Hi all, first time user here 

 

A couple of years back I assembled a low power NAS home server that ran Ubuntu server and could act as pure NAS over the last years. I have a separate Gigabyte Brix i3 that runs my media server software (minidlna for my movies, Logitech Media Server for my music) and acts as a Xubuntu desktop station. The NAS uses a 3Tb USB3 HDD as primary storage (backup to Crashplan and 2nd backup to the NAS).

 

I use the NAS mainly as backup server. Over this weekend I installed unraid on the NAS and everything works fine. Great interface btw. Everything worked right away. Although no direct need I was thinking if I should upgrade any hardware to make the system a little snappier.

 

The current NAS is built around a Gigabyte GA-MA74GM-S2H (AMD 740G + SB700 Chipset) motherboard with 6 SATA 3Gb/s connectors. CPU is a AMD Athlon 64 X2 4050e, 2Gb memory (2x 1 DDR2 1066) and a Corsair 400CX PSU. Storage is 4x WD Green 1Tb (1 x parity, 3x data). Case is from Cooler Master (Edit: I think a CM 690). I have around 2.5 Tb of media storage. (Edit: I think this setup is quite similar to the Budget system on the recommended builds page.)

 

I am planning to buy two 3TB disks to upgrade capacity. So I would end up with 1x 3TB parity, 3TB data + 4x 1Tb WD green data. In this process, I am looking for suggestions whether I should also look into upgrading any other parts of the machine. More memory, faster CPU for example. Because I have no prior unraid experience I find it hard to determine where the easy wins are (if any). Any suggestions are much appreciated!

 

Thanks, Ralph

Your CPU is fine as far as performance goes, but I would definitely recommend going to at least 4GB RAM if you can.  UnRAID will work with 2GB, but it'll really struggle if you start using Docker (which is a massive bonus in UnRAID).

 

UnRAID, if you're using it as a pure NAS, needs very little CPU and RAM.  I ran it on a Celeron 847 in the past, and it worked just fine.

Depends on what you want for your server.

 

For pure NAS, you should be fine as is.

 

To use the Docker feature, 2G may be a bit light, but would probably get you started.

 

To use VM, it is way light. I'd suggest at least 8G, but likely 16G.

 

Given the age of the system (based on the technology in it), I might suggest upgrading. Many are moving to server class motherboards with Xeon processors and ECC RAM. That would be my suggestion if you are looking to invest in an upgrade.

 

One thing I would suggest, regardless of whether you upgrade the motherboard, is an SSD. A 120G-250G cache drive with your Dockers would make a very significant difference in performance. The price is modest for the value IMO.

 

Whatever you decide, good luck with your upgrade to unRAID. Ask questions in the forum if you have questions. There has been considerable effort invested in the unRAID 6 wiki so I suggest checking it out. You might consider leaving some feedback or areas that are good and areas that are confusing to guide those working on it.