[EchiDna]

lets just say you had a bonus burning a hole in your pocket, which would you buy, and why?

I've always thought I would end up with a ReadyNAS NV+, or ReadyNAS Pro (when it comes out)... and the #R@%*%$@  repertoire...  sadly it seems not to be available bare bones though (a pre-condition for me!)

open to other ideas like Qnap etc, but obviously want something pretty flexible and DIY!

[woodsyi]

lets just say you had a bonus burning a hole in your pocket, which would you buy, and why?

I've always thought I would end up with a ReadyNAS NV+, or ReadyNAS Pro (when it comes out)... and the #R@%*%$@  repertoire...  sadly it seems not to be available bare bones though (a pre-condition for me!)

open to other ideas like Qnap etc, but obviously want something pretty flexible and DIY!

Infrant does sell box without the drives and this NV+ with 1gb memory upgrade is $819. http://www.eaegis.com/items/data-storage/nas/sata/readynas-nv~netgear-extended-range/readynas-nv-rnv2-s4-0000-special-diskleb-edition-wip-4-empty-trays-1gb-memory-support-x-raid-and-r-detail.htm
Add 750 GB drives for $400 and you have a fair deal I think. 
If you want total DIY, Jermmd had posted that he built his own NAS using Unraid from Lime tech. http://www.lime-technology.com/wordpress/

[BradJudy]

Interesting, it looks like Infrant has brought back the barebones version.  When NetGear bought them, they dropped that model, but you can even buy it direct from Infrant now (http://www.netgear.com/Products/Storage/ReadyNASNVPlus/RND4000.aspx) although it's $1050.  For $1050, you could have a decent computer with a decent RAID card. 

[woodsyi]

Interesting, it looks like Infrant has brought back the barebones version.  When NetGear bought them, they dropped that model, but you can even buy it direct from Infrant now (http://www.netgear.com/Products/Storage/ReadyNASNVPlus/RND4000.aspx) although it's $1050.  For $1050, you could have a decent computer with a decent RAID card. 

That's the list price.  Aegis, an authorized dealer, is selling the same model with 256 mb to 1 gb memory upgrade at $819.

[bpape]

For $1050, you could have a decent computer with a decent RAID card. 

Ding!  You win the prize.  

For 99.99% of the people, I never understood spending more money only to fight the hassles of a NAS when a cheap PC slaved to disk duty only will do the same thing cheaper, is just as upgradable (or more), etc.  The stuff from Lime does look interesting though with the option to mix and match drive sizes and types and boot from a thumb drive.

Bryan

[Tirade]

For $1050, you could have a decent computer with a decent RAID card. 

Ding!  You win the prize.  

For 99.99% of the people, I never understood spending more money only to fight the hassles of a NAS when a cheap PC slaved to disk duty only will do the same thing cheaper, is just as upgradable (or more), etc.  The stuff from Lime does look interesting though with the option to mix and match drive sizes and types and boot from a thumb drive.

Bryan

I was/am dealing with this same scenario with a few people right now (including a member on AC). The discounted price on ebay for the Infrant ReadyNas he wanted was still pretty inflated compared to what I was able to spec out for the same $. The ability for greater expansion, audio/video transcoding, Home Theatre PC, more configurable, more reliable (in a sense of RAID6 compared to RAID5), and less $ just make a PC a better choice in "most" cases.

The NAS have thier place though. If you want a plugnplay box for just doing backups and some audio streaming, the NAS are great, but keep in mind you still have to have a computer in order to connect to and configure the NAS. Its not truely plugnplay for things like the squeezebox.

[woodsyi]

For $1050, you could have a decent computer with a decent RAID card. 

Ding!  You win the prize. 

For 99.99% of the people, I never understood spending more money only to fight the hassles of a NAS when a cheap PC slaved to disk duty only will do the same thing cheaper, is just as upgradable (or more), etc.  The stuff from Lime does look interesting though with the option to mix and match drive sizes and types and boot from a thumb drive.

Bryan

Apparently the Lime folks are "working" on embedding SlimCenter on their OS per requests from customers.  If they do, I would consider this over ReadyNas. 

[EchiDna]

thanks for the input gents, good food for thought!

hmm the lime stuff looks interesting...pity its hardware needs are a bit high-end for my stockpile of old computer parts though, I think the fastest processor in that pile is either a 1.4 or 1.6ghz.

I threw away a full tower case only a month or two ago with a drive rack in it for 8 hard drives

might have to ressurect the antec sonata (6 bays from memory...) and use some older hardware as a proof of concept to the missus first