Building your own NAS offers performance, flexibility, and long term reliability at a fraction of the cost of commercial systems.
But choosing the right motherboard, CPU, networking, and storage layout is where most builders get stuck.
This guide pulls together detailed research from server boards used in TrueNAS, Unraid, OMV and Proxmox environments, including practical comparisons across Supermicro, ASRock Rack and modern AMD EPYC 4004 and Intel W680 platforms.
Why DIY NAS Instead of Buying Synology or QNAP
DIY NAS builds have become extremely popular because users want ECC memory, multiple NVMe slots, higher network speeds, GPU acceleration, and up to eight or more 3.5 inch drives.
A DIY build also lets you choose the OS you prefer such as TrueNAS Scale, TrueNAS Core, Unraid, OMV or Proxmox.
However, the decision depends on matching three things: the right motherboard, correct PCIe layout, and the correct controller for your drives.
Most Important Factors When Choosing NAS Hardware
- ECC memory support for ZFS
- Enough SATA or SAS ports for all HDDs
- NVMe slots for cache, metadata vdevs or boot drives
- At least one 10GbE or SFP+ port
- IPMI remote management
- Low idle power for 24/7 uptime
Motherboard Comparison Table for DIY NAS Builds (2026)
Here is a consolidated comparison of the most suitable server motherboards for 6 to 12 drive NAS systems.
| Motherboard | Form Factor | SATA Ports | M.2 NVMe | Networking | ECC Support | IPMI | Best Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASRock Rack X570D4I-2T | Mini ITX | 8 | 3 | 10GbE x2 (RJ45) | Yes | Yes | Small but powerful TrueNAS build with 8 drives |
| Supermicro X11SDV-4C-TLN2F | Mini ITX | 8 | 2 | SFP+ x2 | Yes | Yes | Low power always on NAS with native SFP+ |
| ASRock Rack W680D4ID-2T/X550 | Mini ITX | 8 | 4 | 10GbE x2 | Yes (Intel ECC) | Yes | Intel QuickSync NAS and Plex server |
| ASRock Rack B650D4U3-2L2Q/BCM | Micro ATX | 4 native (HBA required for 8 drives) | 1 | 25GbE SFP28 x2 | Yes (DDR5 ECC) | Yes | Future proof AM5 server with native SFP28 |
| ASRock Rack W680D4U-2L2T | Micro ATX | 8 (4 native, 4 via OCuLink) | 1 | 10GbE x2 | Yes | Yes | Best balance of flexibility and price |
| ASRock QM570M-ITX/ax | Mini ITX | 8 | 2 | 2.5GbE + WiFi | Yes (Intel ECC CPUs) | No | Budget friendly ECC NAS |
| Supermicro X13SAE-F | ATX | 8 | 2 | 1GbE x2 | Yes | Yes | Workstation NAS with high capacity RAM |
| ASRock Rack AM5D4ID-2T | Mini ITX (Deep) | 4–8 (model dependent) | 1 | 10GbE x2 | Yes (DDR5 ECC) | Yes | Compact AM5 NAS with ECC |
Which Motherboard Should You Choose?
Best Overall for High End NAS
ASRock Rack B650D4U3-2L2Q/BCM with AMD EPYC 4004 CPUs
Native SFP28, IPMI, DDR5 ECC, powerful multi core server performance, and easy expansion.
Best Value Board
W680D4U-2L2T with Intel i5 or Xeon E.
Good SATA layout, ECC support, dual 10GbE, IPMI.
Best Mini ITX Board
X570D4I-2T
Eight SATA ports and three NVMe slots without any add in cards.
Best for Native SFP+
Supermicro X11SDV-4C-TLN2F
Compact, efficient and SFP+ ready with onboard Xeon.
Recommended CPUs for NAS Servers
| CPU | Platform | Cores | ECC Support | Power | Best Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EPYC 4464P / 4564P | AM5 Server | 12 / 16 | Yes | 65–170W | Heavy ZFS workloads, metadata workloads |
| Ryzen 5600G / 5700G | AM4 | 6 / 8 | Yes | 65W | Budget NAS with great efficiency |
| Intel Core i5 14500 | LGA1700 | 14 (6P+8E) | Yes | 65W | Plex and mixed NAS workloads |
| Intel Xeon E-2388G | LGA1700 | 8C/16T | Yes | 95W | TrueNAS with QuickSync encoding |
Do You Need an HBA?
If your board lacks eight SATA ports then you will need a proper HBA.
The gold standard is the LSI 9300-8i flashed to IT mode. It offers predictable drive behavior for ZFS and allows all your 3.5 inch HDDs to run without bottlenecks.
Networking Options for NAS Builds
| Speed | Connector | Suitable For | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1GbE | RJ45 | Basic transfers | Slow for large media files |
| 2.5GbE | RJ45 | General home NAS | Good baseline speed |
| 10GbE | SFP+ or RJ45 | Plex, VMs, large file editing | SFP+ runs cooler and cheaper |
| 25GbE | SFP28 | High end NAS servers | Backward compatible with SFP+ |
Example High End NAS Build (2026)
- Motherboard: ASRock Rack B650D4U3-2L2Q
- CPU: AMD EPYC 4464P
- RAM: 64–128GB DDR5 ECC
- HBA: LSI 9300-8i
- Cache: 2x NVMe SSD
- Boot: 1x NVMe SSD
- Networking: dual SFP28 onboard
- Drives: 8x NAS HDDs
Conclusion
Choosing the right motherboard and CPU for a DIY NAS is the most important part of the entire build.
Whether you want a compact ITX system or a more expandable mATX server, the boards listed above represent the most proven, ZFS friendly and future proof options available in 2026.
Use the tables and guidance in this article to match your storage needs, networking goals and operating system to the right hardware.
| Where to Buy a Product | |||
 |
    
|
  
|
VISIT RETAILER ➤ |
 |
|
|
VISIT RETAILER ➤ |
We use affiliate links on the blog allowing NAScompares information and advice service to be free of charge to you. Anything you purchase on the day you click on our links will generate a small commission which is used to run the website. Here is a link for Amazon and B&H. You can also get me a ☕ Ko-fi or old school Paypal. Thanks! To find out more about how to support this advice service check HERE
Gl.iNet Slate 7 PRO Travel Router (and Beryl 7) REVEALED
Minisforum N5 MAX NAS - 16C/32T, 128GB 8000MT RAM, 5xSATA, 5x M.2, 2x10GbE and MORE
The BEST NAS of 2026.... ALREADY??? (UnifyDrive UP6)
How Much RAM Do You Need in Your NAS?
A Buyer's Guide to Travel Routers - GET IT RIGHT, FIRST TIME
Jonsbo N6 DIY NAS Case Review
Access content via Patreon or KO-FI
Discover more from NAS Compares
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
DISCUSS with others your opinion about this subject.
ASK questions to NAS community
SHARE more details what you have found on this subject
IMPROVE this niche ecosystem, let us know what to change/fix on this site