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Is it worth it?

Comes with 3x 120mm fans.

Synology DS419slim

TrueNAS Core

Compatible with Mini ITX or Mini DTX motherboards, it includes the same 3x 120mm fans.

Silverstone’s offering measures 211 x 285 x 360mm for another Mini ITX or Mini DTX option.

It fits8x hot-swappable 3.5"HDDs or 2.5" SSDs and4x fixed 2.5"alternatives.

Fractal Design Node 804

TrueNAS Core

Includes 3x 120mm fans with an overall convenient design.

We’re recommending one of our favorites, theCore i5-12600K.

Check the manufacturer for information; some offer them for free, while others sell them as affordable extras.

Fractal Design Node 304

The processor is where most of our budget will be reserved for.

The Noctua NH-U12S Redux is from one of the most renowned brands in the cooling space.

Includes an RGB pump header, if your chosen case has a transparent panel.

Silverstone DS380

Check dimensions carefully to confirm you have enough clearance alongside your storage devices.

You may need some extensions for plentiful storage.

The 80+ Bronze ATX PSU from EVGA is semi-modular, with critical power cables permanently attached.

Intel Core i5-12600K

Connect only what you need, and enjoy 80+ Platinum certification for fantastic energy efficiency.

This isn’t the most thrilling motherboard around.

We’re using Z690 here, which is the best chipset for 12th Gen Intel CPUs.

Noctua NH-U12S Redux

We selected aCrucial Vengeance 16GBkit that should be more than enough for most NAS-related tasks, including some streaming.

Just confirm you’re using RAM supported by the motherboard, and you’re good to go.

Watch out for 12th Gen Intel boards as some areDDR4 and others will support DDR5.

NZXT Kraken 120

You likely won’t need more than 8GB of RAM on a NAS.

Thankfully, our Z690 motherboard supports DDR4 RAM, saving us some money.

Storage

Storage options depend on how much space you wish to use.

Thermaltake Smart 500W power supply

Brands like Western Digital and Seagate offer dedicated NAS solutions.

For our reasonably priced build, we selectedSeagate IronWolf.

Factoring this into account, two 1TB drives in a RAID configuration would offer 1TB of capacity.

EVGA 500BQ power supply

Seagate IronWolf NAS drives are specifically designed for use inside an always-on server.

Learning about custom operating systems will require plenty of time and aren’t always so approachable for beginners.

If a media server is your priority, consider some of thebest Plex NASpre-built servers first.

Seasonic Focus PX 550 power supply

Otherwise, plan accordingly and enjoy the process!

ASUS Prime Z690M-Plus D4

Corsair Vengeance LPX

Seagate Ironwolf 1TB hard drive

TrueNAS Core operating system screenshot

TrueNAS Core

HP Envy Move

Beelink EQR6

Image of the Dell XPS Desktop (8960).

Samsung T7 Shield SSD

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080

Best External Hard Drives for Xbox

SanDisk 256GB microSD Express card resting against a pencil.

A Crucial P310 m.2 2230 SSD for Steam Deck and ROG Ally in its retail box.

PNY memory card and flash drives.

SanDisk Professional G-DRIVE ArmorATD fits in your hand.

Western Digital My Passport Ultra in hand.

Xbox controller with WD-40

Elden Ring Nightreign

The rare Caine Trailblazer operator skin, obtainable from the Return to Verdansk event in Call of Duty: Warzone

Dune: Awakening

DOOM: The Dark Ages

Windows 11 system features

Image of the Keychron K4 HE Special Edition in white.