2011-01-12, 19:14
[PROJECT COMPLETE]
[STATUS: NAS built with 3x2TB HDDs, will expand as needed.]
Howdy all,
I've been backing up my blu-ray collection and ran out of space on my external hard drive (2TB Iomega eGo). I've been looking for a cheap way to add storage, but pre-built NASs are sooooo expensive compared to hard drive cost. So I decided to build my own for as cheaply as possible.
CLARIFICATION OF MY NEEDS:
This will be mainly to store backups of my Blu-ray discs to serve to XBMC. I will access the videos from my HTPC (Revo AR3700). The HTPC is mounted behind the TV, so I don't have room for storage next to it (which is why the NAS is going in my closet, next to my router). I will likely only be accessing one file at a time, since I can't really watch more than one movie at a time
Here's my goals:
Here's my hardware list so far:
With Drives (three so far): $464.04
Notes:
Software Setup
Power Consumption
Idle: 56W
Watching a Movie: 60W
(measured with Kill-A-Watt, so this includes the PSU inefficiency)
Photo Gallery
Conclusion
I overshot my budget for the NAS (without drives) by $24, mainly due to the increased power supply cost*. Oh well. I will be testing the power usage with my Kill-A-Watt over the next few weeks to see how it performs when idle and playing a movie. All in all, I think it turned out pretty well!
*Was originally going to use the SilenX IXM-2014 IXTREMA Pro 200W MicroATX PSU ($9.99), but it was dead on arrival. Purchased the Athena Power Apollo 350W Micro ATX PSU ($29.99) instead.
I'll keep updating this as my progress continues.
[EDIT 1/12/11: added clarification at top]
[EDIT 1/21/11: added hardware updates]
[EDIT 1/22/11: added frame photos and hardware updates]
[EDIT 1/31/11: added case photos and hardware/software updates]
[EDIT 2/7/11: added power consumption details]
[STATUS: NAS built with 3x2TB HDDs, will expand as needed.]
Howdy all,
I've been backing up my blu-ray collection and ran out of space on my external hard drive (2TB Iomega eGo). I've been looking for a cheap way to add storage, but pre-built NASs are sooooo expensive compared to hard drive cost. So I decided to build my own for as cheaply as possible.
CLARIFICATION OF MY NEEDS:
This will be mainly to store backups of my Blu-ray discs to serve to XBMC. I will access the videos from my HTPC (Revo AR3700). The HTPC is mounted behind the TV, so I don't have room for storage next to it (which is why the NAS is going in my closet, next to my router). I will likely only be accessing one file at a time, since I can't really watch more than one movie at a time
Here's my goals:
- Keep total cost under $1000 for 16TB ($200 for NAS + 8 x $100 for HDDs), not including shipping
- 8 x SATA connections (16TB capacity)
- Lower power usage, especially when idle (it's going to be on 24/7)
- Case can be custom/improvised (it's going to be hidden in a closet anyway)
Here's my hardware list so far:
- Hard drives: Western Digital 2 TB Caviar Green SATA WD20EARS (8 x $99.99)
[2 purchased for $69.99 through Newegg promotion and rebate]
[Ripped out the 2TB Samsung drive from the above mentioned external drive and mounted it on the rack (originally cost $99)]
- Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-D525TUD Atom D525 Mini ITX ($101.34)
- RAM: Kingston ValueRAM 2 GB 1333MHz PC3-1066 DDR3 DIMM ($22.99)
- SATA Controller Card: Vantec 6-Port SATA II 150 PCI Host Card with RAID ($31.99) [comes with 2 SATA cables]
- Powers Supply: Athena Power Apollo 350W Micro ATX PSU ($29.99)*
- SATA power cables: NZXT CB 44SATA-R Singled 4-Pin Molex to 4 SATA (2 x $7.99)
- SATA data cables: iMicro SATA Data Cable-2pk. (3 x $2.92)
- Custom Case Frame: 6-32 threaded rod (3' for $0.56) + 1/2" aluminum angle (6' for $3.92)
- Case Screws: 24pk 6-32 hex nuts (2 x $1.18) + 14pk 6-32 x 3/8" screws ($1.18)
- Custom Case Covering: Galvanized steel roofing panel ($5.00 for damaged piece)
With Drives (three so far): $464.04
Notes:
- Original choice for PSU was incredibly cheap ($9.99!), but it arrived dead. So I went and bought a higher power (350W) PSU for slightly more.*
- My shipping costs have been relatively small since I took advantage of Amazon's Free Shipping. So far it's only $8.99 for the motherboard and $4.06 for the PSU. Total shipping: $13.05
- Hardware for the frame was purchased locally. I paid sales tax, but didn't include that in the total cost.
- I read that WD Green drives aren't very good for RAID setups since they have varying rpms, but I'm not sure how I'm going to configure the storage yet. I am planning on just having each drive as a separate volume, so different rpms wouldn't really matter.
UPDATE: I decided that data redundancy isn't a priority. I would rather be able to only have one drive spinning while playing a movie. So, the current setup is for each drive to be a separate volume. - I plan on using an 40GB IDE hard drive I have on hand for the operating system installation (the motherboard has an IDE slot). I didn't include this in the cost because you could install the operating system on one of the SATA drives.
- It will be interesting to try and get everything in a custom case as cheaply as possible. I'm debating whether or not to include the case price because I might use stuff I have on hand. I'll try to incorporate all of the costs.
UPDATE: I constructed a simple rack out of threaded rod and aluminum angle (total size: 11" long, 8" deep, 12" high). I messed up on the hard drive spacing on one of the aluminum rails, so I had to re-drill some holes Photos are posted below. I have an idea for the covering, but we'll see how it goes. Ventilation will be tricky.UPDATE2: I found a 12' steel roofing panel that was pretty damaged on one end, and bought it for $5. I bent out the corrugation and cut it into a case. I cut a hole for the input panel and the power supply. The roof is removable with side vents, so it creates a natural air flow for hot air rising. I've had it running for a week, and hadn't had a problem with overheating. Photos are posted below. - I don't have a power button, so I have to turn it on by shorting the power jumper with a screwdriver (how redneck of me). I turn it off via remote desktop. It hasn't really been a problem since it rarely gets turned on or off. I'll add a power button if I ever get annoyed by it.
Software Setup
- Operating system is Ubuntu 10.10 Desktop 64-bit
- Drives are separate volumes to allow for single disk reading/writing
- Laptop-mode-tools installed to allow automatic disk idling
- Media folders on each disk are shared via samba
- Remote Desktop enabled to allow controlling from my laptop
Power Consumption
Idle: 56W
Watching a Movie: 60W
(measured with Kill-A-Watt, so this includes the PSU inefficiency)
Photo Gallery
- Frame photos with two hard drives.
- Case photos with three SATA drives and one IDE drive (for the operating system).
Conclusion
I overshot my budget for the NAS (without drives) by $24, mainly due to the increased power supply cost*. Oh well. I will be testing the power usage with my Kill-A-Watt over the next few weeks to see how it performs when idle and playing a movie. All in all, I think it turned out pretty well!
*Was originally going to use the SilenX IXM-2014 IXTREMA Pro 200W MicroATX PSU ($9.99), but it was dead on arrival. Purchased the Athena Power Apollo 350W Micro ATX PSU ($29.99) instead.
I'll keep updating this as my progress continues.
[EDIT 1/12/11: added clarification at top]
[EDIT 1/21/11: added hardware updates]
[EDIT 1/22/11: added frame photos and hardware updates]
[EDIT 1/31/11: added case photos and hardware/software updates]
[EDIT 2/7/11: added power consumption details]