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What do you think of the following as a NAS/home server?
Biggest performance bottleneck?
Will I be able to run the harddrives in a RAID array over the USB connection?
PELADN WI-6 Pro Mini PC, Intel N100 12th gen, 8GB DDR4, 256GB M.2 PCIe SSD, 1Gb ethernet
£ 132.42 GBP https://amzn.eu/d/0iTa2m5v
to connect over USB-C 3.2 cable to
SABRENT 4 bay hard drive docking station
£ 249.99 GBP https://amzn.eu/d/05KsjoJ2
I already have Gigabit LAN with switch. Netgear D6220 modem/router for WiFi AC and internet (35Mbps down, 8Mbps up).
In order of importance, I want it for:
Backup & storage - incl. a few family members remotely
Data sync (replacing OneDrive etc.) - local & remote, only me
Photos sync & management - incl. a few family members remotely
Films - only me, to a VLC app on an Amazon Fire TV stick, Jellyfin?
Home Assistant - local & remote, to control LED lights and to add to
Tinkering - writing websites, Linux, VMs, containers
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I am the OP. I've done further research. This suggests that there can be problems with compatibility between a computer and the SATA chips in separate USB hard drive docks. Also that doing all I want to do with this machine might require more power, though I don't want to add too much more compute power in case I waste electricity. Therefore, taking this on board, how about the following spec to build my own?
Case:
Fractal Design Node 304 - Black - Mini Cube Compact Computer Case - Small form factor - Mini ITX – mITX - High Airflow - Modular interior - 3x Fractal Design Silent R2 120mm Fans Included - USB 3.0
£ 91.49 GBP
Power supply:
Corsair CP-9020177-UK RM550x 80 PLUS Gold 550 W Fully Modular ATX Power Supply - Black
£ 94.50 GBP
CPU + CPU cooler + Motherboard + 16GB RAM + 256GB SSD:
Tuofudun 6 Bay NAS Motherboard DDR5, Intel i3 N305, 6 x SATA3.0, 2 x M.2 NVMe, 4 x Intel i226-V 2.5GbE LAN, Mini ITX 17 x 17 cm
£ 298 GBP
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(07-05-2024, 03:35 PM)Enquiries Wrote: What do you think of the following as a NAS/home server?
Biggest performance bottleneck?
Will I be able to run the harddrives in a RAID array over the USB connection?
PELADN WI-6 Pro Mini PC, Intel N100 12th gen, 8GB DDR4, 256GB M.2 PCIe SSD, 1Gb ethernet
£ 132.42 GBP https://amzn.eu/d/0iTa2m5v
to connect over USB-C 3.2 cable to
SABRENT 4 bay hard drive docking station
£ 249.99 GBP https://amzn.eu/d/05KsjoJ2
I already have Gigabit LAN with switch. Netgear D6220 modem/router for WiFi AC and internet (35Mbps down, 8Mbps up).
In order of importance, I want it for:
Backup & storage - incl. a few family members remotely
Data sync (replacing OneDrive etc.) - local & remote, only me
Photos sync & management - incl. a few family members remotely
Films - only me, to a VLC app on an Amazon Fire TV stick, Jellyfin?
Home Assistant - local & remote, to control LED lights and to add to
Tinkering - writing websites, Linux, VMs, containers
Using a mini PC like the PELADN WI-6 Pro with an Intel N100 12th gen, paired with a Sabrent 4-bay hard drive docking station, is a viable setup for your NAS/home server needs. While the Intel N100 isn’t the most powerful CPU for virtual machines, it should still handle basic VM tasks adequately. To maximize performance and simplify RAID over USB, I recommend installing Unraid. Unraid is designed to optimize hardware usage and provides robust RAID management, making it easier to manage your storage setup.
Performance Bottleneck: The USB connection between the mini PC and the docking station can limit data transfer speeds compared to a direct SATA connection. However, for a home server setup, this should be manageable with proper configuration.
RAID over USB: Unraid will help streamline the process of setting up and managing RAID over a USB connection, providing stability and ease of use.
Usage Suitability: - Backup & Storage: With Unraid, your backup and storage needs for local and remote users will be well-supported.
- Data Sync: Local data sync should be efficient with Gigabit LAN. Remote sync will depend on your internet upload speed (8Mbps up), but should still be functional.
- Photos Sync & Management: Managing photo sync and storage will be straightforward with Unraid, although large transfers might be slower due to the USB connection.
- Films: Streaming films locally will work well. For Jellyfin, the N100 should suffice for basic streaming, though high-resolution transcoding might be limited.
- Home Assistant: Running Home Assistant locally and remotely will be smooth on this setup.
- Tinkering: The mini PC will support Linux, VMs, and containers adequately for small-scale development and tinkering.
Recommendation: While this setup will work for your needs, investing in a dedicated NAS like the Synology DS423+ or DS923+ would offer better performance, reliability, and native RAID support. These models are well-suited for media streaming, data sync, and running services like Home Assistant and Jellyfin.
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