2015-11-18, 02:43
Acadia, welcome, but that's one loaded post!
Synology, Qnap, etc. are pricey, but easy to use and very reliable. For budget options, there's unRAID, FreeNAS, etc., for which I'd ask in their forums or in SmallNetBuilder forum.
For a gaming-capable HTPC, I'll let forum members chime in (as I'm not into gaming). What'll help is knowing your complete video playback needs: 3D, HD audio, full BD rips playback?
Synology, Qnap, etc. are pricey, but easy to use and very reliable. For budget options, there's unRAID, FreeNAS, etc., for which I'd ask in their forums or in SmallNetBuilder forum.
For a gaming-capable HTPC, I'll let forum members chime in (as I'm not into gaming). What'll help is knowing your complete video playback needs: 3D, HD audio, full BD rips playback?