Table of Contents
Hardware
I decided to build a NAS instead of buying one from a manufacturer. It’ll have a larger footprint but will be more upgradable and have more options, such as running docker containers and VMs. A Synology 4-Bay DiskStation DS923+will run ~$600 USD without disks on Amazon. I built mine with three disks and room to grow to 6 for about that price, plus I’ll be able to have apps, VMs, and docker containers served on the same machine, consolidating some hardware at home.
Parts are below. Some items I had on hand or found at work in the e-waste cabinet. Lots of excellent freebies where I work. My cooler was found without a bracket, so I had to purchase one.
I chose this motherboard because (1) it has 6 SATA III ports, the max # of drives the case will hold and (2) it has dual 1G NICs. I may bind them together for a 2G uplink. There’s a mSATA port that is used for wireless cards on other motherboards. Might be a good place to use my old 256GB SSD if I can get it to be recognized.
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Pro tip: if your motherboard supports Xeon processors, they’re often cheaper than their PC counterparts. An Intel i7-4770T has the same specs but was $120 or more on eBay.
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I will use this mSATA drive for cache if it is recognized by the system.
Edit 1/7/2023: No dice. I think the mSATA port is present but disabled on this motherboard. Used the MX500 I was given instead.
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- Hardware (below in post #1)
- Assembly
- Installing Unraid (OS) and PiHole (ad blocker)
- Configuring a domain, reverse proxy, web application firewall (CloudFlare), and NextCloud. Migrate photos from Google to NextCloud
- Install Ark: Survival Evolved server
Hardware
I decided to build a NAS instead of buying one from a manufacturer. It’ll have a larger footprint but will be more upgradable and have more options, such as running docker containers and VMs. A Synology 4-Bay DiskStation DS923+will run ~$600 USD without disks on Amazon. I built mine with three disks and room to grow to 6 for about that price, plus I’ll be able to have apps, VMs, and docker containers served on the same machine, consolidating some hardware at home.
Parts are below. Some items I had on hand or found at work in the e-waste cabinet. Lots of excellent freebies where I work. My cooler was found without a bracket, so I had to purchase one.
Part | Make/Model | Qty | Total Price |
Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-H97N | 1 | $70, eBay |
CPU | Intel Xeon E3-1265Lv3 | 1 | $35, eBay |
RAM | Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600MHz, 8GB sticks | 2 | $0 |
Cooler | Intel 120mm liquid cooler, made by Asetek | 1 | $0 |
Array Drives | Western Digital 6TB Red NAS drives | 3 | $300, Amazon |
Case | Fractal Node 304 | 1 | $100, Newegg |
Power supply | Enhance ATX-0250GA 500W | 1 | $0 |
SATA cables | pack of 6, 18” long | 1 | $7.50, Amazon |
Cooler bracket | Corsair H80i bracket for Intel 115X sockets | 1 | $11.50, Amazon |
OS | Unraid, basic license for up to 6 drives | 1 | $60 |
Cache drive | Crucial MX500 2TB SATA III SSD | 1 | $0 |
Grand Total | ~$580 |
Pro tip: if your motherboard supports Xeon processors, they’re often cheaper than their PC counterparts. An Intel i7-4770T has the same specs but was $120 or more on eBay.
I will use this mSATA drive for cache if it is recognized by the system.
Edit 1/7/2023: No dice. I think the mSATA port is present but disabled on this motherboard. Used the MX500 I was given instead.
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