[Guide] NAS Killer 4.1 supplemental + deals

Lol, how bad is the noise?

IIRC the PSU isn’t actually that loud.

Nice, might have to consider something similar.

Yeah it’s not bad at all. On boot you can hear it spin up, but afterwards it’s hard to tell it apart from the other case fans.

For a little less jank you could try this:

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This is a great example of how to use this combo’s hardware:

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It looks like the seller has raised the prices of the following listings in the last day or two.

This one is now listed at $282.

This one is now listed at $270.

And this ebay link leads to an error page for me.

Same thing happened to me. Bought the E3-1230v2 and looks like they sent me the 1270v2 anyways. Good deal.

Happy to report that all these deals and helpful install tips helped me get a server together to replace the dead Drobo that failed on me 2 weeks ago. UnRaid just finished running parity and all seems swimmingly well.
Thank you JDM for the links!

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It looks like this is one of the better options right now, $100 less than Combo #6 which is selling for $282 right now. Comes with a 120GB SSD and can add an additional 16GB of RAM for less than the $100 price difference of Combo 6:

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@JDM_WAAAT Thank you so much for all that you do! I’ve finally given up on maintaining my Plex on a laptop and of course, all roads lead to you.

I’ve bought this combo and need some guidance on how best to set it up with other bits.

Is the Cooler Master N400 good enough for a case?

Should I switch out the Cooler with the Thermaltake?

I have a 12TB external WD drive that currently has all my media. Should I shuck it and stick it in there?

What other parts would you recommend I buy for finishing the build?

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The N400 is my favorite case for NAS use. I have 3 of them, I recommend them to almost everyone.

The stock CPU cooler included with this combo is designed for use with 1U servers only, so look for something with LGA115X backplate support on the list below. I would recommend the Arctic Freezer 12 or 34.

Thanks for this! I ended up buying it for $170.

@JDM_WAAAT Thanks! Getting the N400 with the Arctic 34 since the 12 isn’t in stock at the moment.

So this is how my build is shaping up.

Type Part Actual Price
Combo Motherboard/CPU/RAM/SSD $170.00
Case Corsair N400 $66.99
Motherboard Tyan S5512 (Combo) Included
CPU Intel Xeon E3-1230 V2 (Combo) Included
RAM (2x8GB) 16GB DDR3 SDRAM (Combo) Included
SSD (1) ??? 120GB 2.5" SSD (Combo) Included
CPU Cooler Arctic Cooling Freezer 34 $34.99
Power Supply Thermaltake Toughpower GX2 80+ Gold 600W $79.99
Total ----- $351.97

I still have to figure out about drives. I have an existing 12TB external WD drive that I’m going to shuck. Is it okay to pair that with other drives of lesser capacity?

Are there other essential components that I’m missing before I can even set the rig up? My apologies if these are stupid questions but this is my first build. :slight_smile:

Guys, I do have one of the combo units on the NK4.1 and trying to add more HDDs. Got couple of questions:

  • Does the cash size matter for Unraid? 128 vs 256MB?
  • Will they support 12gb SAS drives and if it matters if they are 4Kn?

Thanks

Just remember your largest drive goes to parity if you choose to use it.

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Thanks! Speaking of RAID things. . . Is UnRAID the standard way to go for the OS? Anything else I need to be thinkin’ about?

Also, I still have to find and buy drives. . . Ant advice on deals or places to look or is it just hunting on ebay/amazon/newegg? I’ve also read that it can be cheaper to just get external drives and shuck those. Thoughts?

If you’re asking if unraid is the recommended os to use around here for storage backup capabilities, then yes.

Yes to all those above plus best buy. Theres a thread specifically on wd best buy externals. There was a 12tb sale not too long ago at best buy and you just missed an Amazon 12tb sale. It pays to check this forum daily.

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Thank you again! Yeah, I have a 12TB WD external drive that I got last year on black Friday for a good deal. Going to keep my eyes peeled.

Thanks again for the help. Now anxious to get parts and start building. My plex is dead since it was running on my laptop that I discovered today to have an extremely swollen battery. Seemed smarter to not have a media server for a few weeks rather than a fire. . .

Remove battery and run off power cord ?