Nas hardware advice

[Enquiries]

Hi,

I'm a big fan of NASCOMPARES

I'm willing to pay for the advice if satisfied ($50).
Requirements:
* Jonsbo N3 case or similar size (8 drive bay)
* motherboard
- with 6 to 8 sata ports (not shared ports)
- 64GB RAM supported
- i5/i7/19 (F) processor or similar supported
- 1gbe/10gbe network card (on board or optional)
- 2 NVME ports (on board or optional)
* i5/i7/19 (F) processor

I would like to have this hardware to work as NAS and have some VMs running
Are the chinese motherboards on aliexpress reliable to work 24/24 ?

Thank you so much

[ed]

Thank you for reaching out and for being a fan of NASCompares! I'd be happy to help with your hardware query.

Based on your requirements for an 8-bay NAS build, here’s a solution that meets your criteria:

1. Case: Jonsbo N3 or similar
The Jonsbo N3 is a great choice for an 8-bay NAS, offering good cooling and a clean design. It's compact but can comfortably fit your drives. If you’re looking for something similar, the SilverStone CS381 also supports 8 drives and provides good airflow.

2. Motherboard Recommendations
You’ve mentioned needing 6-8 SATA ports, support for 64GB RAM, and a processor from the i5/i7/i9 range. Here are a few solid choices:

ASRock Rack E3C246D4U:

6x SATA ports (non-shared)
Supports up to 64GB DDR4 ECC RAM
Compatible with Intel Xeon E processors (i5/i7/i9 models are also compatible)
10GbE option via PCIe
Two M.2 NVMe ports (optional via PCIe expansion cards)
Price: Around €200-€250
Supermicro X11SSM-F:

6x SATA ports (non-shared)
Supports up to 64GB DDR4 ECC RAM
Intel i5/i7/i9 supported (LGA 1151)
1GbE onboard (10GbE via optional PCIe card)
M.2 NVMe slots (1-2 slots)
Price: Around €300
ASRock Z490 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB3 (for more flexibility, but may be limited to 4 SATA ports):

4x SATA ports (not shared)
Supports up to 64GB DDR4 RAM
Intel 10th gen i5/i7/i9 support
1GbE onboard (10GbE via PCIe card)
2x M.2 NVMe slots
Price: Around €200-€250
All of these motherboards support VMs and will serve your NAS needs well. If you go with something like the ASRock Rack or Supermicro board, you’ll be able to easily run 24/7 without reliability concerns.

3. Chinese Motherboards from AliExpress
While Chinese motherboards from AliExpress are often affordable, they can sometimes have issues with quality control and long-term reliability, especially for 24/7 workloads. I’d recommend sticking with more reputable brands like ASRock Rack, Supermicro, or Gigabyte for enterprise-level hardware. They’re built for durability and continuous use, which is crucial for NAS and VM setups.

4. Network Card and Expansion Options
For network connectivity:

1GbE is usually sufficient for most home NAS use, but if you plan to stream 4K media or run multiple VMs, consider adding a 10GbE network card via PCIe. For example, the Intel X520-T2 is a reliable 10GbE NIC available for around €100.
For NVMe, you can add extra storage with M.2 NVMe SSDs, and the recommended motherboards above support NVMe expansion cards.
Budget:
Given your budget of €700-800, I’d recommend focusing on the ASRock Rack motherboard paired with the Jonsbo N3 case and 64GB DDR4 RAM. That setup should be feasible with your budget and provide you with excellent reliability for 24/7 NAS and VM usage.