed 3.x
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      287. Apparently the official jonsbo line on the molex and sata power connectors on the backplane is that all 3 need to be used when all 8 bays are populated.

        In terms of fans noctua nfa9 92mm will replace the jonsbo 100mm ones at the bottom, and nfa8 80mm will fit at the top.
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      289. Hi. I wanna. Hold a NAS for holding my media. No need to transcode and I’m using a Zidoo player in each of my rooms. Would the budget n2 build be ok for that. 4k rips etc
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      292. After my sick build I had to tear it all down I had to add the Noctua NH-U9S black as it just fits and is a tower design which works better with the Noctua fan Swap I did.
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      293. Am I the only one, who is not completely in line the with the choice of SFX psu for those kinds of machines? These home nas machines mostly run at idle/ with a pretty low powered cpu. 1. The PSUs are quite big and use up space that could otherwise be used for additional HDD. 2. They are often 300-400W in power. Which is quite overkill for for example a i3-12100 and 5 HDDs. I think the use of a pico PSU + good quality power brick would be a more sensible choice. What do you think?
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      294. I really like the N3 case but Mini-itx motherboards seem so limiting. I want something to last 5 years or more. I’d like to start out with something with 2.5G/1G built in networking with the ability to add a GPU on a PCIe slot later. I can only find Mini-itx boards with a single PCIe x 16 slot. However, I want the ability to upgrade to 10gb networking later. I heard that m.2 slots can be turned into 10Gbe networking but not sure if that is something I should consider. Do mini-itx with 2.5Gb builtin and 2 pcie slots exist?
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      296. The nic on the Z690M-ITX/ax is from Realtek and I heard this brand of nic has some issues especially for Truenas and some other Unix varients due to missing or buggy drivers. Is that still true? @nascompares
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      298. So I bought motherboard from Ali: N6005 and … both Jonsbo: N2 and N3. So far I have only 4x 3.5″ disks but… thinking upgrade N3 is the only option – the mobo I bought has 6 SATA ports and using M2 one can ad up to 5 more. But in N2 there is only place for 5 SATA 3.5″ disk. So if someone does not think more than 5 disks, N2 is more than enough. My complete system reports <50W on AC side - my SFX PSU is 450W - no idea why I bought such big one ;-) Of course why would you need GPU for real NAS - this mobo is not capable for anything else - just NAS. But the NAS one can build either on TrueNAS or... Debian -both will work great - btw on Debian one will have much more possibility to configure - I realised TrueNAS is superb but it is not really for anything but NAS. Much easier to go for Debian if one wants containers or so. Just my 3 cents.
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      300. Those dual 100mm fans on the N3 are so dumb. 100mm fans basically don’t exist, I don’t think Noctua makes one etc. There was plenty of room for 120mm fans on a case that size.
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      303. On a b550-i strix you can easily use a 5sata port m.2 adapter, use it on the front m.2 4.0 slot and use a nvme boot drive on the back m.2 3.0 port and you have the 2slot pcie slot free for a GPU or whatever. And you were complaining about having 4 pegs on the drive to go into the rail….. In your video you are missing the pegs that screw into the middle of the drive to guide it on the rails.
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      304. Looking at this the N3 for just a bunch of drives, I initially thought about using 2.5″ SSD’s with adapters in place of the 3.5″ drives. But with the price of NVMe drives nearing the price of 2.5″ SSD’s I am mulling over stripping out the SATA board in the bottom of this case and installing a powered USB hub getting power from the molex on the PSU and installing a bank of individual USB enclosures populated with whatever NVMe drives I choose – connected to the USB 3 motherboard connector. Any thoughts or suggestions or limitations on my idea?
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      306. You can use an M.2 breakout card for more SATA connections, for example if you have two M.2 slots or a free WiFi slot the “ChenYang M.2 M-Key PCI adapter” for full length or “MZHOU M.2 SATA Adapter” for WiFi slot length.
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      309. a.) Yes, the PSU should slide-in from the back. IDK why they mount it inside the case.
        b.) You can get PCIM-Key M.2 to 6X SATA 3 adapter and put it the mobo’d 2nd M.2 slot, if you’re willing to give up mirrored boot drives.
        c.) If rubber drive mounting washers really bug you, print some rails to replace them. Still have to deal with the rubber handle, though.

        Would be nice to know about the SATA power connector on the drive backplane. Also, the maximum size CPU cooler that will fit.
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      312. Maybe it’s just me, but I would never buy this to do anything other than handle data and I don’t need an ATX motherboard to do that. I use a board similar to the one you used in your N2 build, but it was designed for openwrt and has a N6005 on it. I have the N2 and I’d never want it or the other anywhere near me due to fan noise (it lives in the garage with the car). While I see your point about the GPU vs using a 10gbe card, I’d rather just go with 2.5gbe as I really don’t think my zfs setups would benefit very much and most modern itx boards will have 2.5gbe. I also love the way they do drive mounting as it cuts down on a ton of vibration. Unless you are taking the drives out all the time, not sure why you need a tray. Yes, if I have a drive failure, it will take me more time to change the drive as I will likely have to take the back off to help push the drive out. . but I still really like the rubber mounting system. My only complaint on the N2 would probably be the same for the N3 – fan noise. I guess I’ll have to wait an see how the PSU goes into that unit, but the N3 is a few years away for me.
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      313. A few critiques of the review:

        1. It is common for ITX boards to have a front and back m.2 slot. Running a 5 or 6 port m.2 to sata adapter is inexpensive and doesn’t interfere with expandability

        2. I’m not sure (and you didn’t really say) why you are hesitant about PSU extension cables, but as long as it is a sufficient gauge (which it is), it’s fine

        3. You can use any two power connectors to power all 8 drives
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      314. I don’t understand the obsession with the ITX NAS cases. Any economy of savings you might enjoy by the DIY nature are absolutely murdered by the limited selection and significantly higher costs ITX mobos present. Give me a full ATX or even mATX any day of the week…

        Personally, my NAS is currently living in a Rosewill Blackhawk ATX case repurposed from an ancient PC build.
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      317. In Australia I had to order my unit through Ali Express. Their store is atrocious! The title of the page CLEARLY stated: “JONSBO N3 N2 N1 Mini NAS Case ITX …” but then the ‘colorway’ defaults to “N2 white’. You had to make sure you pick the right unit (N1, N2 and N3) through the COLORWAY! I didn’t check and purchase the N2 instead of the N3 and they refused to allow for return because it’s CLEARLY stated. I would dispute that. Don’t get me wrong, I have no issue with the product itself. I agree with your assessment that the fan size is effing crazy! Who makes 100mm and 80mm fans! Other than all that, I like the case. It feels high quality built, it’s the smallest form I can find on the market to fit 8 HDDs!
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      319. Jonsbo seems to make some great cases but the N3 is in a bit of a weird spot for me.
        Though the N3 has some marked improvements over N2, personally I think it is best to either stick with the N2 for a compact NAS, or if you are after more expandability, might as well choose a mATX case for almost the same footprint as the N3 and gain not only more drive slots but also more PCIe slots and usually cheaper motherboards as well.
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      321. Well, I think this wasn’t a very good/informative review. More like 25 min of rambling, why this is a very bad case. Is it a bad case though? The conclusion and the vibe I good during the video are very different.
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      323. 5:50 The N2 does have drive LEDs, but they’re not visible if you use 3.5″ drives. The backplane has 2 surface mount LEDs for each drive, green for power and blue for activity. If you use 2.5″ drives with a backplane-compatible 2.5″-to-3.5″ adapter, you’ll see diffuse blue flashing through the case’s front as each drive does its thing (the green LED is blocked by the adapter/drive).
        Jonsbo seems to be listening to feedback and improving their designs with each iteration, and I think that’s why the N3 moved the LEDs to the case panel instead.
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      326. What about small mATX boards like the ASRock H610M-HVS or H610M-HDV? Both of them are around 2cm larger than a mITX board and they usually fit in mITX cases that are a bit more roomy
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      331. On nas compares web page you indicate the middle/top builds in the cons section higher power consumption, how much more we talking compared to a synology/Qnap 8 bay? considering the price of energy now a days and with these on 24/7.
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      335. Can’t wait for the build video. Watched your N2 build video and looked at your guides and saw the N3. I knew I wanted the N3 for my dream NAS.
        As for the issue with the drive pull, perhaps for those with access to a 3d printer, there may be some solutions on Thingiverse or similar sites. I know it’s not something we should be forced to resort to, but it’s an option.
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      338. @NASCompares – There are M.2 to Multi Sata connector cards as well, and you could get an ITX board with Multiple M.2 or use the internal Sata Drive for OS or a CACHE drive.
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      339. The case is good. Its the mobo offering that sucks. All we need is an itx mobo with 10gbit, ecc ram, 8xsata, 2x m.2 and something like N100 for that 6W TDP passively cooled cpu. For… hmm… 250€
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      340. I think you miss something about the rubber disk mounts. Certain types of rubber under prolonged exposure to heat can disintegrate. In a NAS case a few years from now, it will go sticky and rot away. What then?
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      344. This case is probably one of the best options, but it still has so many problems. That one from Silverstone supports ATX, but supposedly the backplane is shit and the HDD cooling is not good.

        It would just be nice if there was a NAS case with a good backplane, good ventilation for drives, good cooler support, ATX support, good HDD trays, etc.
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      347. This may be a language difference, but on this side of the ocean, we call them either motherboard or mainboards. The term card is generally reserved for ‘add in cards’. Additionally, PSUs in weird places is somewhat normal for small form factor cases.
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      348. Been waiting for this video after informing you there was this new case incoming.

        Could you not use a nvme sata adapter that has the data ports on them, yh I know it will use the slot up but some itx mb have more than 1
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      351. your antiquated selection is crap in 2023.
        Fractal Design Node 804 – Black
        MSI PRO B550M-VC WiFi ProSeries Motherboard
        Ryzen 7 5700G 8-core, 16-Thread Processor
        Thermalright AXP120-X67 WHITE ARGB Low Profile CPU Air Cooler
        Corsair VENGEANCE LPX DDR4 RAM 32GB (2x16GB) 3200MHz
        WD_BLUE SN570 1TB M.2 2280 PCIe Gen3
        IBM M5015 Array Card, Megaraid 9260-8i SATA/SAS Controller RAID 6G PCI-E x8
        INTEL Original X540-T2 Ethernet Converged Network Adaptor X540T2BLK
        8×3.5 drives, + 8x 2.5 drives & small cage
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      352. Congratulations on the 100K it is quite an accomplishment. Brilliant video. Fantastic presentation. I have a big unraid system featuring a Xeon E3 with 16 bays. but I do EVERTHIING on this. I have never regretted building my own NAS.
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      361. Beautiful build, nicely done, and I love the “on the cheap” side of things (so much, must be the Scottish in me ????) Makes me want to do this rather than get another Synology. I have the skills, but Synology just made things so “easy” that I got lazy. Thanks for the video and congrats on 100K! Here’s to the next 900K ????
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      372. I built one from used parts on eBay, for the magic price of about £187, 10 SAS 2tb drives i picked up for 80 quid, Dell H200 perc 24 quid( needed firmware changing to LSI SAS 9210-8i ), the motherboard (FM2 with 8gb of DDR 3 and 500w PSU) came to together from what someone was tipping, 64gb SSD OS disk i picked up for around 7 quid, eBay again, the only build that was new was the Mini SAS 36Pin SFF-8088 to 4 x 29Pin SFF-8482 SATA Power Cable 0.5m 20 quid, 2 x Molex to 4 SATA power cable 10 quid and a new ATX case from Amazon for around 30 quid, i manage to pick up 6 BEQUIET 120mm fans for 16 quid, i used TrueNas 12 at the time, now been updated to version13, it runs as my SMB and plex server, its on a 1Gb Lan of which i can use nearly all of the bandwidth maintaining 110MB all the time download(single user at a time), at the end of the day, i really enjoyed building it, it was fun, Im planning on building more, good stuff
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      375. I can afford to buy a branded NAS, but I prefer to go through similar to what you see in this video, not because I want to appear tech savvy, but because of the drinking involved during and after the build. I especially relish the heavy drinking involved when it fails and I have no one to blame but myself. Cheers!
        ????????
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      380. I got the same mobo (justo with the intel N6005)… there’s an internal USB port… just sayin its safer tu put the usb in ther so no one “accidentally ” pulls it out… huge mistake I made with going with a pico PSU… changed it to a 400w… no working fine… thank you for your videos! ther really helped deciding what to get!… went also with unraid
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      381. “Best Jonsbo N2 Build for Under/Around £250”
        You need a maths lesson, parts included in this comes to around £300 not £250 (based on your pricing shown)
        Also pricing is a lot higher than you stated form the sources you stated, and you use both £ and $ which is confusing /constructive criticism use one or the other
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      382. 49:16 Well I personally usually chek that 127 other things in the BIOS to make sure I don’t have to reinstall the whole system just because I changed something like SecureBoot only after I installed the OS. 🙂
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      384. Hey – nice job here. There is also the value of the learning that is in depth – you can also upgrade individual components to go with as you need. The cost of upgrading a turn key is quite a bit larger – you have about the same 2x factor I think. Interesting – worth the hour invested to watch here!
        And congratulations!
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      386. I just built one for my friend, N6005 + 16 RAM + H6 case + 1 TB NVME SSD + 250W PSU + Unraid Plus, and spent nearly £330.

        Of course, I was building this while in China, so the shipping cost is way lower, but spent another £25 mailing it to UK.
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      387. Hey, I’ve been looking for an alternative to my NAS as mine is currently my old gamingpc, which is complete overkill and higher than ideal power consumption.

        Can I as, why this wouldn’t be good to use with TrueNAS at it seemingly fits their hardware requirements.

        I’m a bit new to all this, so please excuse me if this is a dumb question.
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      390. I *loved* this build video. So much detail, great explanation, and it is clearly a done with love for this topic. I’d be interested in a similar build video if you can find a low-cost build with drive trays rather than those off rubber-pull attachments.
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      393. It’s not just about the time spent. It’s about how much your data is worth. If you’re not thinking about things like patrol reads and notifications on disk failures. Rebuild processes for the array. Those types of things… you can end up with bit rot or data loss when not noticing hardware failures.
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      394. It’s so weird to me that JONSBO is a brand of NAS now, when fifteen years ago JONSBO was a line of table lamps at IKEA. (Rather nice ones, too!)

        (Unlike a lot of other IKEA product names, JONSBO does not appear to be a Swedish placename, but there was a 20th Century Norwegian artist named Kåre Mikkelsen Jonsborg so maybe that’s the etymology idk)
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      398. Pretty Nice Video of this build! But the most important question i have is how high is the power consumption ? Is it the same like the Qnap / Synology or is the power consumption much higher because Qnap / Synology did some optimization of their used components ?
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      400. “Sorry Captain Planet” you had a few clever comments. I have a Synology DS213 that I now realize is 10 years old but it’s all I need with 2 1TB WD Red drives in hybrid. If I had the need I’d be into building my own.
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      401. New to your channel. NASCompares and you’ve never built a NAS from scratch before?! You can build one better than any QNAP, Synology, etc. for less. As for the USB connectors from the case. They match EXACTLY what they are since one is USB 3.0 and the other is USB-C 3.2. There is nothing non-standard about them. The issue is your motherboard only has USB 2.0.
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      405. Brilliant video! This is the best tutorial and guide I’ve seen for building a fully-functional, do-it-yourself NAS. I especially appreciated the step-by-step details, and your objective, brand and device-specific recommendations, evaluations, and critiques of each of the components. The Unraid solution allowing the use of such an enormous variety and size of SATA disk drives is likewise amazing. You have motivated me to take this on myself. Thank you! Now subscribed.
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      411. Been down both paths for 20+ years. If I want to impress my peers I build my own servers. If I want to impress my family get a Synology. Played with Unraid to make hardware pass through setups with Windows XP/98 systems and 3DFX and Creative EAX cards and its an ongoing project, fraught with many many issues. They are fun projects, but you will get to the stage that other hobbies call you and a Synology is the way to go. After all, we don’t live forever and the kids will inherit them, so they need something less IT knowledge base intensive.
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      412. I’ve been looking to upgrade my Synology to a DS423+ or similar, that’s what brought me here.
        But, from what I could see, this build is just not worth the cost or hassle when I can get a pre-built unit with Synology’s DSM that is basically plug and play. Great if you want to build your own system for the hell of it, but personally I just can’t justify the time.
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      413. One recomendation I would make is using a way better power supply like an FSP or Sparkle to enhance the reliability and stability of the build (start with a good foundation) and to turn the power supply around so the vents allow the power supply to suck in cool air and the rear to exit the heat. Most newer motherboard do use the USB3 connectors provided by Jonsbo. The rest of the video is great. Congratulations to your subscriptions! Dr. Dave
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      416. Hmm way less money then i thought. Built my own stuff sense my early teens but never looked in to NAS. Now days whit all the data we have on our hands this might be a good time to start my first NAS project. Grats on 100k and thanks for the info.
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      417. What a fantastic guide! I THANK YOU!
        I’ve assembled PC last time probably 35 years ago – not many things have changed since then I can see.
        Btw why did you go with 5105 rather than 6005? No big price difference there…

        You have kept the t-shirt but you have changed the watch between the recordings – even 2 times !!! 😉
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      422. No, thank you for the fantastic video. Hope you hit 200k soon you guys deserve it. Really appreciate the thorough details My one tip would be to invest in a build mat for that poor old scratched table, helps dampen noise, stops things rolling, can be anti static or have a brand logo.
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      424. Congrats on 100k! This was an interesting video… I look forward to seeing you put it through it’s paces. It’s a shame that the Jonesbo case only holds five 3.5″ drives, though… if it at least held the full 6 that motherboard and cable supported, it might be more of a contender for my next upgrade dollars, once my 4-bay Synology is no longer adequate. (Doesn’t seem worth the money to upgrade and add only a single drive)
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      431. I watched this vid and got the Tipton, I can’t work out how to turn down the fan header which seems to run at full whack all the time which is annoying, I don’t see it in the bios only the cpu. Is there another way to control the fan header?
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      432. For a future video, I would be interested to know how that Jonsbo N2 case handles the heat of a 13th gen i3 or i5 or i7. Does it throttle badly? Does it cook the drive underneath?
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      437. I’ve built many computers over the years. For me, assembling the hardware is fairly easy, configuring the software/OS is what will be a challenge for me. I have two old synology NASes and they’re ok. I’m looking to upgrade, so having the option to build a new NAS is a good thing to have. Knowing me, I probably won’t build because the software seems like something I would have to invest time into learning (and I don’t have the time unfortunately). The detailed guide on the website is really good and I will be bookmarking it in case I change my mind.
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      441. Congrats on 100k subs! I also built a NAS/HTPC (with TrueNAS) in this case recently. For the most part, I love it and would absolutely recommend it for DIY NAS/HTPC builds.

        Regarding the not-so-quiet case fan: if your motherboard has an extra fan header, connect the fan to that instead of the drive backplane. The backplane has no speed control and runs it at 100% speed 100% of the time. But hooked into the motherboard you can set the speed in the system’s BIOS. Mine now runs very quietly while still keeping the drives at 30-45°C (depending on load).

        My only gripes with the case are:
        1/ I wish the shank (the unthreaded part) of the bolts for the drive track grommets were longer so that they could be screwed in tightly.
        2/ Why is the dust-catching mesh only on the side grills of the motherboard section but not on the top grill? It should be the opposite since the top is where most air intake will be happening and the sides would be exhaust (or they could have put mesh on all the grills). I removed the mesh from the sides of the motherboard area and hot-glued a mesh to the top.
        3/ Too many different bolt types for the exterior. One part has Phillips thumbscrews, another has small hex flat head bolts, another has Phillips truss head bolts, and still another uses the standard Phillips hex head case bolts. If those hex flat head bolts were Phillips instead, the whole case could be managed with a single Phillips screwdriver. And the truss head bolts could have just been standard case bolts.
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      444. Just to point out the metal thing you call “backplane” is actually called “i/o shield”. There’s a backplane on this case though and that’s the green board on the drive bay where you connect your drivers.

        TrueNAS would’ve worked, although it’d have complained about not enough memory. it would’ve probably been fine though.

        And congrats on 100k subscribers mate.
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      446. Actually great to see this option being shown, between an off the shelf ready to go NAS and a rack mounted NAS (but not everyone has the space for 1U, 2U or even 4U racks). I might go down this route next time.
        If you can find one get the Intel N100 board instead, for a little more money (coz it’s newer) it’s way more powerful then the N5105, I’m running pfSense on the Intel N100 as my router, but I haven’t seen a board only version on Aliexpress yet although the search is terrible, it’s just what I’d do, especially if you wanna run lots of containers or CCTV recording, the N5105 can do that just fine, coz I’m doing it on my QNAP TS–464, just thinking more longer term.
        Robbie, one thing that might be worth testing is PSU orientation and temperatures, I see you put the fan facing inwards, would be interesting to see if temps on the motherboard and in fact drives were higher or lower if the PSU was facing out through the case vents, and thinking about after seeing Gamers Nexus test a Fractal Design mini ITX case, if there’s any sound difference the orientation.
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      447. Robbie, how about a video where you give us a glimpse of your upcoming videos and open the comments to request videos. I watch a lot of your older videos as I tackle new projects and find that many are out of date due to software updates, many need clarification ( I need the Step By Step Guide For Complete Idiots type instruction), and asking questions generally gets no replies from anyone.
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      448. Nice project but some improvements are possible. For example some cable management should be in order in the space behind your fan. As it is now the cables are obstructing the airflow to the Sata backplate. And the airflow is already disputable as it is with such constructions. And by the way: that “backplate” is also known as an i/o shield.
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      450. Great video, exactly what I was looking for.
        I would like to point out a detail that was left out about the total cost, standard low budget PSUs normally have abysmal power efficiency under light load which means that the PSU could even pull double the required wattage from the wall (so, half goes to waste because of inefficiency), over a span of 5y this could add up to a substantial difference in the final price.
        (this is based on the fact that normally a NAS comes with a 12V power supply which is designed for that type of load while a standard PSU for PCs has 3V, 5V and 12V rails and the unit normally has its peak efficiency around 50-65% load)
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      452. I’ve been thinking about building a NAS myself but conflicted with platform. I want storage but also the ability to run a plex server and a small vm or two for system monitoring and other random things.
        Would a topton N6005 board suffice for this or, do I need to go with a ryzen 5700G?
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      457. Great video, and congrats on the 100K although I’m only just finding the channel now. Currently running 3x Buffalo Linkstation units on RAID 1 each and looking for something to increase my capacity/drive use efficiency and this has been a huge help. Any recommended 6x 3.5″ bay cases out there?
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      459. Great Video. I got motivated to build my own NAS, but when I checked out current prices on the recommended parts, I ended up with a $500 shopping cart on Amazon. Bummer. I guess word got out. That’s generally what happens. Still looking to keep the cost to about $250 – $300 . . .
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      460. Does any air actually flow out between the drives? I mean, that’s the point of that case fan right?

        Why would you run the OS from the USB stick? Wouldn’t it be considered better practice to use the nvme or the last sata for a small ssd?
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      465. I may have missed it, but was there a power consumption figure mentioned for this? PSU efficiency is quite important when you’re leaving something running 24/7! I was tempted to build one with a pico itx psu but daisy chaining power connectors is very frowned upon to get the necessary molex/sata connections!
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      469. Nice video, thankyou congratulations to 100k subs. I am horrified by the psu. This thing looks like fire hazard, I would not connect anything to it. Was probably the cheapest shit money could buy.
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      470. Wouldn’t it be better to put the power supply the other way around, so the fan is drawing the air through it’s dedicated grill on the NAS side? Or there was a particular reason to not do that that I haven’t noticed?
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      476. Fun! Wish I had build it like this myself last year, but that motherboard didn’t exist back then. Man, what a beautiful case. Mine is huge.

        Just as you’ve described, both NAS solutions have their ups and downs. I like both. My Asustor has been nice to me. The ones I built are used to back it up.
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      485. Another great video, and congrats on the 100K subs.
        You’re gonna have to do A LOT more content with this new bad boy. Detailed setup, apps, containers etc. Can’t wait for more!!!
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      498. Thank you so mutch @Robbie and eddy for the great videos and geting to 100K you both deserve this and more @NASCompares ps how about a DIY nas with a APU 8 or more cores and 32 gig of ram or 16 gig 6 m.2 0r 6 sata ssd`s and a nic 2.5 or 5 or 10 gig so on you get what i mean then plex test it with a vm and prox mox thanks as ever Kenny
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      499. The sad thing is that buying a modular PSU and short cables, in order not to have to deal with cable management, would cost more than the entire build.

        I really would ike to see a standard to make PC builds as cable-less as possible. Think about HP and lenovo workstations, or the old Mac pro.

        Congrats on the 100K milestone.
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      500. Great video! I’d love you to do a higher spec version of this video and see what you can put together on a £1000 budget. Even if it’s just a demo of what components you’d put together on that budget without the actual build! Would be great!
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      501. It’s not the peace-of-mind that’s worth the difference in price between the home built unit and a, say, Synology unit. It’s the support you get on an off-the-shelf unit and, specifically with Synology, it’s the software suite; DSM and all the wonderful Synology packages.
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      504. So the total cost in cash terms (but not time clearly) would be in the same order as say a TERRAMASTER F4-423 at around £450. So on that basis what does your DIY approach offer over the prebuilt solution? ????????‍♂
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      507. Thanks for the video and congratulations on reaching 100k subs. Definitely a major landmark for any channel.

        I’d be very interested in how this compares to the Storaxa if that ever arrives.
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      508. Congrats!
        You’ve read my thoughts with this DIY NAS. But I had some doubts about noise level of each part (PSU fan, motherboard fan, etc.), then got tired of reading reviews for each potential part of this build… Finaly, I’ve bought terramaster and cleaned up my shopping cart at Ali. )))
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      511. Robbie, thanks a lot for doing this! I have a couple of questions: (#1) About 23:18 you stacked up all the PSU wires (of the DOA PSU) behind the fan intake guard. Are you concerned about the reduced airflow from the cabling obstruction, and if not, why not? (#2) The RMA PSU came without cables, how did you handle that? One last note, your closing comments on being time rich-money poor and the expertise needed to do all of this are GREAT! So many people just forget about all of that and it’s really important to remember. Thanks again for another very informative video.
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      513. Thanks! After being retired for 8 years from IT at a fortune 50 company, I have spent the last 6 weeks watching network and nas videos on YouTube because I got a knee replacement and have lots of time. @Nascompares is one of the better channels and to celebrate thier 100k here’s a tip. If you can afford it, you can too!
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      515. Yeah, Roll-your-own!… Here goes, DSM.7.2 with RedPill on Xeon E3-1226, 16GB Ram, 10 Sata ports (6 active now), two NVME drives) and a Four Port 2.5GB LAN. All for less than that NAS board plus its ram!. Oh, Container Manager in 7.2 is just brilliant!.
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      516. Greetings from Germany. I also discovered your channel a few months ago and subscribed. Congratulations on 100k subscribers. I like to watch your channel and it has also helped me in the decision which NAS I buy and then landed on the Synology DS 920+. Self-build is no longer an option for me. I used to assemble my PC myself, but that’s long gone. The professionals can still better assemble a system than me and it’s enough for me if I then only perform the one or other upgrade.
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      517. Congratulation for you 100k subscribers, well done.
        Just a stupid question. Why did you install the PSU with the fan pointing into the housing instead towards the housing? At least I would have installed it the other way around so that it could freely suck or blow air directly outside…
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      523. I subscribed when there were only a couple thousand subs. I thought to myself that this channel would never break 10K because NAS is such a small market. But here you are, 100K. Congrats!
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      526. Congratulations mate. I’m a recent subscriber, and I don’t watch every video (I mainly skip the ones on low-end NAS’s like the Synology 225X or whatever, as I know I’ll never get those), but you’ve provided great information and even when I feel I have a pretty different lean on a lot of things, I enjoy it nonetheless.

        And here I was expecting the 100K special would be Robbie embarking on The Great Seagull Massacre of 2023. Maybe an idea for 200K!
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      533. Congrats! Pretty soon you can slap a shiny plaque behind you, or maybe make a NAS case out of it!. A channel I run needs just 8k to hit 100k. Man is it slow going once you start watching the subscriber count 😀
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      534. This was fun…nice to see you build that in an hour ????

        Would have been nice to use a faster motherboard with more memory that can handle more complex VM duties… This seems like something you’d find in prebuilts
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      535. Congrats on 100K subscribers.
        Yeah, I can easily see 10+ hours of build time which at any reasonable hourly rate would easily add $200 to $400 dollars unless one was doing it as a learning experience and was extremely cash poor and time abundant (a student or someone laid off in a severe recession). Reminds me of the old Heath Kits for radios and other electronic devices. Even if one would do it once, would one do it twice, let alone half a dozen times? I am still puzzled by the price disparity between a laptop and a NAS. If I go to my local Target department store I can see laptops from an i7 all the way down to a Celeron. A NAS doesn’t have a large screen or a keyboard why does it cost more to manufacture than a laptop? Or the disparity between a NAS and an Apple Mac Mini. A NAS is brain dead, but has lots of storage, while an Apple Mac Mini has lots of processing power, but little storage and needs a “Time Machine” (which Apple no longer manufactures) for backup. Perhaps there is a synergistic setup between an Apple Mac Mini and a NAS. But, unless there is a new Apple product announcement Docker X86 is crippled on Apple Mac Mini with Apple Silicon (M1, M2, etc) and one is dependent on a limited and aging supply of Apple Mac Minis (which are soon going to lack security upgrades).
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      538. I get the budget objectives of this build but personally I’d want a more standardised components setup. Brand name PSU for sure (e.g. seasonic sgx-500 fully modular), a major brand ITX or matx mboard running a recent gen intel (for transcoding ability so no need for gpu) and a matching case to suit either a storage or performance server bias or both. Unraid has the flexibility for sure I have mine on a 12 year old system running backup for other devices as its main function. I was going to throw it out for ewaste otherwise but it got me thinking with the case it was in being about to hold 10 hdds. That’s often the first time you come across unraid when you wonder what do with old hardware after an upgrade.
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      542. congrats on the subs! great video. How high are the heatsinks on the mobo? I have an ye olde HP microserver with nice pro-level drive caddies that I’ve been wondering about updgrading for a while. In the microserver the proprietary size HP Mobo has 30mm high heatsinks, and is squeezed in under the drive bays at the bottom. Do any of the BKHD mobo heatsinks/connectors stick up higher than that? Might work if I can urge the microserver case to develop a new hole for the backplane.
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