05-05-2023, 03:02 PM
It sounds like you have a solid plan for upgrading your NAS devices. Here are some suggestions and ideas:
Drives: Switching to larger drives and moving drives to expansion boxes as needed is a good plan. However, you may want to consider the cost per TB when deciding on drive size. Sometimes the larger drives have a higher cost per TB, so you may want to calculate the overall cost before making a decision.
Memory: Upgrading to 32GB of RAM is a good start, and 64GB may be overkill depending on your use case. If you plan on running a lot of Docker containers or virtual machines, then more RAM could be beneficial.
Network card: A 10Gb network card is a good upgrade, especially if you plan on transferring large files or streaming high-quality video. The NVME slots on the card can be used for cache, but keep in mind that cache only benefits certain workloads. You may want to test your use case with and without cache to see if it makes a difference.
NVME: It's a good idea to use one set of NVME drives for cache and another set for the storage pool. As for size, it depends on your workload. For cache, you may want to start with 1-2TB and see if it makes a difference. For the storage pool, go with the largest size you can afford.
Placement: You can place the storage pool and cache drives on different devices (e.g., storage pool on the box and cache on the network card) or on the same device. It depends on your workload and performance needs.
Networking: A 10Gb switch is necessary to take advantage of the 10Gb network card. If you have a small network, an unmanaged switch should suffice. However, if you have a larger network, a managed switch can provide better control and optimization.
GPU: A dedicated GPU can be beneficial if you plan on running virtual machines or using the NAS for media transcoding. However, it's not necessary for most use cases.
Qnap Guardian series: The Qnap Guardian series is a good option if you need a NAS with higher performance and more advanced features. However, it's also more expensive than the regular Qnap models.
Overall, it sounds like you have a good plan for upgrading your NAS devices. Just keep in mind that some upgrades may not be necessary depending on your use case.
Drives: Switching to larger drives and moving drives to expansion boxes as needed is a good plan. However, you may want to consider the cost per TB when deciding on drive size. Sometimes the larger drives have a higher cost per TB, so you may want to calculate the overall cost before making a decision.
Memory: Upgrading to 32GB of RAM is a good start, and 64GB may be overkill depending on your use case. If you plan on running a lot of Docker containers or virtual machines, then more RAM could be beneficial.
Network card: A 10Gb network card is a good upgrade, especially if you plan on transferring large files or streaming high-quality video. The NVME slots on the card can be used for cache, but keep in mind that cache only benefits certain workloads. You may want to test your use case with and without cache to see if it makes a difference.
NVME: It's a good idea to use one set of NVME drives for cache and another set for the storage pool. As for size, it depends on your workload. For cache, you may want to start with 1-2TB and see if it makes a difference. For the storage pool, go with the largest size you can afford.
Placement: You can place the storage pool and cache drives on different devices (e.g., storage pool on the box and cache on the network card) or on the same device. It depends on your workload and performance needs.
Networking: A 10Gb switch is necessary to take advantage of the 10Gb network card. If you have a small network, an unmanaged switch should suffice. However, if you have a larger network, a managed switch can provide better control and optimization.
GPU: A dedicated GPU can be beneficial if you plan on running virtual machines or using the NAS for media transcoding. However, it's not necessary for most use cases.
Qnap Guardian series: The Qnap Guardian series is a good option if you need a NAS with higher performance and more advanced features. However, it's also more expensive than the regular Qnap models.
Overall, it sounds like you have a good plan for upgrading your NAS devices. Just keep in mind that some upgrades may not be necessary depending on your use case.