Home NAS - Unraid

[Enquiries]

Hello,

I'm looking for a silent NAS build with 4 bays to set up under a home environment. I purchased an Unraid Pro license many years ago, yet I frequently relied on using an external hard drive. I am now reaching a new storage requirement in the coming months, and I'm looking to see if I can consolidate this setup into a 2 x 10 TB RAID 1 cold storage build that will also allow me to maintain some storage for some surveillance footage.

My current budget as a general guideline is $1000 USD for the storage alongside the case, psu, and mobo. The household itself primarily uses Windows, and I am interested in having a feature-rich setup but not to go overboard as to end up building another PC. I checked the Jonsbo N2 setup but was a little intimidated and wondered if there are possibly setups without having to rely on AliExpress for the electronic parts.

Thanks,

Larry

[ed]

Thanks for reaching out, and it’s great to hear you’re planning to make full use of your Unraid Pro license. Sounds like you’re aiming for a clean, reliable, and quiet home NAS setup without overcomplicating things — and that’s absolutely achievable within your budget.

Here’s what I’d suggest based on your goals and budget:

1. Case:
The Fractal Design Node 304 or SilverStone CS381 are both great 4–8 bay options available through standard US retailers (Newegg, Amazon, etc.) without needing to use AliExpress. The Jonsbo N2 is a solid choice too, but I get your hesitation if you want to avoid non-local parts.

2. CPU + Motherboard:
Look for something like the Intel i3-12100 (or 12100T if you want it extra low-power and cool) paired with a B660 or B760 Mini-ITX or mATX board. This gives you ECC support (with proper RAM), integrated graphics (handy for Unraid), and low power draw.

Alternatively, AMD’s Ryzen 5600G can be a solid option, though ECC compatibility is less guaranteed depending on the board.

3. PSU:
Go with a reliable SFX or ATX PSU, ideally something quiet like a Seasonic or be quiet! 400–500W unit. Modular helps with cable management in tight spaces.

4. Storage:
For your cold storage RAID 1 setup, two 10TB WD Red Plus or Seagate IronWolf drives would be ideal. They’re NAS-rated and good for long-term reliability. Add a smaller SSD (120–250GB) as a cache or Unraid boot drive if needed.

5. Surveillance Storage:
If you expect continuous writing from IP cameras, it may be better to separate that onto a different drive or SSD. Even with just 1–2 cams, the data adds up and can stress your primary array unnecessarily.

6. Silent operation:
Prioritise a case with good fan control (Fractal does this well), and consider undervolting or using fan control scripts in Unraid to keep noise minimal. WD Reds and IronWolf NAS drives are fairly quiet too.