BUILD YOUR OWN NAS 2024

Build your own fast, low-powered, 24/7 server with the help of Nick Peers

- Nick Peers

ONE SERVER to rule them all. That's our dream-a single, centralized PC designed for always-on action, but which won't run up huge electricity bills. It needs to be able to run multiple services simultaneously, from media streaming to cloud sync and backup. It needs to be configured as headless machine, accessible from other devices on your network, and handle more than one connection, so friends and family can benefit from your NAS server.

For the past few years, we've been living the dream with the subject of our September 2022 build. It's as capable now as it was then, but we set ourselves the task of improving it in every way: a more powerful mobo that consumes even fewer watts? Check. Plenty of drive bays to allow us to easily expand storage? Check. Take up as little room as possible? Check. How about capping the price at $600 for the base unit? No problem.

The result? A pint-sized powerhouse that's not tied to proprietary technologies or operating systems, and one that will comfortably outlast even the best that Synology or QNAP has to offer the home market right now. Don't believe us? Turn the page to find out just how to spec, build, and set up your perfect NAS-like server.

OUR PREVIOUS NAS build was centered around Intel's Gemini Lake Refresh range of Pentium Silver processors. ASRock produced a series of miniITX mobos with embedded J-series processors passively cooled by heatsink for silent operation, but quad core and capable of handling all your server needs. But while Intel has updated its low-powered chips over successive generations, these have been restricted firmly to the tiny PC market. It's only with the launch of its Alder Lake-N line in 2023 that new mini-ITX mobos, sporting the latest N100 processor, have made an appearance.