I'm looking to add some more hard drives to my computers, however, they seem to be full at the moment in terms of space (not TB, but actual space to put them). What would be the cheapest way to expand my storage? I'd also like to use it in a network configuration which streams files to my TV using the PS3 media server. I'm currently using around 10 TB worth of hard drives.
An external raid device that support eSATA is probably your best bet.
Decent ones don't come cheap, but unlike a NAS they will be seen as part of your system and thus the media streaming shouldn't be anymore complex than it would be from a internal drive. It would also require a proper eSATA card.
Newegg.com - Cavalry eSATA 8-bay RAID 0/0+1/ 5/JBOD Enclosure (EN-CADA8B-SD)
NAS is another option , a cheaper one.
It will always be on and connected to the network, however they are very pricey if you are looking for the kind of massive storage space you are apparently interested in. (600+ american dollars)
Smaller ones 2TB or less are actually quite affordable though.
Buying a couple of 2tb hdd's and replacing your current ones would be better than having multiple smaller drives if your not interested in Raid.
If you have spare cd drive bays they can be adapted to fit 3.5" drives.
NAS as suggested is a great idea also. I have a 1TB buffalo link station plugged into my network. All my computers connect to it either wired or wirelessly. My media pc has no media on it, but streams it all from my NAS system.
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Hi,
As already explained, the two obvious choices are a NAS or external enclosure. A large, quality NAS will set you back a few bob, and thats not including the disks. Most offer different RAID configurations if thats of interest. The quality and features vary widely, as do the hard disk compatibility, so research carefully.
I use a Thecus N2200 home NAS 1TB ina RAID1 configuration. It serves the purpose but is a bit on the slow side, and the interface is terrible. If I had another choice, I would probably go with a QNAP or Synology.
Regards,
Golden
I don't plan on using RAID, because I heard there are some complications with it. For example, I think in order to even build a RAID array, you need to format all your drives, which in order to get the data back that would require a lot of work (I have a backup of the data, just not on any of my computers).
Also I heard RAID is not a replacement for a true backup system.
Hi,
RAID1, RAID5 or RAID10 aren't replacements to a backup system, simply a redundancy refinement of it. You have the option to set up without any RAID, for example as a JBOD, which will probably suite you too.
Regards,
Golden
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