[coltonc18]

Hey All,

I need your opinion on what I should do. I have currently a full media center PC. It's fast, has lots of memory, etc etc. Currently I run on 8 TB of storage. It's not enough though, I need another 8 TB and currently have no backup of my media. So I will probably need another 16 TB for backup purposes.

So what is the best option? Should I keep buying more hard drives and add them to current pc? Or would it be better to unload all my hard drives plus the ones needed into a separate server?

I of course use Kodi as my front end system, and would like to setup my system so I can watch my movies from any systems in my house. I know I can do that with either option above, I'm just trying to decide what is going to be better option for me with the best for future expansion as I need more space.

If NAS what would be the best option to go with? I'd either need to leave it on all the time, or setup some kind of WOL that can be done from anywhere in the house.

Thanks!

[pappaganush]

I was in the same situation as you're describing about a year ago. I choose at the time to build my own server with hard drives in a RAID configuration using openmediavault as OS and have not regretted. The decision was made based on both price considerations (Synology or QNAP boxes aren't cheap) and the low network transfer speeds on budget Synologys' (I have been using the j-series previously) which can be inconvenient if you're transferring large amount of data.

Just my 2 cents.

[coltonc18]

Thanks for your thoughts!

If I decide to go server, I'm trying to figure out what the min requirements need to be. I know they say they don't need much, but I'm wanting pretty much 0 lag. I use it mainly in my theater, but also plan to use it throughout the house. The main two places I use it will be hardwired, so that's a plus.

I just want to make sure if I build it, I dont go overboard, but also dont want to go to small, as each of my movies are 4-7 GB and will be doing blu-rays, and 3D if/once non passive is able to be used on Kodi which are like 30 gb.

thanks!

[pappaganush]

The minimum requirements CPU-wise are very low if you don't need heavy transcoding with eg. Plex or Emby. Look at the CPU specs at a given Synology or QNAP and you will get a hint. My own personal build is based on an older Xeon processor but that was merely due to I had lying around already, 4GB of RAM and an peripheral RAID controller. Most newer motherboards have support for 5-6 harddrives which should get you in the 18 Tb range if you're using 3 Tb disks and you can hence spare the RAID card. 18 Tb is still more than 1000 movies of 7 Gb but I don't know how large a movie collection you have. A build with a newer Intel processor as an i3 and a newer motherboard with enough SATA ports and maybe a onboard RAID controller (if you wish to run RAID) will do fine.The need for the network speed is the determining factor for waiting time at your local player. All modern desktop network cards are gigabit and hence have transfer speeds of 100 Mb+ which is more than fine for all video material and short waiting times. Make sure you're using gigabit ethernet frontend also, though!.

[coltonc18]

ya, I do use emby right now to sort my movies and assist with metadata stuff lol. Also current DVD collection is at 988, and am working on ripping a couple hundred blu-rays right now. Also plan on ripping all my TV seasons after the blu rays are done lol.

I have a second media center downstairs that is about 10 years old, in one of the old huge ANTEC towers....I may look to see if what I have in there could be turned into a server....only negative there is the fans are loud as can be lol

I'll check out a synology or QNAP and look to see what they are running and compare it to what I have....just trying to balance the power usage/heat with what I need

[coltonc18]

Thinking I'm going to build this....https://www.avforums.com/threads/smurfs-monster-40tb-unraid-nas-build.1347547/

I already have that case in my family room, and can either just get a cheap top box, or cheap computer to throw in there for Kodi in that room.