QNAP TS-464 Advice

[srm1964]

Thank you for all of the videos on YouTube, they have been very helpful.

I would like guidance for a few questions.

I have a collection of movies / TV Shows (1080p or SD) and audio files (flac). Currently the collection is 8TB, but will grow as I convert a very large collection of DVDs and CDs to files. Expected growth over time is another 8TB or more.

Currently the collection is on a pair of external Lacie d2 Professional drives (drives are Seagate Ironwolf Pros).  These drives are backed up to another Lacie d2 Professional.  Movies / Music that I want to use are copied to another external which is connected to my router via USB.  The files are played on an Nvidia Shield Pro (via Kodi), a PC (VLC and Foobar2000) and phone /tablet (VLC).  I am the only user.  It is only used in my home.

Rather than have a subset of my collection available,  I would like the entire collection available via NAS.  The master copies will remain on the individual external drives, which will continue to be backed up.  The NAS is an extra copy of the data for daily usage.

I have narrowed the NAS down to a QNAP TS-464.  Based upon current and projected data and current pricing at ServerPartDeals, I am leaning towards 18TB Seagate Ironwolf Pros.

Question 1: Am I better off starting with two 18TB HDDs in Raid 1, keeping bays three and four open or going directly to three 18TB HDDs in Raid 5 (with bay 4 for future use)? Is there a benefit to buying all three drives at the same time? Price and availability will be different when / if I need the 3rd drive. I plan on using snapshots.  As I load more onto the NAS, the data will grow on the weekends, so a weekly snapshot will suffice.

Question 2: I plan on using QTS as the OS.  Is there any benefit to including a pair of M.2 NVME drives in Raid 1 for the purpose of having the system volume separate from the data volume?

Question 3: Noise.  Based upon your video for TS-464 noise levels, it seems that most of the noise will come from the drives.  I have seen various recommendations for adding tape / cardboard to pad the drives so they don't rattle, other recommendations for using screws instead of the side clips and further recommendations that adding the NVME drives for the system volume reduces noise.  Will any of that actually help?  The NAS will be in a bedroom.

Question 4: RAM.  For my usage above (file server for movies / music), will the installed 8GB be enough?  If I do want to add additional RAM, can I only add 1 additional stick so long as it is of the same size, type and speed, or would I have to replace the installed RAM for the sake of having a matching brand?

Thank you for your advice!

Steve

[ed]

Thanks for your kind words about the videos! Let’s dive into your questions regarding the QNAP TS-464 and your planned setup for your media collection.

Question 1: RAID Configuration
RAID 1 vs. RAID 5:

RAID 1 (two 18TB HDDs): This configuration mirrors your data across both drives. If one drive fails, you’ll still have a complete copy on the other. However, you’ll effectively have only 18TB of usable space.
RAID 5 (three 18TB HDDs): This offers better storage efficiency, giving you 36TB of usable space (after accounting for the parity drive). It also provides redundancy, as you can lose one drive without losing data.
Recommendation: If you can afford to start with three drives, going for RAID 5 would be a better long-term solution considering your anticipated growth. Buying all three drives at once can help you avoid potential issues with price changes or availability later.

Question 2: M.2 NVMe Drives
Using NVMe drives for the system volume can improve performance, especially for tasks that require fast read/write speeds, like handling snapshots. While not strictly necessary for a home media server, it can help with general system responsiveness, particularly if you plan to run multiple applications or services on your NAS.

Recommendation: If your budget allows, including a pair of M.2 NVMe drives in RAID 1 is a good idea, especially for future-proofing your setup.

Question 3: Noise Reduction
The noise level of your NAS will indeed largely come from the HDDs. Here are some ways to reduce it:

Adding Padding: Using tape or cardboard to pad the drives can reduce vibrations and rattling noise.
Using Screws vs. Clips: Screwing the drives down can create a more secure fit than clips, which can help reduce vibration noise.
M.2 NVMe Drives: While adding NVMe drives might not significantly reduce noise, using them for the system volume means the main HDDs won’t be as heavily utilized for OS tasks, potentially leading to quieter operation overall.
Recommendation: Implementing some of these noise reduction techniques can help make the NAS quieter in your bedroom.

Question 4: RAM
The 8GB of RAM should be sufficient for your usage, especially if you’re primarily using the NAS as a file server for media. However, if you plan to run multiple applications or services simultaneously, you might benefit from upgrading.

RAM Upgrade Options: You can add one additional stick of the same size, type, and speed as the installed RAM to achieve dual-channel memory. However, using RAM from the same manufacturer is generally a good practice to ensure compatibility, though it’s not strictly necessary if the specs match.

Recommendation: If you find yourself needing more performance in the future, adding an additional stick of RAM is a simple way to boost your system's capability.