NAS/server

[Enquiries]

Dear reader,
as I am exploring the internet and also your site/youtube, I would like to thank you for sharing NAS(and more) information : ))
I am looking for a setup to solve a number of services I want to setup (also NAS).
I put a train of thoughs here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/homelab/comments/1o3w213/looking_tipsideasadvice_for_a_homelab_setup/
if link is to much risk, search reddit homelab for
looking_tipsideasadvice_for_a_homelab_setup
Looking forward to your thoughts on the matter ; ))

Greetz, Tijn

[ed]

Hi Tijn, thanks for the message and for sharing your Reddit post — I read through it, and you’re on exactly the right track. Splitting your setup between a NAS for storage and a Proxmox server for services is a great approach. It gives you flexibility, clean separation, and easy recovery if hardware fails.

For your budget (500–1250 EUR) and storage target (8–20 TB), I’d suggest this layout:

1. Storage System (TrueNAS SCALE or Unraid)
Use your older hardware or build a quiet, power-efficient NAS. TrueNAS SCALE is ideal if you want strong data protection with ZFS snapshots, while Unraid is easier if you plan to mix drive sizes. A Ryzen 5 or Intel i5 CPU with 32 GB of RAM and 4–6 SATA bays is perfect.

2. Services/VM Host (Proxmox)
Run Proxmox on newer, efficient hardware like a Ryzen 7 8700G or Ryzen 5 8600G APU with 32 GB DDR5 RAM. The integrated graphics handle light transcoding for media, and you’ll have room for multiple VMs — Git, Jenkins, media, and build environments.

3. Networking and backup
Give both systems at least 2.5 GbE for fast local syncs. Proxmox Backup Server can run on your NAS to back up all VMs automatically. For off-site redundancy later, you can sync your ZFS snapshots or Unraid shares to a remote backup target.

4. Enclosures and drives
A compact multi-bay case like the Jonsbo N3 or Fractal Node 304 works well. Start with 4×6 TB or 4×8 TB NAS drives (WD Red Plus or Seagate IronWolf) and add a 1 TB NVMe SSD for caching or apps.