The original post: /r/datahoarder by /u/PhotosRLife on 2024-12-09 19:14:36.

There is a lot of information on the topic, but at the end of the day, I don’t have a TON of data to store, and I’m wondering what’s the best course of action to follow before I accumulate enough data that my setup becomes unmanageable. Here’s my use-case:

I’m an amateur photographer, so my data consists of RAW image files, some video (not a lot, but it will likely increase over the years), as well as the processed jpegs and other misc. files. My setup right now is a scratchdisk SSD where I keep ~1y of images/video. This is my working disk where I work on the Raw files/video etc for fast access. I do my best to cull immediately after unloading the SD card, so this disk has about 700GB on it by the end of the year (seems like that’s nothing compared to the amounts I see on the interwebs haha). All of the files are copied to two usb external 4TB HDDs. So these contain the data I accumulate over the years, and I replace them as needed when I reach capacity, which is relatively infrequently in my current usage. I then have another copy offsite that I backup to every now and then (albeit I should do this more often for a reliable 3-2-1 setup).

Now…my current drives are going to be at capacity soon, and while it’s been a relatively pain-free life since I’ve started doing things this way, I’d like something a bit more robust. I’m going to start accumulating external drives as the years go on, and can foresee this becoming a pain. I’m witnessing that with my parents, who have a plethora of external drives accumulated over the last 20y that go from the chunky externally powered massive HDDs to the small passport-style drives. Those need different cable connections to function, become obsolete etc… I’d like to set myself up for a slightly simpler data hoarding future. What is the best way forward? NAS vs DAS, NAS seems a bit overkill? I don’t “need” access to all of my images everywhere I go, although it could be nice. But is a NAS really needed for me, who for the foreseeable future only really needs ~8TB total? Will I regret it if I get a DAS instead, would a DAS end up being any cheaper realistically? Looking at different devices, it doesn’t seem like there’s that much of a difference. Another option could be sticking 2 internal HDDs in my desktop PC and continue with the system I have in place, accumulating internal HDDs instead of external ones? DIY NAS would be a fun project, but I can’t say I have a ton of time to really learn the ins and outs. Scouring FB marketplace for an old PC to repurpose seems a bit risky, unless anyone here thinks it’s really a relevant option?

Hoping to get some insight here, thank you!