Requesting data transfer between devices
Requesting data transfer between devices
I'm preparing a Plex setup (mentioned earlier) but realized today I need two motherboards for the case. I thought about adding a second system that could serve as a backup to protect data in case the main drive fails. This backup would run occasionally—perhaps once or twice daily—and could handle up to around 48GB, usually between 4-12GB. My main concern is whether choosing a CPU with fewer cores but higher frequency would be better than more cores at a lower speed. (I assume it's about AMD vs Intel.) Since this system won't do much Plex work (Plex seems to prefer Intel), it will mainly act as a server when the main system goes down, which usually takes less than a few hours to resolve.
I tried, though unless I'm spending a lot, the expandability is somewhat limited. There are a few options available where you can connect them using USB cables, but I think one system that manages backups and runs the server would be ideal for my needs. It also supports up to 20 drives and you can add another case (probably called the P200) if needed to include more HDDs.
I own a Synology DS918+ equipped with four 6 TB storage units. They’re configured in RAID, which means I can remove one drive without major issues. It delivers around 15TB of capacity and performs adequately for my backup tasks and Plex server responsibilities. However, being the sole user in my home makes me realize I’d benefit from more processing power if others are streaming from the Plex server. I previously considered adding a bunch of drives to an Antec 1200 Tower, but the NAS setup was simpler and more manageable. It also let me link cloud accounts directly to the NAS, giving me access to my cloud drives on PCs, the NAS, and the internet. Regarding expandability, there are NAS units with numerous drive bays available. Synology offers consumer models with up to 12 bays and rack-mounted options; server-style bays provide even more capacity. If a NAS doesn’t suit you and your second PC mainly handles backups and possibly a Plex server, the specifications aren’t overly demanding. My current setup uses a dual-core Celeron processor, which is sufficient for Plex. RAM could be the bigger issue, or perhaps the size of the C drive matters. When I tried Windows Home Server, it required more space for the C drive to function as a cache, slowing down operations if storage wasn’t adequate. My NAS includes two 512 GB SSDs specifically for this purpose. If you’re using a Windows-based system, that’s definitely worth considering. If you’re using a different operating system, I’m less familiar and can’t confirm.