[denz13]

I'm currenly putting together a cheap ITX build (a6-3500 & asrock a75m-itx), this willeventually contain a SSD.

I now need to come up with a cheap solution to store my media and access on the itx build over the network.

I've been looking at the zyxel nsa320, and sticking 2x1tb drives in. this is likely to cost around £200, is there a cheaper or more value for money solution available?

[Dougie Fresh]

You could build your own with a tower case, h61 motherboard with 4+ SATA ports, G530 processor, 2GB memory and Linux.

[denz13]

I was hoping for something.on a bit of a smaller scale, building a tower pc is whatI'm coming away from, hence why I'm putting together an itx htpc build

[MattH41]

You can build a smaller solution too. See this design for example.

[denz13]

hmm... still seems pretty big to me. I already have a full atx mobo & phenom x4 9550 cpu, which I use as my current htpc, however this is what I'm downsizing from to save some space. I don't mind the size of some of the cheap nas boxes, but I guess there's nothing else in comparable price and size.

[rchapoteau]

There are some pretty small itx cases that support multiple drive bays like the Fractal Design 304. I just built my NAS/HTPC with the following from Newegg:

1 x ($139.99) CHENBRO SR30169T2-250 0.8mm SGCC, Hi-PS Pedestal Compact Server Chassis for SOHO & SMB Office 250W $139.99
1 x ($99.99) ASRock E350M1/USB3 AMD E-350 APU (1.6GHz, Dual-Core) AMD A50M Hudson M1 Mini ITX Motherboard/CPU Combo $99.99
1 x ($59.99) OCZ Vertex 3 VTX3-25SAT3-60G 2.5" 60GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) $59.99
1 x ($48.99) G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Desktop Memory Model F3-8500CL7D-8GBRL $48.99
1 x ($4.99) BYTECC Model SATA-136EO 36" Serial ATA to e-SATA Cable $4.99

The Fractal Design is smaller and cheaper than the Chenbro and I'm almost wishing I went with that instead, but I liked how the Chenbro has its own SSD slots as well as the the 4 bays.

What I did sounds like overkill for you if you are looking to only have 2 TB of storage in the machine though.

One other thing to keep in mind. I am moving my data from a Thecus N4100Pro which is a standalone 4 bay nas. I'm moving my data before the Thecus dies, because its really hard to retrieve the data on a standalone proprietary unit after its already dead without buying the exact same model, and having the config backed up. If you build a software NAS then these issues aren't as important.

[Dougie Fresh]

Small, ITX, but not cheap: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NSC-400-Server...1047250178

I don't think you're going to get small and cheap when it comes to a storage-oriented case.

[noggin]

Have you thought about an HP Proliant Microserver? In the UK there was a £100 cashback deal running for ages that made it a very cost effective solution. Works very well with unRAID.

[bluray]

It's not easy to find a proper mini-itx case for storage. I think that this "LIAN LI PC-Q08B" is an excellent choice. It have a lot of bays for future upgrades and huge case fans to keep it cool too.....

[solamnic]

Also the Bitfenix Prodigy is a good choice

http://www.bitfenix.com/global/en/produc...s/prodigy/

[cwide]

The OP didn't specify needing any sort of special programs along with a NAS. Why can't he just get a cheap prebuilt NAS if all he wants is to simply access files?

[Dougie Fresh]

The OP didn't specify needing any sort of special programs along with a NAS. Why can't he just get a cheap prebuilt NAS if all he wants is to simply access files?

He asked for options cheaper than a NAS. And then when presented with cheaper options said they were too big and asked for something smaller.

[Chime]

I'm using the Liani Li PC-Q08 and I'm very happy with it. It has 6 internal 3.5" drive bays, but you could easily fit 8-9 drives in it with a little work.

[cwide]

The OP didn't specify needing any sort of special programs along with a NAS. Why can't he just get a cheap prebuilt NAS if all he wants is to simply access files?

He asked for options cheaper than a NAS. And then when presented with cheaper options said they were too big and asked for something smaller.

I guess it's hard to give a suggestion without knowing his exact needs. Cheapest option (if he doesn't have the drives) is to just buy a Seagate/Buffalo/WD single disk >1TB NAS. I'm sure most people on here don't like those, but if all you are doing is serving files to one client I can't see how they would be THAT bad. Granted, building your own NAS is going to be much better in the long run. I went years with the combined HTPC/Server machine and I couldn't be happier after I switched. It's just a lot less hassle to separate functions.

To the OP. I just recently built a FX 4100 based server for ~$150 using the microcenter combo deals (I also already had the drives). Yes, it is big, loud, ugly, and power hungry, but I just hid it in the basement and it is effortlessly streaming all sorts of media. You basically just need to run an ethernet cable and find a place to hide these things if you want to go the cheap route. Once you get more money you can upgrade around it.

[denz13]

OK, thanks for the replies guys!

Originally my plan was to have the ITX HTPC in a slimline case <86mm in order to fit in the space in my TV unit. Then have a small NAS box situated near my router to store my media.

Having looked at some of the cases you've suggested it's got me thinking, I have a sideboard cupboard that is capable of taking something within these dimensions - W400mm x H260mm x D405mm. I'm sure there will be a ITX case available fitting this kind of dimension which will also give me the ability to fit enough drives to do away with the need for a NAS.

Question is, will keeping it cool and ventilation be a problem? Below is my spec so far
Asrock a75m-itx mobo
A6-3500

I plan on buying a SSD for the OS and fitting 2 x 2TB & 1 x 1TB, then some RAM.