2015-08-04, 11:47
I've went through a similar route in the past using FreeNAS (free and open source) and the only thing that bothered me was power consumption. Old desktops (like those using 350W+ PSUs) can draw lots of power and after a couple of years the money spent on electricity equals the price of dedicated NAS hardware. I would only advise going that route if the "old desktop" is a low power one or if you live in a country where electricity is dirt cheap.