The original post: /r/datahoarder by /u/h3lnwein on 2024-12-05 22:55:49.

Hey

I’m trying to build a server. Right now I’m using my PC with 8TB external HDD, but I’m going to shuck it, add few 8-12TB drives. It will be used for photo backup, some old archives, and Plex with transcoding / HDR tone mapping.

So, would n100 be a good choice? I’ve seen ASUS Prime motherboard with N100 but it had 1x SATA only, but I think it had PCI port so I could add some pci-sata card to attach more HDDs? I’ve also seen some motherboard with n100 with 6 SATA ports, can PCI-SATA be also used there for like 10 total HDDs?

There’s also some i3-N305 I think, that’s also being recommended for such cases?

And as far as connection goes, is it enough that I connect it via Ethernet to one of my WiFi meshes? Because my router is in living room, and I have few mesh nodes (3gbps wireless speed).

I plan to run either windows or linux, any case that can hold 8-10 drives would be good. I just want to be able to host Plex with transcoding and having instant and fast access to my files when I’m using MacBook.

For HDDs, I have an opportunity to buy 12 TB Ironwolf, recertified by the producer, with 1 year warranty, for 120 EUR.