whats the best NAS or standalone hard drive ?

[perry081064]

whats the most problem free Nas or standalone hard drive to use on the gen 3 model ?  .. just want to get it right first time, so any recommendations?

[hazmat96]

I've worked on and built computers for years, having a career doing PC support for AT&T.  My experience would say any western digital hard drive is better then any other choice.  Even though their mfg. facilities were badly damaged in recent asian flooding, the hard drives still available are first rate.  And their warranty (from 2 to 3 years depending on the model) is top notch.  When, or if, you ever send a drive back under warranty they will almost always give you a bigger and better one in return.

I run ONLY WD drives in my machines and servers and have never had to return anything (some of them have over 12 year service now).  If you plan to leave it running 7x24x365 (all the time) get a drive made for AV service (continual server use).  I would recommend WD20EURS ( a 2TB drive made for AV use), but they are almost impossible to find since the floods in thiland (where 90% of their mfg is).  If it is the only drive on a machine (or all will be advanced format drives) you can use their advanced format drives (like xyzEARS models).  You can't mix and match advanced format drives with old style (common SATA drives).

Check newegg.com for drives (their prices are very good).  Stay FAR AWAY from drives labeled Toshiba and Hatichi (not made by them, but very poor quality drives).

Enjoy,

Mike

[Notreallymyname]

I agree with the above comment. I can't say I have any professional experience, but I did a lot of research before making any purchase myself and found the WD drives to be rated highly on a consistent basis. I've had one for over a year myself now and no problems.

[perry081064]

ok so WD it is then...

just not sure as to get a NAS or standalone external now , im leaning towards a NAS though.

[hazmat96]

Think about what you want to accomplish with the drive and that will probally decide the issue for you.  If you plan to rip all your DVD collection there, it would be better to have a NAS since it can be expanded as your library grows.  If you just want a place for a few movies (2TB would hold about 300 movies of around 4Gig each) then just get a drive and stand alone device (like the link below) so you can change the drive as needed.  Remember the device below is NOT a hot-swap drive (you must have it powered off before removing the drive).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817709017

If you want to build a home server I would recommend windows home server.  The software costs about as much as an OS disk, but runs an NT build that is solid and reliable (un-like XP or Vista).  WHS (windows home server) is currently available in two versions.  The link below is for the newer 2011 WHS and the pricing is very good (less then the old V1 cost).  The 2011 version had one major change though, they removed the ability to expand storage (a major change).  So, if you build a 2011 WHS you will need to find a third party storage solution to run with it.  If you find (on ebay perhaps) a V1 version of WHS you won't need to find a third party solution for storage.  V1 WHS has the ability to expand storage as far as your hardware can take it.  Link to 2011 WHS software ....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832416443

Here is an ebay link to a V1 WHS with motherboard (great price for both) .....

http://www.ebay.com/itm/790GX-HDMI-Motherboard-AM2-AMD-Jetway-HA07-Windows-Home-Server-1-0-OEM-/2307...

Or, if buying a NAS, you would save the time needed to build one.  I would recommend something like the link below .....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822108065

If you are at all interested in or already skilled in building computers I would strongly recommend building a WHS server.  The experience and pride of accomplishment are great and the WHS is a rock solid performer.

Enjoy,

Mike

[perry081064]

thanks mike , i think youve covered all the bases there ... ive been known to build the odd pc or 30 lol , so im going to check out building the WHS server if funds allow this month.

[hazmat96]

You might want to grab that ebay item with both the mobo and WHS V1 (great price).  I would recommend Antec 300 case (best features at the pricepoint) with space to route all those un-used power cables.  And don't cut corners on the power supply -- really good ones are often discounted and worth a few extra bucks (see link for a suggestion).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027

Enjoy,

Mike

[Interwebz]

I have a Buffalo Linkstation 2TB NAS drive.

I know they're a low end cheapo company, however, I haven't had any problems with it - and it has no problem outputing HD movies to (2) WD TV devices at the same time.

I don't know how long the drive will last or anything like that, but it sure is cheap, under $200 and works for me.