NAS/Home server

[Enquiries]

I’ve already bought 2x8TB IronWolf drives, I’m probably going to buy a third as I think I’m going to run ZFS probably TrueNAS or maybe HexOS.

I’m looking at NAS specific cpu+mobo options (RAM prices are killer).

I’m probably going to get the Fractal Define 7 XL for all the drive bays, though it is overkill I’m justifying it as future proofing lol tho maybe I’m better of properly future proofing by getting something rack mounted idk.

I’m wanting to run Jellyfin, Audiobookshelf, Arr stack, Home Assistant, Immich, Tailscale, maybe NextCloud. Nothing too crazy.

[ed]

A Define 7 XL is definitely large, but it gives you excellent airflow, quiet operation, and more drive bays than you will realistically need for a long time. It is not overkill if you want a case you never replace. Rack mount is only worth it if you already have a rack and want everything centralised. For home use the Define 7 XL is usually the easier and quieter choice.

For TrueNAS or HexOS, look at mid range Intel or AMD systems. A modern Intel Core processor with integrated graphics is very handy for Jellyfin, so an i3 13100 or i5 13500 gives you a lot of headroom and proper hardware decoding. If you prefer AMD, a Ryzen 5600G or 5700G is also solid, but Intel still has the edge for media work.

For motherboards, you do not need anything exotic. A reliable B760 board for Intel or B550 for AMD will give you plenty of SATA ports plus PCIe slots for expansion. Since RAM prices hurt at the moment, stick with two sticks of twenty four gig or thirty two gig for now. You can add more later when prices calm down. TrueNAS and Immich both benefit from having more memory, but you do not need to max out at the start.

Your app list is not heavy. Jellyfin, Arr stack, Home Assistant, Tailscale, and Nextcloud run very well on a modest mid range CPU. The important part is to keep SSDs for your app data and metadata. A pair of NVMe drives in a mirrored pool gives you fast and reliable performance for all of those services.