I got directed here for the NAS killer build but wasn’t able to find many of the parts still in stock. But I stuck around and found this post of someone doing a very similar build to what I was imagining and ended pulling the trigger based on they info I learned in this thread and all the great build guides.
I didn’t realize realize dummy plugs were a thing. Exactly what I needed for streaming from a network windows PC.
Preferences is Package #2.
I was planning on building a box for Plex and looking for in depth info about hardware transcoding, this post proved to be the best resource. Haven’t gotten around to buying the parts yet and planning on doing it in January. The hardware prizes from this contest could help out with that.
My favorite post has to be stupifiers response to my issue and actually solving it. I was struggling so hard with this issue as it was stressing me out.
a close second is the HP290 thread.
Invaluable advice/guide. I did not think of doing something like this and was previously transcoding using CPU power on my Ryzen 3900x. It always felt wrong and this guide explains everything really well. There are many misinformed people out there who would benefit from this guide (willing or unwilling haha)
Prize Preference: Package 1
I stumbled across your posts on reddit a while ago, even before the forums were up! Ive been wanting to pull the trigger on a NAS build for some time now but haven’t decided how to move my current windows 10 + snapraid + drivepool to one. The NK4.0 post has so much useful information in it that when I do, I’ll be following it step by step. Thanks for all the time you put into this stuff. Merry Christmas from Texas!
I 
love the idea of these thin clients with a gpu and sff compute in general. I bought one of these and then ended up bricking it. 
Fortunately the one in this deal still has warranty; I just need to get with HP and hopefully get it covered/repaired.
Thanks JDM, long time listener, seldom poster.
Prize Preference: Package 1
I wanted to post the build guide that got me started in this group, but i couldnt find it. Its a Lego build. 
but i love the thought and time you all took to do [Official] WD External Shuckables - Price Tracking this tracking info for drives. since we all like to do bulk storage it was really amazing and after a while can help people track trends. Also all the help you guys have for everything if i could link more links i would. i read them and dont comment like i should to say ty. but its all amazing iinfo.
Favorite post:
The author suckered me in with Mac Pro nostalgia, and I stayed for the clean NAS/DAS build. They did a great job in their writing, detailed photos, and puppy photos. I’m a sucker for puppy photos.
It all started with this guide that I stumbled upon and since then I’ve been slowly upgrading my aging Plex server. For the longest time I thought I was limited to increasing storage in my server by replacing drives with larger ones, but this guide opened up a world of possibilities and more than doubled my previous storage to currently about 95TB. Thank you!
Really appreciate the efforts you have put in to the resource that is serverbuilds. It is great to find one place for a community of people with a similar approach to my own, albeit often on another level scaled way beyond what I do. The build guides are fantastic and the ability to find and hack together discounted server hardware is incredible. I have enjoyed the NAS Killer series especially [Guide] NAS Killer 4.1 supplemental + deals
Keep up the good work and thanks for being such a great resource!
ENTRY
[Guide] NAS Killer 4.0 - fast, quiet, power efficient, and flexible - starting at $125
This was the guide that got me going into the adventure of building my second server. It was a great guide and a place to start. I’ve enjoyed my adventures and learning while being a part of this community. It’s always fun and I appreciate everyone’s hard work for what they contribute.
My favorite post:
[Guide] Hardware Transcoding: The JDM way! QuickSync and NVENC - Builds / Plex Hardware Transcoding Builds - serverbuilds.net Forums
Hardware Transcoding the JDM Way is what lead me here. Didn’t know these boards existed, but have found a wealth of information. Since I already have a home-built Unraid box, I’m generally familiar with a lot of these topics. However, the depth and breadth of information here has been more than a little overwhelming, but also incredibly educational (and helpful).
My preference is Package 1.
I learned about ServerBuilds by listening to SelfHosted and 2.5 Admins podcasts with JDM, Alex, Chris, Joe, Jim Salters, and Allen Jude.
This led me to ZFS, Sanoid and Allen’s wonderful two “ZFS Mastery” books which I devoured and constantly refer to.
Seeing the bitdeals.tech group-buy got me started as it introduced me to inexpensive used enterprise drives and LSI SAS HBA cards.
The NAS Killer series has been a gold mine of information on hardware and software options:
And the other eye opening guide was Hardware Transcoding with QuickSync:
Utilizing these tools, I built a primary Plex/NAS server based on a G5400 processor,
https://www.newegg.com/intel-pentium-gold-g5400/p/N82E16819117875
4x3TB Toshiba SAS drives set up in ZFS mirror pool (2x2x3TB) running Ubuntu in an ATX case with 8 drive bays for expandability.
https://bitdeals.tech/collections/sas-hard-drives/products/toshiba-3tb-mg03sca300
An existing Ivybridge system (also with 8drive bays) was repurposed with the same 2x2x3TB hard drive config as a backup (because raid is NOT a backup).
https://www.newegg.com/black-antec-performance-series-atx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811129242
Sanoid and Syncoid are then used to manage rolling snapshots and remote backup, respectively.
My new years resolution will be to make the backup system truly remote and relocate to my mom’s house about 30minutes away. I love wireguard and will use it to securely connect the two computers without opening ports in the firewalls.
Thanks for all the great resources and teaching me fish.
Probably an expected pick, but I went with the NAS Killer 4.1 thread because it’s how I landed at this community. I was looking into QNAP and Synology NAS solutions because I wanted a data backup solution. I was comparing options when I stumbled upon a reddit thread that linked to the NAS Killer build guides. I’ve finally collected most of the parts I need thanks to the guidance of the forum (and have a lot of future build projects floating around in my head).
If selected, I prefer the 290 bundle.
I am a longtime lurker that has visited this forum a lot. It’s been a rocking support to my adventures into servers. The knowledge is hard to find, people pay money to read the kind of learning that is being done here. So I would like to show you the post that I feel was most valuable to me, not because it was something I ended up doing (soon will) but because it was what introduced me to this forum. Showing me what made me inspired and knowledgable enough to start my path into servers.
The post is NAS Killer. I won’t be linking which post as the whole series of posts have been shared all across the internet and I cannot post just one of them.
Edit: Please excuse my bad formatting, I am on mobile these holidays.
I’m still very new to this hobby and I’m learning a lot. I really appreciate all the effort put into the guides here. I find myself going back and reviewing guides dozens of times. I was mostly interested in a plexbox, but reading about building a DAS and what to expect and the different options that it could open up was really interesting. I ended up researching a bunch on SAS controllers afterwards.
The Aruba S2500 post is my favorite so far. I wouldn’t have had any idea these things existed without the forum and Discord server, so thank you all for making this such a welcoming and fun place to hang out. I was a little late to the party, but was able to pick up a decently priced S2500-24P to support my home camera system. I’ll probably get a 48p at some point, so keeping an eye out.
ENTRY
One of my favorite guides is the original NSFW guide. Anniversary LGA2011 build — Serverbuilds.net
Building a system that is dual-socket or server type setup allowed me to learn a significant amount of journey. Not just hardware size but afterward I created a server to run a dedicated hypervisor. This single guide is the reason why I am somewhat competent in my role at work. I know more basics and fundamentals about servers and general computing than my colleagues
Not quite related but I very much enjoy reading this post about a chair someone else recommended. Review ErgoChair
It was great seeing someone take the time to write out a long and detailed review. I am probably going to buy that chair in the future since I can feel the damn plastic in my current chair after just 1 or 2 hours of work.
ENTRY
Not to use a cliche or anything but Unraid gaming is what brought me here. Instead of Parsec I ended up using NoMachine though. Before that I was always aware of the NASkiller builds. I’m sometimes active on Discord but not so much anymore due to having moved from the West coast from the East coast.
I prefer the PFsense box