I am thinking of building a home media server, mostly for plex use. I have an older HP laptop with a GPU and 8GB RAM. Would I be able to use something like this as my storage device and something like Unraid on my laptop as a software raid? I have been hearing that using USB arrays is not recommended for Unraid or with similar applications in general.
Or Am I better off going with something like this? I am OK with the price with both options, but mostly want stability, ease of use and data security. Remote plex access occasionaly, but mostly just for myself in my home
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Option 1 does work but laptops are not ideal as a server. They lack the IO and have tiny heatsinks that tend to get clogged with dust. And those USB DAS are kinda expensive. And USB is less reliable than SATA although it usually works well enough for something non critical like a media server.
Option 2 is kinda bad as this NAS is too low end to run Plex. You need something with an Intel CPU.
You can get a used desktop PC for $1-200 that has a 6th Gen Intel 4 core CPU or newer and is able to house 4 drives or more. Only needs a bit more of power than option 1 or 2 but is cheap and works rather well as a NAS and server.
Any suggestion for a desktop PC that has room for 4 drives or is there a way to create that room in a use PC? Most PCs that I see in the $1-200 range don’t seem to have room for multiple drives. I see some poweredge towers that seem to have upto 4 SATA connections, but are these towers power hungry?