NAS build with leftover parts.. Now what?

[smokinu]

Hello all,

I just built a new gaming rig and now I basically have a entire leftover HP brand computer. Sooooo, Im thinking about a NAS build. Below are the parts that I have right now for the propsed build.

CPU: q6600
Mem: 4g of ddr2
HD: 640g (thinking of buying 2 1tb drives)
Case: HP media center PC case.
GPU: not that I believe one is needed however a 8500gt

So now what? Where do I go from here? What software is recommended to use? I get all the MS software from my technet subscription however Im not so sure how well Home media server works lol.

As far as what I want it to be capable of....

Media playback, ie. Music.... Not too concerned about movies as HTPC's dont really seem viable just yet. The most important factor however is reliable data storage, the rest are just perks and nothing more. (ofcourse if there is relatively good software that has multiple functionality that can use the hardware I have then thats good also lol)

Oh I know that the parts I have are over kill but its what I have and want to make use of them lol.

So what yall think?

 

[00Roush]

With that kind of hardware I wouldn't recommend Windows Home Server. Maybe Server 2003 or Server 08 if you have access to them. In reality though if you are only going to serve files to less than 10 clients anything from Windows 2000 on up to Windows 7 should work just fine for your needs and might be a little easier to setup. I currently use Win XP Pro on my server. I use it mainly as a file and print server for my computer and my wife's computer. In your case you could use remote desktop and use the server to run tasks that you don't want to bog down your gaming rig. Things like encoding video/music and compiling code are the main things that come to mind.

If reliable data storage is a big concern you could do a RAID 1 array and also backup to an external USB/eSATA drive. But if you plan on this server being the main point for data storage and you don't want to lose it a more extensive backup plan might need to be looked at. Other things to consider might be a good power supply and also a battery backup unit. (UPS) You shouldn't need a very high wattage power supply... maybe 400 watts.

Looks like you have got more than enough horsepower for just about any NAS task you could come up with.

00Roush

 

[HappyBison]

I would highly suggest to look for FreeNAS as you OS for your NAS.
FreeNAS is small and can fit into CF card and run from the memory -- less moving part, higher reliability and less noise (CF produce no noise).

It maybe is a good idea to downgrade this machine a little to save on energy cost.
For example, there are no huge needs for Quad Core CPU and that Video card for sure.
I would also use WD Green series (or similar ones from Seagate) for storage. That will use maybe up to 5-10W (depending on the load) per drive only.