First build - Hardware verifrication (New to NAS)

[Theodecarvalho]

Hello community,

Im new to NAS / TrueNAS and need some hardware verification what Im planning to do. I read a lot this month, including hardware recomendations in PDF.

Scenario:
Im a single user with three PC´s for work (3D render and video editing, all Ryzen 7/9) and due my files sizes, they are VERY big, I cant use it by network. (Hub and all machines are 1Gb. Cables are Cat6) I choosed to sync files to work local and mantain copies of files in all machines. My notebook I use just for class and I need sometimes access in my Android Phone (in emergency)

So, speed is not an Issue. Just keep synching in PC´s and It´s fine to me. Maybe my wife will be a second user, but only little calc files. Today, I use a cloud service that is space limited and expensive, but works fine to my use. And Syncthing to sinc files in my three desktops at home office.

NAS:
To solve the lack of space, I was planning buy a 2bay nas like Qnap or Synologic, but I was not sure that sync will work fine like Syncthing, and not upgradeable like a server. In Brazil, this things cost more than you can imagine. A simple 2bay NAS can cost almost 2 months of salary. A 4bay NAS is double the price. So, I start studying and saw a lot of youtube examples doing a server using an old computer. Than I came here and sow has a lot of non-recomendations like realtek and gaming mobo... That´s why Im lost and asking for help.

Planning:
Im planning to build a simple and cheap NAS, just to start in this new world, and upgrade it in the future, if I notice some lack of performance that I dont need today.
I bought 2 seagate 8Tb Ironwolf NAS to use it in mirror before decide which path should I take. I just need access to this HD´s. I probably wont need even Plex. Two sata and a USB to boot it´s fine. Four sata is good to be future-proof, in case to add more HD´s

I have parts left over here to build my first NAS: Case, SSD 120 and 240Gb, 550w power supply, pen drive, etc.

I dont have: Mobo, Processor and Memory. So I was looking for some cheap kits to start. The ideal is 5 sata. 1 for O.S., 2 for 8TBs and 2 for expansion. But... Cheap 6 sata mobo it´s impossible to find it here. So, I was looking for some H61 boards with only 4 sata, like this kit for like US$120:

Specs:
Mobo: Goline GL-h61-ma (I didn´t find manufacturer´s site)
Ethernet: 10/100/1000 (I doubt it)
4 Sata
USB 2.0 only
Processor: i5 3rd gen (not specified)
8Gb DDR3

My questions:

1. It works?
2. If crash something, it is just plug HDs in my PC to recover files?
3. To keep 2 sata free to expand, It is save to use SSD 120gb connected in USB?
4. Any suggestion without breaking the bank?

Cheers,
Theo - Brazil

 

[Whattteva]

Specs:
Mobo: Goline GL-h61-ma (I didn´t find manufacturer´s site)
Ethernet: 10/100/1000 (I doubt it)
4 Sata
USB 2.0 only
Processor: i5 3rd gen (not specified)
8Gb DDR3

My questions:

1. It works?

Not familiar with that mobo, but I ran with 3rd-gen i5-3220T for a couple years with no issues though I did have 16 GB of RAM though. The rest looks fine.

2. If crash something, it is just plug HDs in my PC to recover files?

Define "crash".

3. To keep 2 sata free to expand, It is save to use SSD 120gb connected in USB?

USB SSD for boot drive is fine.

4. Any suggestion without breaking the bank?

This is a tough one because cost-saving usually comes at the expense of reliability. It's a bit of a zero-sum game unfortunately. It's up to you how much risk you're willing to tolerate by spending less money.

 

[Theodecarvalho]

Define "crash".

Imagine: This mobo crashes something... Like VGA or Lan. Something that NAS became temporally useless. And I need to replace mobo. But, after a few months or years using it I decide to invest and get something better than this one. Dont want to replace for something equal

1. If I install another type of mobo, like AM4 or newer gen of Intel, O.S already installed in SSD will boot and the system will works again automatically? Like windows, for exmaplo.

2. If I gave up NAS, or use the time to wait new mobo, my data in HD´s will be readble in my windows PC?

 

[Whattteva]

Imagine: This mobo crashes something... Like VGA or Lan. Something that NAS became temporally useless. And I need to replace mobo. But, after a few months or years using it I decide to invest and get something better than this one. Dont want to replace for something equal

1. If I install another type of mobo, like AM4 or newer gen of Intel, O.S already installed in SSD will boot and the system will works again automatically? Like windows, for exmaplo.

Ah I see. Yes, TrueNAS should be able to just seamlessly boot and reimport your pool provided that all the HW is compatible and you're not running some weird shenanigans like USB drive enclosures, RAID controllers, SATA port multipliers, etc.

2. If I gave up NAS, or use the time to wait new mobo, my data in HD´s will be readble in my windows PC?

No. TrueNAS uses ZFS. Windows cannot read ZFS. You should be able to use some Linux distros which bundle ZFS support though. However, I don't really see the reason why you would want to do this. It's kind of trivial to just install TrueNAS temporarily on a USB disk (doesn't matter if it's thumb drive, SSD, HDD) and boot from that temporarily on another system so you can get your data out. Keep in mind, USB thumb drive installations are NOT recommended, but there's nothing wrong with doing so in an emergency situation.

 

[Theodecarvalho]

Ah I see. Yes, TrueNAS should be able to just seamlessly boot and reimport your pool provided that all the HW is compatible and you're not running some weird shenanigans like USB drive enclosures, RAID controllers, SATA port multipliers, etc.


No. TrueNAS uses ZFS. Windows cannot read ZFS. You should be able to use some Linux distros which bundle ZFS support though. However, I don't really see the reason why you would want to do this. It's kind of trivial to just install TrueNAS temporarily on a USB disk (doesn't matter if it's thumb drive, SSD, HDD) and boot from that temporarily on another system so you can get your data out. Keep in mind, USB thumb drive installations are NOT recommended, but there's nothing wrong with doing so in an emergency situation.

That´s very confort to know this. I think Im gonna give this shot. But... I think ethernet is Realtek (cheap board).

BTW, all my network is realtek. And works fine, even with TB of data. No issues.

My question: Is not COMPATIBLE or is not RECOMENDED? If it fails, can I just plug a PCI Intel one, correct?

Btw, I´ll make a youtube video about all this process. Im gonna DIY my case to became vertical, with coolers and compact to leave just NAS installed in the corner of my office.

 

[ChrisRJ]

You really want an Intel NIC for TrueNAS Core.

Is my Realtek ethernet really that bad?

One of the longest running issues faced here in the forums may be people who come to these forums, wanting to recycle an old PC into a NAS. In general, this is a bad idea because typical PC hardware isn't optimized towards the task. However...

www.truenas.com

 

[Theodecarvalho]

You really want an Intel NIC for TrueNAS Core.

Is my Realtek ethernet really that bad?

One of the longest running issues faced here in the forums may be people who come to these forums, wanting to recycle an old PC into a NAS. In general, this is a bad idea because typical PC hardware isn't optimized towards the task. However...

www.truenas.com

Im thinking about TrueNAS Scale. I read good recomendations, specially about plugins. And Synthing is a thing that I use a lot. I dont choose it yet. Need to read more.

BTW, Im considering change the plan to a simple Ryzen setup. Reason? It has the same ddr4 mem and same AM4 socket that I have here in the office. If something crashes, I just wipe a ram from a render server and stick to NAS. But following the budget path... A320, probably

But.... I read a lot about problems with ryzen back in 2018 ans 2019 posts. It still valid? Ryzen support became better in 2023? What I should worry about (not only realtek nic)

 

[Botafoguense1965]

That´s very confort to know this. I think Im gonna give this shot. But... I think ethernet is Realtek (cheap board).

BTW, all my network is realtek. And works fine, even with TB of data. No issues.

My question: Is not COMPATIBLE or is not RECOMENDED? If it fails, can I just plug a PCI Intel one, correct?

Btw, I´ll make a youtube video about all this process. Im gonna DIY my case to became vertical, with coolers and compact to leave just NAS installed in the corner of my office.

Didi you make that video? (