Is a used mini pc a good option for a NAS?

[mahin]

Hi,

I’ve wanted to start a home server for a while. Recently I saw a site that lists cheap mini PCs on ebay and wondered: can i use e.g a used Optiplex as a NAS and for other stuff e.g media center etc?

If anyone else has done this, do you have any tips?

 

[Crimliar]

So which are you after, a home server or a NAS? These mini-PCs can be great for projects, but you need to get one that comes as complete as possible for your needs. I'd be far happier getting a mini-PC as a home server that I can play around with than I would be as my first Home NAS that I may need to depend on. For me, the NAS sits in the background doing NAS things while the home server can have a mirror of the media off the NAS (without affecting archives) and it's no big deal if I mess up.
Home server - I'd go for it!
NAS - if it's your first, then I might go commercial this time around at least!

 

[microchip]

Both my home server and my NAS are custom built computers by yours truly. My NAS is basically a regular PC stuffed with, currently, 5 4TB HDDs and an SSD for the OS. It holds my movies, music collection and backups. It does not run 24/7 but I fire it up using WoL when I need it. (It boots pretty fast)

 

[sfx2000]

Setting up a local Samba host isn't hard - download ubuntu or whatever distro - install and config samba - done...

Here's the deal though - things to to sh** and who do you call?

Going to the commercial vendors like QNAP or Synology - they're sorted out most, if not all, the config issues that will cause folks to lose their data...

 

[degrub]

....Just remember, you still have to backup the files residing on the NAS. The NAS is just there for convenient access to your files. It can fail either with hardware (disk, motherboard, memory) or software oops. So backup to external storage routinely or over the internet if you like. Multiple places/devices if the files are really important.