Greetings from Mexico

Hi everyone!

I’m joining the forum because I want to read the guides and discussions provided to learn how to create a media server for my home.

I’ve been closely reading several forums and communities for information regarding costs, OS, hardware, software and all of that stuff. I’m still trying to decide whether or not I should get a prebuilt NAS like the the Asustor nimbustor 4 ($600 where I live) or build one. This because many “budget” builds I have seen end up costing me much more, because sometimes components have to be shipped or just because the only retailers that sell that piece of hardware in my country have a monopoly and price it really high. An example is the fractal node 304 that costs me $199, while in the Fractal Store costs $99. That’s how a build that may cost $600 ends up costing me more like $850 and this makes me consider the option of just getting a prebuilt NAS that basically cost pretty much the same across the continent.

I want to stream using Jellyfin while storing all the media content in the same place. My beginner step 0 solution at the moment is using my gaming laptop to rip all my blu-rays and dvds and then after handbrake add them to an external 512 GB SSD attached to laptop. This also means I can’t keep my laptop on all the time or the battery will suffer due to being plugged all the time and just turning on my laptop when someone wants to stream content.

I think I’ll be creating a discussion soon asking for some help if I decide to go with a DIY home media server, particularly when I inevitably have to search for alternatives regarding hardware that fit my budget and aren’t overpriced where I live.

Thanks for reading.

1 Like

Welcome!

If it costs more to build your own NAS due to high local and shipping costs than a comparable pre-built solution would cost then it wouldn’t really make sense to build your own. As always I would recommend checking eBay for used parts from the US or China as there are many sellers who offer free Worldwide or North American shipping.

It sounds like the cost situation is quite different for you in your country since the Asustor nimbustor 4 your mentioned is between $800 - $900 in the US. Given that is sounds like it might be a better choice for you than trying to piece together a comparable build in your country.