!WARNING! I WILL add further details and clean up later.
Just wanted to get this out of my head and see if I am the only crazy one that doesn’t see the point in these overly large NAS cases.
I’ve been collecting components and knowledge for a while to build out an SFF storage node for a homelab, but am also considering potential for an even smaller SSD based version down the road for mobile deployment.
Currently my plan is to mount an SBC/NUC onto an x6 3.5” HDD cage I picked up, use an SI-ADA40141 M.2 to x5 SATA adapter, and a couple AC/DC to Molex power adapters to supply HDD power.
For ESXi experiments with vCenter encryption (I’m in Cyber) I’m considering picking up a NUC7i5DNHE as it supports M.2 2280+2230 E-key for WLAN, TPM 2.0, vPro, and a pretty competent i5-7300U w/ configurable TDP of 7.5/15/25W.
Buuuut despite it being pitifully low perf compared to modern NUCs/AMD, they are still stupidly priced on eBay. (~$500)
Alternatively, there are other SBCs/NUC options that could meet some of my needs for much less. My UpBoard Squared could support a mPCIe to x4 SATA adapter + M.2 2230 LAN slot (which could support an x2 SATA adapter if needed), along with dual Gbit NICs. A myriad of other SBCs trade various specs for price... Then there is the “rugged” ULP NUC8CCHKR with M.2 2280+2230, 64GB eMMC, and a Celeron N3350 @4-6W TDP, ~$200.
Obviously regardless, some physical modding of the case, and/or fabricating new casing, will be necessary.
All that to say “am I the only one?” am I missing something, or does this seem much preferable to the overpriced, crap hardware Synology options? Or finding room for an unnecessarily large Home Server case?
P.S.
The VanLife mobile lab is a future idea I’m toying with down the road. I would likely build a 100% SSD server using a multi-2.5” to 5.25” adapter. Considering in the next 12-18 mo depending on current job prospects.
Just wanted to get this out of my head and see if I am the only crazy one that doesn’t see the point in these overly large NAS cases.
I’ve been collecting components and knowledge for a while to build out an SFF storage node for a homelab, but am also considering potential for an even smaller SSD based version down the road for mobile deployment.
Currently my plan is to mount an SBC/NUC onto an x6 3.5” HDD cage I picked up, use an SI-ADA40141 M.2 to x5 SATA adapter, and a couple AC/DC to Molex power adapters to supply HDD power.
For ESXi experiments with vCenter encryption (I’m in Cyber) I’m considering picking up a NUC7i5DNHE as it supports M.2 2280+2230 E-key for WLAN, TPM 2.0, vPro, and a pretty competent i5-7300U w/ configurable TDP of 7.5/15/25W.
Buuuut despite it being pitifully low perf compared to modern NUCs/AMD, they are still stupidly priced on eBay. (~$500)
Alternatively, there are other SBCs/NUC options that could meet some of my needs for much less. My UpBoard Squared could support a mPCIe to x4 SATA adapter + M.2 2230 LAN slot (which could support an x2 SATA adapter if needed), along with dual Gbit NICs. A myriad of other SBCs trade various specs for price... Then there is the “rugged” ULP NUC8CCHKR with M.2 2280+2230, 64GB eMMC, and a Celeron N3350 @4-6W TDP, ~$200.
Obviously regardless, some physical modding of the case, and/or fabricating new casing, will be necessary.
All that to say “am I the only one?” am I missing something, or does this seem much preferable to the overpriced, crap hardware Synology options? Or finding room for an unnecessarily large Home Server case?
P.S.
The VanLife mobile lab is a future idea I’m toying with down the road. I would likely build a 100% SSD server using a multi-2.5” to 5.25” adapter. Considering in the next 12-18 mo depending on current job prospects.