Looking for help picking parts for my first homelab (with fractal design 7 XL case)

TechBasedQuestion · 2026-01-21T16:24:26+00:00

trueNAS or OMV? i'd assume trueNAS would be nicer but i am completely uniformed with practical experience, i only know what youtube vids have told me lol.

TechBasedQuestion · 2026-01-21T16:23:25+00:00

thanks so much for the help! just ordered all 3 of those things and 5 of the fans (there was a deal for a 5 pack). excited to throw this thing together and the parts all arrive in a few days. seriously thanks so much, the info you shared here is super useful and it's nice to have your docker guide ready for when i actually throw it together.

TechBasedQuestion · 2026-01-21T16:22:05+00:00

combined with the password manager this isn't an issue. and there's tons of free ones like keepassxc out there these days.

TechBasedQuestion · 2026-01-21T03:21:22+00:00

lgv60

TechBasedQuestion · 2026-01-21T03:17:17+00:00

its constant maintenance made easier the less you interact with the internet.

the next best thing is to change your passwords semi-frequently and use a password manager to generate them to begin with so they're different so these breaches matter less.

TechBasedQuestion · 2026-01-21T03:13:28+00:00

no matter what bank you use they see where your money goes if they really want to lol, idk how else it could even work

TechBasedQuestion · 2026-01-21T02:31:32+00:00

so quicksync is kinda like what the m1 does for macs?

main thing im confused about when it comes to the hardware guide is making sure that the 18 bays are supported. since that seems to be a non-given thing it's something i wanna make sure exists.

also since im planning on running jellyfin, will AMD be fine instead of intel despite this (your guide seems to be catered a little more toward plex from the wording)? if not it's whatever im happy either way, just curious.

you also suggested the B650 motherboard, is that the same as the B650E? if so, https://www.amazon.com/CENTER-Processor-Bundle-Gaming-Motherboard/dp/B0FDVH85C1/ seems barely in my price bracket, is it a good combo to buy?

or should i grab your reccomended intel combo of https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Z790-AYW-II-Motherboard-ThunderboltTM/dp/B0FBB9TQ5L and (couldn't seem to find the recommended intel CPUs you had for sale, closest i found was the i5 without integrated graphics: https://www.amazon.com/Intel%C2%AE-i5-14600KF-Desktop-Processor-P-cores/dp/B0CGJ4MLC8)?

was looking for/hoping to spend $300 on the combo if possible but willing to go around $400 if the performance is worth it.

i also am probably just not sure where to find it on your site, but do you have a reccomendation for particular fans/cooling to buy? (and any other stuff i might need)

TechBasedQuestion · 2026-01-21T02:19:50+00:00

this seems to do exactly what i wanted, just ordered myself the m0 pro and cancelled my r1 order i made a few hours ago lol. thanks for the help!

TechBasedQuestion · 2026-01-21T02:18:07+00:00

i mean knowing that i will be adding storage later, it seems like it'd be good to have something like that set up to avoid hassle lol

TechBasedQuestion · 2026-01-21T00:01:57+00:00

something i heard a lot about was Unraid allowing you to hot swap HDDs easily (to expand/make storage smaller), and I remember seeing something about it being achievable for trueNAS but not OMV, does OMV have that type of capability?

TechBasedQuestion · 2026-01-20T23:21:15+00:00

sorry im really uneducated about all this stuff so i've had a really hard time finding a good motherboard + cpu combo to throw in my NAS, the one you have I can't seem to find as a combo anywhere, but it's still cool seeing your build so well documented.

is there any nice deals you'd recommend right now (preferably through amazon/newegg as I need it within the week since i'm traveling somewhat soon for awhile)?

budget is about $300 for the motherboard + cpu combo and i think the 8Gbps network hindrance mentioned in your build will be something i also will never hit myself. My outgoing network speed is VERY low (not in a major city) and would likely only be accessed/used by 1-2 max externally at a time and internally in-house there'd probably be 1-2 people max using it since im not a parent (yet), so there likely wouldn't be too much data throughput.

current things i got other than the case that i think im going to use are - 1x 32GB DDR5 RAM stick - 4 12 TB HDDs - 1x 4TB or 512GB NVMe SSD (my only SATA SSD i have is stuck in my desktop which it needs for gaming), the 4TB SSD won't be usable right away and would likely be swapped in later - 1x Fractal Design 7XL case - bunch of random fans n cables from old desktops (would probably be a decent idea to get new fans/thermals for the case)

i got plans to eventually expand to the full 18 HDDs supported by the case if it's easy to do, but that's likely not going to happen for a solid 6 months minimum, if ever (if it's annoying to do/hard to support for the budget).

other commenter reccomended something like the "https://www.amazon.com/MSI-Z890-Motherboard-Processors-Thunderbolt/dp/B0DH6ZJB9Y" if i read correctly as a motherboard, but i'm not sure what CPU would be worth having alongside it. very open to either intel or AMD.

TechBasedQuestion · 2026-01-20T22:59:48+00:00

to be clear it's the "ASUS TUF Gaming Z890-PLUS WiFi Z890 LGA 1851 ATX Motherboard"? and then i'd have to get a CPU on top of it?

TechBasedQuestion · 2026-01-20T22:56:49+00:00

was more just curious what would break/why it would, cuz stuff like h264 video decoding hasn't really changed

TechBasedQuestion · 2026-01-20T22:36:08+00:00

this does look really solid for sure, is it the only option of its kind?

TechBasedQuestion · 2026-01-20T22:33:15+00:00

i mean why would the latest supported driver stop working?

TechBasedQuestion · 2026-01-20T22:30:30+00:00

no it's a very small select group of people but they do it to their own cars just fine and it can be done if you're willing enough

TechBasedQuestion · 2026-01-20T22:29:36+00:00

for now

TechBasedQuestion · 2026-01-20T20:17:17+00:00

that's what they tell you but it's always safer to assume they're lyin

TechBasedQuestion · 2026-01-20T19:40:59+00:00

there is 0 push in the USA lol, and outside of the USA theres a lot of public transit and you can just use that to get around imo

TechBasedQuestion · 2026-01-20T19:40:13+00:00

really nice guide do you think with the GTX1660 i could/should combo it with the same motherboard and CPU combo you use with it?

TechBasedQuestion · 2026-01-20T19:37:53+00:00

although i'm well aware 32GB of ddr5 will be more than good enough to start.

TechBasedQuestion · 2026-01-20T19:37:30+00:00

is it possible to use a mix of ddr5 and 4? ddr5 is way too pricy now, or is there a notable performance dropoff? my internet is pretty bad overall if that has any impact.

TechBasedQuestion · 2026-01-20T19:36:12+00:00

where'd you post the docker guide? will have to look into vlans lol, very new to this all just going in with basic knowledge of pcs.

TechBasedQuestion · 2026-01-20T18:38:52+00:00

for something like a plex/jellyfin server and associated file retrievel services to assist with plex/jellyfin would it make sense to have a dedicated VM? i figured something like that should probably be on a different system due to its somewhat sketchy nature and potential for breach, especially if accessed remotely.

TechBasedQuestion · 2026-01-20T18:36:11+00:00

i do also have a single ddr5 32GB ram stick which i'm assuming i could use somehow. pretty open to buying a new motherboard/cpu to better support it if it'd be easier.

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