To be honest, I’ve not built, technically assembled, a computer in over six years. I used to build all of my own computers when Windows was my primary operating system and I was developing a lot of Windows applications. Back then it made sense to build your own because it was more cost-effective. These days, unless you’re a gamer or have very unique desires, it’s way cheaper (and less frustrating) to go to a big box store and buy off-the-shelf or order online.
Like I said in my last post, the reason to build this is to understand my solution and learn something. Additionally, aesthetically I want this to look more like a stereo component than a box on my desk or another computer tower on the floor. So on to the parts list.
I should mention now that I was not trying to build this cheaper than an off-the-shelf NAS. So if you’re going to do this and money is an issue, I’d strongly advise just ordering a pre-built NAS from an online store. You’ll probably save money and tons of time (which is money) and frustration. While I did do a little bit of comparison shopping, I ended up ordering most of the parts from Amazon to take advantage of Amazon Prime shipping (free 2-day shipping).
If you have an old or unused computer (of the wintel variety), that’s a good place to start your build. I acquired an unused HP xw4400 workstation for free with the following specs:
Intel motherboard w/ NH82801GR/SL8FY chipset:
- Intel Core 2 Duo @ 1.8 GHz, 800 MHz front-side bus, 2MB L2 cache
- 1.5 GB RAM (DDR2/667MHz)
- 82801GR/GH SATA RAID controller w/ 4 SATA ports
- Gigabit Ethernet
- A dual port video card
- DVD optical drive (only needed for install)
- 80GB SATA disk (not needed)
- 460W Power Supply, Chassis Fan and SATA cable
That’s plenty of hardware for a FreeNAS build which requires a minimum of only 128MB RAM. So now to fill the hardware gaps…
I want my NAS solution to look more like a stereo component than a typical computer or NAS device. I bought a SilverStone LC10S Aluminum Front Panel ATX/Micro ATX Computer Case (Silver)
Next, instead of using a spinning hard drive to boot the FreeNAS operating system, I found this link which utilizes a Compact Flash card as the boot disk. This is a good solution because a normal hard drive can fail and uses more power and generates more heat. You can also boot from the LiveCD or a USB keychain drive. FreeNAS basically loads the operating system into RAM and only needs a writable drive to store configuration files. 
In order to get the BIOS to recognize the Compact Flash card, I’d also need an IDE-to-CF adapter. I bought the Syba Ultra Adapter Dual IDE 40/44PIN To Compact Flash
The hard drives that I’ll use in a RAID5 configuration were the easiest parts to select. I went with the Western Digital Caviar Green 1 TB Hard Drive 3.5″
To handle the removable drive component of my plan, I needed to get a FireWire card since the Intel motherboard from the donor machine does not have FireWire built-in. It does have built-in USB, which will be handy, but I wanted a bit more speed for the replication. I got the Allegro 3PORT Firewire 400/800 Pci Card
Here’s the list of the components with totals:
| Component | Quantity | Price | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donor Machine: Intel chipset w/ Core 2 Duo 1.8GHz, 1.5GB RAM, 460W Power Supply, DVD optical drive, GigE, 4x SATA RAID | 1 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| SilverStone LC10S Aluminum Front Panel ATX/Micro ATX Computer Case (Silver) |
1 | 85.49 | 85.49 |
| Syba Ultra Adapter Dual IDE 40/44PIN To Compact Flash |
1 | 13.98 | 13.98 |
| Allegro 3PORT Firewire 400/800 Pci Card |
1 | 64.78 | 64.78 |
| TRANSCEND 2GB Compact Flash Card |
1 | 17.29 | 17.29 |
| Western Digital Caviar Green 1 TB Hard Drive 3.5″ |
5 | 79.99 | 399.95 |
| Tripp Lite P940-19I Serial ATA (SATA) Signal Cable (19 Inches) |
3 | 9.00 | 27.00 |
| Shipping | 0.00 | ||
| Total | $608.49 |
So there’s the parts list we need for the build. Next up, I’ll build this thing. Stay tuned…
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i have the same mobo hidden in my closet,i couldnt even remember when i bought it or what it was,till i looked up the chip set and found your comments on this board? the reason im sending you this email is how did your project work out for you? if you have the time drop me a line. thanks david pritchett/wichita ks
The FreeNAS box has been working perfectly. Other than a recent house move, it's had 100% uptime since it was built.
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