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The original was posted on /r/datahoarder by /u/fumblesmcdrum on 2024-01-21 23:59:02+00:00.
I've been thinking about building a NAS and got the following for free:
- no-name case (four 5.25" drive bays + three 3.5" internal bays), 80mm exhaust fan
- Motherboard: Asus A88xm-plus: micro-ATX, FM2+ socket w\ 8 SATA6 ports, 64GB max ram.
- RAM: 8GB DDR3 1333MhZ (2x4GB, Kingston KVR)
- CPU: AMD A8-5600k (3.6Ghz 4 core, 4 thread.)
- CPU cooler: stock low-profile with 80mm fan
- Boot drive: Crucial BX500 240GB
- PSU: generic brand, swapped out with Corsair RM650x
This feels pretty ancient but the onboard 8 SATA ports made me think it could be a good platform to explore building a first NAS. I'm planning to put TrueNAS Scale on it.
Question -->: Is this a worthwhile project, or should I look to invest in more modern hardware?
I'm mostly looking to use this as a storage device. I might try putting a media server on it once things are set up properly, but I have no idea how good or capable the A8 CPU is at transcoding (though I'd only be sending things to a 4k tv). Also, I have no idea if there are better CPUs I could chuck in this thing. The 5600k's 100w TDP seems like a lot in this case, but...it was free. Can anyone recommend an upgrade path here?
Speaking of upgrades, here were some new purchases I was considering:
- More ram: I have 4 DIMMS and a 64GB cap, so I'll probably look at picking up some 8gb 1600mhz sticks. Not sure if I can find unbuffered ECC 16GB sticks compatible with this motherboard. (I can't seem to find and non-ECC DDR3 16GB sticks)
- Drives, obviously.
- Hot-swap caddies for the 5.25" drive bays Any recommendations?
- quieter exhaust fans. Any recommendations? Was looking at Noctua 80mm fans but realized I don't know anything about this.
Thanks!