Storage Solutions Looking for a NAS/custom solution for storing 4-6 HDDS

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Sei

Galvanizer
I have 2 PCs at home right now along with 4 high-capacity HDDs. I'm going to go in for another HDD pretty soon and was thinking of investing in a permanent solution rather than cramping up the cabinets of both my PCs.

I want to separate out the HDDs from the PCs and wanted to know the cheapest way to get it done. My requirements -
1) Should be cheap (My HTPC is going bonkers and I will probably have to get the motherboard+RAM+CPU replaced there).
2) Should be able to accommodate 4-6 HDDs.
3) Should be as compact as possible (I know I am asking a lot with 6HDDs fitted in, but still).

Looking at the above, I think a NAS would be out of the question. Please offer suggestions, if any.

Is a low power PC with a motherboard combo (Intel Atom) the way to go? The only issue I have there is that the number of SATA ports is usually 2 on these motherboards and I want to add more than 4 HDDs.

Another option I saw was a low power CPU and a motherboard with built-in 6 ports as below -
AMD 3.2 GHz AM3 Athlon II 260 Processor | Processor | Flipkart.com
Gigabyte GA-78LMT-S2PT Motherboard | Motherboard | Flipkart.com

Total - 2676 + 3344 = Rs. 6020

Can this get any cheaper? If this is a viable option, what about the PSU and the cabinet? Will access this by remote; so not going to invest in a monitor. Rest all is negligible.

Waiting for your replies. Got my pay yesterday and can only buy within a short period before it all disappears :P
 
A pci or pci-e hdd controller card could be added the to Intel mini ITX mobo to accomodate all hdd but the cost could even exceed AMD AM3 mobo.

Don't know about hdd performance impact a hdd controller has when connected to a single slot.
 
Sei This is what you'd get-
AMD AthelonII X2 260-3.5k
GIGABYTE GA-78LMT-S2PT-2.5k
Corsair 2X2GB 1600mhz Value Ram-1.2k
Zebronics Bijli with PSU-1.5k OR Nzxt Gamma-2.4k[More Space in HDD Bays]
If you want a Micro-ATX Case then-COOLER MASTER Elite 100 + PSU-3k OR Zebronics mini-ITX case + SMPS-1.5k
For Intel Rig you'd have to go for H67 chipset as H61 comes with 4 Sata slots.It'll be difficult to find H61 chipset with 6 Sata Slots.
It can't get cheaper than this.
For HDD Segate 1B 7200-5.2k OR WD Blue 1TB 7200-5k[WD Has 2 year warranty]
Hope this helps.:)
 
Would suggest to go for a sempron with cheap mobo. Avoid the bijli cabby if you want to give some breathing space to your hdds.
Sent from my SGH-i917 using Board Express
 
The mobo is good enough with 6 Sata slots,Any cheaper mobo won't have that option,Sempron is a cheaper choice but AthelonII X2 would give better performance.Yes Bijli won't have room for more than 3-4 HDD's,Nzxt Gamma suggested.
vivek.krishnan said:
Would suggest to go for a sempron with cheap mobo. Avoid the bijli cabby if you want to give some breathing space to your hdds.
Sent from my SGH-i917 using Board Express
Click to expand...
 
I have 11TB of storage across 7 HDDs (one OS and 3+3 in a software backup configuration - no RAID for me), 1 eSata port and one free IDE connector on a Gigabyte 510UD motherboard with an add-in 4-slot PCI sata card. All mounted in a Coolermaster Elite case of some kind with one set of disks mounted in the upper bays using drive bay adapters. 4GB of RAM and a flavour of Win7 - runs as a torrent box, remote control downloader and a video/audio streaming center.

I know you don't like a PCI card but it is the most practical solution for low power + lots of disks. If you look for Atom-based mobos with lots of built in SATA, finding them in India is tough (there are a few Atom models by Jetway with 6 SATA ports, but they run off the controller header anyway as Atom chipsets only support 2 SATA ports).

I run mine off a spare PSU, but a 65W pico PSU should be far more than sufficient. The whole thing excluding OS and disks should be well under the 20k mark - I had most of the hardware so only the mobo (~5k), the card (~2k) and the drive bay adapters (~160 each) are the bits that I had to plonk cash for. I know it seems pricey but I managed to knock off a hundred bucks from my electric bill in one month. Once you factor in always-on operation, small differences end up meaning a lot.

All other discrete solutions will consume massive amounts of power compared to the Atom. Atoms should idle at close to 30W (after adding in fans, disks and PSU efficiency), which will easily double with even the latest Intel processors and chipsets. AM2 and AM3 are simply impractical for a 24x7 storage and download box, the consumption is way too high.

Good Luck.
 
Jakob said:
Sei This is what you'd get-
AMD AthelonII X2 260-3.5k
GIGABYTE GA-78LMT-S2PT-2.5k
Corsair 2X2GB 1600mhz Value Ram-1.2k
Zebronics Bijli with PSU-1.5k OR Nzxt Gamma-2.4k[More Space in HDD Bays]
If you want a Micro-ATX Case then-COOLER MASTER Elite 100 + PSU-3k OR Zebronics mini-ITX case + SMPS-1.5k
For Intel Rig you'd have to go for H67 chipset as H61 comes with 4 Sata slots.It'll be difficult to find H61 chipset with 6 Sata Slots.
It can't get cheaper than this.
For HDD Segate 1B 7200-5.2k OR WD Blue 1TB 7200-5k[WD Has 2 year warranty]
Hope this helps.:)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion but I think you have mistaken this for a HTPC query. I simply want a place to keep all my HDDs. I already have an HTPC setup. This will be the second PC that will be kind of the storage/downloading server, if you can call it that.

cranky said:
I have 11TB of storage across 7 HDDs (one OS and 3+3 in a software backup configuration - no RAID for me), 1 eSata port and one free IDE connector on a Gigabyte 510UD motherboard with an add-in 4-slot PCI sata card. All mounted in a Coolermaster Elite case of some kind with one set of disks mounted in the upper bays using drive bay adapters. 4GB of RAM and a flavour of Win7 - runs as a torrent box, remote control downloader and a video/audio streaming center.

I know you don't like a PCI card but it is the most practical solution for low power + lots of disks. If you look for Atom-based mobos with lots of built in SATA, finding them in India is tough (there are a few Atom models by Jetway with 6 SATA ports, but they run off the controller header anyway as Atom chipsets only support 2 SATA ports).

I run mine off a spare PSU, but a 65W pico PSU should be far more than sufficient. The whole thing excluding OS and disks should be well under the 20k mark - I had most of the hardware so only the mobo (~5k), the card (~2k) and the drive bay adapters (~160 each) are the bits that I had to plonk cash for. I know it seems pricey but I managed to knock off a hundred bucks from my electric bill in one month. Once you factor in always-on operation, small differences end up meaning a lot.

All other discrete solutions will consume massive amounts of power compared to the Atom. Atoms should idle at close to 30W (after adding in fans, disks and PSU efficiency), which will easily double with even the latest Intel processors and chipsets. AM2 and AM3 are simply impractical for a 24x7 storage and download box, the consumption is way too high.

Good Luck.
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot for the detailed reply.

7 HDDs - How'd you manage that with 2 SATA ports and an add-on PCI card? I have a PCI card but that only has 3 SATA ports. Can you link me to the PCI card that you have bought?

Which cabinet are you using to keep the 7HDDs in ? Any cheap cabinet will do?

Where did you get the drive bay adapters? I'm assuming that you are talking about the 5.25" to 3.5" converters. I have 4 with me but I had to get them from Amazon since I could not find them anywhere here. I would definitely like to keep some extra with me.
 
This is exactly what I require. After reading a lot and finding no good solution I have almost given up.
Things that I found:
1. Atom boards do not have more then 2, max 4 SATA ports.
2. No small cabby can fit more than 4 HDD, OOTB, without adapters.
3. If the cabby comes with a PSU, and the PSU blows, ur almost dead.
4. We do not get good PCI SATA boards, which inspire confidence.
5. If a SATA board goes kaput, there is no saying how much time will it take to acquire another one.

With all of the above points in mind I thought of going for a desktop type CPU without any keyboard, mouse or monitor.
Will keep watching this space for more info.
 
babhishek said:
Do you really need a nas or will a Das do?
Click to expand...

I am intrigued. Please elaborate! :)

djmykey said:
This is exactly what I require. After reading a lot and finding no good solution I have almost given up.
Things that I found:
1. Atom boards do not have more then 2, max 4 SATA ports.
2. No small cabby can fit more than 4 HDD, OOTB, without adapters.
3. If the cabby comes with a PSU, and the PSU blows, ur almost dead.
4. We do not get good PCI SATA boards, which inspire confidence.
5. If a SATA board goes kaput, there is no saying how much time will it take to acquire another one.

With all of the above points in mind I thought of going for a desktop type CPU without any keyboard, mouse or monitor.
Will keep watching this space for more info.
Click to expand...

Yup, that is exactly what I am going to do. But, I guess I will have to get a PCI SATA card. That seems to be the most feasible option. Will get a cheap cabinet. Using a Circle cabinet for my main PC. Very sturdy, no sharp edges and simple design. The best part? Cost only Rs 1000 without the PSU. It has 4 HDD bays and 2 ODD bays. Will see if I can find a cabinet with 5 HDD bays and 2 ODD bays. I already have four 5.25" to 3.5" converters with me. That should do the trick.

In case I go in for an Atom setup, a normal branded PSU will do just fine. The only load will be the hard disks.

By the way, what do you mean by PCI SATA boards?
 
Sei said:
7 HDDs - How'd you manage that with 2 SATA ports and an add-on PCI card? I have a PCI card but that only has 3 SATA ports. Can you link me to the PCI card that you have bought?
Click to expand...

The mobo has 2 SATA and one IDE port from the so-called Gigabyte storage solution, so 4 ports on the mobo. The card is this one: Silicon Image 4-Port SATA PCI Expansion Card - Free Shipping - DealExtreme - Ignore most of the feedback below. Mine supported 2TB drives OOTB, and Windows even had a small driver update. It may not be the quickest, but it still manages to squeeze over 90MB/s sustained transfer rates out of a 2TB WD Green drive. I have no speed issues at all, and anyway drives attached to it are only used for backup duties.

Total 8 SATA ports and one IDE, theoretically up to 10 devices.

Which cabinet are you using to keep the 7HDDs in ? Any cheap cabinet will do?
Click to expand...

I use this one: Elite 370 - Cooler Master - Leading Provider of Computer Case | Cooler | Power Supply. You can attempt to fit all 7 HDDs in the lower bays, using the 2.5" 'floppy' bays. Those are not totally secure though, so I use drive bay adapters (no optical drive). The WD Greens turn off when not in use and the ones in the upper bays are practically never used except when I run the backup program once a week. No issues with cooling. The proper 3.5" bays have a 120mm fan slot (not populated at the factory, advised to do so for the OS disk at least). You can fit upto 5 3.5" devices there.

Where did you get the drive bay adapters? I'm assuming that you are talking about the 5.25" to 3.5" converters. I have 4 with me but I had to get them from Amazon since I could not find them anywhere here. I would definitely like to keep some extra with me.
Click to expand...

Available somewhere in LR at Rs. 160 each. I picked up 10 as those things are not easy to find. A friend bought them after hunting around - started by finding some at 250 each (Prime, methinks) and then scoured the market a bit and found them at a pretty good price.
 
Subscribed. Even I am looking forward to implementing something like this. Low power, low cost, downloader. Atleast my pc can rest at night.
 
cranky said:
The mobo has 2 SATA and one IDE port from the so-called Gigabyte storage solution, so 4 ports on the mobo. The card is this one: Silicon Image 4-Port SATA PCI Expansion Card - Free Shipping - DealExtreme - Ignore most of the feedback below. Mine supported 2TB drives OOTB, and Windows even had a small driver update. It may not be the quickest, but it still manages to squeeze over 90MB/s sustained transfer rates out of a 2TB WD Green drive. I have no speed issues at all, and anyway drives attached to it are only used for backup duties.

Total 8 SATA ports and one IDE, theoretically up to 10 devices.
Click to expand...

That makes sense. I remember searching on DX too for a PCI card but did not see this one. Didn't search thoroughly I guess. That looks great.

In my case, the HDDs will be used for media consumption over the network. So, not that heavy duty at all. Speed of access is not a priority here. This is a very good option.

cranky said:
I use this one: Elite 370 - Cooler Master - Leading Provider of Computer Case | Cooler | Power Supply. You can attempt to fit all 7 HDDs in the lower bays, using the 2.5" 'floppy' bays. Those are not totally secure though, so I use drive bay adapters (no optical drive). The WD Greens turn off when not in use and the ones in the upper bays are practically never used except when I run the backup program once a week. No issues with cooling. The proper 3.5" bays have a 120mm fan slot (not populated at the factory, advised to do so for the OS disk at least). You can fit upto 5 3.5" devices there.
Click to expand...

Will try to find this in the local market. eBay price is 2.8k. Will evaluate other cheaper options too. If I can get something in around 1k, then spending another 1.8k on this doesn't make sense. Especially when this cabinet is going to be hidden all the time.

cranky said:
Available somewhere in LR at Rs. 160 each. I picked up 10 as those things are not easy to find. A friend bought them after hunting around - started by finding some at 250 each (Prime, methinks) and then scoured the market a bit and found them at a pretty good price.
Click to expand...

Yeah, exactly my point. Right now I am set since I have 4 of these with me. Will hunt for them next time I go to Lamington road.

Thanks again. If everything works out, should be able to wrap this up within 10k.
 
Its not exactly small for a NAS cabinet, but you may want to have a look at the NZXT Source 210. I went for it about a year back when I was building exactly what you are looking to build right now, mainly due to the fact that it takes 8 HDDs in the 3.5" bays and has 3 5.25" bays as well. Its available for about 2.6k at Prime. The rest of the parts of my system include :-

AMD Athlon II X2 250
ASUS M4A78LT-M LE - coz it had 6 SATA ports
Corsair 2x2GB RAM
3 2TB HDDs
2 1TB HDDs
Looking for a hot swappable hdd module to fit in the 5.25" bays

May go for a PCI SATA card down the line once all SATA ports are exhausted. The system is hidden away under the desk and runs headless as a NAS, web server, DLNA server, music streamer, VPN server, IP PBX, 24x7 torrent downloader
 
Niks said:
Its not exactly small for a NAS cabinet, but you may want to have a look at the NZXT Source 210. I went for it about a year back when I was building exactly what you are looking to build right now, mainly due to the fact that it takes 8 HDDs in the 3.5" bays and has 3 5.25" bays as well. Its available for about 2.6k at Prime. The rest of the parts of my system include :-

AMD Athlon II X2 250
ASUS M4A78LT-M LE - coz it had 6 SATA ports
Corsair 2x2GB RAM
3 2TB HDDs
2 1TB HDDs
Looking for a hot swappable hdd module to fit in the 5.25" bays

May go for a PCI SATA card down the line once all SATA ports are exhausted. The system is hidden away under the desk and runs headless as a NAS, web server, DLNA server, music streamer, VPN server, IP PBX, 24x7 torrent downloader
Click to expand...

That is a good option but I wish it was available on Flipkart. Prime and eBay cost me extra in Octroi and this would go upto 3k.

I saw 2 other options -
iBall i8298 Full Tower Cabinet | Cabinet | Flipkart.com - This full tower cabinet is for Rs 1740.
Cooler Master Elite 311 Mid Tower Cabinet | Cabinet | Flipkart.com - This mid tower cabinet is for Rs 2200.

Now, since this is going to have a mini-ITX motherboard, only HDDs, no GFX and is going to be hidden from sight, is there any point in spending Rs 500 extra ?

Also, need some suggestions regarding the PSU.
Saw this on FK -http://www.flipkart.com/cooler-mast...RN6T&ref=674127cf-7fec-4640-923f-da8f3f564620 - Rs 1740.

Since this is going to have 5 HDDs at the outset, I need a stable and reliable source of power.
 
CM Elite 311 looks good,You can also go for Nzxt Gamma-2.4k which comes at almost same price,The Source 210 is not as good as gamma so if you go for gamma instead of source 210.For PSU If you want to invest in better psu then Corsair CX430-2.2k is a good option.CM 350W is good enough for your rig.
Sei said:
That is a good option but I wish it was available on Flipkart. Prime and eBay cost me extra in Octroi and this would go upto 3k.

I saw 2 other options -
iBall i8298 Full Tower Cabinet | Cabinet | Flipkart.com - This full tower cabinet is for Rs 1740.
Cooler Master Elite 311 Mid Tower Cabinet | Cabinet | Flipkart.com - This mid tower cabinet is for Rs 2200.

Now, since this is going to have a mini-ITX motherboard, only HDDs, no GFX and is going to be hidden from sight, is there any point in spending Rs 500 extra ?

Also, need some suggestions regarding the PSU.
Saw this on FK -Cooler Master CM 350 Plus 350 Watts PSU | Psu | Flipkart.com - Rs 1740.

Since this is going to have 5 HDDs at the outset, I need a stable and reliable source of power.
Click to expand...
 
A friend of mine purchased an HP Server @ 12500/- It can accommodate 4 HDD's. And I think if you put an pci sata controller you can add more drives to it.
If i remember there was a for sale thread in this forum somewhere, a guy from HYD was selling these servers
 
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