Hello everyone! I am thinking about repurposing my HTPC using unRAID. I have constructed this thread in sections and will have questions after each, thanks for your precious time.
My questions:
Q1: Are 2.5' HDD any good in a NAS, longetivity wise?
Q2: Is ECC memory absolutely necessary? What will happen if I don't have them?
Q3: Are the upcoming QLC SSD any good, longevity wise?
Q4: How powerful should the PSU be for a 10-drive setup?
Q5: Are the following tasks achievable via unRAID? (ordered in priority)
Must have:
1. NAS
2. VM for Windows (will run MAME and other exotic acrade rips)
Strongly wanting:
3. Hosting a LAN-only personal wiki (if that's a thing)
4. Off-site backup for my parents Synology NAS (which they will bring to me for regular backup via direct ethernet connection)
Might-as-well:
5. VM for Linux Distro
6. Plex server
7. Personal Minecraft server
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Current setup:
CPU: i5 4590
Mobo: AsRock Z87m Extreme 4 (6 x SATA 6Gb ports, has had a RAM issue recently, didn't pop up again after shuffling the sticks)
RAM: ADATA value ram 16GB (4x4) at 1600 MHz
Boot drive: Samsung 960 evo 128GB
Other drives: WD Blue 1 TB, HGST 3TB
GPU: Manli GTX 1070ti (blower style cooler)
PSU: Delta flex server PSU 650w, 80+ Platinum, modded to be fully modular (yeah, that's a thing)
Case: Sliverstone SG-02F (4 x 3.5in HDD max w/t 5.2in bay conversion, 8 x 2.5 with conversion)
Misc: Pioneer Blu-ray drive, Intel wireless-AC 8260 on PCI-e adapter
As of now, it is under my TV shelf, has very limited space to the rear, and runs very warm to the touch when gaming at 4K high, able to reheat a thin-curst pizza (verified). It never had a failure due to heat or power delivery, however.
Extra stuff kicking around:
EVGA GTX 650 Ti Boost 1GB (blower style cooler)
16GB Optane SSD