Best Motherboards for Nas – NAS rigs are great mass storage replacements for external hard drives, and buying a good NAS case is a great way to save money too.
Building your own NAS is a bit more time consuming than buying a prebuilt NAS, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it.
You’ll save money, learn how your NAS works and hell, you may even have some fun.
Here we looked at some of the best motherboards for NAS in our opinion while taking into consideration the most common pointers for a DIY setup.
ROUND UP
Your NAS setup does not have to be expensive. It just depends upon what you want to accomplish on it. For basic NAS, any budget motherboard with an entry level processor would do just fine.
1.ASRock Rack C236 WSI
Features
- Mini-ITX, 6.7 inch x 6.7 inch
- Intel Xeon E3-1200 v5 Series Processors
- Supports Dual channel DDR4 2133 ECC/Non-ECC UDIMM max 32 GB
- Support 8 SATA3 by C236
- Supports 1x PCIe 3.0 x16
ASRock today is releasing new Intel C236 based motherboards for the Intel Xeon E3-1200 V5 “Greenlow” family of processors. Key updates for today’s launch are the transition from DDR3 32GB memory limitation to 64GB DDR4. Greenlow also transitions the Xeon E3 series to a 14nm Skylake platform.
All motherboards support dual Intel gigabit LAN connections and feature workstation friendly features such as onboard audio as well as video out ports to take advantage of the new Intel Skylake Xeon onboard GPUs. We covered the new Intel Xeon E3-1200 V5 processors earlier today.
2.GIGABYTE B365M DS3H
Features
- Supports 9th and 8th Gen Intel Core processors
- Dual channel non-ECC unbuffered DDR4
- New hybrid digital PWM design
- High quality audio capacitors and audio noise guard with LED trace path lighting
- Ultra-fast M.2 with PCIe Gen3 x4 and SATA interface
The GIGABYTE B365M-DS3H motherboard comes in small, original packaging. On the box cover in the form of icons it is indicated that the board supports the installation of processors of the ninth generation.
The official website states that this motherboard supports the 9-th generation Core i3, i5 and i7 processors and you do not need to update bios for them, everything will work out of the box.
3.Supermicro X8SIL-F
Features
- Technologically-advanced Motherboard Designs Since 1993
- Consistent highest-quality Design, Components, and Production Expertise
- Extensive Range of x86 Serverboards Available
- Competitive Price/Performance
- High Performance Boards Supporting the Latest CPU, memory, and add-on Hardware
The Supermicro X8SIL-F motherboard is an excellent board for home and small business servers. When building a file server built upon Windows Home Server (V1 or V2 Vail) or another open source NAS project such as FreeNAS, Openfiler, EON ZFS storage, the Supermicro has a feature set that differentiates itself from both AMD and Intel based consumer-level motherboards.
Compatibility with those operating systems and virtualization platforms such as Microsoft’s Hyper-V make the X8SIL-F a strong contender for a DIY storage or virtual machine server.
4.MSI Arsenal
Features
- Supports 1st, 2nd and 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen/ Ryzen with Radeon Vega Graphics and 2nd Gen AMD Ryzen with Radeon graphics/ Athlon with Radeon Vega Graphics desktop processors for socket AM4
- Supports DDR4 memory, up to 4133(OC) MHz
- Extended heatsink design: MSI extended PWM heatsink and enhanced circuit design ensures even high-end processors to run in full speed.
- Lightning fast game experience: 1x turbo M.2, amd turbo USB 3.2 gen2, store mi technology
- Core boost: With premium layout and digital power design to support more cores and provide better performance.
One of the most beneficial performance aspects to consider this model over the previous Tomahawk is the increased official memory support. The B450 Tomahawk now has support DDR4-3466 with a maximum capacity of up to 64 GB across four available memory slots.
Storage capability is better than expected from a B450 motherboard, with a total of six SATA ports capable of supporting RAID 0, 1 and 10 arrays. On top of this is a single PCIe 3.0 x4 and SATA capable M.2 slot with a maximum of up to M.2 22110 drives being supported.
The single M.2 slot doesn’t share bandwidth with any other PCIe slot but populating the slot with a drive will however disable two of the six available SATA ports; specifically the two right-angled ports closest to the 24-pin motherboard ATX power input.
5.GIGABYTE TRX40 DESIGNARE
Features
- Supports 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen Threadripper Processors
- Quad Channel ECC/ Non-ECC Unbuffered DDR4 8 DIMMs
- 16+3 Phases Infineon Digital VRM Solution with 70A Power Stage. Operating System Support for Windows 10 64-bit
- Triple Thermal Protection with Fin-Arrays and 8mm Maga-Heatpipe
- Dual Intel Gigabit LAN with cFosSpeed to shorten response time
The last of GIGABYTE’s four announced TRX40 models is the GIGABYTE TRX40 Designare which takes a more professional approach for content creators and workstation users. With a more subtle and elegant black and silver theme, the Designare looks to feature the basic necessities such as an Intel Gigabit Ethernet controller and Realtek ALC4050H and ALC1220 pairing for the onboard audio.
Differentiating the TRX40 Designare from the rest of the GIGABYTE TRX40 product stack is a GC-Titan Ridge Thunderbolt 3 AIC add-on card included in the accessories bundle.
6.Gigabyte LGA 1155 DDR3
Features
- CPU:Support for Intel Core i7 processors/Intel Core i5 processors/ Intel Core i3 processors/Intel Pentium processors/Intel Celeron processors in the LGA1155 package
- Memory: 4 x 1.5V DDR3 DIMM sockets supporting up to 32 GB of system memory, 2800(OC)/1600/1333/1066 MHz memory modules
- Onboard Graphics: 1 x D-Sub port, 1 x DVI-D port, supporting a maximum resolution of 1920x1200, 1 x HDMI port, supporting a maximum resolution of 1920x1200
- Expansion Slots: 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x16; 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x4; 2 x PCI Express x1 slots; 2 x PCI slot
- Storage Interface: 2 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors, 4 x SATA 3Gb/s connectors ; Support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10
- USB: Up to 4 USB 3.0/2.0 ports ; Up to 8 USB 2.0/1.1 ports
- Internal I/O Connectors:
- Back Panel Connectors: 1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse port 1 x D-Sub port 1 x DVI-D port 1 x HDMI port 4 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports 2 x USB 3.0/2.0 ports 1 x RJ-45 port 3 x audio jacks
Another week goes by, and I’ve got another board on my test bench, this time from Gigabyte. I’ve had the opportunity to take a look at a couple of other Gigabyte products based on Intel’s LGA115 Express PCH over the past couple of months, and I’ve been left very impressed by what they have to offer this time around.
Those other products were gaming- and enthusiast-class products, but what about mainstream users? Gigabyte’s B75M-D3H is a product designed with mainstrem users in mind, rolled together using Intel’s B75 Express chipset and Gigabyte’s Ultra Durable 4 technologies, bringing next-gen functionality to the business-oriented B75 platform. Since the B75M-D3H is a mainstream product, it also features mainstream pricing, sure to make anyone’s wallet happy about the cost savings. I expect a lot from this product, considering its Z77 Express brethren; does it live up to the hype? Let’s take a look.
7.GIGABYTE Intel Z490 Aorus
Features
- Gigabyte Aorus Ultra G2 DDR4 motherboard
- Chipset: Intel Z490
- ATX form factor
- Ports: 1 x HDMI, 2 x SMA connectors (2T2R), 1 x USB Type-C, 3 x USB3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 2 x USB3.2 Gen, 4 x USB 2.0/1.1, 1 x RJ-45, 1 x optical S/PDIF Out, 5 x audio jacks
- Supports Windows 10 64-bit
The Master performed as expected, hanging with the other boards we have benchmarked to this point. Like most other boards, the Master took a few liberties with Intel’s specification for our Core i9-10900K processor, running boost frequencies with higher limits.
The CPU ran at 4.9 GHz in most of the tests, hitting the 5.3 GHz Thermal Velocity Boost (TVB) for a single thread when it fits within the parameters. Manual overclocking went on without a hitch, reaching a thermally limited 5.2 GHz with the VRM handling our stress test without issue (and without fans).
So what do you get for the additional cost over Z390? For starters, the Z490 Master uses socket LGA1200, which you’ll need to support Intel’s latest 10th Generation CPUs (and perhaps Rocket Lake later this year).
8.Gigabyte AM3+ AMD 970
Features
- Socket AM3+
- Chipset: North Bridge AMD 970 & South Bridge AMD SB950
- Memory: 4x DDR3-2000(OC)/1866/1600/1333/1066 DIMM Slots, Dual Channel, Max Capacity of 32GB
- Slots: 2x PCI-Express 2.0 x16 Slots (one runs at x4), 3x PCI-Express 2.0 x1 Slots, 2x PCI Slots
- CPU: AMD AM3+ FX processors; AMD AM3 Phenom II processor/ AMD Athlon II processor
- Memory: 4x1.5V DDR3 DIMM sockets supporting up to 32 GB of system memory; DDR3 2000(O.C)/1866/1333/1066 MHz
- LAN: Realtek GbE LAN chip (10/100/1000 Mbit)
- Expansion Slots: 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x16 (PCIEX16); 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x4 (PCIEX4);3 x PCI Express x1 slots; 2 x PCI slots
- Storage Interface: 6 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors supporting up to 6 SATA 6Gb/s devices; Support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and JBOD
- USB: Up to 12 USB 2.0/1.1 ports; 4 USB 3.0/2.0 ports
Today we are going to take a look at an AMD motherboard, a refreshing change from the typical Intel focused content. While Intel releases new chipsets as often as Marvel Comics movies come out, AMD is more at the pace of the Star Wars franchise.
There are advantages to each method. As AMD fans will attest, backward and forward compatibility is quite good on the AMD side of things, but the introduction of new technologies into older platforms can be a bit difficult. GIGABYTE and other vendors recently showed off a new series of AMD motherboards based on the 990FX and 970 chipsets and their main advantage over their predecessors is the addition of the latest storage and connectivity technologies
9.Supermicro H11DSI-O
Features
- Dual Sockets for AMD EPYC 7000-Series Processors
- 2TB Registered ECC DDR4 2666MHz SDRAM in 16 DIMMs
- Expansion slots: 2 PCI-E 3.0 x16 3 PCI-E 3.0 x8
- 10 SATA3, 1 M.2, 2 SATA DOM
- Dual Gigabit Ethernet LAN Ports 6. ASPEED AST2500 BMC graphics
Supermicro primarily sells fully configured systems today, but the company still has a components business that forms the backbone of a large ecosystem. Our review today is going to be of the Supermicro H11DSi-NT, a dual AMD EPYC motherboard that is at the heart of the Supermicro 4023S-TRT 4U pedestal server.
We will have a review of the full server soon, but we wanted to provide a view of the motherboard since that is a common question we get at STH. You will notice some of the photography shows a fully configured system as we wanted to leave the board in the context of the full Supermicro 4023S-TRT server.
10.Supermicro X11DPH-TQ
Features
Best Motherboards for Nas – BUYER’S GUIDE
< class="has-text-align-center">Number of Storage Ports
As you can guess, this is the most important part of your Motherboard if you want one for a NAS system. This is because the whole premise of a Network Attached System is that you can use it to store a lot of data.
That will only be possible if you have a couple of Storage ports in which you can connect your Storage Devices. These Devices on Motherboards are either labeled as SATA Ports or M.2 Ports.
And well, the Best Motherboards for NAS will be the ones that have the most number of these ports.
The difference between these two ports is that while SATA, being a Bus interface, is strictly only for storage devices, M.2 Ports can be utilized for anything that is low-powered and can be connected to your PC using a USB Connection.
Other than that, M.2 Ports are generally faster too. But as you will find out, normally SATA ports are more in number. You can find Motherboards with a lot of M.2 ports but they end up being really costly.
< class="has-text-align-center">Form Factor
The next thing you would need to look for in a Motherboard for a Network Attached System is the form factor. This is because mostly NAS Systems are built while trying to save space. Mostly the cases you will use will not be too big either.
One of the reasons is that you do not really need a big case or setup. It isn’t like you will be needing to add graphics cards or Liquid Cooling systems.
So the Form Factor that most people go for is the Mini ITX. This form factor tends to be a little expensive as the manufacturers need to add a lot more things in a tinier place but these offer the best Size to Number of Ports Ratio.
< class="has-text-align-center">Socket
Another important thing to look out for would be the type of Socket that your hardware can support. This is important as if your Motherboard does not support the type of socket that your Processor has, you would need to end up replacing one of the two.
So in order to save yourself from the hassle, before you buy the product or the processor, make sure it is compatible with the one you already have or have ordered.
< class="has-text-align-center">Processors
One of the reasons why Network Attached Systems are so Cheap is the fact that they do not really require a lot of computational power. This means that you do not really have to focus your time or spend money in terms of which processor to buy or how powerful it needs to be.
NAS Systems’ job is to only store and retrieve data. And so you will be able to do with even Intel Core i3’s, Intel Celerons, or AMD Ryzen 2 Processors.
< class="has-text-align-center">RAM
As for the RAM for your system, again you do not really have to spend a lot of money. These NSA Systems aren’t power or processor-hungry and so they won’t really be needing a lot of RAM.
Still, we would recommend you go for somewhere around 8GBs of RAM. 4GBs is the bare minimum but that isn’t really a long-term solution. And it might start bottlenecking and cause problems that will slow you and your work down.
So in order to future-proof yourself for a while, 8GBs of RAM would be enough.
Nowadays, products come with compatibility for up to 16GBs of RAM minimum. So even if you do not go for a device that we have mentioned, you wouldn’t need to worry if your Motherboard would be able to handle the extra RAM or not.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are People Looking For in NAS Mobo?
While the beauty of a DIY setup lies in the fact that you can make your ideas come true, there are still a few pointer that can get you started with sifting through the nas motherboards if you are new into building them.
Do You Need a NAS Case?
If you find yourself constantly buying new storage solutions — whether internal or external — and always running out of space, a NAS is probably a good idea.
Rather than paying for expensive cloud storage that gets painfully expensive as you scale, a NAS is like your own personal cloud storage solution in your home or office.
It’s perfect for video editors/producers, and anyone who needs massive amounts of storage on a regular basis.
WRAP UP
Best Motherboards for Nas – NAS Systems are basically storage devices that are connected to the network. This is mainly for anyone who has a lot of data that is valuable and is looking to store/save it somewhere. These devices are all connected to each other and are present in one place at the same time.
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