Storage Solutions NAS Advice – Getting an i3-10105 pc for 7k

abhaysk94

abhaysk94

Contributor
Hi everyone,

I'm planning to build a NAS primarily for photo and video backups, with occasional 4K movie streaming to my TV and torrent downloads. A friend is offering me a used setup for 7,000, and I wanted to get your input before committing. Here are the specs:

  • Intel i3-10105
  • 8GB RAM
  • Gigabyte H-series motherboard (no HDMI)
  • Zebronics PSU and case
I’m wondering if this is a solid deal for the price, or if there are more power-efficient or affordable alternatives that would suit my needs better.

For storage, I’m considering starting with a single 2TB–4TB HDD, and later adding a second one to run in RAID 1 for redundancy (mainly for photos, videos, and other personal data). Is it possible to start with one drive and convert to RAID 1 later without losing data?

I also plan to add a 1TB SATA SSD for faster access to movies and frequently used files. I usually delete movies after watching, so a small but fast drive should do.

Additionally, I have an old Arduino I used as a USB keyboard (for custom and long key commands using a PS2 keyboard), and I'm thinking of pairing it with an Espresso to automate power on/off for the NAS when not in use. Would this be safe and advisable, especially for the hard drives?

Would really appreciate any advice, recommendations, or feedback on the setup. If anyone has better suggestions or used parts for sale, I’d love to hear about those too.

Thanks in advance!
 
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CPU is good, 16GB ram is basic recommendation. NAS, servers are meant to be online 24hrs, while there is no issue keeping it OFF. Use nvme or ssd for OS.
 
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You might want to use CM , corsair etc. PSU , as NAS is supposed to be running long hours , you would want reliable and efficient.
Keep OS on SSD (128 or 256 GB will be suffice.) Yes you can start with one drive and make raid 1 later on.
 
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if you are new to NAS OS, search for Xpenology.
Its Synology OS for custom devices. Installation is little time taking but maintenance and use is very easy.
2nd option is Unraid: only select if you are mixing drives.
3rd option is Truenas: little technical but ZFS and snapshots are a huge life saver.

also, i3 10105 has intel 630 which is more than enough for transcoding until HEVC. But if you get 12th gen you get AV1 transcoding also. 7k is a good deal though, DO NOT TRUST Zebronics PSU!
 
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7000 Philipines Peso is close to 13K INR, still good value imo. Get good PSU. Shutting down when not in use is not a terrible idea, however if you want google photos like automatic backups/sync, you should keep it on all the time.
 
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napstersquest said:
What OS are you planning to use? This is possible with ZFS.
Click to expand...

rajch2002 said:
if you are new to NAS OS, search for Xpenology.
Its Synology OS for custom devices. Installation is little time taking but maintenance and use is very easy.
2nd option is Unraid: only select if you are mixing drives.
3rd option is Truenas: little technical but ZFS and snapshots are a huge life saver.
Click to expand...

ill use Just arch with samba and jellyfin till I get the HDDs. I will start with Xpenology(I have used it a few years ago and liked its interface), if Im needing any features ill try Unraid or others. After thinking it through I will do raid only once I have both the drives (saves a lot of head ache).

napstersquest said:
7000 Philipines Peso is close to 13K INR, still good value imo. Get good PSU. Shutting down when not in use is not a terrible idea, however if you want google photos like automatic backups/sync, you should keep it on all the time.
Click to expand...
Oops my mistake. It's actually 7k INR. I've removed the peso symbol. I'll upgrade the PSU too when I add the HDDs. As for shutting it down, ill see what the powerdraws are and how the backups work when I start tinkering with it and go from there.

Which is better higher wattage PSU with lower Efficiency or an Higher Efficiency PSU but with lower wattage?
 
The latter. Find something that runs near 50% of its rated capacity (most PSUs work most efficiently near that range) and is most efficient unit in your budget.
 
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PHOTO-2025-05-17-16-27-29.jpg

Thanks everyone for the feedback! I managed to get the setup for 6.5k with a 250GB Crucial SSD (left it as-is with a Windows install for emergencies). I swapped the PSU to a CM450 80+ Bronze. I spent a day undervolting and stress testing, and disabled Turbo Boost for now—since I’m already on the highest consumer power bracket in Kerala, every little bit helps, especially during the summer.

I started with Arch Linux but finally settled on OpenMediaVault (OMV) installed on a 128GB SATA SSD, as I’m not doing much for now and wanted a simpler overall setup.

I just finished copying my media from my external NVMe to the SSD. It’s only 220GB, but it took a while to mount and move the data from the APFS-formatted NVMe to the Btrfs SATA SSD. I haven’t installed my main storage drives yet—two 2TB HDDs (one internal 3.5” and one external USB backup). For backups, I’ll most likely stick to rsync instead of RAID, which I’ve been using on my Mac to backup to my main 2TB and backup 2TB drives. Eventually, I plan to add another 4TB drive for snapshots and a permanent local backup, replacing the external 2TB USB drive.
 
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