I am thinking about re-purposing an old computer’s components into a NAS box to store my video and music libraries and was wondering if anyone had any thoughts / tips / suggestions. I am thinking about putting all of the components into an ANTEC P50 case (https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129228), I like its small cube shape that should make it easy to slip into a cabinet or corner somewhere and basically be unnoticed. Using Seagate Barracuda 4TB SATA III hard drives for storage (can accept 4 3.5" drives as well as 2 SSDs.)
The parts I’m looking to re-purpose are:
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-H77M-D3H LGA 1155 Micro ATX
Processor: Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge Quad-Core 3.4GHz
Memory: CORSAIR Vengeance LP 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
Power: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V
Thinking about using an older SSD to run the OS and Media Server software, then adding a couple of the Seagate HDDs for now, but eventually coming up with 4 of the Barracuda’s to configure into a RAID-5 array. This should provide 12 GB of storage with the ability to recover from a failed drive without loosing data.
Sounds great. Just make sure your SSD has the required space to accommodate OS, PMS, and library metadata.
@skinnerback said:
Thinking about using an older SSD to run the OS and Media Server software…
…with the read/write candle already burned down to an unknown quantity?
Unwise.
That SSD can be used for the OS. When it blows you can replace it and reinstall the OS and PMS. Use it for nothing else. It’s Sell-By-Date-Clock has already been ticking. See that it ticks as little as possible from here on out.
Put the PMS data on a local HDD bolted inside the box - not in the array, unless instructed that it’s ok - probably not - with Ample Space. When the SDD detonates taking the OS and PMS with it your data will be somewhere else. Fix the OS, reinstall PMS, aim it back at your data and you’re back in bidness.
It has been determined PMS data on an HDD is plenty fast enough. You’ll gain no real advantage to having it on an SDD, but the teeny little and constant read/writes will tick that clock 24/7.
Of course, everything, everywhere is prone to failure at any moment, but moving the last remaining human outpost to a planet in orbit around Betelgeuse is a really bad idea. That thing could blow any minute.
Back up often. Hope for the best.
@JuiceWSA said:
@skinnerback said:
…with the read/write candle already burned down to an unknown quantity?
True that. Now that I think about it. I once saw a program a long time ago that can give you an ETA of the remaining life of an SSD. Can’t think of the name…Guess it doesn’t matter. I imagine hundreds of programs do now.
Really? Hadn’t heard of that, but that would give me more reason to worry about stuff I have no control over so…
I just burn that candle as little as possible, back up often and hope for the best.
Modern SSDs (the one OP is talking about may be older than this) have MTBF longer than spinning disks. Unreliability of SSDs is largely solved these days. In fact, most issues with SSDs was not with the memory chips but rather with bad controllers onboard the SSD.
That makes me feel ‘a little’ better, but I’m still going to keep that local app data off the SSD/OS drive (on a spinny one) and use the SSD as little as possible.
I, like everyone else, have had a few ‘spinners’ bite the big one, but in every case (lucky I guess) I was able to clone those drives while they coughed and spit their last words… I doubt an SSD would cooperate so nicely on it’s death bed. It’s more likely it just drops dead I think. Could be wrong. It’s happened before.
@JuiceWSA said:
That makes me feel ‘a little’ better, but I’m still going to keep that local app data off the SSD/OS drive (on a spinny one) and use the SSD as little as possible.
I, like everyone else, have had a few ‘spinners’ bite the big one, but in every case (lucky I guess) I was able to clone those drives while they coughed and spit their last words…
Yeah. Thank haven for the refrigerator!!
@JuiceWSA
This is not the one I originally saw many moons ago but…
Here’s a program that will show the life of your SSD.
