Hi - I’m a bit overwhelmed by the forums on this site - but I’m hoping this question is reasonable and in the right place.
Basically - I have a home server with a motherboard/CPU that is too old. It’s running an AMD Phenom II X4, motherboard is an ASUS that is about 8-10years old. I’ve been trying to keep it going by adding memory, SSDs, interface cards (serial, USB 3) etc (in fact the original CPU was much lower powered than the Phenom II as well). But it’s struggling with Win 10 and I think it’s time for a new MB.
I have a good, new PS with plenty of power, I’ve got about 8 WD Red drives, I don’t mind buying a pre-built, but I can’t find anything with room for 8+ drives that is anywhere near affordable.
So I guess what I’m looking for is the easiest route to a new MB with CPU and memory included and a case I can move my existing PS and drives into.
The server is a storage server (photos, videos, etc), a Plex server (low demand), and it runs my home automation software (but I may move that to a little appliance computer).
Suggestions or pointers to questions that answer this would be vastly appreciated.
Thanks!
Is there a reason you’re not following the NK 4 build guide? It lists compatible motherboards, CPU’s and memory as well as cases for as many or more drives than you have. Here is the link.
Sounds like you actually don’t have a ton of requirements. The NAS Killer 4.0/4.1 would probably be your best choice. It will allow you to get your feet wet into some newer stuff. You also may want to consider a different operating system than Windows 10 because it’s a resource hog and according to your use case would be better with something more NAS focused.
Check out the Ultra-quiet “Plus” build. Seems like what you’re looking for.
noideafromhere - only reason is I got overwhelmed looking at all the builds and considering alternatives!
COZisBack - I’d love to ditch Windows 10 - its driving me nuts. But I wasn’t sure that alternatives would run Stablebit DrivePool, PLEX, my home automation program (Home Control Assistant) if I keep it on this machine, my backup software - Cloudberry, Macrium, and a file sync program.
I’m pretty tech savvy but haven’t had much experience with other OS’s.
I know lots of people are using Unraid - but I wasn’t sure what Win software (if any) it would run.
Thanks for responding!
If you run unraid with a parity drive, you won’t need drivepool anymore. It’s built into the OS and just needs set up. There’s a ton of guides out there to help you with unraid and docker. You also have the discord chat where there’s a large community to help you with your final decisions and configuration.
Also, technically you don’t run Windows on unraid. If you choose you still want a Windows environment, you’ll create a VM on unraid and run windows with that VM.