Posted: 8/31/2008 9:08:52 AM EDT
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I've been gradually piecing together a Home Theater PC. I'm running Media Center 2005, which allows you to rip dvds to the HD and play them straight from there. Right now I have one 750 gig drive that is about full. What I'd like to buy is some type of unit that either connects directly to my pc or to my router, and that would allow me to add drives along as I go. Would I want a network attached storage, or a external drive array? Does my operating system limit the size potential of either setup? What would be the best way to back up the data? The drives would have no other uses except storing dvd files. Thanks! |
(you need networked storge experts - not network experts, although there may be some people - like me - who go both ways  )Unless you are familiar with NAS environments, I would suggest you sick with a HD attached directly to your MMPC, rather than hanging it off your router. I would only use a router-attached set up for content that does not reuire having your MMPC running anyway, but since you are serving the content from the MMPC, it really does not buy you much to deal with the added headache of the NAS stuff. (For example, if you wanted to simlpy store and share content on a NAS for multiple PCs, the NAS would allow you to not have a MMPC running, but that does not sound like the case here). Good luck!  |
Thats what I was thinking.
I've already got 3 drives, and i'd like to start backing up the files also. Each movie averages out to around 5.5gig, and Netflix sends me about 6 a week. There just isn't room in my current box. |
Get a eSATA external RAID array and hook it up to the Media Center PC. |
probably a good choice, check newegg.com for reviews and options. Firewire wouldn't be a bad choice either. You might look at 4x 1TB drives in raid 5, that should cover it for you. |
something like this???? addonics.com/products/raid_system/ast4.asp |
Yea shop around... you can find pre-built or roll your own arrays. Arrays that you can start small and expand later as need and money allow. |
Does my OS limit the size? I thought i read once that XP was limited to 2TB or something. eta - and I'd want to go RAID 1 right? |
If memory serves me right in 2TB per physical disk or per array. To get bigger than 2TB per array you need a 64bit Windows and a GPT/GUID formatted partition table you really don’t want to fool with that. |
what does per array mean? Would I just have multiple arrays then, allowing 4tb, or 6tb, etc. ? |
Yes you can have multiple 2TB arrays... I would not worry about that yet. |
Thanks for the help. |
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I'd recommend any of these, in eSATA. Simple, and efficient. www.wdc.com/en/products/index.asp?Cat=8 If you're THAT worried about data backup, I would just build a small computer with internal RAID 5 and a whole bunch of bays. |