NAS requirements for a Data Hoarder from Malaysia

[Enquiries]

Hello there, I'm Russ from Malaysia, and I'm a big fan of your YouTube channel! I'm new to the NAS and Server world, currently using an i5-6500 attached to a mining motherboard to hoard data. The specs aren't impressive, but they get TrueNAS up and running.

However, I plan to ditch that i5-6500 for a smaller footprint NAS. Here are my future thoughts:

I plan to build one myself.

I stream PLEX at 4K to my TV downstairs.

I hoard photos from the past 20 years.

I hoard other data as well.

My TrueNAS is near the attic, attached to a LAN router. It’s not the best setup, but computer parts are expensive since we live on an island. The internet is decent (300MBps).

My current setup:

Photo dump

i5-6500

ASUS BTC motherboard with 4 SATA ports and 4 SATA extenders

1x Kingston 128GB boot drive

1x 512GB drive

1x 60GB drive

The irony is my main data is hosted on my main PC running on Windows:

2x 1TB on Spaces

1x 2TB on normal

I'd love to hear your thoughts and recommendations on buil

[ed]

Thanks for reaching out and for your kind words about the YouTube channel! It sounds like you’re building quite the data collection, and I can definitely help you with your next steps.

Since you're looking to build your own NAS and have some specific needs (4K Plex streaming, hoarding photos, etc.), here are a few things to consider and some recommendations for your new NAS setup:

1. Processor & Motherboard
Since you're transitioning away from the i5-6500, I'd recommend looking at an Intel Core i3/i5 or AMD Ryzen 3/5 processor for your NAS. These processors are budget-friendly, energy-efficient, and more than capable of handling 4K Plex streaming, photo management, and basic file storage. A Mini-ITX motherboard will keep your build compact, which fits your goal of a smaller footprint.

Intel Core i5-11400 (for solid performance and efficiency)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600G (if you need built-in graphics for Plex transcoding)
2. Storage
For storage, since you’re hoarding both photos and other data, you’ll need a solid mix of HDDs for large storage and possibly SSDs for faster access. For a balance between cost and performance, I'd suggest:

2x 4TB HDDs (for bulk storage, like photos and other large data)
1x 512GB SSD (for your operating system or frequently accessed files)
Consider adding a cache SSD if you plan on doing heavy file transfers or using the NAS for media editing.
3. Network
Since you're using TrueNAS and your NAS is currently near the attic, I recommend upgrading to 2.5Gb Ethernet or even 10Gb if your network supports it. With 300Mbps internet, the local network speed will likely be the bottleneck, so faster LAN speeds would help, especially when you're streaming 4K content. A 2.5GbE NIC should be sufficient for most use cases if you don’t need the absolute fastest speeds.

4. Budget Considerations
With your $750 budget, I think the build can be both solid and efficient. For a DIY NAS, you'd want to allocate around:

Motherboard + CPU: $200 - $250
Storage Drives: $250 - $300
RAM: 16GB DDR4 should be plenty, around $60
Case + PSU: $100 - $150 (consider something compact like the Fractal Design Node 304 or similar small cases)
5. Software
Since you're already using TrueNAS, I'd recommend sticking with it for now. It’s a great, free solution for hoarding data, setting up Plex, and managing backups. However, if you want a more polished, user-friendly option, you could also consider Unraid for flexibility.