[SSD Options]
Unraid is going to be the most common choice for OS. In that case, it makes sense to have a decent size SSD to store your appdata and to be used as a write cache. This improves file transfer speed to your server immensely. Typically these files will be moved off of the cache drive and onto the array daily (at minimum), so keep that in mind when selecting a size. Smaller SSDs can be used as “unassigned” drives, which are neither part of the array or part of the cache. Unassigned drives can be used as VM data stores, file unpacking drives, or whatever you want really.
I’d recommend picking out a decently sized but cheap SSD for caching, such as the ADATA SU635 480GB for $45.00. I like to use small 120GB SSDs for VMs (divide it in half and put 2 VMs on each drive). The same thing can be accomplished with the SUN/Oracle F-series drives, since they present as 4 separate drives.
I don’t typically recommend NVMe drives as cache drives because you’ll be limited by your Ethernet upload speed anyway, which a regular SATA SSD is more than fast enough to keep up with. However, I like to use NVMe drives for unassigned appdata, because they are extremely good at handling many small files, for example: Plex metadata.
For the internal SAS HBAs and Warp Drive / Flash Accelerator cards, you may need a full height bracket. Good thing is that they are really cheap ($1), bad thing is that they may take a week or two to arrive.
| Brand | Model (link) | Condition | Capacaity | Form Factor | Interface | Price/TB | Expected Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingston | A400 | New | 120GB | 2.5" | SATA | $183/TB | $22.00 |
| ADATA | SU635 | New | 240GB | 2.5" | SATA | $108/TB | $26.00 |
| ADATA | SU635 | New | 480GB | 2.5" | SATA | $94/TB | $45.00 |
| ADATA | SU635 | New | 960GB | 2.5" | SATA | $89/TB | $85.00 |
| ADATA | SU800 | New | 512GB | 2.5" | SATA | $113/TB | $58.00 |
| ADATA | SU800 | New | 2048GB | 2.5" | SATA | $92/TB | $188.00 |
| SanDisk | SSD Plus | New | 240GB | 2.5" | SATA | $138/TB | $33.00 |
| SanDisk | SSD Plus | New | 480GB | 2.5" | SATA | $125/TB | $60.00 |
| SanDisk | SSD Plus | New | 960GB | 2.5" | SATA | $102/TB | $98.00 |
| Sabrent | Rocket | New | 256GB | M.2 2280 M-Key | NVMe | $117/TB | $30.00 |
| Sabrent | Rocket | New | 512GB | M.2 2280 M-Key | NVMe | $97/TB | $50.00 |
| Sabrent | Rocket | New | 1024GB | M.2 2280 M-Key | NVMe | $107/TB | $110.00 |
| Sabrent | Rocket | New | 2048GB | M.2 2280 M-Key | NVMe | $107/TB | $220.00 |
| Intel | 660p | New | 512GB | M.2 2280 M-Key | NVMe | $117/TB | $60.00 |
| Intel | 660p | New | 1024GB | M.2 2280 M-Key | NVMe | $93/TB | $95.00 |
| Intel | 660p | New | 2048GB | M.2 2280 M-Key | NVMe | $88/TB | $180.00 |
| SUN/Oracle | F40 | Used | 400GB (4x100GB) | PCI-E 2.0 x8 | eMLC | $88/TB | $35.00 |
| SUN/Oracle | F80 | Used | 800GB (4x200GB) | PCI-E 2.0 x8 | eMLC | $81/TB | $65.00 |
| SUN/Oracle | U.2 NVMe | Used | 6.4TB | U.2 PCI-E 3.0 | NVMe | $94/TB | $600.00 |
| SUN/Oracle - HGST | Ultrastar SSD1600MR | Used | 1.6TB | SAS3 | MLC | $125/TB | $200.00 |
[HDD Options]
Remember what I said about RAM above. Density is important and valuable. In this case, HDD bays do not come cheap and have value. So while a 8TB drive may be cheaper per TB than a 10TB, the 10TB is better value because it still only occupies 1 HDD slot for 25% more capacity.
Shuckable Drives
For the WD shuckable drives, prices vary quite a bit. We’ve linked them on Amazon, but YMMV as to current sales, pricing, and availability of them. The prices listed are common sale prices for the drives.
As of November 3, 2019, the WD 8TB Elements is on sale for $124.99, plus an additional 15% cash back if you use an Amazon Store Card or an Amazon Credit Card.
Even without the 15% cash back, it’s a really good deal.
| Brand | Model (link) | Condition | Capacaity | Spindle RPM | Cache | Interface | Price/TB | Expected Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Digital | Elements | New | 8TB | 5400 | 128MB | SATA | $15.63/TB | $130.00 |
| Western Digital | My Book | New | 8TB | 5400 | 128MB | SATA | $15.63TB | $130.00 |
| Western Digital | Easystore | New | 8TB | 5400 | 128MB | SATA | $15.63/TB | $130.00 |
| Western Digital | Elements | New | 10TB | 5400 | 256MB | SATA | $16.00/TB | $160.00 |
| Western Digital | My Book | New | 10TB | 5400 | 256MB | SATA | $16.00/TB | $160.00 |
| Western Digital | Easystore | New | 10TB | 5400 | 256MB | SATA | $16.00/TB | $160.00 |
| Western Digital | Easystore | New | 12TB | 5400 | 256MB | SATA | $15.00/TB | $180.00 |
SATA Drives
If for some reason, you must have an internal SATA drive (you’re not willing to shuck), here are some recommendations.
| Brand | Model (link) | Condition | Capacaity | Spindle RPM | Cache | Interface | Price/TB | Expected Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seagate | IronWolf NAS ST4000VN008 | New | 4TB | 5900 | 64MB | SATA | $25.00/TB | $100.00 |
| Seagate | IronWolf NAS ST8000VN022 | New | 8TB | 5900 | 256MB | SATA | $23.75/TB | $190.00 |
| Seagate | IronWolf NAS ST12000VN007 | New | 12TB | 7200 | 256MB | SATA | $29.16/TB | $350.00 |
| Toshiba | N300 | New | 4TB | 7200 | 128MB | SATA | $23.75/TB | $95.00 |
| Toshiba | N300 | New | 10TB | 7200 | 256MB | SATA | $26.80/TB | $268.00 |
SAS Drives
If you’re using SAS drives, you must connect them to a SAS controller. Around here, we like to use the LSI 2008 series cards. SATA drives can be used with the onboard SATA of your motherboard OR a SAS controller. Some motherboards in this guide feature these same SAS controllers onboard.
Examples:
These will need to be flashed to IT mode in most cases. It’s a pretty simple process, and it’s covered here.
| Brand | Model (link) | Condition | Capacaity | Spindle RPM | Cache | Interface | Price/TB | Expected Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seagate | ST32000444SS | Used | 2TB | 7200 | 16MB | SAS | $10.00/TB | $20.00 OBO |
| Seagate | ST33000650SS | Used | 3TB | 7200 | 64MB | SAS | $9.16/TB | $27.50 OBO |
| HGST/Hitachi | HUS723030ALS640 | Used | 3TB | 7200 | 64MB | SAS | $9.31/TB | $27.95 OBO |
| Western Digital | WD40001FYYG | Used | 4TB | 7200 | 32MB | SAS | $10.00/TB | $40.00 |
| HGST/Hitachi | HUS724040ALS640 | Used | 4TB | 7200 | 64MB | SAS | $10.56/TB | $42.25 OBO |
| Seagate | ST6000NM0034 | Used | 6TB | 7200 | 128MB | SAS | $15.00/TB | $90.00 OBO |
| HGST/Hitachi | HUH728080AL5205 Helium | Used | 8TB | 7200 | 128MB | SAS | $17.50/TB | $140.00 OBO |