Calling on you gamers

[Tuxstir]

My nas died. Kinda. It was non responsive for a week. At the time I wasn't too phased. I have numerous redundancies of important work files. And they're all all backed up to the cloud too. And decades of family photos are redundant across a few computers here at home. Then it mysteriously sprang back to life 2 nights ago. Going through the library, I realised how much of it I'll miss if this thing dies again. Remasters of old classics. Surf and mountain biking videos that are really hard to come by. Not to mention the music. Some of those mp3's I've literally had for more than 20 years and simply put. They would be impossible to get again. As a short term solution I bought a 4tb wd gold and am now I'm in the process of grabbing it all bit by bit.

 

But I want need a new nas. So I'm looking for suggestions that wont break the bank. For home use. 2 bay so I can run them in raid 1. The most important feature to me would be native Plex support that can handle a bit of transcoding. 1080p local lan streaming is a must but would consider paying a little more if 4k was supported at minimal extra cost. But not essential. I'm not really interested in streaming from the device online. The primary function would be to act as a single library source to all tv's, smartphones and pc's here at home. Being away from home however I would like to access my photo and music library online. Which I'm sure any nas can do these days. 

 

I've asked around and this is one area of hardware most gamers aren't too familiar with. 

I've been running a WD My Cloud Home device for the last 3 years. This is a bottom of the barrel nas solution but it worked really well for us here at home. All smart devices connected to the home lan are able to stream through Plex. Which is a convenience that's really hard to let go of. 

I payed like R3,500 for it about 3 years ago. And that included the preinstalled 4tb drive.

But the solutions I'm looking at now start at like R3k+ without any drives at all. Not everything has native support for Plex. And the ones that do seem a little more professional (and expensive) than what I require. Any network manne in here?

 

 

I have a Media Server as apposed to a NAS, its a Dell server PC running Ubuntu studio,  I have a basic Graphics card installed, The purpose I use it for is for Kodi/plex and runs great also have Radarr and Sonarr Installed and running about 12TB of usable space. and gives me the option of using it as a desktop when need be.  would this not be a worthy option? getting a PC even a refurbed/second hand and doing similar? as opposed to a NAS

 

P.S to make it more gaming related I'm also using it as a Minecraft server to connect to my Laptop and X-box

Edited September 30, 2020 by TuxStir

[popcorn_skollie]

I have a Media Server as apposed to a NAS, its a Dell server PC running Ubuntu studio,  I have a basic Graphics card installed, The purpose I use it for is for Kodi/plex and runs great also have Radarr and Sonarr Installed and running about 12TB of usable space. and gives me the option of using it as a desktop when need be.  would this not be a worthy option? getting a PC even a refurbed/second hand and doing similar? as opposed to a NAS

 

P.S to make it more gaming related I'm also using it as a Minecraft server to connect to my Laptop and X-box

 

Having previously used a workstation as a media server myself before moving to a nas. I find that personally the pro's outweigh the cons. 

 

For starters the smaller footprint is a big plus. With no need for additional desk space for another computer, monitor and peripherals. I find that a nas on the desk (which takes up about as much space as a book or 2) as a more convenient and economical use of space. It is also far more efficient in terms of power draw especially for something which is intended to be on 247.

 

Any convenience of a workstation over a nas with regards to access and management can be overcome by using any computer on the lan with credentials. Or even using my phone. 

 

I've considered the option of a pie. Which is a far cheaper solution. But the pain of getting it setup physically (with enclosures, cables and multiple powered devices for 2 drives and the pie) as well as the software side of things. Well, it seems a tad inconvenient and frankly a bit out of my league. 

 

I really, really like the nas. I can be anywhere in the world and listen to music simply not found on spotify and soundcloud. Complete access to terabytes of my own personal music library without using up any space on my fone. Or paying any subscription fees to online music services. When visiting family abroad I have complete access to years and years of family photos. Which I can share with them on the fly again without having them physically stored on my fone. With no space limitations like free online cloud services and no subscription fees to the ones which offer enough space for my libraries. 

 

Then there's Plex. Having used Kodi and a few others. I find that Plex is simply the most universal platform for streaming. Nearly every smart TV has Plex preinstalled. Its also super easy for kids to navigate using tablets. It also saves bandwidth. So instead of the kids hogging the line rewatching the same crap over Netflix. They just watch Captain Underpants for the umpteenth time in 1080p without any internet usage at all. Kodi doesn't seem to be as prevalent or user friendly for those less than tech savvy. 

 

I just want something thats a little better than what I have and am willing to pay a little extra. But the home solutions from Qnap, WD and Synology just seem so expensive. If I consider the cost of a nas and 2 drives. I'm looking at around 10-12k all in. That's nuts. Why aren't there any 2 bays with included drives off the shelf? Why can't I get an easy, plug and play, all in one solution for say 5k or 6k. Why do I have to choose between buying the same thing again for the same price (R3,500) or leap towards triple the price for solutions that are more professional than I require. There has to be a middle solution here. I just can't find it.

[Steven Knoetze (sk27)]

My nas died. Kinda. It was non responsive for a week. At the time I wasn't too phased. I have numerous redundancies of important work files. And they're all all backed up to the cloud too. And decades of family photos are redundant across a few computers here at home. Then it mysteriously sprang back to life 2 nights ago. Going through the library, I realised how much of it I'll miss if this thing dies again. Remasters of old classics. Surf and mountain biking videos that are really hard to come by. Not to mention the music. Some of those mp3's I've literally had for more than 20 years and simply put. They would be impossible to get again. As a short term solution I bought a 4tb wd gold and am now I'm in the process of grabbing it all bit by bit.

 

But I want need a new nas. So I'm looking for suggestions that wont break the bank. For home use. 2 bay so I can run them in raid 1. The most important feature to me would be native Plex support that can handle a bit of transcoding. 1080p local lan streaming is a must but would consider paying a little more if 4k was supported at minimal extra cost. But not essential. I'm not really interested in streaming from the device online. The primary function would be to act as a single library source to all tv's, smartphones and pc's here at home. Being away from home however I would like to access my photo and music library online. Which I'm sure any nas can do these days. 

 

I've asked around and this is one area of hardware most gamers aren't too familiar with. 

I've been running a WD My Cloud Home device for the last 3 years. This is a bottom of the barrel nas solution but it worked really well for us here at home. All smart devices connected to the home lan are able to stream through Plex. Which is a convenience that's really hard to let go of. 

I payed like R3,500 for it about 3 years ago. And that included the preinstalled 4tb drive.

But the solutions I'm looking at now start at like R3k+ without any drives at all. Not everything has native support for Plex. And the ones that do seem a little more professional (and expensive) than what I require. Any network manne in here?

 

I had to google what a NAS is...........

[Tuxstir]

Having previously used a workstation as a media server myself before moving to a nas. I find that personally the pro's outweigh the cons. 

 

For starters the smaller footprint is a big plus. With no need for additional desk space for another computer, monitor and peripherals. I find that a nas on the desk (which takes up about as much space as a book or 2) as a more convenient and economical use of space. It is also far more efficient in terms of power draw especially for something which is intended to be on 247.

Fair enough on space etc, I have used my Media server headless for  most of the 3 years I've had it

 

Any convenience of a workstation over a nas with regards to access and management can be overcome by using any computer on the lan with credentials. Or even using my phone.

I have and often do use my Phone/Tab/laptop to access my server to do upgrades trouble shooting or installing software of SSH protocol been Linux system its easy

 

I've considered the option of a pie. Which is a far cheaper solution. But the pain of getting it setup physically (with enclosures, cables and multiple powered devices for 2 drives and the pie) as well as the software side of things. Well, it seems a tad inconvenient and frankly a bit out of my league.

I started off with a pie.. you'll be frustrated with the lack of power of the pie itself

 

I really, really like the nas. I can be anywhere in the world and listen to music simply not found on spotify and soundcloud. Complete access to terabytes of my own personal music library without using up any space on my fone. Or paying any subscription fees to online music services. When visiting family abroad I have complete access to years and years of family photos. Which I can share with them on the fly again without having them physically stored on my fone. With no space limitations like free online cloud services and no subscription fees to the ones which offer enough space for my libraries. 

Cant really comment as I've yet to really set up my cloud that way Never had the need

 

Then there's Plex. Having used Kodi and a few others. I find that Plex is simply the most universal platform for streaming. Nearly every smart TV has Plex preinstalled. Its also super easy for kids to navigate using tablets. It also saves bandwidth. So instead of the kids hogging the line rewatching the same crap over Netflix. They just watch Captain Underpants for the umpteenth time in 1080p without any internet usage at all. Kodi doesn't seem to be as prevalent or user friendly for those less than tech savvy.

I use both PLEX and kodi, prefer Kodies layout (the old layout not the newer Default layout) but PLEX certainly has some major advantages over Kodi.

 

I just want something thats a little better than what I have and am willing to pay a little extra. But the home solutions from Qnap, WD and Synology just seem so expensive. If I consider the cost of a nas and 2 drives. I'm looking at around 10-12k all in. That's nuts. Why aren't there any 2 bays with included drives off the shelf? Why can't I get an easy, plug and play, all in one solution for say 5k or 6k. Why do I have to choose between buying the same thing again for the same price (R3,500) or leap towards triple the price for solutions that are more professional than I require. There has to be a middle solution here. I just can't find it.

agreed, the NAS prices are over priced, its a what I payed for my server with a 1TB hd in dec 2017.hence why my suggestion of the workstation 

 

Just my thought to yours.. 

 

slight offset question.. how do you keep up to date with newer episodes of your selected TV show?

[popcorn_skollie]

Just my thought to yours.. 

 

slight offset question.. how do you keep up to date with newer episodes of your selected TV show?

 

Good old ssh is a big plus I'll admit. WD has its own encrypted file system with a windows explorer overlay. It is a bit wonky. Slower. But still easily accessible. I'm not overly concerned about user rights and encryption even on the server end. The data isn't exactly sensitive. Moving copying and updating is definitely slower over lan. Sure. A dedicated workstation would certainly handle this much quicker.

 

But these days any new content I download goes to the nas by default. No matter where I get it from. And that's like one or 2 things a week. Plex scans the nas daily and pulls data pretty accurately from online databases. Usually I would que up some stuff and forget about it. Then when ever I kick back with the xbox or what ever it would recommend newly added titles. I like that. I'm still using the free service of Plex though. So I miss out on stuff like recommended titles, new episode notifications, trailer viewing and so on. I'm not the type to typically keep up to date with particular stuff unless I really, really like it. If something looks interesting. And a complete season is available. I'd probably que it up. But if something new is 3 episode in I don't bother. Too much trouble keeping up.

 

Some exceptions. Now I'm not going to deny being a dirty little pirate when the mood strikes. But I tend avoid torrents for security reasons these days. If something is on Hulu, Amazon or HBO and I really want it. I'll ask around first. But if its fresh content its generally safer. An episode drops and seeds pop up quickly I generally find to be safe. Some of the local invite only wug groups do regular updates on tons of stuff. Especially if its popular. There's also discord groups with links to big ftp libraries.

[dev null]

Just received mail that Loot has shipped the Corsair PSU, and the Corsair 4000D Airflow case was delivered today. So I guess I am building PC this weekend.

[Tuxstir]

Good old ssh is a big plus I'll admit. WD has its own encrypted file system with a windows explorer overlay. It is a bit wonky. Slower. But still easily accessible. I'm not overly concerned about user rights and encryption even on the server end. The data isn't exactly sensitive. Moving copying and updating is definitely slower over lan. Sure. A dedicated workstation would certainly handle this much quicker.

 

But these days any new content I download goes to the nas by default. No matter where I get it from. And that's like one or 2 things a week. Plex scans the nas daily and pulls data pretty accurately from online databases. Usually I would que up some stuff and forget about it. Then when ever I kick back with the xbox or what ever it would recommend newly added titles. I like that. I'm still using the free service of Plex though. So I miss out on stuff like recommended titles, new episode notifications, trailer viewing and so on. I'm not the type to typically keep up to date with particular stuff unless I really, really like it. If something looks interesting. And a complete season is available. I'd probably que it up. But if something new is 3 episode in I don't bother. Too much trouble keeping up.

 

Some exceptions. Now I'm not going to deny being a dirty little pirate when the mood strikes. But I tend avoid torrents for security reasons these days. If something is on Hulu, Amazon or HBO and I really want it. I'll ask around first. But if its fresh content its generally safer. An episode drops and seeds pop up quickly I generally find to be safe. Some of the local invite only wug groups do regular updates on tons of stuff. Especially if its popular. There's also discord groups with links to big ftp libraries.

 

OK so you basically hunt and search for new content?

 

My system is a bit more set, leave and forget. By using Radarr ( Movies) and Sonarr (Series), programme movies or series to look for,

When a new episode Airs, it will auto find that episode and download, rename and move to the correct drive and folder. 

So I very seldom go a day beyond when a episode airs, to when my library gets updated

 

Edit: Grammar and getting it read better and make more sense.

Edited October 1, 2020 by TuxStir

[bmw1za]

Just received mail that Loot has shipped the Corsair PSU, and the Corsair 4000D Airflow case was delivered today. So I guess I am building PC this weekend.

 

Post pics dude ... 

 

sidenote :  guys if you upgrading your pc's(Complete or components with 1080 or better ) , please give me option on your previous monsters, need a gaming pc for my son , i am on whatsapp 0829266045

[Wil6]

Mine was an RM750... probably one too many load shedding issues over the years. 

That sucks. Got a super deal on a RM1000i the other day on Facebook Market Place. Only R1500 and working perfectly

[popcorn_skollie]

OK so you basically hunt and search for new content?

 

my system is a bit more set leave and forget. using Radarr ( Movies) and Sonarr (Series) and what movies or series i want, and when a new episode is available, it will auto find and download rename and move to the correct drive and folder.   so i very seldom go a day beyond when a episode airs to have my library updated

 

Thanks for the tip. Never knew about their automated functionality. I'll check it out.

[popcorn_skollie]

Just received mail that Loot has shipped the Corsair PSU, and the Corsair 4000D Airflow case was delivered today. So I guess I am building PC this weekend.

 

Lekker. I see the 4000d is a popular choice. Post some picks of the build when you're done.

[popcorn_skollie]

Post pics dude ... 

 

sidenote :  guys if you upgrading your pc's(Complete or components with 1080 or better ) , please give me option on your previous monsters, need a gaming pc for my son , i am on whatsapp 0829266045

 

Check on Carbonite. I suggest you wait a month though. Let the new stuff drop. Retail prices on previous gen will definitely come down and many early adopters will flog their stuff to fund new purchases. 

[dev null]

Lekker. I see the 4000d is a popular choice. Post some picks of the build when you're done.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Build done. I could not find the RGB fans I wanted in stock, so the stock case fans will have to do for now. Also used my son's old GTX 960 for now. Will get a RTX 3070 when the prices normalise.

 

And that damn 8 pin CPU cable that is just too short. I hate it when manufacturers don't check that their cables will reach with the PSU in both orientations. I prefer the fan on the top so that it extracts the air from the case, as well as the fact that here in Strand we have lots of dust, especially in summer, so I do not like it when fans pull in air from the bottom.

[WrightJnr]

 

My latest build, not full gaming rig but total Zwift overkill.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

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Build done. I could not find the RGB fans I wanted in stock, so the stock case fans will have to do for now. Also used my son's old GTX 960 for now. Will get a RTX 3070 when the prices normalise.

 

And that damn 8 pin CPU cable that is just too short. I hate it when manufacturers don't check that their cables will reach with the PSU in both orientations. I prefer the fan on the top so that it extracts the air from the case, as well as the fact that here in Strand we have lots of dust, especially in summer, so I do not like it when fans pull in air from the bottom.

Ooh! Very clean! I must admit I am thinking of going to air cooling rather than am AIO for my upgrade. When.

[WrightJnr]

Build done. I could not find the RGB fans I wanted in stock, so the stock case fans will have to do for now. Also used my son's old GTX 960 for now. Will get a RTX 3070 when the prices normalise.

 

And that damn 8 pin CPU cable that is just too short. I hate it when manufacturers don't check that their cables will reach with the PSU in both orientations. I prefer the fan on the top so that it extracts the air from the case, as well as the fact that here in Strand we have lots of dust, especially in summer, so I do not like it when fans pull in air from the bottom.

Can’t see any m.2 drives or other SSD’s ? What you doing for storage?