I currently have an Unraid server running in a generic 4U rackmount PC case with 6x 3.5" drive slots (actually 5x 3.5 + 1x 2.5 since one slot interferes with the RAM…) Mainly as a media server with some light NAS/PC backup use. I’m now looking into options to increase storage capacity.
At first I was thinking something like a used Dell MD1200 would be a pretty straightforward option, just requiring a HBA card with external SAS ports. But then I came across this: www.serverbuilds.net/16-bay-das While the exact case is no longer available, there are multiple inexpensive 12-16 bay rackmount PC cases and I’ve got a spare ATX power supply handy. The DIY option seems more appealing, since I’d end up with the option to repurpose the first case into a second independent machine at some point.
Given that I’m not worried about density in my server rack, are there other compelling reasons to stick with a used MD1200 (or similar) over the DIY option?
Second mostly-unrelated question… I just upgraded my wife’s GPU and now have a spare 1070ti lying around. The i3-12100 in my media server seems to handle any transcoding tasks just fine, so is there any reason I’d want to consider installing the GPU, or is that a waste of power/hardware?
Thanks in advance!