Recommended ITX DIY NAS CPU & Motherboard Combos
In today’s market, NAS motherboards are no longer just basic storage solutions but have evolved to accommodate diverse needs from small businesses to home media enthusiasts. As the demand for flexible and powerful NAS options grows, a wide range of motherboard configurations now offer features like high-speed networking, multiple storage options, and efficient processing power—all in compact, energy-efficient designs. These motherboards come equipped with various CPU options, such as Intel’s i7 and i5 processors or AMD’s Ryzen series, providing choices that balance performance and budget. With additional features like M.2 NVMe slots, multiple SATA ports, and advanced networking options, these NAS solutions are designed to support RAID configurations, streaming, virtualization, and other demanding applications, making them suitable for both professional and enthusiast users. Why ITX Motherboards? Good question! I am focusing this particular article on ITX NAS Motherboards and included CPUs (and in some cases RAM and an OS SSD) to 1) keep costs low, 2) to simplify deployment, and 3) To ensure the use of Mobile SoC style processors in the NAS deployment and lower the power use. If you have more experience, larger power usage in mind and have more time to build – there are some fantastic MATX options out there and if you don’t mind getting some silicon paste under your finger nails – huge flexibility out there! Anyway, on to the guide!
In a rush? Let’s Cut to the chase!
If you’re in a rush and simply want to know about the best CPU and motherboard combo to build your best DIY NAS system, below, you can find direct links to each of these bundles that can be purchased predominantly on AliExpress, but some of these options are also available on retailers such as Amazon and Newegg. If you were going to shop at these retailers anyway, why not use the links below as it will ensure that we act as comparers could earn a small fee from these shops. It allows us to keep doing what we do.
Great M-ITX Mobile/SoC NAS Motherboard+CPU Combos:
Here are ALL the Motherboard+CPU Combos that we cover the previous version of this article HERE:
|
High-Speed i7 1165G7 6-Bay NAS M-ITX Combo Topton Intel Board
Spec Highlights – Intel i7-1165G7 Processor, Dual M.2 NVMe slots, 6 SATA ports via SFF-8643, 4x 2.5GbE LAN (Intel i226), DDR4 SODIMM Slots x2, PCIe x4 connector, Mini ITX Form Factor – $271.92 (AliExpress)
For those looking at high-speed NAS motherboards that balance performance and storage capacity, the Topton i7 1165G7 6-Bay NAS board is worth considering. It’s part of a growing trend of compact, high-performance boards designed for NAS setups that can handle more than just data storage. This motherboard provides robust support for intensive processing and multitasking within a NAS context, aided by Intel’s 11th Gen i7-1165G7 processor. The processor itself offers 4 cores and 8 threads, running at a base frequency of 2.8 GHz with turbo speeds reaching 4.7 GHz, giving this NAS unit plenty of compute power for media servers, office setups, and moderate virtualization tasks.
With six SATA drive connections via an SFF-8643 interface, this board can support a sizable RAID setup or large data storage configuration, appealing to users with extensive media libraries or business storage needs. Four 2.5GbE Intel i226 LAN ports add a layer of versatility for high-speed data transfer, supporting link aggregation to optimize network throughput. The board also includes two M.2 slots, one of which supports PCIe 4.0, making it compatible with the latest NVMe SSDs. Although not enterprise-grade, it fits well within home or office environments where high-speed access and moderate data processing are needed.
Intel i7 1165G7 NAS CPU+MOBO Combo $289.52 including SATA Fan Out Cable and CPU Cooler HERE
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Supports up to 6 SATA drives via SFF-8643 | Lacks ECC support, not ideal for enterprise use |
| Four 2.5GbE LAN ports for network versatility | No PCIe x16 slot, limiting some expansion options |
| Powerful i7 processor with up to 4.7 GHz turbo | Limited to DDR4 memory, which is slower than DDR5 |
The Topton i3-N305 10G NAS Board
Spec Highlights – Intel i3-N305 Processor, 6 SATA Ports, 2 M.2 NVMe Slots, 10GbE + 2x 2.5GbE LAN, DDR5 Support, Mini ITX, Multiple USB Ports – $257.39 (AliExpress)
YiHESZ’s i3-N305 NAS board presents a solid, economical option for home or small business NAS setups. Built around Intel’s Alder Lake-N i3-N305 processor, this board takes a low-power approach without sacrificing core functionality.
The processor’s 8 cores and a 15W TDP make it an energy-efficient choice for 24/7 operation, keeping heat generation to a minimum, which is often crucial for long-running NAS devices. While it’s not a powerhouse, the i3-N305 can still handle NAS operations smoothly, especially when paired with high-speed network connections.
This board’s real appeal lies in its triple-LAN setup, featuring both a 10GbE LAN port and two additional 2.5GbE ports. This setup allows for significant flexibility in network management and, combined with six SATA ports and two M.2 slots, it meets the demands of users who require fast access to large storage arrays.
The board supports DDR5 memory, offering improved data bandwidth compared to DDR4, making it well-suited for tasks that require quick read/write capabilities, such as streaming media or handling backups.
Keep in mind however that this board has spread it’s PCIe lanes pretty thin, so be aware that the M.2 slots are Gen 3×1 and that there is no PCIe slot for traditional upgrades. That said, for a compact 10GbE NAS deployment – you would be hard pushed to find better value right now!
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DkujwtX
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Triple LAN options including 10GbE | Limited memory capacity (up to 32GB DDR5) |
| 6 SATA ports and 2 M.2 slots for storage | Limited upgrade options due to compact design |
| Low-power CPU with 15W TDP | No ECC memory support, limiting data integrity |
CWWK i5-12450H / Pentium 8505 M-ITX NAS Combo CWWK Board with High Storage Options
Spec Highlights – Intel i5-12450H Processor (or Pentium 8505 Option), 2-6 SATA, 2-6 NVMe (via PCB cards) support, 4x 2.5GbE, Dual M.2 Slots, DDR5 Support, Mini ITX – $289.79 (AliExpress)
The CWWK i5-12450H board is designed with versatility and capacity in mind, offering one of the most flexible storage configurations for its price. At its core, the Intel i5-12450H processor brings an efficient mix of 8 cores (4 performance and 4 efficiency cores) capable of handling moderate multitasking and virtualized environments. With turbo speeds of up to 4.4 GHz, it’s an ideal choice for applications that benefit from occasional bursts of processing power, such as RAID management or media transcoding.
The board’s 2 SATA physical connections (and the ability to add 4x more via an SFF to SATA fan our cable), alongside 2 NVMe slots, and the capacity to add 4x more NVMe slots via an SFF-to-M.2 PCB adapter, present substantial storage possibilities, while its four 2.5GbE LAN ports allow for advanced network configurations and link aggregation.
DDR5 memory support further enhances the data handling capabilities, positioning this board as a mid-tier choice for users needing both storage flexibility and respectable processing capacity. However, the lack of ECC support may limit its appeal for users needing strict data integrity.
Additionally, the board managed to squeeze in an additional PCIe upgrade slot. Though it is only x4 speed, it IS a Gen 4×4 PCIe slot, so that still manages to afford 8GB/s bandwidth to a connected Gen4 card and is precut, so you do not need to be concerned with x8 and x16 cards not fitting. It is true that a lot of this Mobo+CPU combo’s expandability is locked behind the use of SFF to PCB Card adapters, but that also means there is room for a decent amount of customization, as well as flexibility in cost over time.
CWWK i5-12450H / Pentium 8505 6-Bay NAS Motherboard Max 2-6xNVMe 2-6xSATA $289 HERE
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Supports six NVMe and six SATA drives | Lacks ECC memory compatibility for data protection |
| Powerful processor for multitasking | Higher power consumption with i5 processor |
| Four 2.5GbE LAN for advanced networking setups | Limited expandability with Mini ITX form factor |
Atom C3758R 10GbE-Ready NAS Board Qotom Industrial Solution
Spec Highlights – Intel Atom C3758R Processor, 8 Cores, ECC RAM Support, 4x 10GbE SFP+ Ports, 5x 2.5GbE, Dual M.2 Slots, SATA 3.0, Mini ITX – $305.00 (AliExpress)
Qotom’s Atom C3758R board is built with reliability in mind, tailored for users who require data integrity and network robustness over raw processing power. The Intel Atom C3758R is an 8-core processor optimized for lower power consumption and equipped with ECC memory support, making it a dependable choice for small enterprise NAS solutions.
This is one of the few boards that include 4x 10GbE SFP+ ports and 5x 2.5GbE LAN ports, allowing for high-speed networking setups that can support multiple users and intensive data transfer requirements.
The board’s feature set is rounded out by its two M.2 slots for SSDs and SATA support, enabling it to support a range of storage configurations. Given the ECC support and industrial design, this board is ideal for situations where data reliability is critical, such as archival storage, backups, or as a part of a small business server.
Remember! You will need to buy an external PSU! Also, though this Mobo and CPU combo is arguably more focused towards a DIY/BYO Router/network gateway device, the flexibility in network connectivity, 2 CPU choices, large memory support and mixed SATA/M/2 support all add up to the potential for a high bandwidth, small scale NAS!
Intel Atom 4x10G SFP+ and 4x 2.5G SFP and 5x 1GbE Micro ITX NAS $295 HERE
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ECC memory support for data reliability | Limited PCIe expandability |
| High-speed network with 4x 10GbE and 5x 2.5GbE | More expensive than typical consumer NAS boards |
| Energy-efficient processor | Limited to Atom’s performance capabilities |
AMD Ryzen 5825U NAS ITX Board – High-Efficiency NAS for Home and Office
Spec Highlights – AMD Ryzen R7 5825U, 8 Cores/16 Threads, Dual M.2 NVMe Slots, 2x 2.5GbE LAN, 2-6 SATA, DDR4 Memory, Mini ITX – $184.80 (AliExpress)
The AMD Ryzen R7 5825U NAS motherboard offers a well-balanced configuration for those seeking a reliable home or small-office NAS. With its 8-core, 16-thread processor, this board is capable of handling moderate workloads and light transcoding tasks, making it an effective choice for media streaming or small business environments. AMD’s Ryzen processor is particularly suitable for multitasking, with a turbo speed of up to 4.5 GHz, providing flexibility for various NAS tasks.
With dual 2.5GbE LAN ports and six SATA connections, users can configure a RAID array for storage redundancy, and the board’s two M.2 slots add support for NVMe SSDs. Although the board doesn’t support ECC memory, its DDR4 capability and integrated Radeon Vega 8 graphics make it a competitive option for multimedia usage or small-scale file storage without the need for heavy data protection.
There are an increasing number of Embedded Ryzen CPU equipped NAS motherboards rolling out in 2024 (with 2025 looking set to double this) and with often an increased CPU thread count vs Intel alternatives, as well as a reduced TDP when compared with Intel Core or XEON options, the 5825U CPU on this board is a decently flexible choice.
And do not forget that the m.2 key and mini PCIe slot on this board can also be used for some pretty diverse adapters when you want to scale things up down the line at a fairy low cost. This is one fo the more power hungry CPUs on this list, but once you balance it against the price and flexibility, it’s might well balance out for you.
AMD ITX Ryzen 5825U Motherboard+CPU+RAM Combo DIY NAS $392 HERE
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Dual 2.5GbE ports for faster network speeds | No ECC memory support for data-critical applications |
| Low power consumption with Ryzen mobile CPU | Limited expansion options due to compact design |
| Capable of light media transcoding | DDR4 memory may limit future-proofing |
Topton Ryzen 7/9 7940HS 8-Core ITX NAS Board – High Performance in Compact Form
Spec Highlights – AMD Ryzen 3/5/7/9 7940HS, 8 Cores/16 Threads, Dual M.2 NVMe, 4 SATA, PCIe x8 slot, Dual 2.5GbE LAN, DDR5 Support, Mini ITX – $260.10 (AliExpress)
The Ryzen 9 7940HS NAS board delivers high performance in a compact form factor, targeting users who require substantial compute power within a limited space. Equipped with an 8-core, 16-thread processor, this board supports tasks that require fast processing and reliable data access, making it suitable for small businesses or users with data-intensive needs. With support for dual M.2 NVMe drives, four SATA ports, and dual 2.5GbE LAN ports, it provides a balanced combination of storage and network capability.
A notable feature is the inclusion of a PCIe 4×8 slot, which provides the flexibility to add components such as a GPU or an additional network card. Though positioned at a higher price point, the board’s capabilities are well-aligned with those needing performance for data analysis, media editing, or virtualized environments.
Of all of the CPU+MoBo NAS combos on this list, the R9 7940HS ES version provides arguable the largest amount of scalability than any other on this list. The ECC DDR5 UDIMM Memory slots are surprisingly rare on pre-attached SoC CPU NAS ITX mobos, but then you have the Gen 4×4 M.2 NVMe slots (so 8GB/s bandwidth) and even a PCIe Gen 4 x8 slot (16GB/s) upgrade slot!
Just keep in mind that you are looking at a noticeably higher TDP rated CPU than anything else on this list too! Looking at a small but powerful Proxmox setup? GREAT! Looking to just host a small file server.. this would be phenomenal overkill!
Topton N17 Gaming AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS ES 2xNVMe 4xSATA NAS Combo $242.10 HERE
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| High-speed Ryzen 9 processor for intensive tasks | Higher power requirements for mobile Ryzen CPU |
| Dual M.2 NVMe slots and 4 SATA for flexible storage | Limited ECC support for professional data protection |
| Dual 2.5GbE LAN supports high network traffic | Higher price point due to high-performance CPU |
The current selection of NAS motherboards provides a versatile foundation for building tailored storage solutions that fit various needs and budgets. From Intel’s 11th and 12th generation processors to AMD’s Ryzen series, these configurations offer efficient performance, compact form factors, and a range of features like multiple SATA and M.2 slots, high-speed network connectivity, and low power consumption. With options supporting ECC memory, advanced RAID setups, and integrated graphics, these boards meet the requirements of tasks from simple file storage to multimedia streaming and virtualization. Whether for professional or home use, these NAS motherboard and CPU combinations provide a reliable and customizable approach to building a network-attached storage system in 2024 and beyond.
PREVIOUS Recommended NAS CPU+MoBo Combos
Below are NAS board combos that I recommended back in Feb of 2024. A few of these are still available and are seeing discounts, so if none of the more recently released options mentioned so far meet your needs, it might be worth looking into these:
ECC CPU+Motherboard M-ITX Combo – The CWWK 8-Bay / 9-Bay Board AMD-7735HS/7840HS/8845HS/7940HS
Spec Highlights – 4x AMD MobileRyzen Options, SODIMM DDR5 Slots×2, ECC Supported, 2×M.2 2280 4×2 SSD Slots, PCIe 4×8 connector ×1 (x16 Physical), SFF-8643 x2 Connectors for SATA III, 4x 2.5GbE, USB 4 (20Gbs Limits) , Internal USB 2.0 – $489 on AliExpress and Check on Amazon
The combination of the AMD “Zen 4” architecture Ryzen™ 5/7/9 series processors with the Minisforum motherboard offers a high-performance platform that is particularly suitable for building a Network Attached Storage (NAS) server. The Mini-ITX form factor of the motherboard, compatible with 1700 series CPU coolers, ensures that it can fit into compact NAS cases while providing adequate cooling for the powerful processors housed within. In the realm of NAS servers, storage options and connectivity are key. The motherboard’s two M.2 NVMe (PCIe 4.0 x2) slots are ideal for high-speed storage drives that can handle intense read and write operations typical in a NAS environment. The inclusion of 2 * SFF-8643 sockets, which support up to four connections each and a total of 9 SATA 3.0, is an advanced feature that provides flexibility and scalability for storage expansion. This is particularly beneficial for NAS setups where large storage pools and redundancy (such as RAID configurations) are important.
Network connectivity is another critical aspect of NAS servers, and this motherboard delivers with its 4 * Intel i226-V 2.5G RJ45 UDE network ports, allowing for high-speed data transfer and network redundancy or link aggregation if required. However, the lack of 10GbE port might limit the network throughput if higher speeds are needed, in which case the PCIe Gen 5×16 slot could be employed for an additional network interface card, although this might be considered an inefficient use of this high-bandwidth expansion slot. Lastly, the wide array of USB ports, including USB3.2 Gen2 Type-C with a 20Gbps rate and additional USB3.2 and USB2.0 ports, adds to the versatility of this motherboard. The built-in set of USB3.2 pin sockets also allow for further expansion and connectivity options, essential for a NAS that may need to accommodate a variety of peripherals or provide additional data transfer interfaces.
| Feature Category | Specifications |
|---|---|
| Processor Support | Equipped with AMD “Zen 4” architecture Ryzen™ 5/7/9 series high-performance processors |
| Form Factor | 17×17 standard Mini-ITX form factor compatible with 1700 series CPU coolers |
| Expansion Slots | 1 PCI-E x16 slot PCIe 4.0 x8 signal supports expansion of graphics card/network card, etc. |
| Storage | 2 * M.2 NVMe (PCIe 4.0 x2) slots 2280 size |
| SATA Support | 2 * SFF-8643 sockets support one to four via cable and support 9 SATA 3.0 |
| Memory | Dual-channel SO-DIMM DDR5 slot supports 5600MHz backward compatibility by default<br>Dual-channel SO-DIMM DDR5 slot supports server-grade ECC notebook strip |
| Networking | 4 * Intel i226-V 2.5G RJ45 UDE network ports support AllinOne and other applications |
| Video Output | HDMI+DP+Type-C triple display output supports 4K@60Hz |
| USB Ports | 3 * USB3.2+1 Type-C (USB4) interface 20Gbps rate<br>Built-in set of USB3.2 pin sockets can be connected to the panel through connecting cables<br>Built-in two USB2.0 sockets support U disk encryption and other applications and partial system boot |
Given these specifications, the Minisforum motherboard with an AMD Ryzen processor is well-equipped for a NAS server build, offering a balance of processing power, high-speed storage capabilities, and robust connectivity options.
| Where to Buy the CWWK 8-Bay / 9-Bay Board AMD-7735HS/7840HS/8845HS/7940HS Motherboard Combo: |
Best Gen 5 CPU+Motherboard Combo – MINISFORUM BD770i ITX Motherboard
Spec Highlights – BD770i-AMD Ryzen 7 7745HX, 8 Cores/16 Threads (5.1 GHz) OR BD790i-AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX, 16 Cores/32 Threads (up to 5.4 GHz), SODIMM DDR5 Slots×2 Max 64GB, 2×M.2 2280 PCIe5.0 SSD Slots, PCIe 5.0 X16 connector, 1x 2.5GbE and Lack of SATA! – $489 on AliExpress and $399 on Amazon
The Minisforum BD770i and BD790i motherboard and CPU combo represents a cutting-edge solution for enthusiasts and professionals seeking powerful performance in a small footprint. With the BD770i featuring the AMD Ryzen™ 7 7745HX and the BD790i equipped with the AMD Ryzen™ 9 7945HX, these systems offer unparalleled processing power that caters to a wide range of demanding tasks, from advanced computational workloads to intensive multitasking scenarios. The AMD Radeon™ 610M GPU, integrated into both models, while not designed for high-end gaming, capably supports everyday graphics needs, including casual gaming, video streaming, and content creation, making this combo a versatile choice for various computing needs.
The inclusion of PCIe 5.0 support stands out as a significant advantage, offering double the bandwidth of its predecessor, PCIe 4.0. This enhancement ensures that users can take advantage of the fastest available SSDs and expansion cards, dramatically reducing load times and facilitating quicker data access. This forward-thinking feature ensures that the system is prepared to handle future technological advancements, making it a wise investment for tech enthusiasts looking to stay ahead of the curve. However, it’s important to note the absence of traditional SATA ports, which means users with SATA drives will need to consider alternatives such as SATA M.2 adapters or adding a PCIe card to accommodate these devices. This requirement might necessitate additional planning and investment for those who wish to integrate existing storage solutions into their new setup.
| Specification | BD770i | BD790i |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | AMD Ryzen™ 7 7745HX, 8 Cores/16 Threads<br>(32M Cache, up to 5.1 GHz) | AMD Ryzen™ 9 7945HX, 16 Cores/32 Threads<br>(64M Cache, up to 5.4 GHz) |
| GPU | AMD Radeon™ 610M | AMD Radeon™ 610M |
| Memory | DDR5 Dual channel<br>(SODIMM Slots×2, up to 5200 MT/s, Max 64GB) | DDR5 Dual channel<br>(SODIMM Slots×2, up to 5200 MT/s, Max 64GB) |
| Storage | 2×M.2 2280 PCIe5.0 SSD Slots | 2×M.2 2280 PCIe5.0 SSD Slots |
| Expansion Slot | PCIe 5.0 X16 connector ×1 | PCIe 5.0 X16 connector ×1 |
| Wireless Connectivity | M.2 2230 Key E Slot | M.2 2230 Key E Slot |
| Video Output | HDMI2.0 ×1<br>DisplayPort1.4 ×1<br>USB-C ×1 | HDMI2.0 ×1<br>DisplayPort1.4 ×1<br>USB-C ×1 |
| Audio Output | HDMI2.0 ×1<br>DisplayPort1.4 ×1<br>USB-C ×1<br>Line Out ×1 | HDMI2.0 ×1<br>DisplayPort1.4 ×1<br>USB-C ×1<br>Line Out ×1 |
| Ethernet | RJ45 2.5G Ethernet Port×1 | RJ45 2.5G Ethernet Port×1 |
| USB Ports | USB3.2 Gen2 Type-C Port ×1 (Alt DP)<br>USB3.2 Gen1 Type-A Port ×2<br>USB2.0 Type-A Port ×2 | USB3.2 Gen2 Type-C Port ×1 (Alt DP)<br>USB3.2 Gen1 Type-A Port ×2<br>USB2.0 Type-A Port ×2 |
| I/O Ports | 4-pin CPU Fan header ×1<br>4-pin System Fan header ×2<br>4-pin SSD Fan header ×1<br>USB 3.2 Gen 1 header ×1<br>Front Panel Audio header ×1<br>System Panel header ×1 | 4-pin CPU Fan header ×1<br>4-pin System Fan header ×2<br>4-pin SSD Fan header ×1<br>USB 3.2 Gen 1 header ×1<br>Front Panel Audio header ×1<br>System Panel header ×1 |
| Form Factor | Mini-ITX Form Factor (170x170x1.6mm) | Mini-ITX Form Factor (170x170x1.6mm) |
A notable constraint in this powerful combo is the provision of a single RJ45 2.5G Ethernet port. While this port offers a solid network connection suitable for most applications, users with specialized networking needs or those looking to expand their network connectivity may find this limitation challenging. The necessity to potentially use the high-speed PCIe 5.0 slot for a network interface card upgrade, just to augment networking capabilities, could be seen as an inefficient use of this high-bandwidth resource. This situation highlights a trade-off between the advanced PCIe support and the flexibility in networking expansion, prompting users to carefully consider their priorities when planning their system configuration.
Despite these considerations, the overall package offered by the Minisforum BD770i and BD790i is compelling. The combination of cutting-edge CPU performance, robust PCIe 5.0 support, and a variety of connectivity options, including USB 3.2 ports and multiple video outputs, provides a solid foundation for a high-performance, compact computing solution. #
Furthermore, the support for up to 64GB of DDR5 memory and the inclusion of two M.2 2280 PCIe 5.0 SSD slots offer ample room for memory and storage expansion, enhancing the system’s capability to handle future needs. This blend of high-end features, coupled with the Mini-ITX form factor’s space efficiency, makes the BD770i and BD790i an attractive option for users seeking a powerful, yet manageable, computing platform.
| Where to Buy the MINISFORUM BD770i ITX Motherboard Combo: |
Best CPU+ Motherboard for a Premium Feature but Low Power Consumption NAS – The i3-N305 M-ITX Board
Spec Highlights – i3-N305, 4x Intel i226-V 2.5G Nics, 2x M.2 NVMe. 6x SATA, 1*DDR5 SODIMM, HDMI2.0 + DP – $289 on AliExpress
Currently, the “build your own” favorite across many forums, the new Intel N305 processor, an 8-core, eight-thread i3 processor, comes pre-installed on a Mini-ITX board. It not only provides a remarkably low 7-watt TDP when needed but also offers significant scalability in terms of both clock speed and power efficiency. The $289 N305 version of the CPU and Motherboard combo presents a practical and economical choice for commercial use (making it the perfect upgrade/alternative to the Topton N6005 / N5105 that was so popular last year for first time NAS DiY’ers). It is equipped with the Intel® Core™ i3-N305 Processor, which is a part of the Alder Lake-N series. This processor boasts eight cores and eight threads, with a max turbo frequency of 3.80 GHz, offering ample computing power for everyday tasks and certain commercial applications. The processor is fabricated using Intel 7 lithography technology, which is indicative of its advanced and efficient design.
Memory support on this combination is versatile, with the motherboard supporting a SO-DIMM DDR5 memory slot, compatible with frequencies of 4800/5200/5600MHz. Although the processor supports a maximum memory size of 16 GB, which is a consideration to keep in mind, the motherboard can handle up to 32 GB, potentially allowing for future upgrades if the board’s capacity is indeed supported by later CPU models or firmware updates.
The integrated graphics, Intel® UHD Graphics with 32 Execution Units, can dynamically operate at up to 1.25 GHz and support 4K content at 60Hz, making it suitable for high-definition displays and basic graphical tasks. Here’s the specification of the $289 N305 version of the CPU+Motherboard combo:
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Model Number | NAS-N100-N305 |
| Processor Brand | Intel |
| Processor Models | Intel® Alder Lake-N i3-N305 (up to 3.8 GHz) |
 |
|
| Type | MINI PC / PC Stick |
| Origin | Mainland China |
| Brand Name | YSJMNPC |
| Use | Commercial |
| Memory | – Support notebook DDR5 technology |
| – 1 SO-DIMM DDR5 slot | |
| – Compatible with 4800/5200/5600MHz | |
| – Max capacity: 32GB | |
| Storage | – 6 x SATA3.0 6Gb/s interface |
| – 2 x M.2 NVMe 2280 | |
| Graphics Card | Integrated Card (depending on processor model) |
| Network Card | 4 x Intel i226-V 2.5G RJ45 network port |
| I/O Panel | – 2 x USB 2.0 |
| – 1 x USB 3.0 | |
| – 1 x Type-C (2.0 rate) | |
| – 1 x HDMI | |
| – 1 x DP | |
| – 4 x RJ45 2.5G network port | |
| – 1 x AUDIO 3.5mm interface | |
| Motherboard Features | – Matte black PCB |
| – Moisture-free fiber 8-layer circuit | |
| – Full protection (USB, audio, network) | |
| TDP | 9-15W |
| Structure | MINI-ITX (17.0cm x 17.0cm) |
| Capacitor Design | All solid capacitor |
| Expansion Slots | 1 PCIe x1 (shared with 2nd M.2) |
| Onboard Interface | – F_PANEL pin |
| – TPM pin (compatible with ASUS TPM module) | |
| – USB2.0 pin | |
| – CPU_FAN 4-pin (temperature control) | |
| – SYS_FAN 4-pin (temperature control) | |
| – 24+4 ATX power interface | |
| Cooling | – Compatible with 115X radiators |
| – Silent temperature-controlled radiator | |
| – Support for two high-performance radiators | |
In terms of connectivity, the combo is well-equipped with a variety of interfaces, including multiple USB ports with different standards, HDMI 2.1, and DisplayPort 1.4 for video output, and an Intel i226-V 2.5G RJ45 network port for fast wired internet connections.
The inclusion of PCIe lanes and M.2 slots provides additional expansion capabilities, allowing for further customization and the addition of peripherals or storage solutions. The motherboard’s MINI-ITX form factor makes it a compact solution that can fit into small cases, suitable for workspaces with limited room. EASILY the easiest choice of all the NAS Mobo+CPU options on this list, as one of the newest, lowest in price – yet impressively powerful, despite its lower TDP.
| Where to Buy the i3-N305 CPU + M-ITX Motherboard Combo: |
Best CPU+ Motherboard+ Memory Combo for a Business File Server – The X99 Motherboard Kit (ITX)
Spec Highlights – Business X99 Motherboard Combo ITX LGA2011, C612 for NAS Router+File Server, 6×2.5GbE I226, 10xSATA, 1x M.2 (OS), 14Core / 28 Thread Intel Xeon E5-V3 V4- $176 on AliExpress
This combination is ideal for business users needing power and scalability. The X99 motherboard with an older Xeon CPU balances performance, connectivity, and storage expansion. It supports 10 SATA drives and a M.2 NVMe slot, alongside 15 gigabits of network bandwidth across six 2.5G Ethernet ports. The NAS CPU+Memory combo anchored by the Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4 is a robust solution for a NAS file server. The CPU’s 14 cores and 28 threads are engineered for multitasking and can efficiently manage the demands of multiple simultaneous data transactions, which is a common requirement in NAS setups. The motherboard’s ten SATA ports and an M.2 NVMe slot offer versatile and ample storage options, facilitating both high-capacity and high-speed data storage solutions. This combination of CPU power and storage flexibility makes it an excellent choice for a NAS system.
owever, the Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4 processor’s launch date in Q1’16 might give pause to some users considering the latest advancements in processor technology. While newer CPUs may offer improved power efficiency and the benefit of ongoing support from Intel, the E5-2680 v4 still holds its ground as a reliable workhorse. Its architecture, although not the newest, delivers steadfast performance which, alongside its competitive pricing, presents an exceptional value proposition for budget-conscious setups or where cutting-edge efficiency is not the primary concern.
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4, 14 cores, up to 3.30 GHz Turbo |
 |
|
| Chipset | Intel C612 |
| Memory Support | 2x DDR4 DIMM slots, up to 64 GB, supports ECC |
| Storage Options | 1x M.2 NVMe, 10x SATA Ports |
| Expansion | 1x PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| Network | 6x Intel i226 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet |
| Power Supply | ATX 24 Pin + 8 Pin |
| Video Output | VGA |
| RAID Support | RAID 0/1/5/10 |
| Form Factor | Mini-ITX, CEB |
| Socket Type | LGA 2011-3 |
| Launch Date | 2013 |
| LAN Speed | Up to 2500Mbps |
| Audio | 2.1 Channels |
In essence, for organizations or users seeking a cost-effective yet powerful NAS solution, this CPU and motherboard combo remains compelling. The Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4, despite its age, is a testament to enduring performance in server environments. Users leveraging this processor for a NAS will find it to be a cost-effective solution that capably handles storage demands, making it an excellent value for its price point. To explore more about this processor’s capabilities and see how it might fit into your NAS plans, you can visit the Intel specifications page.
| Where to Buy the X99 ITX Motherboard Combo in 3 Configs Here: |
Best CPU+ Motherboard for High Speed M.2 NVMe Slots + PLEX – The Erying 13900HK CPU+Mobo Combo
Spec Highlights – ERYING DIY ITX Desktop Motherboard Set with Onboard 14 Core / 20 Thread CPU i9-13900HK, 3x M.2 NVMe (Gen 4 and Gen 3), PCIe 4×8 Slot, 2.5G+1G Port, USB-C, DDR5 Memory $419 on AliExpress
Designed for NAS builders focusing on media servers or intensive computing tasks. The Erying i9 combo, equipped with a 13th Gen Intel Core processor and a Mini-ITX motherboard, features three M.2 NVMe slots and is optimized for graphic-intensive operations. It’s ideal for Plex servers and virtualization.
The Intel Core i9-13900HK processor bundled with this motherboard is a top-tier choice for a NAS setup, especially for a Plex Media Server. Its high-speed multi-core performance, reaching up to 5.40 GHz with Intel’s Turbo Boost Technology, is ideal for on-the-fly transcoding, ensuring seamless media streaming across devices. This is particularly beneficial for users who require their NAS to handle high-resolution video transcoding, a task that the i9-13900HK can manage with ease due to its robust processing capabilities and advanced integrated graphics.
The motherboard’s triple M.2 NVMe slots are a game-changer for NAS configurations, offering not just ample storage potential but also blistering data access speeds. NVMe technology excels in high-demand scenarios, such as multiple simultaneous accesses to the NAS, which is common in VM / Container environments. Users can leverage these slots to set up a RAID configuration, allowing for either performance enhancement through striping or data redundancy for added security.
Moreover, the Intel Core i9-13900HK comes with Intel’s UHD Graphics, which supports 4K resolution at 60Hz over HDMI and DisplayPort outputs. This graphical prowess, in combination with the processor’s ability to support fast memory, adds to the NAS’s capability as a potent media server that can handle 4K content playback and transcoding without breaking a sweat.
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Processor | 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13900HK, up to 5.40 GHz |
 |
|
| Graphics | Integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics |
| Memory Support | DDR5, 2 slots, up to 96GB |
| Storage Options | 3x M.2 slots (NVMe), 2x SATA 3 Ports |
| Expansion Slots | 1x PCIe 4.0 x4, 1x PCIe 4.0 x8 |
| Network | 2x Onboard RJ45, WiFi |
| Audio | 5.1 Channels |
| Back I/O Ports | 2x USB 3.2/3.1 Gen 1, DisplayPort, 4x USB 2.0, HDMI 2.0, 3x Audio Jacks |
| USB Support | USB 2.0, USB 3.0 |
| RAID Support | No |
| Form Factor | Mini-ITX |
| Chipset | Intel Others |
| Socket Type | Onboard CPU |
| Brand Name | ERYING |
| Origin | Mainland China |
| Certifications | RoHS, FCC, CE |
Finally, while this CPU+Motherboard combo is positioned as an advanced solution for NAS setups, its high-end specifications suggest that it is overqualified for just storage purposes. The presence of the latest connectivity options, robust I/O support, and high-bandwidth LAN ports make it well-suited for a variety of other intensive applications, including gaming, content creation, and design. This versatility ensures that the investment in such a setup can be justified across multiple use cases beyond a typical NAS. For detailed processor specifications and capabilities, further information can be explored on Intel’s official product specifications page.
Bottom Line, there are going to be users who are looking at how expensive ‘turnkey’ NAS solutions can cost, then see what just the hardware parts would cost in a DiY alternative. For example, below is the cost of a fully specced out QNAP Intel Core build vs the cost fo JUST the CPU and Motherboard in the Erying board:
Needless to say, this is not a completely fair comparison. The QNAP includes all the building, the software, the PSU, cables, case, testing and all under a single warranty. Still, it IS food for thought for those that are happy to build their own NAS and save some $$$s.
Where to Buy the Erying Intel Mobo Combo (3 Versions):
C = Cores , T = Threads |
Best POWER + Storage CPU+Motherboard M-ITX Combo – The Intel 13th Gen The Minisforum AR900i (4x M.2 4×4 and 5×16 PCIe)
Spec Highlights – Intel® Core™ i9-13900HX Processor, 24 C/32 T (36M Cache, up to 5.4 GHz) Intel® UHD Graphics for 13th Gen Intel® Processors, SODIMM DDR5 Slots×2, up to 5600 MT/s, Max 64GB, 4×M.2 2280 PCIe4.0 x4, SSD Slots PCIe 5.0 X16 connector, 1x 2.5GbE and Lack of SATA AGAIN! – Check on AliExpress and $399 on Amazon
The Minisforum AR900i motherboard, in combination with the potent Intel® Core™ i9-13900HX CPU, forms a formidable base for power users. The AR900i is a Mobile Desktop (MoDT) motherboard that leverages the might of the 13th Gen Intel® flagship CPU, providing an exceptional 24 cores and 32 threads for heavy multitasking and demanding applications. Notably, the four M.2 2280 PCIe4.0 SSD slots are designed for rapid storage with RAID capabilities, reflecting a setup intended for high-speed operations and data security. The motherboard’s inclusion of SFF-8643 connectors represents an innovative shift away from static SATA ports, offering a dynamic and scalable solution for storage expansion. This approach is particularly beneficial for custom builds that require a neat cable management system and the flexibility to adjust storage configurations with ease. The PCIe 5.0 X16 slot on this motherboard is a forward-thinking feature, catering to the latest and most powerful GPUs and ensuring that the system is ready for the next generation of graphics and expansion cards.
However, it’s important to consider the networking capabilities of the AR900i. With only a single RJ45 2.5G Ethernet port, users who need enhanced networking may have to invest in a PCIe 5.0 compatible NIC, potentially sacrificing the valuable high-speed slot that could be used for other high-performance components. This choice underscores the need to balance the motherboard’s impressive storage and expansion capabilities with networking needs. The AR900i represents Minisforum’s dedication to compact, high-performance computing solutions. With support for triple-screen displays up to 8K, built-in AX210 wireless card for WiFi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.3, this motherboard offers comprehensive connectivity options for a variety of uses, from gaming to professional creative workstations.
| Specification Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Processor | Intel® Core™ i9-13900HX, 24 Cores/32 Threads (36M Cache, up to 5.4 GHz) |
| GPU | Intel® UHD Graphics for 13th Gen Intel® Processors |
| Chipset | Intel® HM770 Chipset |
| Memory | DDR5 Dual channel (SODIMM Slots×2, up to 5600 MT/s, Max 64GB) |
| Storage | 4×M.2 2280 PCIe4.0 SSD Slots |
| Expansion Slot | PCIe 5.0 X16 connector ×1 |
| Wireless Connectivity | M.2 2230 Key E Slot |
| Video Output | HDMI2.0 ×1, DisplayPort1.4 ×1, USB-C ×1 |
| Audio Output | HDMI2.0 ×1, DisplayPort1.4 ×1, USB-C ×1, Line Out ×1 |
| Ethernet | RJ45 2.5G Ethernet Port×1 |
| USB Ports | USB3.2 Gen2 Type-C Port ×1 (Alt DP), USB3.2 Gen2 Type-A Port ×2, USB2.0 Type-A Port ×2 |
| I/O Ports | 4-pin CPU Fan header ×1, 4-pin System Fan header ×2, 4-pin SSD Fan header ×1, USB 3.2 Gen 2 header ×1, Front Panel Audio header ×1, System Panel header ×1 |
| Form Factor | Mini-ITX Form Factor (170x170mm) |
The Intel® Core i9-13900HX processor, with its 24 cores and 32 threads, is a powerhouse suitable for a DIY NAS setup geared towards enthusiasts and professionals requiring robust performance for tasks such as media transcoding, file serving, and hosting complex databases. The processor’s 36M cache and peak speeds of up to 5.4 GHz ensure that multiple operations can be handled efficiently, supporting a smooth and responsive network storage experience. The addition of Intel UHD Graphics for 13th Gen Intel® Processors also allows for hardware-accelerated video encoding and decoding, which can be a significant advantage for a NAS serving as a media server. In terms of memory, the system’s support for DDR5 dual-channel RAM, with speeds up to 5600 MT/s and a maximum capacity of 64GB, provides ample bandwidth and storage for running a NAS operating system along with any additional services. This is particularly important for a NAS that may be handling simultaneous data-intensive tasks. The four M.2 2280 PCIe4.0 SSD slots offer high-speed storage options, ideal for caching or fast data access needs, enhancing the overall performance and speed of the NAS.
The connectivity options of this setup are also noteworthy. The motherboard’s Mini-ITX form factor is well-suited for NAS builds, where space efficiency is often a priority. The inclusion of a PCIe 5.0 X16 expansion slot allows for additional upgrades, such as adding a dedicated network interface card for improved network throughput or additional storage controllers if the four M.2 slots are insufficient. The onboard 2.5G Ethernet port provides a faster-than-gigabit connection, beneficial for transferring large files over the network. With a comprehensive range of I/O ports, including USB3.2 Gen2 and USB-C, the system can accommodate a variety of peripherals and external drives, making it a versatile choice for a DIY NAS setup.
| Where to Buy the Intel 13th Gen i9 The Minisforum AR900i CPU + M-ITX Motherboard Combo: |
Best Cheap CPU+MoBo+SSD+RAM Combo – The Topton N6005 CPU+Mobo Combo
Spec Highlights – Topton NAS Motherboard N6005, 4x Intel i226-V 2.5G Nics, Dual M.2 NVMe, Six SATA3.0, 2*DDR4 SODIMM, HDMI2.0, Mini ITX / M-ITX- $261 on AliExpress ($399 for 32GB DDR4 RAM and 1TB M.2 NVMe Included – see image below)
The Topton N6005 combo offers excellent value, combining an Intel Pentium N6005 processor, motherboard, 16GB RAM, and an NVMe OS SSD. Its popularity stems from its low cost and high performance, suitable for a variety of DIY NAS builds.
| Component | Specification |
|---|---|
| CPU | Integrated Jasper Lake Intel Celeron N6005 |
| RAM | 2x SO-DIMM DDR4 slots, up to 64GB (2400/2666/2933MHz) |
| Storage | 2x M.2 NVMe 2280 slots (PCIe 3.0 x1), 6x SATA 3.0 ports |
| Network | 4x Intel i226-V 2.5Gbps network interfaces |
| Form Factor | Mini-ITX (17.0 cm x 17.0 cm) |
| System Support | Microsoft® Windows 10/11 64-bit, Linux |
| Main Characteristics | – Matte Black PCB |
| – High-density moisture-proof fiber circuit board | |
| – Full protection (USB, audio source, network interface) | |
| GPU | Integrated Intel UHD Graphics (24EUs for N5105, 32EUs for N6005) |
| IO Ports | 2x USB 3.0, 4x USB 2.0, 1x HDMI, 1x DP |
| LAN | 4x RJ-45 2.5G NET |
| Additional Features | – Auto power-on, Wake-On-LAN, PXE support |
| Structure | Solid Capacitor Design |
Priced at $261 on AliExpress, and $399 when bundled with 32GB DDR4 RAM and a 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD, the Topton N6005 motherboard combo stands out for its affordability. This price point makes it an accessible entry for enthusiasts and professionals alike who are looking to build a high-performance NAS without incurring exorbitant costs. The inclusion of substantial RAM and fast NVMe storage in the bundle further adds to the value, offering what one might need for a robust NAS setup at a price that challenges many competitors in the market.
The CPU, an Intel Celeron N6005, is a Jasper Lake processor that strikes a balance between efficiency and capability. With a base frequency of 2.0 GHz and a burst frequency of up to 2.9 GHz across its four cores, it’s engineered to handle the multitasking demands of a NAS system. The 10W TDP reflects a design optimized for low power consumption, making it an economical choice for 24/7 operation, a critical consideration for NAS systems which are expected to be always on.
On the storage front, the Topton N6005 shines with two M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 x1 2280 slots for high-speed data transfer and six SATA3 6Gb/s ports for ample storage capacity. This allows users to install fast NVMe drives for the operating system and frequently accessed files, while the SATA ports can host larger hard drives for bulk storage. Such a combination is perfect for a NAS system, providing quick access to data and large storage pools for backup, media libraries, or network file sharing. If you are considering the Topton N6005 CPU+Motherboard combination for PLEX Media Server, I made a dedicated video on this using this CPU/Mobo in the Jobsno N2 NAS Case below, testing 4K Multimedia:
The Topton N6005 has garnered popularity among NAS builders for several reasons. It offers a mini-ITX form factor, which is ideal for compact builds, and includes four 2.5Gbps Intel i226-V network interfaces, enhancing its functionality as a home or small office server. Additionally, the CPU’s support for up to 64GB of DDR4 RAM means it can handle more demanding NAS tasks, such as running virtual machines or hosting databases. These features, coupled with its energy efficiency and expandability, make the Topton N6005 a sought-after component for building versatile and powerful NAS systems.
| Where to Buy the TopTon N6005 Motherboard |
Disclaimer – The Jonsbo N1, N2 and N3 are STILL the Best NAS Enclosures
Jonsbo’s range of NAS enclosures stands out as an industry benchmark for those keen on custom desktop NAS builds. These enclosures seamlessly blend aesthetics with functionality, showcasing a meticulous design ethos that addresses both the visual and technical demands of modern users. The build quality is exceptional, employing high-grade materials that not only ensure durability but also aid in efficient heat dissipation, a critical factor for continuous NAS operations. Furthermore, Jonsbo has consistently demonstrated a forward-thinking approach by incorporating features that cater to future expansion and adaptability. Their user-friendly design ensures easy installation and maintenance, making them a preferred choice for both novices and seasoned builders. Backed by positive user reviews and a reputation for reliability, Jonsbo NAS enclosures are, without a doubt, one of the best investments for those aiming to craft a high-performance, custom desktop NAS system.
 |
 |
 |
| Jonsbo N1 5/6 Bay
Price (9/23) – $96 |
Jonsbo N2 5/6 Bay
Price (9/23) – $89 |
Jonsbo N3 5/6 Bay
Price (9/23) – $92 |
Recommended Add-ons and Extras to Remember for Your DiY NAS Build
Building a NAS involves more than just the CPU and motherboard; enclosures, memory, PSUs, and other accessories are essential. Future guides will detail these components, alongside recommendations for smaller, crucial accessories to enhance your DIY NAS server’s functionality.
M.2-to-6xSATA Adapter ($10-15) – HERE on AliExpress or HERE on Amazon.com
PCie Card to Add 4x M.2 to Your Mobo $20-50 (Check Lane/Speed of Mobo and Compatibility First) – HERE on AliExpress or HERE on Amazon.com
Compatible CPU Cooler (CPU Dependant) $25-50- HERE on AliExpress or HERE on Amazon.com
SATA Fan Out Cable – HERE on AliExpress or HERE on Amazon.com
Here is our article on the BEST (and worst) NAS Enclosures and Cases you can find on AliExpress for your DiY NAS Build. Click the banner below to read the article, alternatively, you can watch the detailed video HERE. Alternatively, you can watch a video on the best and worst NAS enclosures on Amazon here instead.
📧 SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER 🔔 This description contains links to Amazon. These links will take you to some of the products mentioned in today's content. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Visit the NASCompares Deal Finder to find the best place to buy this device in your region, based on Service, Support and Reputation - Just Search for your NAS Drive in the Box Below
🔒 Join Inner Circle
Get an alert every time something gets added to this specific article!
Need Advice on Data Storage from an Expert?
Finally, for free advice about your setup, just leave a message in the comments below here at NASCompares.com and we will get back to you.
Need Help?
Where possible (and where appropriate) please provide as much information about your requirements, as then I can arrange the best answer and solution to your needs. Do not worry about your e-mail address being required, it will NOT be used in a mailing list and will NOT be used in any way other than to respond to your enquiry.
TRY CHAT
Terms and Conditions
(Early Access) Flashstor Gen 2 NAS - SHOULD YOU BUY? (Short Review)
(Early Access) The DREAM Video Editor NAS - Flashstor Gen 2 Review (FS6806X)
(Early Access) A $230 10GbE and i3 6 Bay NAS Mobo - HOW? Any Good? (MW-N305-NAS)
(Early Access) CWWK Q670 8-Bay Gen5 NAS Mobo Review (UPGRADED VERSION)
(Early Access) Flashstor Gen 1 vs Flashstor Gen 2 - Which Is Best?
(Early Access) UGREEN vs Terramaster vs Asustor NAS - Best For Your Budget
Access content via Patreon or KO-FI
I love seagulls ????
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
N305 version is nowhere to be found now. Its not available or its at least double the price of N100
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
I have a basic NAS for home use and I am wanting to experiment with Freenas, Proxnox etc, I just bought a Chinese motherboard (C612) with a 14-core (xeon 2680V3) 32Gb of ram and 5 ports the 2.5Gb.
I want to learn how to install and configure virtual servers with it
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
bro you are not MrBeast, if you want to do multi-language audio just hire some fucking voice actor, and not IA shit robot, it’s UNWATCHABLE
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
If you are getting the N17 please be the canary and put some udimm ecc in and let us know if it works. N17 looks great but if going to drop £300 (2x32gb) on ram want to know its going to work. Thanks for reviews awesome work ????
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
I know I’m a year late, but fantastic walkthrough – inspired me to build one myself! Subbed and will dive deeper down this rabbit hole, thank you!
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
I bought a Topton computer on Aliexpress and I was so angry with myself, it was a poor quality product, without technical support, it was money thrown away. If you want some advice from a friend, look for another brand.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Any of them have AV1 encoding?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Do you have any non-Chinese recommendations? I’m worried about having to waste time trying to deal with returns, documentation, and debugging. Willing to pay a couple hundred extra as a premium.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Is this just an coincidence that he got the same background as Alex on Autos? ????
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
For me it’s CW-NAS-ADLN-K N100 purple mobo. I bought it for 148 USD (without VAT) including JONSBO CPU cooller. It has 2xI226-V, 2xminiPCIe 3.0 (x1) 1xPCIe 3.0 (x4), 6xSATA (ASM1160). Suggestion is to add 0.5 mm thermal pad between CPU die and heat spreader. The only question is what PSU to use with this low powered mobo for six 3.5″ HDD. I’m thinking about Chinese pico PSU, but they have bad amperage on 5V rail. Six 3.5″ HDD can require up to 8A on 5V rail during spin-up.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Loved your vid, TrueNAS is a bit sketchy to first setup but does it job after a while of tinkering. The 6 port sata controller based on the ASMedia 1166 chipset is the way to go? Works great with TN instead of the JMB585… Don’t cheap out on that one. I used a PCI x4 card, neater and cleaner with cables. And btw, for the money and quality of parts stop using the Ali bords and just buy an Asus N100 or something… Good bios, great hardware and you can support local or national companies
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
I don’t think you look ill, but I also don’t think Bananaman has aged well. Does the mask still fit?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Question, how do i know what mobos, cpus and hba cards support c states?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Crazy town, banana pants is my new go to saying for anything awesome from now on! Let’s get that to go covid viral everyone!
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
The trouble with mATX motherboards and such is they don’t fit into many (if any) NAS enclosures you can buy. I ended up buying an 8bay NAS enclosure with the motherboard thats pictured on your right (off aliexpress). The only other bits and bobs I had to get was a small ATX Flex power supply to suit the enclosure, couple sticks of memory 2x8GB), two 4xSATA to SFF cables (to go from the backplanes to the mobo) and a fan splitter cable. Unfortunately it’s still sitting in the office to put together LOL
My reasoning with the N5105 board was the 6 SATA, 2xNVME, 4×2.5GB ports. Sure it’s only got 4 cores/4 threads but then again, so do a lot of QNAP and Synology NAS’. And with a case I never have to change, I can change out the Mobo in a few years time when other’s get cheaper and better spec’ed. The one downside to purchasing anything off Aliexpress is the lack of documentation.
I think the biggest cost in the whole project is the case – due to it’s physical size. Shipping to AU was in the $100 mark alone. You can buy almost complete kits (Case, Mobo, PS, memory etc) from the one seller. In my case, it was slightly cheaper getting the case and Mobo sent from China and getting the rest local.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
So many strange limitations. Why? B450+APU If you dont want nvme Nas, or Ryzen 3100 or higher with B550 board can deliver you +4 m.2 through bifurcation card – you can use it for nvme Nas or to connect +4 strange adapters for m.2 that you like, 10gbe lan etc. To low power consumption you can play with cpu tdp in BIOS and use picoPSU or HDPLEX. And if you make a little research, you can even use ECC memory
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Great video! After the £1300+ NAS it is nice to see some cheaper options. I liked the look of some of the cheap Aliexpress cases until I saw the shipping cost.????
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
I would be really interested in a comparison of Intel vs AMD comparison for video transcoding. i know quicksync is king… but what performances can you expect from an AMD CPU? not everyone needs multiple 4k videos being transcoded at all times, so if the AMD CPUs would handle 1 or 2 videos transcoding, then that would open up the choises of CPU for a lot of people…
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Be interested to see what you can when buying from UK retailers.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Wow, great timing! I bought a Ugreen dxp4800 plus and have been running with hot temps (don’t seem uncommon). I recently got a 15U server rack and might be interested in building a rack mounted server and selling the Ugreen so I’m excited for the video you’re planning on doing with the rack server build!!
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Chinese trade tariffs for US consumers could be great for us on the other side of the pond. Faced with higher US tariffs and likely lower US demand the Chinese will choose to sell more in Europe, pushing prices down for Europeans / Brits. Thank Trumpy ???? !
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Honestly I think you’ve beat the low DIY end to death,. What are the high end DIY options?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
The Qotom board with Atom C3000 cpu has build in SFF8087 connector that you probably missed so it gives you 4 + 2 on board sata. STH did nice review of it under the name of a Everything Fanless router
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Great video! Can you review the CWWK N100 purple board? I’m curious because it uses ASM1166 controller instead of the more common JMB585 controller.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Great info in this vid again. I have been going over a lot of your videos because I’m looking into making a server/nas with 12x 12tb drives and 4 x pci 3 m.2 2tb, My use cases: long term storage, backup family of 6 data from phones and tablets, few vm’s, plex, steam cache, downloads and more. I do have a x570 mobo with a 5900x in a box but it doesn’t have ecc and uses a lot of power prob. Just finding a board that can handle all that is a little tricky for a decent price with 10gb. Keep up the great work looking forward to all the future videos.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
As an idea for a future video, look into RockStor OS and compare it against OMV, specifically focussing on the use of encrypted BTRFS partitions.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Why not the q670 white? Just came out and looks very promising. Also, would love if aspm c-states was discussed more here.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
overpriced, underpowered, too lacking in resources
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
I run my Unraid server with a B450 motherboard and a 5600G. In hindsight I should have done with Intel for the quicksync support but it’s done well to host my Jellyfin server and do transcoding.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Are any of these capable of gaming like what was shown by Asustor with the Flashstor gen 2 using iscsi at Computex?
Would I be able to build an nvme nas capable of gaming for a price competitive with the Flashstor gen2?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
What I’ve learnt from the years of building NAS and homelab, you don’t need to go for ITX unless your space is really limited, going MATX or even ATX really remove lots of your problems, like limited SATA, PCIE slot or IO, and remember in a NAS system, most of power consumption are from your HDD, it matters very little your CPU TDP is 15W or 45W.
If you worry about the case, most of 8 bay or even some 6 bay NAS cases can support MATX now, and you can just use a mid tower PC case if you don’t care about the look.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
I just grabbed the other day the n17 with 7840s…building my first Nas for plex in a Jonsbo N2 case…my only worry is that the ram is limited to 4800mhz. If someone would want to use transcoding in plex/jellyfish as AMD is not always supported/for working for now. intel a310 eco from sparkle is a great piece as its low profile and single slot
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
I bought a TOPTON computer on Aliexpress and I don’t recommend it, it’s a disposable and maintenance-free product. I don’t recommend it either.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Yeah I love U-Nas but they never seem to be in stock UGH!
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
I bought a Topton computer and threw my money away, it is a low quality product, without technical support. Friendly advice, look for another brand.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
I am still thinking to made by your guide around 300-350£ or buy Synology 423+ different 100-150£ + good warranty , quality .
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
As a noob with 4x 4tb nvme drives and only basic knowledge, what would you recommend for me?
I don’t care about crazy speeds, i just don’t want to have all of these connected to my PC with a bunch of usb cables and the storage separated by drives.
Also, would i just hook the nas up to the wall and plug it to my spectrum router?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
45:26 …what did you spill onto your fan cover filter? The world wonders.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
I miss what is wattage usage of this setup .
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
You FAILED, I can buy used HP Z800 with 128RAM 2x XEON, for 300Eur. I is way better then any china crap you have here, the Synology or QNAP is even more overprices china crap.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
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! ????
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Its xpenology compatible?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Cavity is not the same as a hole. Cavity is empty enclosed space, like a mini cave.
What you call cavities are simply holes or openings.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
I just purchased a NAS case on Aliexpress for $772 with delivery absolutely insane but it’s completely CNC aluminum and has 10 nvme capable bays. The X-nas chassis. Looks cool so I bought it. Filling it with a Single AMD EPYC CPU 256GB ram and a few 8TB U.2 drives and 100GbE.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
my Synology 215+ still going strong after almost 10 years lol. even gets updates.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Horrible overrated case (good video though). What if you want to put SSD drives in those drive bays without drive trays? Doh!!
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
I need ECC, 10Gb, Quick Sync, mini itx
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
I have the AUDHEID case and it’s awesome. I wouldn’t buy it though because the Jonsbo N4 black is available now and it’s 100 dollars less and nearly identical and the differences are all upgrades unless you need 8 bays.
I had a 1U psu to put into the AUDHEID and did a 6x8tb RaidZ2 with 2x250gb ssd for vms and M.2 for boot and 1 for Cache. It’s hard to find all that in a prebuilt.
Prior to this I had the Fractal 804 with 8x4tb which is also good but I had issues with hanging drives and the sata cables and it was just huge.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
I have an ex2 by WD. It’s time to increase my capabilities. I was going to build an old pc and fill it with hdd. This is a great option.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Great review, you will save alot of people countless hours money and effort to find this info out
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
AMD AM4 boards do support ECC. Take a look at the ASRock B550M-ITX/ac. It supports ether a 16 or 32 Gb dimm.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
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.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
thank you
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Yo what’s that track at the beginning???
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
i found silverstone cs 351. i think i’m gonna build my nas on it. small, micro atx, and 5 3.5″ bay with individual key lock. perfect.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
you still can use some silverstone sugo and turns 5.25 bays into 6×2.5 bays with key lock. the silverstone sugo sg14 in addition with ToughArmor MB996SK-6SB
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
@10:43 6 bays are the best you can make a 5 discs raid and still having an hot spare. beyond 6 bays drive are expensive, case is big, and motherboards are hard to found.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
i thought you were nice but lot of chineses nas manufacturers are banrupt after this video ????
super funny and very great tips. especially what i love about your channel is that you care about budget, you don’t simply recommend the most expensive tools out there.
findind theses rare gem is an absolute hard work, and your 50 tabs opened here are just the surface of the iceberg ^^
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
i purchasse a jonsbo tk1 on ali express, waited for 6 month, and right after i received it, it turned popular and available in any tech website in europe.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
@1:10 someone at ali express brainstorming “he needs a nas case, show him the some fake fingernails” everyone else “oh yeah great idea boss”. it’s because of the automatic translation, you can’t use the website in its original language and even if you could, you should provide your request in chinese i guess.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Thanks for making this video. I’ve ordered all the bits and pieces to put a Jonsbo N2 NAS together.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
I recently put together a DIY NAS – I used a Normal Antec P101 Silent case. It has 8 bays internal and lots of ventilation, and cost me AUD$159 = GBP83
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Soooo… For mATX tried and true Node 804 from Fractal it is 🙂 Half the price of the AliExpress ones (factoring shipping costs) and available locally.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
One solution for mITX+ECC+new gen CPU is AM4 Ryzens offering paired with B450/B550 mITX boards, or even A520 (preferably ASRock or ASUS, as they report the best ECC support). When paired with Ryzen PRO G series APUs, you get the iGPU that you can use with Jellyfin for hardware transcoding support (no Plex as far as I know). Just don’t use normal G-series CPUs, as they don’t support ECC.
If you don’t need iGPU, then you can go for any modern Ryzen, as they support ECC (except non-PRO G-series).
Very important – Ryzen only support unbuffered ECC (UDIMM) opposed to registered ECC (RDIMM) with server chipset boards. UDIMM memory is a bit more expensive and usually harder to find on a used market. Still, you can usually get 2x16GB DDR4 ECC UDIMM for around 120USD new. The highest size support I’ve seen on the mITX boards was 2x32GB.
Using Ryzens PRO G-series also should produce lower idle power, as those have monolithic cores, similar to laptops, thus not needing to power the infiniti fabric between chiplets.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
A good option would have been the fractal design R5 define.
It’s what I’m using right now.
It has sound deadening panels.
It’s plain black.
Totally unobtrusive.
Absolutely SILENT when you’re running it.
Comes with EIGHT HDD bays, on sleds.
ATX case.
So you can use all kinds of PCIE cards.
It even has 5.25 drive bays for Tape Backup.
Just stick it in a corner and forget about it.
It’s NOT hot swappable, but for the love of God, hot swap is overkill for a home server/NAS
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Hot Swap Bays in a home server/NAS is totaly overkill.
The vast majority of users simply won’t have ‘spare’ drives ready to hot swap into.
They will purchase a replacement as and when a drive fails.
If it’s mission critical you have spare drives knocking around, then you certainly shouldn’t be rolling your own NAS machine.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
U leaving off cost of unraid? Not that good after adding or close to other with vendor’s support
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Can you review sagittarius 8 bay nas case
It seems to be really good
Thank you
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
make videos less than 1 hour …
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Would you advise another psu which is at least gold rated or are you satisfied with yours for 24/7 usage?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
HI! I am struggling to find the adapters for the N2 front panel USBs to Topton USB pins, could you link youir solution? thank you!
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
best video ever
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Car sick Mate!
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
How are the hdd temps it that? They seems to be pretty crammed and that I/O boars seems to cover whole fan.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
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!
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
what an unfortunate intro…
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
What is the best motherboard cpu combination for nas and media server? Thanks.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Yeah the delivery costs make reasonable cases seem very unreasonable costwise all of a sudden. That’s when you need a third party like a Groupon for geeks which will get the orders together, fill up a container and ship it for the cost of just a few shipped cases but shared over a large number of people it would be reasonable (I don’t know what local shipping costs would be like but PC cases seem to get shipped about regularly enough that I can’t imagine that it’s too expensive)
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Do I need a sata power splitter cable?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
I’m in Australia and have a ‘Fetch Mighty’ STB with Plex on it. Does anyone know if I can play HEVC on that with direct play? The specs say it does
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
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.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
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 ,
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Very helpful thanks for taking the time to put this together ????????
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
I have two of your presented cases at home. The first ugly one in 8-bay configuration and the silver one you almost buy (https://youtu.be/68sudIiwh5w?t=1027) without display. On the ugly one there has very little space between the HDD cage and fans even for a standard Sata cable. I had to buy special cables with short connectors and 90 degrees cables to be able to fit them in without too much strain. Also the space for CPU fan is cramped (about 40mm max) and definitely has not enough space to cool powerful CPU. The silver one has one great feature that not many of other NAS cages have, and that is SFF connector to connect disk backplanes. So, if you use external RAID card you can end up only using two cables to connect 8 drives. It also have removable plate for installation of motherboard which is useful at least in the building process. And it has nice space for CPU fan.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
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.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
why so many boards with 4 x 2.5 GbE and so few with 1 x 10 Gbe?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Found a review for the Xeon 6x 2.5gbps Ethernet port motherboard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHAs6xHmhhE&t=1474s
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Are you pointing the power supply fan INTO the case? Is that correct?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
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
❤
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Norco 4224 going strong for a decade.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
You remind me of Tim Curry
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
I enjoyed the video, great! For me, I’ll skip the flex atx PSU tho because of of noise and availability. I built one with SFX type.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
U-Nas has a goofy way to use pci-e cards, a riser cable is needed
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Listen (I know you can hear me, just an expression)! I am at the crossroads between buyng the cwwk 9 sata board or the minisforum AR 900i for my Jonsbo N3 case. I am not a graphics monster kind of guy, but with the minisforum, I will use the PciE slot for an LSE controller, but with the cwwk it can handle drives from the board (leaving the PciE slot open. I don’t know who will read this, but GIVE ME your assessment. It will be a NAS and maybe turn into a VM machine of some type (windows, linus etc.) with 32GB DDR5. OK so nobody knows me, and I don’t know you (except the NASCompares guy). Let me know… almost time to buy..
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Those connectors for front panel are standard front panel connectors. They’re not on your motherboard because you bought a cheap ITX one.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
If ECC doesn’t matter and the used market is something you’re comfortable with – there are now many H110 ITX and Q170 ITX boards. Some are even coming with external 12V or 19V PSUs (HP 7.4mm barrel jack), like the Asus Q170T.
A Pentium G4560 or i3 7100 would be dirt cheap to use with them. They’re limited to 4 SATA slots (or in case of regular ITX, however many your HBA can support) and having access to 7th gen means the HD 630 will do hardware transcodes for 4k DV/HDR content with no problem if you need it. In fact, QuickSync means you get better performance than from Nvidia or AMD by a long shot.
Now the only way I’d ever consider this is for an ultra budget NAS that’s also space constrained (so Optiplex or similar is not an option) – but you can do a full build for under $200 guaranteed.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
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.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
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.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Are you getting laid by the word? Lol
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Considering I want an all flash NAS, is the ar900i the best choice? If so would one of the 4 nvme slots have to be used for os?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Be Real ,,, just Sellect qnap !
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Beware, CWWK AMD-7840HS don’t have ECC. The processor does not have ECC in this board.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
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!
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Upvoted for the bird
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
‘This is some Tron-level Logan’s Run-style casing…’ too funny. I don’t do any NAS but am a hardware fanatic but I would tune in just for the entertainment value. Keep ’em coming.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
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.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Also resale value of turn key is something worth considering. DIY resale close to zero once components get old. Whereas synology keeps value well.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
The hair is a nice touch, funny
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Why did I end up here? I was searching for nail extensions on AliExpress and WTF.. here I am…. I understand nothing about what you’re talking about, however thumbs up and you have a new subscriber ????
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
How reliable is apevia?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
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?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Hi, what do you think about using SAN-Enclosures and SAS-Controllers for building an NAS?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Perfect system! However, I’m VERY curious what the power consumption (in Watt) this system averages in with all HDD’s spun down?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
That rack mount one bay Glad to see your doing diy hopefully you sell them too
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
What we truly need is cost effective NAS cases! Everything on the market is crazy expensive. The 4 bay case for mITX motherboards are a minimum $80 and anything for mATX, you are looking at $200.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
I really like rackchoice. They have a lot of very different and cool options at a very affordable price. Jonsbo is also a great option, but they tend not to fit my tastes (i personally find many of their cases ugly.) Silverstone probably makes the best consumer rack cases, but their pricing on those is not the best. You’ll be paying something like 250-500 for the case and then 400 for two hotswap backplanes, etc. I have had my eye on the CS280, to be honest. I already have their sugo 14 I think this would be a cute additional device primarily targeted at mass storage 🙂 …
We are probably also going to use it for DHCP and I will probably be running a few web-servers as well. Seems like the perfect case to do it in, it seems new though — yours is the first video I could find even mentioning it, no reviews… I would love to see the inside lol. Silverstone is horrid with pictures — something actually, rackchoice, is good about lol.
Edit: I also wanted to share this beauty:
https://www.amazon.com/SilverStone-Technology-RM43-320-RS-rackmount-SST-RM43-320-RS/dp/B09T93LDJ6/ref=sr_1_6?crid=1E3CPJF0GKS38&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.nNS2-GRjbrnf-JmIHtVyF3158zLmtb_psBn3pbkk8KkrirPakJZ2imw_BlvFKEu5OxNjHN3_KRZq0lQiXZa2AqyAkKvUXUjdvcX29V0XvAdjVn1Uidw9jV8daT5mqfPMYWg1bgHwLdKC7b_ZzpPdNHD4auhZqxpTXIFykmqZkGpz-zgxUCBkeKIhMqVK04hjQVOBlSPs4cmMasZCJF-two9z-TKB0NaVtBSqH-5zI4w.a-wne0X21Pzm7uB642eoi7uTrR4bnuv_YIfjRO2GunY&dib_tag=se&keywords=silverstone+4u+60pc&qid=1709110303&sprefix=silverstone+4u+60pc%2Caps%2C123&sr=8-6&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.2b70bf2b-6730-4ccf-ab97-eb60747b8daf
Imagine. THE DRIVE BAYS. But seriously, how does Silverstone expect to sell this with NO pictures of the inside?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
How about a dedicated video about m.2->sata cards, whats a multiplier, which ones are good and you can use them reliabilty, stress test disks on them, power consumption added compared to LSI hba cards would not be bad either. Just an idea. As I see lot of comments shooting these down as unfit for the NAS job.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
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?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
How about the R5-5650G for £130 new on eBay w/ cooler, with ASRock or Gigabyte A520i/ac for £105, Amazon? It’s only GbE, but supports ECC (and some other enterprise-y stuff from the Ryzen Pro) for a lot less than the CWWK board. The R5-4600G is currently £82 on Amazon too, which seems like a deal. (I haven’t actually built it, I’m using a Pi 4)
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
very informative easy sub from me
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
thers one issue thats not being spoken of and that the shipping and tax for those importing from outside the USA, prime example the RackChoice 12 bay M-ATX chassis you showed off may be a good price at $369.00 but once the $115 shipping and tax gets added on top its no longer competitive with simply buying a reconditioned enterpise unit that in a good chunk of situations will still include the mainboard and PSU.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
One thing that needs to be said about Minisforum and their boards is that being a smaller chinese manufacturer, their BIOS and firmware support is absolutely dreadful… Also many of the bios options are labeled wrong or translated incorrectly. If some sort of vulnerability or fault is discovered year or two down the line you’re out of luck!
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
My Next Upgrade for my NAS Homeserver is most likely a Minisforum MS-01 together with a QNAP TL-D1600S (comes with PCIe-Card and Cables). But the i3 N305 Boards looks really good too
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Hi, You‘ve mentioned a high power consumption for the CWWK board. Can you maybe provide exact numbers for that, unable to find anything online unfortunately. Did you also test ECC in the CWWK? Thanks!
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Does CWWK AMD-7840HS support WON (Wake-on-LAN)??
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
I’d like to see a build done that doesn’t rely on chinese parts. I really don’t trust them in my network.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Would love to see some DIY ATX NAS CPU, and motherboard solutions. Why? server and NAS build combo
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
PCpartpicker really sucks for picking out mobos with ECC support, because since AMD has no official support on their AM4/AM5 boards, they just filter EVERYTHING. That makes the site useless for finding AMD ECC boards that aren’t server-grade, so I just ditch it completely. Skinflint is infintely better for finding mobos
Great video though, thanks a lot for the mention of the AMD mobo + cpu combo that has ECC. It looks really good
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Great video, thank you. What would you recommend/can you do a build for a £2k budget for 4K transcoding and VMs NAS with ECC RAMs? I am thinking of a 4-6 bay and really don’t want to go with Synology or QNAP as I don’t like being restricted and under the mercy of their abrupt hardware and software policies. Thank you and keep up the great work.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
the AMD 7840HS does NOT Support ECC.
Only the AMD Ryzen PRO 7840HS supports ECC! Which is probably not used by this Board from cwwk.
So the Board probably only supports On-Die ECC which is a default from DDR5 but no MultiBit ECC.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Where would you find the ddr5 ecc sodimm for that amd motherboard. I can’t seem to find any.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Isn’t cpu+mobo combo usually a cpu and a mobo not soc?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
I’m looking for something a wee bit different from a traditional NAS.
I’m looking for a box with the specs to run AI models at decent speeds that fits within the physical footprint of a traditional home NAS.
Currently I’m running them on my home PC (128GB RAM, Core i5 12600K, NVME drives all around) and it’s performing quite well along the lines of ChatGPT but with it being hosted entirely at home. For AI the two big factors are 1) Dedicated GPU and 2) buttloads of RAM with the minimum being 128GB.
My main model takes up around 72GB of RAM because the entire model loads itself into RAM for speed and then uses the GPU to process queries.
Folks won’t believe it now, but at-home AI will be a thing in the future. Why? Because every single one of the publicly-available online models are neutered beyond belief to “comply” with local laws in pretty much every country on the planet.
Uncensored/unrestricted AI models are not but those are really only available to folks like me with the tech to run them in our own homelabs.
As they grow in popularity, more folks are going to be looking at dedicated mini PCs/servers so they can run 24/7 without requiring use of the user’s own PC.
And they’re going to grow in popularity because it only takes about 15-30 minutes to set an AI up complete with an web-based interface, depending on your ISP speed.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
0:18: ???? Exploring additional motherboard and CPU combos for DIY NAS builds based on viewer suggestions.
3:19: ⚙️ High-performance processor with efficient power consumption and solid build quality.
6:37: ???? High-performance AMD motherboard with impressive features and reasonable price point.
9:37: ???? Impressive storage capability and build quality of AMD Ryzen CPU + motherboard combo for NAS builds.
12:56: ???? High-performance motherboard with impressive storage capabilities and fan-assisted heatsink.
16:19: ???? Newer TopTon n100 series boards offer improved M2 MVB and PCIe upgrade slot compatibility.
19:24: ???? New motherboard with ECC support offers power efficiency, while pre-attached CPU mobo combos vary in power consumption.
Timestamps by Tammy AI
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Please note the additional risks when using combo cpu+motherboards. One issue can take out both components and you can’t replace either separately.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
I would suggest anyone really want AIO go with Xeon D1581 board, 16 cores 32 threads, 32 PCIE lanes(gen 3), support ECC, newer ones even have 2.5G or 10G on board, downside of course it’s an old CPU, 65W TDP.
If you want a low power NAS build but N100 or N305 is just cutting too much, you can go with Pentium 8505, 4 e-core, 1 p-core, 6 thread, 20 PCIE lanes, about 10W highier than N100, but enough power to do your basic NAS things, some boards have 2.5G nic, 2 full speed X4 nvme, some sata port and even 1 PCIE X 1 slot, but this one is a bit new and rare right now, you may need to wait for Q3 or Q4 2024 to see them show up in your country.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
CWWK links to Minisforum
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
With the amd motherboard that supports ecc – does the cpu support it too ?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
I’m trying to figure out what cpu and ram combo would be required for a 8 * 12tb disk nas that would be used for nfs share to a jellyfin server hosted on a separate system
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
You should check out Supermicro X13SAN-H. It’s a 3.5″ SBC rocking 12th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-1265UE Processor, M2 x4 and PCIe 4.0 x4 SlimSAS
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
I was convinced I was originally going to go a custom build but with the f4-424 pro hitting almost all the boxes for what I was trying to get out of the custom it didn’t make sense to put in the time that was going to be required. The video before this and this one haven’t made me regret my decision at all.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
hi, for the CWWK amd board, i saw it has a hard drive power supply holder. Does this mean I dont need to connect the HDD power cable to the PSU and can just use the board to supply the power to all 9 HDD? Anyone has tested it?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Thanks to your videos, my vision about NAS or storage is expanding, I built a XEON v4 with storage thanks to your tips. Thank you for the daily information.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
minisforum ar900i can’t recognize any sata adapter, whether it’s by pcie slot or m.2 to sata. One other person also reported sata not recognized on raid card installed.
Also tired of these vendors sending out the highest power consuming cpu’s with these boards. Where’s the low power, fast storage boards?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Every board is already up +200$ lol
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Going by my own experiences the only advice I can give to those considering the motherboards linked in the video description is this: *read the reviews*. While there are many complaints, by far the biggest culprit seems to be with BIOS issues that cause many headaches. A lot of this stuff is simply junk. Sometimes it’s fun to play with junky hardware but building your NAS around these motherboards might not be the best idea. Just my 2c.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
You should make merch with seagles on it
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
FYI: Gigabyte B550I motherboard supports ECC UDIMM.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Great video as always! One test I would love to see in the future is a mini-ITX nAS DYI build with a MB as the MSI MPG Z790I EDGE since that one has 3xm.2 slots and 4xS-ATA ports paired with a i5-13500T or i7-13700T CPU. The low powered edition CPU (35w TDP) is almost always left out on the other tech reviewers. In my mind this would be the perfect match? A full CPU with all the features and cores/threads but with a low frequency to keep the power and heat as low as possible.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
I hope minisforum makes a AR900i version that has the 14900HX CPU, performance wise its 1 to 1 with the desktop 13900K at around 100 watts less. the Serpent canyon 12th gen nuc enthusiast might be a good choice as well, barebones it sells for $650 but it has an A770M graphics card built in, if you buy a 64 GB of Ram kit and a pcie 4.0 NVME it uses 20 watts at idle, pretty good for an all flash media server or something
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Would really appreciate a video on bigger atx boards for something like a 24 bay nas? I have an older dual Xeon board that’s getting slow. E5 2470 v2, and I use just about every pcie slot on it, HBAs, 10gb, video card for transcoding, etc.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Hi again, so cool that you included the minisforum motherboards.
I can image it’s very hard to make a list of motherboards like this because everybody’s usecase is different.
For me the BD770i is perfect.
Yes there is only 1x 2.5gb nic but thats fine because all my switches 2.5gb so i dont need anything faster than this speed.
I picked the lower board because this is already way overpowered for my needs and the 790i consumes more power.
The 55w tdp is just a (max) number, the server idles most of the time and thats way lower (23w in my case).
The reason AMD boards were left behind for a long time must be native Plex support for the AMD igpu. Plex now natively supports AMD igpu transcoding and it does it like a champ out of the box. When i transcode a 4k movie on this board the cpu usuage goes from 1-2% to 3-4% and powerusage from 23w to 26w, thats really low.
I build this system with powerusage in mind but i wanted to have the ability to (if i wanted) put a gaming vm in there maybe to stream games to one of my nvidia shield.
At the moment i only use this unraid server for Plex, Radarr, Sonarr, Sabnzb, pihole, home assistant, twingate and it handles it like a champ.
Good video keep it up!
PS: I wanted to add, my previous itx motherboard in my nas server is a Topton N100 4c/4t and it used 1w less idle compared to the Minisforum mobo. The N100 is nice and could handle most of my needs but didn’t offer any more processing power playroom. Since the power usage (in idle) is almost identical I opted for the mobile powerhouse cpu
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
As you add boards I’d love to see mentions on if they’re suitable for transcoding as well.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
BD770i is really nice board – my idea is to do it in this way: I took one of m.2 slots put there m.2 to pci express adapter and to that 2 port 25G nic (Intel E810-XXVAM2 can use pci 4.0 so 4 lanes should be enough). Another m.2 + pci x16 slot as it support x4x4x4x4 mode will be utilized by nvme drives. So in final I can have 5 disk nvme NAS capable of 50Gb transfers.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
6:00 there ?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
I used a motherboard pulled out of a lenovo ThinkCentre M73 SFF. It has an Intel Dual-Core i3-4130 3.4GHz processor, 8GB ram and works great for Unraid used as a backup server. Cost $25 USD.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
only Ipmi is missing
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
It sais 2.5 Gig Ethernet on their site ?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Terrible pronunciation of my name but thanks for the mention, I’M FAMOUS! Moma would be proud….
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
It’s rather go with roswell or 45droves case
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
There’are any case swap 4-Bay MATX under 60$?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Roasting AliExpress NAS chassis’ for an hour.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
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.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
hi, what about the power consumption
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
loved the tutorial but that constant banging on your desk coming through your mic needs solved, very annoying
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Your psu needs to be turned 180°, the mesh on the case is for the psu fan
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
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!
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
how much power does it max out at?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Whats the best server grade psu for this diy NAS to run 24/7?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Better than qnap not difficult, better than Synology ? At this price point highly possible
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
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 ????
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
if you review NAS, would’nt average power draw, and especially “IDLE” power draw be a pretty important topic?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Do I trust my data to an AliExpress motherboard… But, is it better than a NAS in terms of build quality? Who knows?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
very informative thank you
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Hey great video just wanted to check what mobo you used for this build as would be really handy as struggling for itx boards. Cheers Phil
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
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?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
QNAP and Synology better start being competitive, or they will disappear.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Would love to see more videos like that
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Looks like you like Nas alot lol.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
???? Listening to Nas while building a Nas
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
I think the biggest pro for Synology is the software package and ease of use and not only putting together a case, a board and a JOBD.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
The Floppy Disc Sounds killed me really … ????
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Thanks bro!
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
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.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Did anyone suggest Xpenology DSM (open source Synology OS)?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
The “weird” 19″ enclosures are just about 300 to 350 mm deep. That allows the user to put them in a network rack which has typical depth of about 400 to 450 mm. Not everybody has the space to install a server rack which is usually 800mm to 1000mm deep.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
antec p101s is goodenough
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Would love you to take a look at the CWWK J6412 NAS/6 SATA/Dual M.2/ITX/i226-V enclosure/motherboard combo. Looks like a pretty interesting case.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Good job. I always advice to just use an old pc or used mini pc you have and it would do the mainly same job if DIY. Easy upgrade and maintenance.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
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.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
I built a NAS with a Raspberry Pi4B and a 18TB USB HDD. Beat that.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Watch this video in x2
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Honestly it’s like they are trying to make a bad design (and they are insultingly expensive), in my opinion a nas good for most personal use’s doesn’t have to be a very powerful machine, you have to take in account power usage (electricity cost’s money) and noise as it most likely going to work near people. The motherboard should be placed preferably on top for good heat dissipation with an air vent or option 2 on the side and top vent, in both cases with enough room for a beefy cooler (to reduce fan usage and noise) . Jonsbo n3 is good but they just had to insult us with not having a top vent and some decent hdd bays also the price so high and your getting so little especially considering that the users are going for this option precisely because they don’t want to spend to much money and the build quality could be better !
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
@nascompares does Unraid suffer the same plex issues as TrueNas Core?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
I love the Jonsbo N2 and N3 builds but if you’re running RAID-6 you really want a minimum of 8 x 3.5″ drives not just 5. Are there any good NAS cases for this?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
I am thinking about to follow this route but going with Truenas. Is that a bad idea? Bottleneck?????
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
fantastic video mate.
I do have some questions, if you aloud me to ask.
privately.
Thanks so much
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
The Amazon reviews of that TopTon board are awful! 🙁
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
haha quality intro – happy anniversary
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
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.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Not all rack chassis need many hard disks. Perhaps people use it with proxmox, Linux server etc. Some need short depth chassis. That is why there are some strange solutions.????
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Hi there! Has anyone used one of those china boards a little longer? Can they be trusted the data to throw at them in the long run? What is your opinion?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Thanks for the video. I watched it until the end. Skipped some during the video but watched minimum 90%. I may try this at home. ????
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
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…)
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
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.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
hell yeah
imma build this
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Thanks for sharing. You’ve had it for at least a month now. How have the drive temperatures been? Cooling on that case seems like it might be an issue.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
We are definitely not all humans. Both trolls and robots in here…
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Looking forward to your N3 build with the i9 mobo – I am planning a very similar build and would love your feedback on the setup (power draw, performance, etc).
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
It’s not an environmental disaster until you dispose for the packing in the wrong way. RECYCLE!
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
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!!!!
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
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.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
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.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
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.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
whats a nicker?..
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
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!
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
stop banging the desk man… or move your mic.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
I really can’t get my head around all these new cases and how cheap they’re finally getting. It used to be just getting the drive base or like over $100 and now you can almost get them for nothing which is really nice.
One thing that causes me pause and a bit of caution is that when you’re using these kinds of cases they usually don’t have status LEDs up front which can be a problem when you have a lot of drives and you need to swap them out.
preferably, I would love to see the comeback of a LCD in front of the actual drive itself That would be wonderful Let me tell you. Wouldn’t really cost too much to do either and they make those really many displays and that would be really cool to put one of those on the front of it.
I still think it’s a better idea to go with a professional solution as in something from the server market that is no longer the top of the line anymore but will fit your needs perfectly.
and with the way that they come configured it’s really easy to manage as well once you understand the hardware software scenario.
The only bummer is they really do take a bit of power a bit of weight and they’re kind of large but in order for them to have the amount of data redundancy that you need this is kind of required.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
2nd Hand HP Microserver G8 is better.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
34:29 I see where the 3.1 connector is different, but what’s with the 2.x? Also the ali link for Topton doesn’t seem to come with ram or ssd anymore?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Very informative video. Could a person substitute a standard ITX board with a low end processor in your build?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
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
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
i might be the only one hear but i really enjoyed this video i like looking at different nas / server cases i guess my dream is to make a custom case that does it all so more ideas the better 🙂 Thanks for sharing the video with us????????????JP
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
The 1U case doesn’t seem to be marketed towards NAS use. Bet it would be nice as a PC case for those who rack mount their PC’s and can get by with a 1U. It seems to even support 2 slot GPU’s.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
“Nas Is Like” at the beginning. Excellent touch ????????
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
So, do you have the full sata bandwidth available on this system ? If you’d put sata ssd for example, would you be limited by the pcie lanes of the celeron ?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Dony really understand why a normal computer case is not good enough. Yes, they dont have hot swap hd bays. But i dont know if thats important.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
This was oddly relaxing to watch, but maybe I have issues if watching a bloke build a NAS before bed is my idea of a good time ????
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
YANV. Yet Another NAS Video. ????
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
OMG, you do tend to pad out your videos .. why cant you at very least include power consumption figures …and actual measured transfer speeds?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Jonsbo N3 would be so great if it would would support microATX. MiniITX in an 8 bay case is borderline stupid because there are no miniITX boards with 8xSATA ports.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
If you are talking high quality 4K and up streams then the most important things you need to consider are your client devices and your network bandwidth. Ideally you want a client device that can play the content natively (no server transcoding required) and then you want a wired/wireless network that can deliver bandwidth required. I test with the Jellyfish 100-400 Mbps clips and, oddly enough, John Wick 3 4K. I had to upgrade my 5 year old Apple TV 4K to the current gen Apple TV 4K to get JW 3 4K to play smoothly (no transcoding on my Plex server). As far as laptops/desktops go, for whatever reason, the Plex client performs better, and requires less client hardware resources, on Intel/Apple Silicon based Macs when compared to my i7/i9/5800X3D Windows based PCs/laptop.
I downloaded many of the 8K examples that the author is using. The Uzbekistan 8K VP9 clip can extremely hard on client hardware. On my PC it pushes my 2080 Ti to 75% usage. The Uzbekistan 8K played horribly on my AMD GPU equipped PC (GPU under-utilized) while the LG 8K and all 4K plays fine on the AMD GPU). My M1 Max equipped MacBook Pro plays it without breaking a sweat (via 750 Mbps wi-fi). It stutters on my current generation Apple TV 4K. The LG 8K 60fps HDR NATURE clip plays like butter on all my client apps/devices. The bitrate for these 8K examples is not particularly high so bandwidth is not an issue.
While it is interesting to experiment with 8K video I recommend that users stick with the Jellyfish videos https://www.larmoire.info/jellyfish/ for bandwidth testing and use client apps/devices that play content natively on local networks. The point of playing content natively (no server transcoding) is that it allows us to use cheaper server hardware and buy good client devices. That being said, if you stream your content outside of your local network then yes, hardware transcoding on the server is a fact of life. If at all possible keep your Plex server separate from your NAS. The NAS will last far longer just as a file server.
My Plex server is running in an 8 core VM on a repurposed Threadripper 1950X build running ESXi 8.0.0. It has plenty of raw CPU power to transcode when I need it to. I don’t even need a GPU to assist with transcoding (although I am tempted to see if I can get an old GTX 1080 to work). The media files are hosted on a NAS via a 10 gigabit wired network. The only thing the NAS does is file serve and manage backups to another NAS. I did this because the NAS was pricey and I knew I would keep it for a long time. Far longer than the CPU would last if I used it as a Plex server. The VM server will continue to get my hand-me-down gaming PC parts.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Noticeably absent in the DIY Enclosure / NAS market? Any kind of small case for SSDs only. Everything out there is just absolutely GIGANTIC. If you want to have an all-flash NAS that sits unobtrusively on the corner of your desk? Out of luck. Want to have a desktop-sized NAS? Here’s 3.2 million options to choose from. Frustrating as all get-out.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
nice build – got myself the N6005 Version of the Topton board for more computing headroom – like more docker containers and VM under unraid – runs like a charm
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
For the N3 it would be good to see say a Ryzen 5950G Pro with ECC for one of the builds as I’d like to see how that config fares. I think it would only be $50-100 more than the N5105 build while running circles around it. I’m just curious how it fares with transcoding tests.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Which nas do YOU use at home?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
Why did you go for Truenas Core? I missed that reasoning.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
A NAS has two main jobs. Serve files and manage backups. Everything else should be on another, more capable, server. All on a 10 Gbit (or greater) network.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
What i didn’t get was why. Did you ignore the ryzen route therevare many new mini pc that could have been used
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
first.
fred durst.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
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
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
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.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
@35:00 – I love the very cool special effects in your video.
REPLY ON YOUTUBE
I’m curious — have you looked at the solutions from 45Drives?
REPLY ON YOUTUBE