I was thinking on buying a 2-4 bay HDD powered enclosure as a NAS for my mini pc, since I already have that, and buying or building a full-fledged diy NAS seems a bit expensive.

I want to hear some opinions from you guys, since it seems using this method is a mixed area from the selfhosted pros. I would be hoping that by using a powered enclosure, that would alleviate or solve the USB port overcharging issue, which have appeared in my mini pc when trying out an external HDD with a normal sata to usb converter.

Did you have any experiences with a setup like this one?

  • fmstrat@lemmy.nowsci.comEnglish
    1·
    7 hours ago

    None.

    I think the unrecognized issues are because people think it will behave like a device with a controller vs just USB pass-through. Every disk I’ve plugged in just shows up fine on the host. I also have only used it with linux.

    As for heat, my drives go to sleep when not in use, but even for long stints of backups it wasn’t an issue.

    Reviews for just the 4-bay: https://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/B078YQHWYW?formatType=current_format&pageNumber=1

    • Uninvited Guest@lemmy.caEnglish
      1·
      4 hours ago

      Thanks for the reply! I have a couple USB 3.0 2-drive docks that just sit out in the open - consolidating in to a single, enclosed unit with a fan would be nice (since mine or open, you really hear the HD spin up/click when accessing it).

      What do you use to adjust your drives’ spin down? hdparm? hd-idle? I have one drive that is constantly spinning/accessed so the thermal concerns with the unit do weigh on me.