Looking to build something like synology

I currently have a Dell power edge r630 with 256 gigs of ram and eight 500 gig sas drives.

I’d like to be able to make something smaller like a synology or qnap but have the ability to maybe plug in a DAS for more storage if needed. I have a 1 year old so im on a tight budget of 300 and at MAX 500 dollars. Im struggling going through the build guide as there is sooo much to consider lol.

I use it for plex, jellyfin, audio library, Vaultwarden, etc (unraid).

Currently im using windows server 2022 though I think im going to move to unraid as it seems more simple and will deal with containers through that.

Help please lol

Older post but thought I would chime in. I just recently have switched over to Unraid. I came from using a QNAP to store my shares and data and a Lenovo M93 Tiny running Ubuntu Server and docker-compose headless for my containers. My QNAP only had two drive bays and I needed more.

I am now running everything on an HP Z230 SFF, E3-1271 V3 processor, 24 Gigs of ram (max is 32) that I picked up for less than $200 CAD awhile back. I currently have 3 - 3.5in HDD, 1 - 2.5 SSD, and 1 - M.2 PCIe SSD. I might be able to fit another small SSD but for more larger drives I’d say that’s about max that could fit. Power draw at idle is about 54 Watts.

These older workstations have similar specs to this NAS Killer 5.0 build but are pre-built. The downsides with this one particularly is that it uses a proprietary PSU, case is small to add more drives inside, and due to proprietary connectors moving to a bigger case can be more hassle compared to swapping out the Mobo and PSU. If your plan is a DAS down the road though it might work. I am planning on moving stuff into a rack mount case though for more space.

What’s a good prebuilt / build that has a bunch of drive space?

I’d like to keep my 8 sas drives and if need be I can just keep using my mediasonic bay if 4 3.5 inch drives.