Building a Budget Media Server NAS Worth It? | Mini PC

I set up 2 of these debian based CasaOS servers, thinking I fucked them up somehow because they kept shitting themselves after working fine for a little while. I even pulled one apart and reapplied thermal paste because I thought, maybe it was overheating and the little system was fairly old.

I didn't tell Debian not to go to sleep. ffs.

CasaOS is very buggy not worth it

my server only uses under 60 watts but im about to retire my old 4590 i got second hand for a newer board but my server doesnt look like a server it looks like like a gaming pc with sata cables and onboard video

I've used the M73 from Lenovo for work at previous jobs before. They serve their intended purpose as a business PC. They can handle a DAS perfectly fine and if you put 8GB RAM in them and don't overload them. Don't spend too much on one and pair it with a 4 or 8 bay DAS and it will serve well as a storage server or storage RAID server. That said, you can get an M710q that has a i5-7500T for about $70 + shipping on eBay right now. If you want an SSD instead of HDD, it'll cost you more. If you downgrade to a 6500T, it can save a few $$, but you might lose the HDD.

Good video! I just put together a similar system using Debian and Casaos in a Dell Optiplex 990! Sadly I may have to just start over bc I can’t seem to get the system to have proper access to the second “media storage” drive. I see the drive and can manage files in it, but apps like Jellyfin can’t use the drive. Maybe I’ll try Ubuntu server w CasaOS. Sad bc Debian uses almost no RAM. 🤷‍♂️

The power consumption is one of the reasons when I rebuild pfsense, or Truenas boxes every 5 or 6 years is I always use an Intel T series chip so it maxes out at 35w. Pretty much perfect for a DIY appliance.

I like the creative use cases you come up with for using compute hardware. As someone who has been considering a NAS for the longest but did not care for the "industry standard" Synology (w/ underwhelming hardware), I was considering the UGreen NAS (hesitating due to relatively new OS) before it came out and backed it after watching your video about how to turn off Watchdog timer and install 3rd party OS. Similarly, I have been considering this DAS wondering if I could use one of the many similar mini-PCs I have lying around, install Proxmox and connect it to the DAS along with installing one of the many Coral TPUs and turn it into a Frigate NVR (I think Hardware Haven has done a similar video on it). Basically an OS with ability to containerize apps with decent storage. Keep up the good work. Would love to see a follow-up video once you use this for some time and your findings including pros/cons. Keep up the great work! 👍

yes, i have one. HTPC (YOLO edition) 100+ terabytes, no redundancy, in a node 804 with qnap tr-004 in DAS mode. ryzen 5 pro 5650ge, 64gb ram, b450 matx, nvidia t400, bunch of drives… not as cheap as an old desktop, but still not too expensive. so, yes. i decided for this solution when i realized id need brand new, or at least emtpy drives in order to use them in a NAS. which would mean buying 10 new drives, or at least one new drive then copying from one, clearing second, copying from third to wiped second, 10 drives ranging from 8 to 16tb. plus the cost of an 8 bay NAS… yeah, i dont think so. thank you for coming to my TED talk.