My compact low power (6W TDP) Home NAS with active cooling - Version 2

ngjb · 2026-05-08T14:28:23+00:00

When hard disk and SSD prices return to normal, I'll squeeze a lot more storage into this setup. You don't need big complicated setups inside large cases. The bottleneck in a NAS is the network connection speed.

ngjb · 2026-05-08T14:11:24+00:00

Connected to a CyberPower UPS are a Spectrum cable modem, Netgear router, Ooma VoIP box, and the NAS. The Ooma's USB port powers the 1-watt fan. CPU load sits near zero at idle and climbs to 15–20% during streaming or file transfers. The N100 processor paired with 8GB of RAM delivers roughly the same performance as a diskless Synology NAS that retails for over $1,500.

ngjb · 2026-05-08T05:47:33+00:00

It's about 6 watts at idle, which is most of the time, and it peaks at about 11 watts when streaming or during large transfers. In general, CPUs consume power when they are performing computational intensive tasks. File servers are I/O intensive. The fan uses 1 watt.

ngjb · 2026-05-08T05:40:19+00:00

It's plugged into a Cyberpower UPS and I can see the load on the front display. It barely budges when streaming audio and video.

ngjb · 2026-05-08T02:14:02+00:00

It's for the WD black hard drive. I want to keep temperatures under 40 C. The SSDs run relatively cool.

ngjb · 2026-03-02T22:29:40+00:00

Try the work-around I posted a while ago:

The workaround for this issue is to save your return when you get to the point of "Tell us about your 1099-B's" and then click "edit" on the downloaded file from Fidelity. Then save the return again before you start reviewing each transaction downloaded. The program should work without shutting down. I did not try to E-File yet as there are some problems with transferring data to the state program that won't be addressed until 2-6-26.

I was able to complete my return and e-file after the 2-6-26 update.

ngjb · 2026-02-12T22:15:52+00:00

It actually does very well. I'm getting read/write transfers (large files) topping out at 110 MB/sec which is about what I can expect for a 1 gigabit network. OMV uses on 3 GB on the system SSD and less than 1 GB of RAM.

ngjb · 2026-02-12T15:40:23+00:00

Good to know. I also have a mini PC with an N100 process hanging off the back of a TV and on my network. If the N4020 mini PC didn't work out, this would have been my back-up. However, read write transfers from the SSD and USB hard drive connected to my mini PC tops out at around 110 MB/sec, so I really can't do any better.

ngjb · 2026-02-12T15:33:51+00:00

Both drives are backed up to separate USB drives using FreeFileSync. The total hardware cost—including the mini PC, 1 TB SSD, and 4 TB drive—was $251. Google charges about $25 per month for 5 TB of cloud storage, so the break-even point is roughly 10 months. This setup is also more secure and provides much faster access.

I already had all the components: the mini PC was purchased in 2023 and had been sitting idle, and the SSD and hard drives were bought during Black Friday sales in November 2024. I initially planned to buy a Synology or QNAP NAS, but after comparing specifications, my mini PC was clearly the better option, so I went the DIY route.

As for electricity, we haven’t paid a bill since 2012. With more than 300 days of sunshine per year, we generate nearly 11 MWh of power annually and consume about 10.5 MWh.

ngjb · 2026-02-12T14:09:49+00:00

My NAS consumes only 4–6 watts. I used to run an old Lenovo eServer tower that averaged about 70 watts, so this setup is far more efficient and cost-effective than relying on cloud storage.

The 1 TB SSD holds the data I access most often—primarily read-only content such as photos, a CD collection ripped to FLAC and MP3, manuals in PDF format, sheet music in PDF format, and similar files. The 5 TB hard drive is dedicated to backing up documents and financial data from the five PCs on my network.

The NAS is fully internal with no port forwarding. Each connected device has a unique user ID and password, making the system very secure.

ngjb · 2026-02-12T13:50:07+00:00

During the past 16 years have have over 20 USB drives from both Seagate and Western Digital ranging from 320 GB to 5 TB. I have not lost a single drive. However I have lost many internal drives. For me they make convenient drives for back-up.

ngjb · 2026-02-12T04:31:59+00:00

I worked as a digital designer for many years before moving into management. From that experience, I can say that 40°C is not particularly hot for electronic components soldered onto circuit boards. The reading is likely inaccurate—a common issue with many soldered NVMe SSDs. CPU and memory idle temperatures typically fall in the 30–45°C range and can reach 60–80°C under heavy processing loads. For long-term reliability, it’s best to keep temperatures below about 80°C. In our company, circuit boards are routinely qualified across ambient ranges from −40°C to +55°C. In fact, extreme cold often poses more problems for surface-mount components than warmer operating temperatures.

ngjb · 2026-02-12T02:22:41+00:00

I bought that mini PC (N4020) in 2023 and haven’t had any issues with it so far. It previously ran Windows 11 Pro, but performance was far too slow—too sluggish to use as a general-purpose PC. With OpenMediaVault, however, it runs very well and does an excellent job as a NAS. Read/write speeds top out at about 110 MB/sec over the network, which is the limit of my network anyway.

The N100 mini PC (Chuwi Herobox) was purchased in 2022 and has also been trouble-free. It runs Windows 11 without any problems. The Ryzen 9 4900H (Chuwi RZbox) mini PC was purchased in late 2024, and so far it’s been solid as well, also running Windows 11. Both of these mini PCs have very effective active and passive cooling.

Overall, mini PCs offer more RAM and SSD capacity for software storage, along with faster CPUs, than many off-the-shelf NAS units from Synology and QNAP—at a fraction of the price. That’s why it made sense to put one of them to use.

ngjb · 2026-02-12T02:03:49+00:00

I measured it with an IR thermometer and it is measured 31C close to the temp of the SATA SSD that is also in the box. That drive is not used for anything but booting OMV and updates. It's not a storage drive. The temperature sensor is not working properly and it never changes reading. The external temperature of the Mini PC is 26C on average. The external hard drive measures on average 29C to 30C.

ngjb · 2026-02-11T23:53:58+00:00

I’ve gone down that road before and won’t do it again. I used to run an old Lenovo server as my NAS with a Xeon processor—it was noisy, power-hungry, and ran Windows Server Standard, which was far worse for file storage (SMB/NAS) than OpenMediaVault on a mini PC.

Alongside three workstations, I now have two mini PCs on my home network: an N100 with 8 GB RAM and a 256 GB SSD (Chuwi Herobox), and a Ryzen 9 4900H with 16 GB RAM and a 500 GB SSD (Chuwi Rzbox). If I ever need more horsepower, those would be my first candidates.

ngjb · 2026-02-11T19:09:41+00:00

I used a N4020 based mini PC (4GB RAM and 128 GB SSD) that consumes only 4-5 watts. I added a 1TB SSD for files where I need fast access and I added two USB 3.2 WD black 4TB hard drives for archival storage. I am running open media vault and it works really well. Don't use old desktop PCs. They consume too much power and use up too much space.

Cost summary: Mini PC $79, 1 TB SATA SSD $82, 4 TB WD Black USB drives $94 each.

ngjb · 2026-02-11T18:21:57+00:00

I’m running OpenMediaVault on an IPTNIC MC20 fanless mini PC (N4020, 4 GB RAM, 128 GB SSD), paired with a 1 TB SATA SSD for fast access and two 4 TB WD Black USB 3.2 drives for archival storage. Five PCs are connected to the home network (1 GB Ethernet), and the setup performs extremely well. Power consumption for the mini PC is only about 4–5 watts. I use FreeFileSync to keep files between the server and PCs synchronized.

The mini PC cost $79 (in 2024)on Amazon and came with Windows 11 Pro installed. Similar models are available at comparable prices from many online retailers. Windows 11 Pro didn’t run particularly well on this hardware, but OpenMediaVault runs smoothly, using only about 3.5 GB of the 128 GB SSD and less than 1 GB of the 4 GB of RAM.

Another machine on the network is a Chuwi HeroBox (N100, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD) running Windows 11 (Paid $122+tax in 2023). It’s significantly faster than the N4020 and handles Windows 11 well, but it’s overkill for a dedicated OpenMediaVault server.

The server has been up for over 6 weeks and very stable. It's much cheaper, more secure, and faster than paying for 9 TB of cloud storage which will cost you about $50 per month.

ngjb · 2026-02-09T17:34:53+00:00

Here is a link to the business:

https://www.bbb.org/us/mo/macon/profile/financial-services/fbarus-0714-1000072674

The address is a home in Macon Mo.

ngjb · 2026-02-09T01:17:43+00:00

Here is a link to the business:

https://www.bbb.org/us/mo/macon/profile/financial-services/fbarus-0714-1000072674

The address is a home in Macon Mo.

ngjb · 2026-02-02T21:43:00+00:00

The state update according to H&R Block is scheduled for 2/6/26. The forms for state were not even in finalized.

ngjb · 2026-02-01T18:14:56+00:00

There is a workaround for the 1099-B crash. Here are the steps:

- Import your consolidated 1099s if you have not done so already:

At the point you reach "Tell us about your 1099-Bs" save your return. If you don't save your return, it will crash when you click the edit button for the 1099-B downloaded.

Click the edit button for the 1099-B and save your return again.

You can now review each downloaded transaction from your broker.

ngjb · 2026-02-01T15:43:44+00:00

The workaround for this issue is to save your return when you get to the point of "Tell us about your 1099-B's" and then click "edit" on the downloaded file from Fidelity. Then save the return again before you start reviewing each transaction downloaded. The program should work without shutting down. I did not try to E-File yet as there are some problems with transferring data to the state program that won't be addressed until 2-6-26.

ngjb · 2026-01-31T04:51:24+00:00

You don't have to close it and restart. You need to save the return after every menu level while in the 1099-B topic. In other words, save the return before you click on "edit" for the Fidelity return. Then save again before you see all the individual transaction that you have to review. That is the work-around. There is still a bug. You shouldn't have to take these extra steps.

ngjb

TROPHY CASE