Turn PowerEdge 400SC shell into powerful NAS cheap

G

gsdgsag

New Member
Ok so I want an NAS, but realize it would be better (cheaper) to build an NAS using a PC or miniPC and installing an NAS OS like FREE NAS or Windows Server (I have a Windows Server 2008 R2 disc).

Ok one roommate long ago left a PowerEdge 400SC shell (or else other roommates had taken all the parts out of it), so I realize if I used that I could save some money because then all I have to do is buy the inside parts not the shell.

What's the best way to do this?

1) Sell the PowerEdge 400SC shell, build own
2) Use the PowerEdge 400SC shell and get a motherboard and parts
3) Should I just use my spare Dell 15R laptop which I am currently using and add more hard drives using the USB? It has 4GB DDR3 (max 8gb) and a triple-core AMD processor.

I want the NAS to be FAST
so I need:
* USB 3.0
* Gigabit ethernet

Since I'm Only going to use this as an NAS, I don't want or care about:
* Don't need custom graphics cards
* Don't need CD/DVD drive
* I can plug it to my TV so I also don't need a monitor.

Please tell me exactly what parts to get including model numbers and prices, or links.

Bonus if you can tell me parts I could easily get from Craigslist super cheap

Desired Cost: <$100 for all parts to get it working excluding HDD
Ideal Cost: <$50 for all parts to get it working excluding HDD

NOTE: I don't care if things fit nice and perfect as long as it's not too big (like too small is fine). I'll just makeshift it. For example, I have no problems with drilling holes in the side to mount a tiny motherboard. I got the shell for free.

NOTE: The poweredge shell has nothing inside, not even a power supply!
 
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In a NAS machine, the two things that matter most (next to hard drive space that is) are RAM and processing power, in that order. The more RAM you have, the more you can cache data, and the faster your processor, the faster you can dish out info. With that said, you don't need to go crazy. You are probably not going to be needing 300+ users reading and writing to the disks, so a simple dual core to quad core is sufficient (depending on how much you want to spend).

FreeNAS is wonderful; I'm using it on a small server I built and it works wonders. You need 2GB of RAM minimum I believe to run it. I have 4GB and a dual core Athlon.

Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157215
RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820139046
Processor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103873
If you want to get cheaper, a single core will work: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103888

Not under $100 if you buy from Newegg, but I'm sure with some research, you could get it cheaper. Also, I'm sure others here have cheaper solutions as well.
 
Richard89 said:
In a NAS machine, the two things that matter most (next to hard drive space that is) are RAM and processing power, in that order. The more RAM you have, the more you can cache data, and the faster your processor, the faster you can dish out info. You are probably not going to be needing 300+ users reading and writing to the disks, so a simple dual core to quad core is sufficient.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the tips and links.

UPDATE: i will only have myself using it.
 
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You could probably sell the PowerEdge shell on ebay and up the budget a bit. If you want small, they make some pretty small ITX cases. I've never built anything with ITX standard, but I've seen some really small cases. The mobos I was looking at on Newegg and TigerDirect are under 50.

Also, you could probably find a used computer somewhere from someone upgrading and just add some more hard drives.
 
Richard89 said:
You could probably sell the PowerEdge shell on ebay and up the budget a bit. If you want small, they make some pretty small ITX cases. I've never built anything with ITX standard, but I've seen some really small cases. The mobos I was looking at on Newegg and TigerDirect are under 50.

Also, you could probably find a used computer somewhere from someone upgrading and just add some more hard drives.
Click to expand...

links??? this post is useless without links or details
 
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