Data storage
 

Hi,

Sorry, this is off top (slightly), however, with regard to external hard drives. Would you suggest purchasing 2x500GB external hard drives or a NAS device that can be accessed locally on the home network (via Wi-Fi or hardwire CAT-5) that hold multiple hard drives?

Thanks for your thoughts.
Eric

It depends what you plan to put on them. If it is video or other large amounts of data then you'll need speed.

Most NAS devices are slow(er) than a USB2 or Firewire drive, unless you go with a more expensive NAS like a ReadyNAS.

I messed around with several NAS units till I ended up going with an external eSATA enclosure with 750Gb drives:

http://shop4.outpost.com/product/525...H:MAIN_RSLT_PG

I've also got 2 Seagate FreeAgent pro eSATA drives which also perform quite well.

In the end I spent abour $500 less than I would have on a ReadyNAS.

Of course, you could always go the way of building your own NAS with FreeNAS, but I'm sure Spacebass will be here soon to explain that ;)

Did someone say FreeNAS?!?!!?

The DIY route is always an option. With something like freeNAS (or even a regular linux distribution) you can use an old PC and turn it into a NAS box that you have a lot of control over. If you use gigabit ethernet things really seemt o move pretty fast. I can stream at least 2 1080p videos from my box at the same time (never tried more than 2 :) ).

The upside is the total control you get. You can use SMB (windows sharing), ssh (secure) sftp (secure), apple talk (mac), or any combination of the list to share files. You also tend to have more control over user access, etc.

The downside is that you have total control. My NAS servers have been (knock on wood) reliable, but if your using older hardware, you could have a failure. The other downside is power, an older PC will take more power (and put off more heat) than a simple NAS box.


In terms of external enclosures - I'm loving eSATA for both desktops and NAS servers- I like the Icydock stuff. Newegg.com seems to have the lowest prices, although they can be found on amazon too.

thanks!
 

I think i'll look into the external drive option with eSATA drives. I appreciate the input.

Eric