NAS

NAS

Built in September 2014, running XPenology DSM on custom hardware. A modest build, but one of the best projects I've ever done. It's been part of every project since, holding FPV videos, cosplay pictures, and pretty much every memory worth keeping

0d / 0h

in service and counting

Current specs

Case SilverStone DS380 Black
Motherboard ASRock H87M-ITX
CPU Intel Core i7-4770S 3.9GHz
RAM 2× Crucial 8GB DDR3 1600 MT/s
Storage 4× WD Red Plus 6TB + 1× WD Red 6TB
RAID SHR-1, ~24TB usable (±1 drive)
Cache WD Red 1TB SSD
SATA card PCIe Gen3 x4 5-port SATA III
PSU Be Quiet! SFX Power 2 300W
Fans 2× NF-A12x25 FLX + 1× NF-S12A ULN
Boot SanDisk Ultra Fit 16GB w/ latest RedPill/RR loader
OS Synology DSM 7.x (XPenology)
UPS APC Pro 550 330W

Timeline

Key events and upgrades

2026

Still running

Still running strong, with a few repairs and upgrades along the way

Mar 2026

Drive cooling upgrade

Upgraded from 2× Noctua NF-S12A ULN to 2× NF-A12x25 FLX. Lowered average drive temps from ~35°C to ~30°C, about 14% cooler

Mar 2026

Drive #3 replacement

After 8 years of service, drive #3 failed. Replaced with a WD Red Plus 6TB

Jul 2024

Drive #5

Added a fifth WD Red 6TB, bringing total usable space to ~24TB

Aug 2023

Drive #4

Added a fourth WD Red 6TB, bringing total usable space to ~18TB

Jul 2023

Boot drive replacement

Swapped the original SanDisk Cruzer Fit 8GB for a SanDisk Ultra Fit 16GB

Mar 2023

SATA expansion card

The motherboard only has 4× SATA III ports. Added a PCIe Gen3 x4 5-port SATA III card, bringing total to 9, supporting up to 8 hot-swap drives + 1 cache

Feb 2023

Drive #1 replacement

Drive #1 failed and was replaced with the same WD Red Plus 6TB

Feb 2023

CPU upgrade

Swapped the i3-4130 for an i7-4770S. For just 11W more TDP, I gained ~15% in single-core and ~2x multi-core performance, while keeping the same cooler

Feb 2020

UPS battery replacement

The APC Pro 550 battery, after 6 years of honorable service, had to be replaced

Jan 2018

Drive #2 replacement + Drive #3

Drive #2 started giving errors, replaced under WD warranty. Added a third WD Red Plus 6TB at the same time, bringing total usable space to ~12TB

Nov 2017

Fan upgrade

After 3 years of 24/7 spinning the stock Silverstone 120mm fan gave up. Replaced with a Noctua NF-S12A ULN, near silent, perfect airflow on the drives

Sep 2014

Initial build

Wanted more space for backups and media, plus Plex streaming on the local network. Went custom instead of stock Synology hardware, starting with 2× WD Red 6TB and ~6TB usable. Has been on 24/7 ever since