Summary of Reddit Comments on the Best HDD for NAS OpenNAS

HDD Recommendations

• WD Red Plus: Smaller capacity 5400RPM drives are quieter and more suitable for home use.
• Seagate Exos: Reliable drives with no reported issues and low noise levels.
• WD Purple: Used for security systems, tested fine, and expected to last many more years.
• Seagate Exos or WD Reds: Recommended for NAS use.

Brands and Models Mentioned

• Seagate: Offers refurbished deals on drives every couple of months.
• TerraMaster F6-424: A 6-bay NAS recommended for Linux installation.
• Synology NAS: Offers good face/object recognition for photos in their applications.

Considerations for NAS Setup

• RAID and Backups: Emphasize the importance of RAID for data protection and backups for redundancy.
• SATA vs. SAS: Check compatibility with desktop environments and SAS drives.
• SSD Caching: Consider adding SSD caching for improved performance.
• Power Supply: Use a suitable power supply for components like Pi and drives.

Recommendations for Setup

• Custom Case: Suggests building a custom case with sufficient power and SATA connections for drives.
• USB-Connectable Enclosure: Recommends a single-drive USB enclosure for easier setup.
• 10Gbps USB DAS: Connection via 10Gbps USB for faster access speeds.
• TrueNAS: Use TrueNAS with RAID for data management and backups.
• BTRFS or ZFS: Allows mixing and matching drives for flexibility.

Backup Solutions

• Online Storage: Backblaze B2 recommended for cloud backups.
• Duplicacy: Backup software that encrypts data before uploading.
• External HDDs and Cloud: Backup data on external HDDs and store online for redundancy.
• Safe Deposit Box: Secure storage option for offline backups.

Other Recommendations

• Consider Future Needs: Invest in larger drives and enclosures for future expansion.
• Avoid Largest Drives: Focus on drives with the best value per terabyte, typically in the range of 14-18TB.
• NAS Software: Choose software like TrueNAS over ProxMox for RAID management and array backup.

Overall, prioritize data protection through backups, RAID configurations, and choosing reliable drives suitable for NAS usage. Consider future scalability, cooling requirements, and software compatibility when setting up a NAS for storage needs.