Synology DS212J Diskless System DiskStation 2-bay NAS Server $189.99

i got this and love it,m only thing i wish it had was boot on lan

Quote from Wowzer14 : Really?? If I need two drives, somebody please build me a system with Box, PSU, Gigabit Mobo w/RAID options, processor, memory, OS?, that will hold two SATA, and be at least 4 eggs ratings (I have my own drives) for "Significantly cheaper" than the $185 OP. (or four SATA, with the above and be "significantly cheaper" than $370). Gotta add the egg qualifier there, because you can't compare apples to rotten eggs, if you expect this to be a NAS and not futz your critical data. The Synology DS212 or the QNAP TS-212 seem to be a pretty good bang for the dollar for this type of system. Maybe I'm missing something, but I haven't seen anything significantly cheaper.

Seriously? You don't have to look any farther than the latest slickdeals to see how it would be very easy to put together a fast server that has superior features.

The deals I've linked below were easily found through searches of SD. If you have to have newegg ratings you can do your own research. There is nothing wrong with the components below. I could do it quite a bit cheaper than what I did below if I tried.

Case: $20 e.g. http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/7...se-s210001

Mobo/processor: $90-$120 for higher end combos or less for lower rated or lower power combos e.g. http://slickdeals.net/f/5264176-A...icrocenter

PSU: $10-$20 FP deals regularly e.g. http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/7...wer-supply

RAM: $25 for 8GB: e.g. http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/8...-ddr3-1866

OS: any linux server OS will have more options than you can shake with a cat.

Total: $175 shipped

Keep in mind that though the price is cheaper or the same on the home built home server, the server is in another league from this NAS. Multiple USB 3, firewire, esata, USB 2 ports, 4+ drives, loads of RAM available plus a fast processor, etc.

If you needed something lower power (which is a draw for the NAS), you would just need to buy a lower power CPU like the i3 or one of the low power micro atx combos that have shown up lately.

In conclusion, the home server vs. NAS still rages on (I myself am currently torn between the two options). I'm not saying that the above server would be "better" than the 2 bay NAS. The NAS is smaller and consumes less power. That means something. What I am saying is that your belief that a server can't be built cheaper is not founded on reality.

pmason,
Thanks for proving my point.
175 shipped. Great! Ooops, add tax for those of us who live in the same state as Microcenter, and you're at pretty much the same price.
Oops - the FP on the Antec 400W is long ago expired - the OP was back in August. (OK, there is an Antec at 20 AR @ NE)
But now that we're at the same price, well, what about time? My time to assemble / load OS / test is not free, maybe yours is.
So, I'm still looking for where the reality is in a statement that you could build a server for "significantly cheaper". Maybe we'll just shortcut the process - my significantly cheaper would be somewhere in the 160 to 165 range. Does someone want to build and ship me one for that? If so, let's talk!!

If I'm off base, somebody please clear this up. I understand that the server would likely be of more robust specs, however that's great - I don't need it, and the NAS has it's advantages. However, if it is actually a reality that I could get a two bay NAS out of a server for significantly less, I have yet to find that reality.

I saw this deal when it first landed in my inbox and am now coming back around to it...a few questions for current 212 owners:

1.) I'll be using 2x Samsung 2TB F4 hard drives - I know these had issues a long time ago in other NAS units...any such concerns here? Or just plop in and go?
2.) I'd primarily be using this to consolidate (lots of data on old 500GB drives and I haven't had time to do so with my secondary PC) data and store media - I plan on installing SABnzbd, SickBeard, and Couch Potato, how does the 212 handle unraring large files? Does it take forever?

Thanks all...I saw the PS3/MKV streaming posts, those intrigue me as I'd occasionally like to be able to stream stuff to the other TV.

Quote from EvilYoda : I saw this deal when it first landed in my inbox and am now coming back around to it...a few questions for current 212 owners: 1.) I'll be using 2x Samsung 2TB F4 hard drives - I know these had issues a long time ago in other NAS units...any such concerns here? Or just plop in and go? 2.) I'd primarily be using this to consolidate (lots of data on old 500GB drives and I haven't had time to do so with my secondary PC) data and store media - I plan on installing SABnzbd, SickBeard, and Couch Potato, how does the 212 handle unraring large files? Does it take forever? Thanks all...I saw the PS3/MKV streaming posts, those intrigue me as I'd occasionally like to be able to stream stuff to the other TV.

I have a 211 and a 411; both are plenty fast (1.5MB/s download, uncompress times of a few minutes or so). Sickbeard / SABNZBD schedule everything for you anyway; it's not as if you'd notice if it took 5 minutes vs. 15 minutes to decompress.

Quote from dclive : I have a 211 and a 411; both are plenty fast (1.5MB/s download, uncompress times of a few minutes or so). Sickbeard / SABNZBD schedule everything for you anyway; it's not as if you'd notice if it took 5 minutes vs. 15 minutes to decompress.

Ah, perfect...the unpackaging time was what I was curious about. Thanks!