[nickr]

I believe it is pretty easy to get it to take bigger drives

I looked more into it. WHS itself cannot do more than 2tb drives nor can that MB. you are correct that you can put bigger drives in but it partitions them up as 2tb. that is a nightmare for managing though. I would rather a good guide on something to custom build in a micro atx case that looks like a nas box that can hold 5-8 drives and run freenas or unraid.

Either that or a synology. The few combo's I put together came out to be about 500bux before the unraid license. at that price a synology is the same cost. I also dont know exactly what I am doing hardware wise as far as specs so I may be going overboard. low power consumption, low noise + run mysql for xbmc, plex server for a few devices and sab+sickbeard+couch+headphones.

The boot partition is the only one that needs to be 2tb.

[PV_XBMC]

I was looking a bit more at some options.... This may be a bad idea what do you guys think... running w8 with a flexraid and doing an HTPC + NAS combo. they have some HTPC boxes that will allow 6 drives plus 1 so that +1 could be w8 on an ssd and everything else is storage. Or would that just be a power sucking loud beast? and potentially cause problems?

I dont suggest mix HTPC with NAS due to noice. I prefer silent HTPC and it is not possible with many drives in it.

[hewligun]

I was looking a bit more at some options.... This may be a bad idea what do you guys think... running w8 with a flexraid and doing an HTPC + NAS combo. they have some HTPC boxes that will allow 6 drives plus 1 so that +1 could be w8 on an ssd and everything else is storage. Or would that just be a power sucking loud beast? and potentially cause problems?

I dont suggest mix HTPC with NAS due to noice. I prefer silent HTPC and it is not possible with many drives in it.

I feared someone may say that. What do you suggest for NAS? building or buying?

[PV_XBMC]

I was looking a bit more at some options.... This may be a bad idea what do you guys think... running w8 with a flexraid and doing an HTPC + NAS combo. they have some HTPC boxes that will allow 6 drives plus 1 so that +1 could be w8 on an ssd and everything else is storage. Or would that just be a power sucking loud beast? and potentially cause problems?

I dont suggest mix HTPC with NAS due to noice. I prefer silent HTPC and it is not possible with many drives in it.

I feared someone may say that. What do you suggest for NAS? building or buying?

I have already wrote my point of view in post nr. 3, final decision is up to you, it depends on your own preferences.

It also depends on your computer skills and free time. If you have good computer skills and enough time for building, configuring and setting I would choose building your own server.

[binwiederda]

In my opinion, for most users, two devices are actually better, a NAS for storage and an HTPC for media playback. It's probably the easiest solution: buy a Synology NAS and a nettop. However, if you want maximum flexibility and you don't have either of the devices, it's not easy to decide whether to go with one or two devices.

If you don't need more than two HDDs, you can do it all in one case and still be silent. Check out ·my build. Hope this helps.

[hewligun]

In my opinion, for most users, two devices are actually better, a NAS for storage and an HTPC for media playback. It's probably the easiest solution: buy a Synology NAS and a nettop. However, if you want maximum flexibility and you don't have either of the devices, it's not easy to decide whether to go with one or two devices.

If you don't need more than two HDDs, you can do it all in one case and still be silent. Check out ·my build. Hope this helps.

is your setup whisper quiet? that case is awesome! they have some htpc cases that can take 6-7 drives. so i could do a combo htpc + fileserver. i will start with 2 drives + 1 drive for os. but i will keep adding drives as money permits. probably stop at 5-6 drives though

i dont have either yet so its a fresh start. cant decide if i want 2 devices or one. not sure the best power consumption option as well as getting thr htpc whisper quiet as it will be in the living room.

[hewligun]

what do you guys think of this build?

http://i.imgur.com/2yCXSJ9.png
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6811204037

do you think i can get that whisper quiet with what ive shown?

this is if i go the all in one with htpc and file server in same box.

[nickr]

The power supply will make noise. Try a pico supply like bienwierda has.

The CPU fan will make a noise, you could go for the heatpipe option?

I am a fan of separating my data storage from my playback devices. If you disagree, which you are perfectly entitled to of course, then your proposed kit could still be quieter I think.

Also you have little storage - only an SSD. Drives do make noise and generate heat. Heat means fans means noise, or else looking at some other form of cooling.

[cpmiller22]

I'm a big fan of using a Nas. Even though I'm a bit of a techie, I love how easy and hassle free the nas is. I have a Readynas, but would def recommend the Synology as lots of my friends have it. Synology also has some great mobile apps for streaming your music and video!

[hewligun]

The power supply will make noise. Try a pico supply like bienwierda has.

The CPU fan will make a noise, you could go for the heatpipe option?

I am a fan of separating my data storage from my playback devices. If you disagree, which you are perfectly entitled to of course, then your proposed kit could still be quieter I think.

Also you have little storage - only an SSD. Drives do make noise and generate heat. Heat means fans means noise, or else looking at some other form of cooling.

Yeah I didnt show the drives in that. BUt i will be gettinf 3 WD red 3tb drives as well. the SSD is only for the OS and apps. The 3tb drives will be the fileserver.

---

I'm a big fan of using a Nas. Even though I'm a bit of a techie, I love how easy and hassle free the nas is. I have a Readynas, but would def recommend the Synology as lots of my friends have it. Synology also has some great mobile apps for streaming your music and video!

Yeah I am really torn on it... If I bought a synology I would probably buy a cheap player like a rPI. but the pc build above takes care of everything and is still a few hundred bucks cheaper. However sometimes the cheapest solution is not the best solution.

[PobjoySpecial]

...

[hewligun]

N40L + UnRaid = $200
2x 3TB drives = $180
Raspberry Pi = $60

You'll even have money left over to buy content, instead of steal it. It's win, win.

?? the N40L is 320bux. isn't unraid $150bux? so thats 450bux. thats 20bux cheaper than my i5 setup i was kicking around.

[PobjoySpecial]

...

[hewligun]

I got the N40L on sale for $200. These things are luxuries, might as well wait for a deal.

UnRaid is free for the first three drives, $70 for six drives, and $120 for twenty-two drives.

Oh ok. thanks for that. I will probably get a rpi first and test it in my environment, It seems DTS audio from what people say can cause issues. so I want to test that out first.

[cpmiller22]

You could also pickup a 4 bay Synology for around $370:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008U69LC4...-1&pi=SL75

If you don't need to do plex transcoding than its a pretty turn key setup.