PureBasic Forums - English

Hi,

My old synology NAS is obsolete (100Mb). I would like to replace it with a mini PC that would serve as both a NAS and a home server (headless)

Do you have any experience with the different brands of mini PCs (Beelink, Miniforum, Snunmu etc) ?
- Without OS (I plan to use linux Slackware, Debian or FreeBSD and Samba)
- No need many RAM and fast GPU
- Intel or ARM CPU (I will run PB programs on it of course)
- 1 (or more) gigabit network ports
- Slot for at least two SSDs
- Fanless (optional) or silent fan.
- Low power consumption (otherwise I would have recycled an old PC)
- Budget max 300€ (with 1 ssd)

I considered an RPI, but only the 4 has a gigabyte port (other PI are limited to 300Mb by USB) and it is recommended to put a fan on it for a 24/7 use

Thank you for your feedback


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There are already for under 200 € with SSD
Search for it on Amazon, for example.

Maybe this is something for you?
Youtube - Building the best Raspberry Pi NAS - Wiretrustee SATA

https://www.youtube.com/c/explainingcom ... ?query=nas

He has had some nice linux based NAS in his tests which could also be extended as a media server and could also run PB 6 apps for whatever special functions you can come up with (smart home (watering plants/lawn, feeding animals, phone answering machine, video surveillance, media center stuff, (IM/ftp/nntp/smtp) or a game server)

Thanks to all,

Yes, I've been searching for several days on Amazon, but the descriptions are getting more and more wrong (example to compare: on the RPI 4, some descriptions: OS: Windows 10 only (!) Processor manufacturer: Intel (!) ... etc)
For the mini-pc, some users say that you can only access the bios through Windows 10 ... so if you remove the one provided to put linux, you can no longer access it.
And the manufacturers' sites (beelink, miniforum): almost nothing to read, hazardous translations etc.
Well, maybe I'll wait for RPI 4 to come back to its normal price. For now I'll put an HD SSD extension on my RPI 2B or 3B+.
As for the NAS and server functions, no problem, I already know how to manage without a specific OS (ie: no mirroring, just rsync)

Look at odroid products:
https://www.hardkernel.com/

I purchased an HC1 , i use it as a NAS and p2p client. It's fanless, consumes 5v and runs here 24/7 without problens. I installed a debian linux image done by the community. I haven't tried PB on it.

I am extremely happy with it, in fact i purchased 2 of them for when one dies, unfortunatly like all good things these days it is out of production, it is no longer at their site, but they have alternatives.

Hi, thank to all.
So here it is, after 2 weeks of research and calculation...

I finally found that for my use, the RPI (and compatible) was functional, but no longer economically viable. Due to fashion and lack of components, its price has tripled and it is still a unique card.
The card (8GB) alone is worth 120€ to which you have to add, miniSD card, SSD + support card, case, power supply, fan etc. You can find them in kit at 250€. Not interesting at all.
There are RPI compatible cards, sometimes with better components, but the disadvantage is that they need a linux version with special drivers, so we don't know about the durability

So I studied the miniPCs which are often laptop motherboards. So without screen, keyboard, battery, it comes to almost nothing.
I looked for the best quality/price ratio and took one with:

- Celeron J4125 Quad-core (up to 2.7Ghz)
- RAM 8 Go LPDDR4
- SATA SSD 128 Go
- Space for 1 other NVME + 1 SATA
- Win 10 PRO
- Ethernet Giga
- Graphic UHD600 4K HDMI x2
- Fan (silent)
- Wifi 2.4G/5G Dual wihi
- 1 USB 3.0 de type C
- 2 USB 3.0 (front)
- 2 USB 2.0 (rear (keyboard, mouse)
- 1 SD mini reader
I paid 210€ for the whole set...
I added a second SSD (500Go NVME) to it and it now serves as my NAS and home server.

What's funny is that because of the linux fashion (and/or because of the few sales of this version), the same minipc linux version is sold 60€ more expensive! than the standard one which is however in Windows 10 PRO (!?).
So I was thinking at first to remove Windows 10 and put Linux, but finally I'll maybe keep it, not to have to compile special versions of my programs.
The pro version of Windows has the advantage of offering RDP (remote desktop, which avoids having to install VNC) and you can connect remotely without having to log in locally before, encryption (weak but it exists) bitlocker. And the whole thing installs itself (in all languages), even without needing a Microsoft account (although it insists heavily on all screens) and without installing sticky 30-day demos of third-party products (like some giant antivirus).
Last thing: 10W consumption (measured between 5 and 11)

So I wonder if I'll order a second one to use as a weekend PC instead of carrying a heavy laptop with a too small screen and keyboard. This little 12x12x5 case is finally that heavy and I have screens everywhere I go.

I will not give the reference (no advertising), and anyway we find plenty under different brands.
Well, for the price, don't expect any technical support, even the manufacturer's website doesn't deliver anything, neither info, nor drivers, nor forums. But I'm fine with it.

What a long way since my ZX81 RAM 1K! (forty years). For me who knew all the blue screen versions and personal computing 20 years before having internet, I am amazed and marvelled to see the reliability of the current cheap stuff. And I always laugh inside when I see young people screaming at the first little bug of any hardware or software.