This is my first NAS setup and here is what I am thinking for my build:

 

Case - Antec P101 silent

MB - ASUS ROG Strix B450-F Gaming Motherboard

CPU - AMD Ryzen 5 3600

PSU - Corsair CX Series 650 Watt 80

HDD - 8x 4tb WD Red NAS (wanted to shuck them but everything I am reading seems like a crap shoot on if you get the a non SMR drive or not)

RAM - Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x - 8GB DDR4 3200 mhz)

 

This is is. Am I missing anything? I am wanting to use the NAS for data storage of my raw photos and finished images. And if need be I'd like to be able to edit off the system if needed (both photos and video possibly). I also want the system to be expandable in the future. Hopefully I'll be able to put in larger drives as they get cheaper. 

I believe the 4TB Reds are SMR. Only 8TB+ are CMR. I just bought 2x 8TB Easystores and they were CMR.

 

it seems like a lot of muscle for just a NAS, but if you’re going to install VMs for editing, it might be ok. AMD doesn’t seem to be abandoning their AM4 socket so that’s another plus.

 

if you’re going to edit the photos/videos from the nas, get a dual/quad NIC for your NAS and your desktop. Then get a 16 port switch and plug the cables in and get a theoretical 5gbps connection between the server and desktop for a little over $100. 

Edited April 26, 20206 yr by dallus

WD20/30/(40/60EFRX are CMR, WD20/30/40/60EFAX are SMR, but note that SMR disks usually work fine with Unraid.

9 hours ago, dallus said:

I believe the 4TB Reds are SMR. Only 8TB+ are CMR. I just bought 2x 8TB Easystores and they were CMR.

 

it seems like a lot of muscle for just a NAS, but if you’re going to install VMs for editing, it might be ok. AMD doesn’t seem to be abandoning their AM4 socket so that’s another plus.

 

if you’re going to edit the photos/videos from the nas, get a dual/quad NIC for your NAS and your desktop. Then get a 16 port switch and plug the cables in and get a theoretical 5gbps connection between the server and desktop for a little over $100. 

In regards to the NIC. If I plug the NAS direct to the modem and plug my MacBook direct to the modem as well would I still need the NIC and switch? 

Also do you think I need a GPU? I have been reading a lot that says yes and no on the needs of them. 

12 hours ago, am3ncorn3r said:

In regards to the NIC. If I plug the NAS direct to the modem and plug my MacBook direct to the modem as well would I still need the NIC and switch? 

Also do you think I need a GPU? I have been reading a lot that says yes and no on the needs of them. 

You would use the built-in NICs of the NAS and Mac. You'd be limited to 1gbps, which is (theoretically) about 125 MB/s transfer rate. This speed may or may not work for your workflow. It may be a little slower editing over the network, but it may be imperceptible compared to editing from your hard drive. Putting in a supplementary NIC in your NAS (and presumably desktop) would increase that "pipeline" to 3-5 gbps. This point is moot since you're using a laptop with only 1 NIC.

I should mention I’m only going to be editing photos not video. I just checked I can get a dongle for my mbp to give it 10gb Ethernet but those are incredible expensive right now