So I’m looking to build my own CM4-based NAS appliance. I figure that I’ve got the time to build it, and it’ll be cheaper, more powerful and more capable than an off-the-shelf appliance (such as a QNAP or Synology device).
I’m looking to use it for self-hosting, probably 2 - 4 SSD’s to run it (Happy to spend the money on the drives, as I can spread that out over time)… will likely start with a relatively cheap 2tib 2.5" SSD like the Crucial BX500 and scale up as I go…
I’d like a relatively neat box - something like the Argon EON. I’d like to use the CM4 because it’s got the PCI-E so you can use a relatively full-speed ACPI interface to the SATA ports, which rules out the Argon EON (Except, possibly, as a donor case). I don’t have a 3D Printer, but I’d be happy to purchase a printed model from a makers group or similar. I’m happy to actually build up a unit (setting up fans, etc.) but I’ve no soldering experience whatsoever.
Software-wise, I’ve already got a RPI4 which I’ve been playing around with… Seems pretty good, and I had pi-hole running on it for a while (until SD card unreliability took it down).
Does anyone have any experience with a build like this? Any advice on what cases to use, what hats for the PCIE-to-SATA work best? Anything at all, really, that you’d advise?
CM4 won’t be more powerful than off the shelf solutions. RasPis are quite bad at dealing with storage. Also IMHO Synology software is a much better experience than open source alternatives. After spending months test driving NextCloud etc I went with Synology and I don’t think that alternatives will be able to catch up any time soon.