I want to setup a NAS (mainly for storing games and videos), that I’d also like to use to watch said videos on a WiFi TV and to install games on a separate PC connected via ethernet. This is the part list I came up with (plus whatever GPU I can get for as cheap as possible, I can probably get a GT 730 GTX750 for free). I also don’t need it to be on 24/7, if that’s OK. I can place it in the same room as my main PC and hook it up to the same monitor to turn it on and start it up.
What’s wrong with it?
| Type | Item | Price |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 3 3100 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor | $50.00 |
| Motherboard | ASRock A520M-ITX/ac Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard | $99.40 |
| Memory | Kingston Server Premier 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) DDR4-2666 CL19 Memory | $36.00 |
| Memory | Kingston Server Premier 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) DDR4-2666 CL19 Memory | $36.00 |
| Storage | Samsung 860 Evo 250 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | Purchased For $0.00 |
| Storage | Seagate IronWolf NAS 4 TB 3.5" 5400 RPM Internal Hard Drive | $118.00 |
| Storage | Seagate IronWolf NAS 4 TB 3.5" 5400 RPM Internal Hard Drive | $118.00 |
| Video Card | Gigabyte GV-N750OC-1GI GeForce GTX 750 1 GB Video Card | Purchased For $0.00 |
| Case | Fractal Design Node 304 Mini ITX Tower Case | $117.70 |
| Power Supply | be quiet! Pure Power 11 CM 400 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply | $58.10 |
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts | ||
| Total | $633.20 |
PCPP says that R3 3100 isn’t compatible with the RAM I picked (although I can’t find why); it also says MoBo doesn’t support ECC RAM, but on the producer’s website it says it does (https://www.asrock.com/mb/AMD/A520M-ITXac/index.asp#Specification) , so I think PCPP is wrong.
I tried building around LGA 1150/1151 but motherboard prices are way higher (although CPU prices are lower).
I don’t think I can make it much cheaper than this, since I’m buying everything, but if you can point me in a cheaper direction, feel free to do so!
Thanks in advance
Only thing I’d evaluate would be your HDDs. Western Digital doesn’t have the best reputation and you’ll want proper NAS drives if you’re going to be running it 24/7. The Seagate IronWolf is a good one, I’ve had no issues with mine in the 3+ years I’ve had my Plex NAS up and running.
This isn’t an affiliate link or anything but it seems like Amazon has an 8tb IronWolf for less than the cost of the two 4tb WD drives . Buy at your own discretion, obviously
WD is fine. It used to be that Seagate was hated. As long as you have a RAID or backup (or preferably both) so that you can recovery from a drive failure you’ll be fine.
Although those drives will be pretty slow, even in a RAID mirror. I’d get 7200 RPM drives at least.
The WD Red line only goes to 5400rpm, though. Other options like the Red Plus or Red Pro go past that but are much more expensive
Eh, performance isn’t really an issue. I have a 5400rpm drive in my main PC that I use as storage and it’s good enough for what I do with it!
Thanks! When I built this part list I must’ve mistaken the IronWolf PRO for the non-PRO, because they were 1.6 times as expensive as the WD Red and that’s why I ended up choosing the latter instead. I searched again an the IronWolf is just 10% more, so I think I will go with those instead!