WHS - build it yourself or a prebuilt box?

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Kookoo

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#54878 22-Dec-2009 11:15

Hi all
I've been thinking of getting a NAS, but now I've got Tivo I started thinking in the direction of WHS because Tivo Desktop is only Windows compatible.
So now the question is, given that I would need to get the components anyway (I have a couple of old mobos and Pentium 4 CPUs lying around, but I want something pretty) - would it make more sense to get components and just build it myself, or get an Acer Easystore or similar?

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BDFL - Memuneh
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#284572 22-Dec-2009 11:21

It depends. If you just want Windows Home Server for storage and backup the Acer will be fine. If you need something with more power (transcoding video, recording TV programs from DVB-T, etc) the obviously you will need something with a bigger CPU, etc. I am using a six years old P4 HT with 2GB RAM for my Windows Home Server and it's just great - even run a couple of virtual machines (with Virtual Server 2005 R2 on it).

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Kookoo

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#284578 22-Dec-2009 11:38

Nah, the Tivo will do all the recording, so the WHS would be RAID storage/backup and streaming media to the rest of the machines.

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freitasm

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#284579 22-Dec-2009 11:42

Kookoo: Nah, the Tivo will do all the recording, so the WHS would be RAID storage/backup and streaming media to the rest of the machines.

When building the WHS don't bother expending money on RAID - just let it do its own duplication thing... Better to have pairs of similar sized drives, although any size combination will do.

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rscole86

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#284586 22-Dec-2009 12:03

Have you considered pytivo, instead of TiVo desktop?

Kookoo

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#284605 22-Dec-2009 13:20

rscole86: Have you considered pytivo, instead of TiVo desktop?

Good point. No, I haven't. But the more I look at WHS the lazier I become, and the less I feel like setting up a Fedora box. I think it's an inherent quality of Microsoft products. :)

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Kookoo

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#284621 22-Dec-2009 14:13

freitasm:
Kookoo: Nah, the Tivo will do all the recording, so the WHS would be RAID storage/backup and streaming media to the rest of the machines.

When building the WHS don't bother expending money on RAID - just let it do its own duplication thing... Better to have pairs of similar sized drives, although any size combination will do.

True! Whoa, I am starting to really like WHS. That's a nice change from something I felt was a necessity to something I am actually starting to like.

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SepticSceptic

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#284797 23-Dec-2009 11:11

Like freitasm, I run a retasked HP P4 + 2gigs RAM, plus a jumble of SATA and PATA drives as my WHS, purely as a media / document / software storage. Streams media fine, though no hi def as yet.
Works 100% great, does it's job without any issues. Just there. It works. I'm happy.

allan

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#284815 23-Dec-2009 11:55

Yep likewise - a Dell P4 1.8Ghz with 2.5GB RAM, with mixture of disks and sizes. Had a recent issue where backups suddenly started taking hours instead of minutes. Eventually turned out that the drive was not appearing in the BIOS any longer, but was still being seeing seen at the OS level - albiet at what was obviously a vastly reduced IO rate. Also have a VM on there.

That said, I have just purchased an Acer Easystore WHS for someone who just wants something that will sit there and go, with no tinkering..... Haven't installed it yet, but reviews seem generally positive.

Kookoo

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#284873 23-Dec-2009 17:10

I just started wondering, after reading another thread - would it make sense to combine a HTPC and a home server in a single machine? Is it even possible? Like building a small box with a Blu-ray drive, a couple of 1TB SATAs, a mobo with reasonable onboard graphics, something like 780G, and install WHS on it?

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Ragnor

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#284880 23-Dec-2009 17:42

There are pros and cons, you might not want to leave the HTPC on as often as you'd leave WHS on (to do nightly/weekly backups of your machines) and you might not want to put a ton of hard drives in your HTPC.

Ragnor

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#284887 23-Dec-2009 18:09

The Acer Easystore ranges from $880-930 in NZ, if you were going to DIY it matching the specs

Atom 230 motheboard (includes cpu): ~$100
2GB DDR2 ram: ~$60
1TB hard drive: ~$110
Windows Home Server OEM: ~$250

.. then upto $360 to spend on a mini itx case with 4 hdd bays and a PSU

You could save a hundred or maybe two hundred bucks, if you can find a case you like better than the Acer Easystore's one.

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Kookoo

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#284888 23-Dec-2009 18:13

Ragnor: There are pros and cons, you might not want to leave the HTPC on as often as you'd leave WHS on (to do nightly/weekly backups of your machines) and you might not want to put a ton of hard drives in your HTPC.

Interesting point. What are the cons of leaving the HTPC on and having a ton of hard drives on it?

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Ragnor

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#284903 23-Dec-2009 20:53

Noise, heat, size of case... especially if it's living in the lounge.

PS: I'm struggling to find a 4 disk mini itx case that looks at good as the Acer Easystore's case. Anyone seen anything decent?

humvee

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#285756 29-Dec-2009 01:16

If you only want a max of 4 drives in a nice small pre built unit I would be inclined to look at the HP StorageWorks X510 that also gives you a dual core 2.5ghz processer if your worried about processor speed

If you are less worried about size and want more then 4 drives, then you are best to build it your self. that's what I did

Mine is built in a Gigabyte 3d Arorua case (so quite big) with a corsair 450w power supply. The processor is a single core 2.7Ghz Semphron and 2 Gb ram. Currently it has 9 drives in it with room for more
3 x 1.5Tb
2 x 320Gb
1 x 160Gb
1 x 120Gb
2 x 60Gb

The best drives to use for price & low heat/power with ok performance are Samsung 1.5TB EcoGreen you can get these for about $164+gst I have 2 of these in my WHS

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Kookoo

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#285758 29-Dec-2009 01:22

humvee:
Currently it has 9 drives in it with room for more
3 x 1.5Tb
2 x 320Gb
1 x 160Gb
1 x 120Gb
2 x 60Gb

Whoa! With the exception of Sempron, this is hardly a home server anymore is it? What do you do with 9 drives?!

Interesting, the HP you mentioned goes for $630 US on Amazon... That's not a bad deal at all...

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