Unraid Hardware

[Enquiries]

Currently have unraid 7 with drives - 8TB and 3 x 4TB.

It is in a large tower that was a network server (IBM software) and is at least 10 years old.

Want to upgrade hardware

[ed]

If you're looking to upgrade your hardware while keeping your current Unraid setup, you have a few solid options to maximize your $400 budget. Here are some recommendations:

CPU & Motherboard:
You can opt for a budget-friendly CPU like an Intel Core i3 or AMD Ryzen 3 paired with a compatible motherboard. These are ideal for a home NAS setup, offering a good balance of performance and efficiency. Make sure the motherboard has enough SATA ports to accommodate your drives, as well as PCIe slots if you plan to expand with additional cards (e.g., a 10GbE NIC or a dedicated RAID controller).

RAM:
Unraid benefits from having more RAM, especially if you plan to run VMs or Docker containers. For a basic setup, 8GB of DDR4 RAM should be sufficient, but if you're planning to scale, you might want to go for 16GB to future-proof your system.

Power Supply:
Since your current hardware is likely old, upgrading the power supply (PSU) to something more efficient and reliable would be a good idea. Look for a 500W - 650W PSU from a reputable brand.

Storage Expansion:
Although you’re not including drives in your budget, you might consider future-proofing by opting for a motherboard with more SATA ports or adding a SATA expansion card if you plan to increase your storage in the future.

Case:
If your tower case is large and outdated, it might be worth investing in a more NAS-specific case like the Fractal Design Node 804 or something similar that offers better airflow and organization for multiple drives.

With $400, you'll be able to build a solid foundation that can support your 12TB of storage and be flexible enough to grow as needed. Unraid's ability to mix and match different sized drives is a great feature, and it should work well with this setup.