Use your Gaming PC's Extra Power as a NAS Ultimate Guide

[@frankwakefield8815]

Linus, this was awesome 5 years ago. Would love to see what could be done with all of the new gear out today. Would Free NAS be better to use than Unraid? Etc...

[@tnacrew]

@Solverz agreed

[@bruhhdahman]

he did do this... he did a video comparing a jellyfish to whats available on the market... its alot more extreme, but same concept.

[@CaptRescue2]

Would love to see this updated!!!

[@reloadingish]

I just moved away from ESXi, Use that at work. I find Unraid much better for the home environment.

[@mrdriver511]

I would love to see an update also I’m thinking of getting a NAS but this could change my mind if my 8700k is good enough to play the newest triple A games on 1440p 144fps and manage a NAS at the same time

[@gamerN77]

Wow, after this video (and the 2 gaming-1PC video) I know, that I know not nearly as much about computers as I thought I would ... I'm not even comfortable with all the BIOS elements. Could you do a video for beginners on the important BIOS options? :) Great video nonetheless.

[@ald474]

This is pretty basic stuff, but regarding BIOS options there's a TON of stuff out there. You can either use KZbin or overclock.net for in depth BIOS guides. But honestly if you're just the average gamer you probably rarely need to do anything there. PC's have advanced so much that you rarely have to screw around with anything these days.

[@gamerN77]

Alex Dyer Thanks for the link. I'll definitly check it out in the holidays. I get that must of this is being utilized by many on a regular basis, but as far as I'm concernd, I just really realized that there's so much more to learn about than what I already know. I might not necessarily need it any time soon, but it's still very interesting.

[@ald474]

overTIMe True there's a lot of things to discover in the world of computers and nobody can know it all. If you're really interested in learning and don't mind investing a bit I recommend a Raspberry Pi 2 (or the zero for only 5$). You can really explore the world of computers in a fun way. You can choose from easy or difficult tasks ranging from a media htpc or a personal cloud and there's a ton of great guides for it.

[@VikingSchism]

+overTIMe If you want to learn about Computers, I'd reccomend using Linux. Don't want to install it on your rig? Get a Raspberry Pi and have a play around with the LXTerminal commands. I've learnt so much when using my Pi. And, once you're done having a play with commands and stuff, you can try making a server for something like Mumble or teamspeak, or even for a small website, and that's excluding all of the physical projects you can do with it. It really is a versatile piece of kit, that can teach you a lot. Also it's only about £25 or $30 (in freedomland)

[@whosdr]

+enderrevolution2 If you own a UK domain and host a server for non-commercial reasons, be sure to log into Nominet to set yourself as a UK individual, thus allowing your address to be hidden on the whois.

[@dafo446]

why no a 2 gaming machine/hosting that gaming server/streaming it on twitch / rendering the footage store it in the nas? all in the same time?

[@matthewmartiez6043]

If only it was possible.

[@timothy9958]

+Sega Hen you'd get like 2fps.

[@Robberbarron27]

+Matthew Martiez Anything is possible on a dual 36 core xeon system.

[@di57inct]

+Sega Hen dat avatar

[@peter_smyth]

+Sega Hen That's worth investigating, to see if you can create a VM for LAN party game hosting, and whether it improves performance over hosting from the same machine and OS as one player.

[@barrettjolson]

Watched this the day it came out, loved this idea but was a no budget student. 5 years later finally had enough time and money to make it happen. Truly a valuable and rewarding experience worth the wait :)

[@justfasial01]

are you still running the same setup? I'm also thinking about doing the same, doesn't make sense to have a separate 100W system just as a NAS. How is the VM performance?

[@barrettjolson]

@@justfasial01 I do, it’s pretty good. I don’t notice much of a difference once I finally had everything configured with a dedicated ssd and gpu passed through to the VM. However time and likely cost wise (need for specific motherboard features etc) it didn’t end up making any sense at all. I enjoyed it because I wanted a summer project to tinker on and am lucky enough to afford a nice laptop to daily drive so I am okay if it breaks or is out of commission because of the odd update. If you want to tinker and learn its a fun project/puzzle that only get easier with software improvements/drivers.

[@MSTechCentral]

5 minutes in and I'm already lost, but I still love watching!

[@mitcHELLOworld]

+Matt Schaefer tech youtubers that cant do something as simple as set up a NAS. awesome.

[@debjanidass7195]

+Matt Schaefer matt dont mind these cums.

[@mitcHELLOworld]

Brannan Darmawi-Iskandar yes, he should. Loĺ

[@jdapolo]

+Matt Schaefer Felt the same bro. Lol! Anyway, his was a funny comment, you guys! Stop being insanely serious.

[@ideal.mp4593]

MS Tech lol hi

[@wazzap500]

Take Gaming PC. Throw 20 HDD's in it. DONE

[@freddysamuel4090]

You made my day

[@epicsmg2682]

Yeah if someone wanna watch a movie they can bring their bitch ass memory stick and watch it on the TV.

[@freddysamuel4090]

Lol

[@barnstormer322]

yup

[@Elemino]

+Anro van Pletsen or you can just share your media across your local network like I do and play your videos through Kodi.

[@LambdaObjection]

This video implies my gaming PC has leftover power :(

[@Slay1337pl]

+Dirk Bogan There is no such thing as leftover power. "what!? Only 200FPS!?"

[@directr4288]

+Slay i shalt only accept over 9000 fps , you cheap peasants

[@gustav8253]

+Qawn LELEK 9000 is nothing sir! I have -90 fps on csgo! Beat that!

[@directr4288]

bitch i run cs go at 70 googols fps

[@freddiewm1502]

Slay U mean 600fps in CS.GO

[@ricknovlesky]

This is probably the most awesome video you've ever put out. Very cool, useful, and helps users with more than a couple computers/media server needs for their house. Thanks so much for this!

[@Mr06lh]

Finally done this my self. Few things left to learn but good so far.

[@devlily23]

Just completed this setup on my own machine, without a hiccup. Linus opened my eyes and i was able to save a lot of my money due to this. My setup is: i7-4790k MSI Z97-GD65 GTX 980 Also, Unraid's youtube chaneel also, helped alot.

[@maxiklaxi]

Oh Nice, thanks a lot, i got the exact same components in my old pc and i want to make a nas from it :) Hopefully it works for me also :D

[@TheDevin179]

I am this up on a system with the same cpu but I have an RX480

[@TheManchineel]

Make sure your Unraid "root" account has a password, otherwise anyone can login and mess with your computer or your files.

[@idjmic]

4 Years ago... I know. I'm about to do this as I can't afford to buy another PC for a NAS. Any advise @Devesh Ranjan?

[@danieldougan269]

@@idjmic Get an old PC with a low-power chip. Those can be found dirt cheap on the used market. The biggest cost in that case would be the hard drives themselves. Just make sure the computer you buy has enough hard drive bays and SATA connections for your needs...or go buy a used host-bus adapter card.

[@rafiahmed2453]

I use my PC power to toast my bread using an Overclocked FX 9590!!!

[@yuiski]

+Rafi Ahmed woah me too!!

[@frederickbarbarossa1056]

interesting

[@Assassin-js1jp]

+Rafi Ahmed Stupidest and dumbest troll joke I've ever heard. Time to shut them down.

[@GabrielSultanGabyyy]

I use it too

[@thegamingcabin8189]

+Gabriel Sultan yeeeet

[@Muhlogan]

Sometimes Linus make me feel dumb.

[@brendanleach8971]

*makes* ;)

[@adilator]

+MuhLogan Why's that? you can't read? That's all he's doing.

[@descendency]

+adilator Reading what he probably wrote ahead of time.

[@kenfire213]

+MuhLogan I have no idea what the video is about, but it looks cool. NAS?

[@themegjake4000]

+adilator but its stuff he wrote, probably

[@Scoopta]

Linus...you just called UEFI BIOS after doing a video about UEFI and BIOS. They're separate and completely different things :/

[@beanacomputer]

He's just reading the screen... it's literally titled "UEFI BIOS" on the screen bro

[@Scoopta]

oiralire except that's incorrect not to mention he didn't read the screen. He just said "BIOS." It's incorrect because en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_Extensible_Firmware_Interface "UEFI replaces the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) firmware interface originally present in all IBM PC-compatible personal computers." If wikipedia isn't credible enough google it on your own. They're not the same.

[@beanacomputer]

+Scoopta The particular firmware he's using is ASUS UEFI BIOS Utility.

[@Scoopta]

oiralire yes I'm aware which is a UEFI...not a BIOS. The branding isn't technically speaking correct. There's no such thing as a UEFI BIOS. There is UEFI which is one thing and used on most modern motherboards including that one and then there's BIOS which is more old school. fedoraproject.org/wiki/Unified_Extensible_Firmware_Interface "But you may see the term "UEFI BIOS" (or even just "BIOS") incorrectly used to refer to a UEFI firmware"

[@beanacomputer]

+Scoopta I like ham and pineapples.Your argument is invalid.

[@PhoenixNL72-DEGA-]

Biggest problems with this, apart from the power efficiency thing mentioned by dozens of other comments is this: Single point of failure and wear and tear on gaming components like the video card. WIth this setup if something fails in the machine (PSU, Motherboard, Memory, GPU etc) both your gaming PC and your NAS solution are out of commission until the computer is fixed. And because everything is most likely on 24/7 your expensive GPU, Motherboard and CPU are also wearing out when not in use for gaming but basically idling. All those components are overkill spec wise for a NAS solution which is usually either ARM or Intel SOC based (Intel Atom processors and the like).

[@danieldougan269]

My initial reaction was that this made a lot of sense, but then it occurred to me that a gaming rig will get outdated a lot faster than a NAS would, and then you're left with a bunch of parts that are too slow to game on but not available to speed up the NAS. I'm not sure this would make very much sense in the long run.

[@jacobclayton8131]

Yeah but in that case wouldn't you just upgrade the gaming pc like you would have too anyway, then assign the same amount of resources to the nas giving your gaming vm all the new stuff?

[@danieldougan269]

@@jacobclayton8131 Assuming you have a good upgrade path in the same box. Plus, you would have to take down your NAS just to upgrade your gaming rig.

[@jessereed82]

Am I the only one who will never do anything like this, but still watches all LTT anyways?

[@FIFASpectrum]

You're basically the same as 99.9% of viewers :)

[@jobnob123]

am I the only one who want you to shut up

[@rizileihndonayre1447]

+jobnob123 what did he ever done to you have some respect dude

[@DMast]

nope

[@jobnob123]

+Rizi Leihn Donayre learn to speak english

[@skvozgrozy1971]

Notification on Linus' video pops up, *minimizes PornHub window.

[@rakin9283]

Your picture matches

[@Triplechoco52]

I was in the middle of drilling my bitch, but I put aside her so that I can watch my nigga, Linus.

[@m-copyright]

+Frederick Kaludis Why minimize it? Why not both at the same time? :)

[@metal-beard]

+muiecopyright 2 videos 1 brower!

[@theodoro89]

I actually like to use seperate hardware for applications like this one.

[@DanielRichards644]

+James Yap exactly, better off using a standalone "store bought" NAS as it will use FAR less power, infact probably enough to pay for the added cost of the standalone NAS in the first year if left running 24/7.

[@jarretpaul]

+Philip Lee A Qnap or Synology model with enough power to give you the same network read/write speeds compared to a full PC is at least $400+... This is just saving you the extra cost. Also allows you to create other VM's like Kali or whatever you want.

[@jonmcclane4946]

+Philip Lee REALLY?? WHAT'S WRONG WITH UNRAID?? i'M NOT AS HIS LEVEL BUT I WOULD NEVER BUY A NAS! WHY YOU ASK, THEY'RE A WASTE OF MONEY. A COMPUTER IT FOR RUNNING EVERYTHING NOT JUST ONE THING, BUT YOU GOT THESE COMPANIES SEE $$$ IF THEY CAN BUILD A COMPUTER THAT ONLY DOES ONE THING AND SELLING IT FOR $$. WHEN YOUR COMPUTER CAN DO IT FOR FREE. I HAVE SEEN THIS OVER AND OVER AND OVER.

[@bsodmike]

I'm running two separate Synology boxes, why? Well, I like to have 24/7 uptime - which has been the case since December 2014; and my NAS solution will not experience any downtime as say due to some random Unraid issue. That said, I will be giving Unraid a spin for some other fun I have planned - to allow me to boot multiple virtualised instances of linux.

[@rfitzgerald2004]

@@bsodmike Unraid is no more unreliable than a standalone NAS. It is based on a version of Linux, as most NASs also are, the difference is Unraid is far more likely to receive security updates and bugfixes. Not to mention offers far greater functionality. Depends what you need I guess, if you just need simple file sharing then you can pay a premium for a NAS, if you want more than that then go for Unraid

[@winter263]

Was on auto play and I noticed the difference quality when going from 2019 to 2015. Definitely improved :0

[@byseven]

This video is over 1 year old and still Rocks . Thanks a lot !!!! It help me a lot.

[@MrXelaim]

Please do a vid on Comparing different VM technologies. A video on ceph vs raid vs ceph alternatives would also be great.

[@Higgs702]

I watched video yesterday, and have not been able to stop thinking about it. This brings us one step closer to having one machine running in the closet and no other computers needed throughout your entire home. I would like to see one capable of running several competitive gaming VMs, all while serving files as a NAS 24/7. If you could have a few high powered gaming VMs, and a few work stations VMs, all while running a plex/ nas server 24/7 I would invest in it for my house. I could re-purpose or sell a lot of my current equptment. My prediction is that in 10 years the way we think about computers will change a lot. All homes will have home servers, and people will only build home servers and not gaming rigs. You buy gaming stations with a monitor, keyboard, mouse, and headset. Each station gets 2 usb ports, I think you get the idea.

[@Jgs92692]

I really liked this video, really reminded me of the good old NCIX days. I'd love to see more tutorial style content from this channel sort of like what TekSyndicate does.

[@jefferyleaver2847]

These older videos are the sweet spot for me right now, im thinking of doing this to a Dual xeon

[@jak10987]

"We have 12 gigs of RAM for games and ... chrome." I love how accurate that is, having 7gb being used up just the other day from

[@QuantumBraced]

This might sound stupid, but if you're gonna use your main PC as a NAS, can't you just install and set up your drives in Windows and just... share them over the network? Why do Unraid + Virtual Machine, that seems unnecessarily complicated.

[@sniperer72]

Wow, you've got a lot of friends linus

[@1998floris]

?

[@sniperer72]

Floris Hubregtse His friends, mr dremel and mr vacuum

[@Person-fr5md]

+Daniel Reimer lol

[@TommyThousandFaces]

Badass, that's it. Also would give any advantage set the NAS on a separate lan nick than the Windows VM?

[@taiefmiah]

Some z170 itx mobos have 2 lan connectors. or you can go skylake xeon when it comes out on the c232 chipset and probs get 2 lan ports there

[@TommyThousandFaces]

taief miah You missed the whole point of my question

[@philondez]

If your internet speed+local network transfers exceeds 1Gbit you could potentially benefit. If you don't have gigabit internet or a full SSD array this is pretty unlikely though.

[@TommyThousandFaces]

philondez So mixing packets from two different OS won't cause any slowdown, especially in online games? Some motherboards use packet prioritization to make online gaming work better so I thought splitting the connection could work kind of the same way.

[@philondez]

Unless you're running the game server in a VM on the same NIC as well you shouldn't have trouble, connecting to an external game server is going to use about 1% of a gigabit NIC's potential throughput, as long as the packet prioritization isn't broken that's plenty of overhead, especially if you're using it in what I'd consider to be normal use for a home NAS, that being streaming a movie or music to another device in the house or occasionally backing up some smaller office style files. If you're trying to use it like LMG uses theirs, for constant backups and working with massive files over the network, you could potentially see some slowdown, providing your disk setup is able to saturate the NIC's throughput.

[@azjeep]

this is one of my favorite video this video is more important today with the high core count. i miss videos with more how too do! 8/18/22 please remake this video

[@MrLoverThe]

3:55 Watching him work on things is terrifying.

[@adamkatzenberg8362]

i'm very tempted to try this

[@schnitzel438]

i'm very tempted to try u

[@rakin9283]

Or use Windows file explorer and send files over like that. :P

[@WaffIeMonster]

+Hearty Oatmeal saucy

[@unclemozart6129]

+Hearty Oatmeal bruh

[@zunayed7]

+Hearty Oatmeal Nigga wat.

[@MountainHunter181]

Hot plugging USB support by passing through a PCI adapter is a great way to do it. Thanks

[@TheFreezeChill]

Got a RaspberryPi and a 500GB USB 2.0 HDD as NAS... 2 MB/sec transfer speed, yo!

[@realcartoongirl]

make that over wifi

[@ewolam]

2MB/s is too slow. My 10 yrs old time Apple Time Capsule NAS typically gives me 30MB/s transfer speed over 1gigabit Ethernet. Much better than 2MB/s.

[@vinicius401]

Linus, could you please do an updated version of this? And also, how do I turn the VM back on after shutting down Windows? Would I have to go the web ui and start it through there to get a video signal again?

[@partyat2am]

For those of you who don't understand - The whole point of using unRAID is for redundancy and larger storage capacities without having to use a ton of the same sized disk. For Example: my unRAID server has 2x 4TB HDs and 2x 2TB HDs for a storage capacity of 8TBs and I'm protected if any one drive fails. If I wanted to achieve this with traditional raid I would need 4x4TB HDs in Raid 10. The beauty of unRAID is the ability to mix and match different disks and build an array out of old stuff you have laying around.

[@bradleymorgan8223]

what's the benefit of doing this as. opposed to just sharing the HDD array within windows?

[@niffrig]

bradley morgan then Limetech wouldn't have sponsored the video

[@bugs181]

A couple benefits actually. Parity, easier sharing for non Windows like AFP (for Macs), Other NAS apps like home automation stuff using Docker containers.

[@hbkirb]

macOS has fully supported SMB for a long time. In fact Apple are advising users to get off of AFP and onto SMB.

[@rfitzgerald2004]

It offers a whole host of benefits: unraid.net/product

[@twh-wria]

So I'm confused. You always say you take the builds you put together in videos apart right away, but what do you do if you make modifications like the drive bay in this video? You made a permanent change to the case, so do you just let the person using the case after you just deal with it?

[@LinusTechTips]

Yep.

[@Supernatural76767]

+LinusTechTips Savage

[@FelipeLima-ob9qi]

+LinusTechTips Brutal.

[@moisterthananoyster5305]

+LinusTechTips Answer rated - 11/10

[@jackkrauser1234]

+LinusTechTips Savage... I like that :P

[@MilitantAntiTheist]

But why haven't you reviewed the 2.6 GHz 18-core Xeon E7-8895 v3 yet? The one that can link 8 CPUs and support 1.5 TBs of RAM?

[@pag312]

+MilitantAntiTheist he did

[@MilitantAntiTheist]

OVD Nope, he reviewed a 2.3 GHz Xeon that can only link 2 CPUs, not the newest one with a clock speed of 2.6 GHz that can support 144 cores and 288 threads. I want to see Linus Tech Tips build a machine out of THAT!

[@pag312]

MilitantAntiTheist 144 cores and 288 threads?!

[@MilitantAntiTheist]

OVD It's the iNTEL Xeon E7-8895 v3 it can link up to 8 CPUs and it's 18 cores and clocks at 2.6 GHz with a 3.5 GHz turbo boost.

[@MilitantAntiTheist]

+OVD ark.intel.com/products/84689

[@BlueCatLofi]

WOW you have come a long way. You are way more captivating NOW as opposed to 5 years ago.

[@josephmontz3404]

I had to slow down a few times, but after a few play throughs, I got all of it. Thanks for this video.

[@SPEEDERT12]

Was I the only one screaming DEFINE R5 when he said "we need a case that is a normal case with reasonable cages."?

[@ChrisChevs]

Fractal Design R6 yeah. That's the case I am rocking for a setup like this. But I don't use unraid. I just share my RAID0 I built through my network. Seems easier than doing all this.

[@XDChrissXD6]

Well, I want my NAS to consume as little power as possible and leaving an i5 or i7 with a dedicated GPU running 24/7 isn't exactly power saving. But a cool build anyway. I like these crazy server and desktop builds :D

[@seans1102]

My issue is fan run time on the gpu or on time which should shorten life span of the gpu.

[@thranax]

GPUs and CPUs dont run 24/7 while they are turned on. Web surfing and even youtube keeps my GPU at less then 10% power. Also, with NAS if your not using your main VM machine and are using another system to read+write to it only the CPU kicks on to move the data, then it powers itself to a low power STANDBY MODE state. No electronics stay on 24/7 unless your a Seti Folder or Cryptocoin Miner.

[@Maverick5588]

linus could you make a..... less than tech wizard level video of this exact same thing.. Because I want to make a NAS/gaming pc, but having a literal step by step guide would be amaaaaazing

[@gamer34551]

Finally, what we all subscribe to Linus Tech Tips for: a video giving useful tips on current day tech. +1 Linus. Doesn't matter if it was bought and paid for, this is going into my repository of knowledge.

[@outthefryinpan]

That footage of Linus loading the hard drives at 4:05 was the most satisfying video ever.

[@DrathVader]

Or you could install Windows on your gaming PC and share some folders. Not as ballin' and I'm sure it has a ton of downsides compared to unraid, but it's way simpler to set up, doesn't require VT-d support (2500K here) and it's good enough for most people.

[@HexDSL]

Unraid is a good bit of software but you CAN do all of these things with linux/Docker and Virtualbox

[@ACE3CGL]

I know this comment is old, but Really? That's interesting. Seems like that would be a much simpler initial setup for the average user. Also, why set the VM for the PC and not for the NAS? Seems like if you mess up the install, you have less of a chance of bricking your PC that way. Plus, say you're hosting a cloud-based media server and you live alone, you only need access to streaming when the PC is not in use, so when you finish working, just open the VM and stream, finish, close the VM or turn the PC off. I know for the current use-case in the video, the NAS will have a better up-time, but when you're using a gaming PC as a server, you'd want to lower power usage as much as possible for the sake of your utility bills, longer lifespan for the high-end gaming PC components (less replacement), and the average user that wouldn't get a dedicated NAS probably doesn't need to backup 2 TB of storage every night. Maybe a few hundred gigs once a week, which again, would mean it's better to run a VM with a NAS when you need to back up and not vice-versa.

[@kcgodwins]

Linus, hope you can clear this up for me. I am seriously thinking about doing this but I'm having trouble figuring out how you attached 7 sata drives (5 in the cage and the 2 SSDs) to the MB, since everything I read says the MB only has 6 SATA connectors. I would have loved it if you'd recorded wiring everything up. Can you clarify this for me? Thanks Mike

[@kajal091s]

I am one year too late but if someone is still wondering. He probably used a pcie sata expansion card.

[@rfitzgerald2004]

In the video the board is shown to have 9 SATA ports. It's likely that some will be SATA 3Gb/s and some will be SATA 6Gb/s so what you are refering to is probably 6 ports being of one of those speeds, and the other 3 ports being the other speed.

[@zusurs]

While dealing with computers on daily basis for over 18 years now, virtualization of this level for desktop machine still blows my mind.

[@mooinginpasture]

This is perfect as i've been looking into making a NAS. I knew this channel would pay off some day.

[@ignasanchezl]

5:13 You could had folded those tabs :I

[@yottazoid3222]

Try *playing* an *online* game while doing a large file transfer... Otherwise, great idea.

[@kuhrd]

+YOTTAZOID could throw a second NIC at it and pipe all the NAS traffic out the second NIC and that should eliminate any bottlenecks from large file transfers.

[@ColtonBlumhagen]

+YOTTAZOID Why would you be doing that?

[@yottazoid3222]

+Britt Yazel I wasn't talking about CPU performance, I was talking about network performance.

[@yottazoid3222]

+kuhrd Exactly what I was thinking... I was wondering why he didn't do or address it in the video.

[@yottazoid3222]

+Colton Blumhagen Maybe someone else in the household watching or downloading a video on the NAS...?

[@NickF1227]

Linus sure loves his unraid.... Cough Proxmox

[@cjbeckersf]

Loved the video! Keep these type of videos coming. Considering doing this now since my current NAS is over 6 years old.

[@josephbowman4571]

Linus and group, I just wanted to say that it is awesome that you have your own referral section when buying an unRAID key. It's like, Facebook, KZbin, few other mainstream sources and Linus tech tips. Clearly you have made an impact for them lol.

[@Pong-Lenis]

Why not say hi to *Sir Plier* instead of Mr. Dremel?

[@MaurizioAzzalini]

I am really missing an explanation as to what the advantages of this configuration are. You haven't explained why we needed to virtualize instead of running everything from the same OS. You haven't showed what the NAS with its OS can do (can I install a Plex server on it?). Now I know how to create such a system but I have no idea what it can do, apart from playing games and having share drives, or why I would want to set it up like that in the first place. I am really a bit disappointed.

[@DanielSimon1995]

actually nas isnt the main thing you may use unraid for. i use it because of the virtualization and the fact, that i can switch between oses instantaneously (and if i find that i just have a lot of trash on my disk, i just simple stop the vm and start a clone from a fresh install), when im developing i like to have my test environments on a separate vm than i currently am. i know its overkill, but it makes it easier to have a 4 input display, so i can switch between 4 oses and i can output an os to any of my televisions, and have a dedicated gaming desktop for my gf. nontheless i can connect to any of my vms through vnc from anywhere. (with 1000mbps internet connection its a charm :D)

[@resneptacle]

@@DanielSimon1995 But you could also just use VMware or VirtualBox on a regular Windows Install

[@dionmiller8547]

It's 2022. Please make an updated video. I got CPU threads to spare. 🤣😂

[@MattHalpain]

I like the monitor you are using in this video as it has good viewing angles and appears to be high in pixel density for smooth graphics

[@ezraherman1413]

Very cool. UnRaid just keeps on getting more and more interesting.

[@Kenchinito2207]

why not just use windows and configure the drives to be shared to the network?

[@mr.mandudeguy5389]

yeah i do that and it works great

[@UrduTechClub]

Its because Share files are separate from windows, if your windows stop working, you won't be able to access your files until you reinstall/fix the windows, in windows you have to face with the ransom-ware, virus or even Trojan! SO your files are on risk, its better store separately!

[@RetroSteve0]

If you are ignorant enough to be infected with ransomware then you deserve to lose your files.

[@mr.mandudeguy5389]

Rhambus harsh way to put it bitch

[@maelask5763]

GPU passthrough is actively discouraged by Nvidia as their drivers stop working when they detect a VM. AMD would be the logical choice in this usage case.

[@Zubbbz]

the way this is done it passes through the gpu. everything about it. it won’t be able to know that it is in a virtual machine

[@bretclements608]

Can you do all this and have Plex on it? How would that work?

[@badwolfbloodseeker]

Yes

[@jeremyf1102]

unRAID lets you easily run Docker containers and images. Plex is easy to deploy.

[@Phazox2]

For those on a budget and not mind working with Linux, I'd recommend using Owncloud with Lubuntu (there are a lot of tutorials available online if you need any help). I'd even got it working on an old Dell OptiPlex sporting an even older Intel Pentium CPU plus 2 gigs of DDR2 memory. I must say that the OptiPlex case is not as flexible as I wanted it to be, but you get to fiddle around with a LAMP stack, Lubuntu and Owncloud :) If there is a need to get more advanced options, I also suggest distros like FreeNAS or any other that has support for ZFS amongst other nifty options.

[@originalbohica1337x]

This is a serious option to explore. I like all of the options and possibilities to be explored. Thanks for a great video

[@J3SNS]

Say hello to a massive input lag in shooters.

[@J3SNS]

+Alexa Rosencrantz Also hacking this perfectly good case up just for the sake of the video is a blasphemy.

[@ItsKau]

+Alexa Rosencrantz WEEEOOO WEEEOOO WE NEED A WHAMBULANCE They're making this video as it's sponsored by the company who made the program; this is an example of the capabilities of their program

[@J3SNS]

+Light Show I know. I meant if somebody would want to build that at home.

[@ModrunOfficial]

+Alexa Rosencrantz to be fair you never have to leave a product to 100% original. its not like what he did to the case was visible or breaking it really.

[@geekverve]

+Aleksa Rosenbloom The USB controller is typically passed through along with the GPU directly to the VM, so there should be no discernible input lag. To ensure this, an add-in USB controller card is recommended.

[@djixyacine]

Linus, what's the point of this build ? You said that the NAS can only be accessed locally, by the gaming tower. So basically all of this is equal to attaching the hard drives array directly to the motherboard ? Am I missing something guys ?

[@LinusTechTips]

The NAS can be accessed over the network like any other NAS. I demo this in the video.

[@Surms41]

+LinusTechTips so fast, wow.

[@ymousanon1094]

+LinusTechTips so it has to run 24/7 to be accesible like any other NAS right? which means higher power usage since a NAS usually uses way less than any gaming tower does

[@djixyacine]

+ymous Anon exactly ! it would have been simpler just installing windows on the pc and sharing the drives over the network! same result! +1

[@knigfotlets9870]

+Khettab Yacine It's not about simple and the result is not the same, Windows Software RAIDs are not as fast as unRAID, your argument is invalid.

[@gazzilionDucks]

A graphics card is requied to generate a Web UI? Can someone source that?

[@techy4198]

I have to agree, we need answers dammit!

[@twmbarlwmstar]

+Jeremi Świerczyński a graphics card is needed for the gaming, the on-board graphics was used to set up the NAS element because you don't need that to be mounted in the VM element. So what you have is a NAS running a VM of Windows so you can play games.

[@Time4Technology]

+Jeremi Świerczyński He meant the GNU/Linux desktop which can give access to the WebUI if there is no network connection.

[@ElectronicsWizardry]

+Jeremi Świerczyński You don't need it, but it makes it much easyier to setup the host os as then you don't have to use serial. If you have impi you can use that as well.

[@Time4Technology]

ElectronicsWizardry Uhm what has Impi to do with that? (I guess you mean the GNU distribution)

[@ThiagoTGM]

I personally would rather get a smaller, less powerful computer to set up as a NAS, for a few reasons: - I wouldn't have to deal with the problems Virtualization tends to create. - I could use less power-consuming hardware for the NAS, which has to be on 24/7. - Being a completely separate machine, it would be a safer option for backups and whatnots. - Less risk of someone breaking everything entirely just because he/she wanted to do something on my PC. - I can hide the NAS entirely from the aforementioned people. I'm way too tired of dealing with people breaking my stuff just because they can't stop doing what they shouldn't. But still, that would be just for me. I can totally see the advantage of a machine like this for the right people. It is very interesting indeed.

[@IamNinetyFour]

I've been looking to do this for a while now. Thank you. Currently I run a Synology NAS as my media/website server, which is perfect for my low-view usage, but will definitely use this solution when I replace my current mechanicals. This is gonna work SO PERFECT considering i'll be getting a new laptop that has near no storage, but decent cpu/ram. I'm mostly having issues with windows, but my games HDD is 3/4 full and my primary storage will become mostly full if I move that over. Plus the game's hdd is dying. I will be using this to have networked storage between my multiple desktops, laptops, netbooks and even my smartphone (through the synology nas).

[@TonyTascioglu]

My pc is used as a NAS, without any need for Virtual Machine operating systems ... Works a bit faster in my opinion.

[@tobinkulangara1298]

Do you just share your folder through smb and keep your pc on all the time?

[@christopherbartleson8918]

This setup seems really complicated, I'd rather just have these separate.

[@idjmic]

I would too! But I can't afford to buy another PC for a NAS box.

[@matthewkinney5474]

8 seconds 52 views

[@Triplechoco52]

How can there be 52 views in 8 seconds if the video is 18 minutes long.

[@daddy2600]

+Spac3M4N A view is counted when you click on the video before it starts not when it ends.

[@kwame20101]

+Spac3M4N view times doesnt count towards view count

[@DeepDevilRunner42]

Now I know what I'm going to do during my holidays. Finally having a storage/backup solution for the whole family on my desktop (after a few hardware changes) will be great ^^

[@dinxsy8069]

I watch these Raid/Nas videos knowing i haven't a clue what Linus is going on about but i'm learning i feel (lying to myself)

[@PeJayCee]

I've just got a regular windows install, then sharing my HDD's on the network. Simple but it works :L

[@christianrasmussen1]

Why can't a single Win10 do all of this?

[@sadakotube]

htpc with lower power consumption, yeah. but letting my gaming rig run 24 hours as NAS? no.. just no

[@shih91]

This is so cool. But I would like to know a couple of things: 1) Do you have to leave this Desktop/NAS on 24/7 to fully utilize the NAS function? 2) What is the bottleneck of data transfer of files (SATA REV3 or 1gbps network)? 3) Will running NAS be reducing the CPU processing power, and thus, reducing multitasking capability? To be honest, I would really like to see a pros and cons video for this build, last but not least... Thanks so much for this information! This is really application to normal household!

[@shih91]

+Shih-Chiang Liu I meant "This is really applicable* to normal household"

[@ElectronicsWizardry]

+Shih-Chiang Liu 1. You don't have to leave it on 24/7, but its best if you do, so you don't have to boot up the system when you need a file. It is also nice to leave it on as then every other system can back up to it overnight. Moderm systems use very little power in idle(less than 30w) so there isn't much power being pulled 2. The bottleneck is gigeth. This system is probally capible of If 500mB/s or more if you plugged a 10gig card into it. 3. It will, but not much( file tranfers over gig only use about 50% of one core if fully used.) I would suggest that you don't don't do this and just use storage spaces in windows and use the file sharing in windows. much easyier and don't take away 4gb of ram.

[@TheReminator98]

This is sweet. I've really been into these server vids (even if I don't know what Linus is talking about half of the time)

[@juice-opinion]

Awesome! When I saw the last virtualization build this is exactly what I wanted to do for myself

[@vwlouk2]

This is the best LTT video in recent memory. Thank you for the video, and I would love seeing more videos on VMs and creating SSD Raids.

[@rhetthathaway4028]

When we getting the new and improved gaming pc +NAS build??

[@nahanam29]

Can you do a tour of the setup? Where to connect stuff? Better plans for easier accessibility and connectivity.

[@dh2124]

Linus, I would love it if you were to the exact same thing using FreeNAS and other NAS software - comparing their performance and capability.

[@book9891]

The Linus Tech Tips approach: Use things the way they weren't intended to be used but work great to lay contact with the manufacturer. Ask them for a sponsership on a proper show of the product. Dammn Linus u are one genius. Gotta say the double gaming rig was a better usage for unraid :P

[@danieldougan269]

This is totally amazing and incredibly useful. If I were doing this, I would pick a different case though with hotswapping built in...I don't want to break out Mr. Dremel or Mr. Vacuum Cleaner. Honestly, Microsoft should build this kind of functionality into a version of Windows (no I don't mean Windows Server) so it's much easier for us mere mortals to set up. In the meantime, I'll just stick to my Synology 4-bay NAS. Of course, there's that other video on the channel about just building a DIY NAS with an old PC...and then just make a separate gaming PC.

[@JFKALLDAY]

Still learning about Nas and plex servers I just built another gaming rig for myself in a massive antec 1200 case which would work amazing for this type of setup and considering I have 5 kids in the house who all game and school entertain online I think the need is there for this type of setup

[@do_hickey]

This was absolutely awesome. Note that this video is very much not standalone. If I wanted to implement this, I think I'd have to go back to your 2 Gamers 1 Rig video, as you seem to have glossed over a lot of things. Then again, if I was to do this I'd put in some research first. Either way, cool!

[@benjaminsonksen4451]

I bet those drive disks get hot and loud. Fractal Design Arc Midi for multiple hard disk drives WITH fan airflow cooling and rubber isolation grommits? Just purchase hot swap adapters for the drives. NAS or UNRAID drives in the vertical racks, and gaming/OS drives in the 5.25" bays for a nice seperation. Love the videos!

[@jessieseegar6432]

a quick tip for all your logitech if you have more than one unifying reciever you can pair all of your wireless logitech stuff to one recievier using unifying technology

[@maxdeathlore]

I was hoping you'd talk about the NAS and how one would set up the plex server on it!

[@davidstg2]

Thank you for this video! A very elegant solution to a problem I am having in my small business right now. You just saved me a bunch in new hardware costs. Ill use some of those savings to get me a Linus Media T-shit. Thanks again.

[@X41N3]

Yep, this is pretty darn cool. Especially when my 2-bay el-cheapo lenovo ix2 NAS is kinda slow...I can feel my IT-blood coming back

[@sramey101]

This is great, especially with the increase with nvidia or steam game in-home streaming, you can use your one uber-machine to run pretty much everything and store everything you need and just connect with your thin clients/dlna connections from anywhere

[@voodoovinny7125]

It is strange how no one has made a video like this using other hypervisors such as Proxmox or a Linux Server with a Windows/Mac/Linux Desktop VM

[@pmrichets]

A really nice spin on the typical build video. More please!

[@sawyerbergeron3288]

Linus, idea for a video/series: bring in a couple friends and get 4 or 5 OEM, off the shelf, desktops for each of them. See who can, with only the computers given to them, make the best computer possible. Maybe even require that all machines still be bootable while one machine is used for benchmarks and such. Thanks, love your videos and find them quite useful and informative.

[@trevaaaaaaa]

Thanks..great video. The bit about passing through usb 3 card was especially helpful.

[@MarshallCouch]

I have an Ubuntu home server running in a headless VM on my main PC, so similar concept but kinda reverse implementation (and way less fancy). Definitely approve.