Affordable AMD APUs ideal for personal NAS systems that use minimal power.
Affordable AMD APUs ideal for personal NAS systems that use minimal power.
I'm upgrading my 5-year-old Intel DIY NAS and looking into some new budget parts. I was considering a Ryzen platform with an A320 chipset motherboard, like the Athlon 200GE or A12-9800. Which one suits a NAS setup (likely running FreeNAS with PCIe SATA/SAS controller)? Can it play high-definition or 4K movies for two people at once? The Athlon 200GE is newer and more power-efficient, while the A12 has more cores and higher clock speeds—maybe it can be overclocked. Which option would work best?
The 200ge offers improved performance, newer design, and higher efficiency. It seems the 200ge is the superior option.
Consider the Athlon 3000g, a bit more capable than the 200ge version for similar power use. It should cost around $60 with about the same or lower energy draw. The A12 9800 uses a newer 28nm process and has a higher TDP of 65w, so it uses more power. Remember, the 2200g model is about $78, while the 200ge is likely near $50 and the 3000g around $60. The 2200g offers two extra cores for roughly $15-20 more. You can find a Ryzen 3 1200 on eBay or Aliexpress for $45, here’s an example link: https://www.ebay.com/itm/AMD-Ryzen-3-120...2011059685. If you bid $40, you might secure it. A graphics card can start as low as $3 to $5.