Drobo died...Time to Build!

Technology Hardware
1

For the past few years, I been successfully running a Plex server on a Late 2012 Mac Mini, using a Drobo 5D drive for external storage.

This week, my Drobo bit the dust, so it’s time to re-evaluate my setup. I’m thinking that I keep running Plex on the Mac and build a separate Unraid NAS for storage, but maybe it’s better to move the Plex server as well?

Thinking about the Unraid NAS, would an NAS 5.0 build be my best bet? Any things I should particularly consider? I’m planning a case to maximize HDD capacity, like the Fractal Design Node 804. What’s the current group think on best CPU and MB?

2

After a bit more reading and thought, I’ve answered one of my questions already!

I just ordered an HP ProDesk 400 G4 for $99 on eBay. This will be my new Plex server. The Mac Mini is getting a bit old, and it seems time for something new(er)…

Now just need to figure out the best NAS options. It looks like LGA1150’s are getting harder to find, so maybe an LGA1151?

3

I personally would go with a Xeon build for a NAS 2011v1/2 or 2011v3/4. Parts and processors are cheap and have solid performance. Also some of the boards have a built in SAS controller.

4

Have you looked at the NAS Killer 4.1?

5

I actually ended up going in a very different direction:

Case: Fractal Node 804
MB: Supermicro X11SCL-F
CPU: Xeon E-2246G
Mem: 64GB DDR4-2666 ECC UDIMM (Kingston)
SAS: HP H220 HBA (IT Mode)
PSU: Seasonic FOCUS GX-series 550W PSU

I’ll be running Unraid, and throwing in a bunch of HDDs (Node 804 can hold up to 10 3.5" drives)

6

Good luck with the HP HBA.

7

That sounds scary. Should I start shopping for a new one??

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