NAS vs PC

Im trying to decide whether i should buy a weak (maby put together from cheap used parts) PC or just get a vompact NAS device.
Ill be using it for backups, media storage and id like to be able to download torrents and other stuff to it (also remotely maby).
So which would you choose and why?

 

1-2 drives: dedicated NAS box.
3+ build it yourself.

Reason: price. NAS boxes with 4+ drives are expensive. Even more if you want/need 12-20 drives

 

I use a NAS, mainly because it's all I need a college student.

Synology DS211J
Has 2x2TB drives in it. I use it for FTP access, media streaming to PC/iPad/PS3, and backups. All of which you could do with a proper PC server as well but I just like it because of the smaller form factors and extremely low power consumption. It's also easy since I move around a lot and back and forth between home and school.

In the long run I'll probably go PC server but I feel that solution only really works for me if I know I can set it up somewhere and just let it run for a couple of years without moving around.

The PC server is obviously gonna be the more capable, have more expandability, etc etc. so a NAS in my opinion is useful based on your needs/living conditions.

 

I use a Western Digital Media HUB for a NAS. The main reason I bought it is so I can take my movies anywhere I want and watch them. It has 1tb of storage but it also has a built in media player that plays everything you throw at it. I use it's HDMI port to hook up to my home theater TV but sometimes, if I want to watch a movie in bed, I simply unplug it and move it up stairs. I also take it to work and vacation as well.

 

Ill be needing at least 5TB so the small compact NAS boxes are out of the question. I could get a used Intel entry NAS with 4 drives (6TB) for 340€. I dont need mobility, ill plug it in the gigabit router at home for local and remote access.
So you think that NAS is worth it or shoukd i just build a cheap PC from used parts (price would be about the same for same HDD space) but which will be able to take more than 4 drives (8 at least) and can download for me unlike the Intel NAS box?

 

Dedicated NAS rigs usually consume less power than the average desktops but if you want to get a dedicated PC, then FreeNAS and Windows Home Server would be a good fit.

My NAS is a 4TB WD ShareSpace but its so slow.
Max write speed on it hovers around 15mb/s but thats because its a peice of turd.
Modern NAS setups are way faster now, and can do other tasks as well.

 

Could i somehow make the Intel SS4200-E download torrents or could only a PC do that by remote control? That is pretty much a deciding factor too...
And any info on speeds with that one?
Im not so concerned with power consumption, i guess taking up less space would be a plus but is also not that important...

 

I looked up a review for that. I noticed in the first pictures that it looked like Fujitsu's Home Server. It was confirmed in the last part of the review.

You'll also find performance tests in that review. I've had HP ex475 WHS box for years now and I wouldn't give it away

Therefore I think you could install WHS on that box too (or other OS). With those you could do whatever you want.

 

My synology DS211J can download torrents. it's got a complete download center that resemebles ary normal torrent program. It's a nice activate a torrent in and check back a few days later when it's done.

 

I had a D-Link DNS-321, and it had a torrent downloading program. Also, with some software modding you can us some linux-based programs for various purposes. It was all via remote control.

However, I moved over to a relatively low-powered Athlon II X2-based PC that I installed a lot of storage on. It has Win7 on it (someone gave me a copy) and I manage it remotely with TightVNC. uTorrent and JDownloader have web interfaces, so I can manage those through my browser. Also, with the more power the Athlon gives me I can also run some dedicated servers for games out of it, too.

 

I built a Core i3 Sandy Bridge-based mini-ITX desktop to act as both media server and front-end. The rig is small, doesn't consume much power, but has enough muscle to play any media type I throw at it (it's hooked up to my TV).

It does media serving, Usenet & torrent downloading, info scraping, and can even do some encoding.