A quick and dirty method to choose a new NAS device and the drives that will go in it is available on Newegg. The NAS Builder, which was just unveiled, offers a distinctive, simple interface for browsing the retailer’s assortment of NAS enclosures and choosing appropriate HDDs or SSDs that are compatible with the chosen NAS device. You can only choose from Newegg’s collection, and the shopping tool does not disclose all NAS, HDD, or SSD specs and features. The builder appears to be a useful starting point for NAS newbies or even advanced users looking for a simple comparison tool when utilized with its limitations in mind.
Anybody who has bought electronics, whether for a NAS, a PC, or a maker project, is aware of how time-consuming, disorganized, and untrustworthy online commerce sites can be. That’s why I was initially intrigued by Newegg’s NAS Builder.
When you open the site, you’ll be asked to select a total capacity requirement up to “144TB or more” and from there you’ll see the relevant NAS devices that Newegg has in stock. All the sorting tools you’d expect are there, so you can sort by price, for example, or by products with the most reviews (on Newegg). Like Newegg’s regular website, you can add filters such as bay count and RJ-45 specs, but NAS Builder’s look and feel matches the rest of Newegg and what NAS buyers might be interested in. Much cleaner than other websites with Access the set of -down filters. Unlike the NAS vendor’s NAS configurator, Newegg is more brand agnostic.
Also, the selected product is displayed at the top so you can browse the tool’s product page for a quick comparison.
At the time of writing, NAS Builder has 73 cases from 5 vendors, none rackmount (although Newegg sells them outside of his NAS Builder). That store may not have the exact NAS you want, but it will help you get a general idea of current prices and selections should you decide to shop elsewhere.
You need more than Newegg’s NAS Builder to make an informed decision. It doesn’t share a specific CPU model or his NAS features, other than limited choices. Want your NAS to include USB ports for printers, HDMI for connecting TVs to media servers, or PCIe for connecting GPUs? Or for troubleshooting needs, advanced encryption, or internal file system? Any support? Need to dig deeper than this tool.
Drive selection made easier, but not perfect
Perhaps the best part of Newegg’s tool is that, once you pick your NAS, the site automatically shows compatible HDDs and SSDs and lets you fill out the enclosure, ensuring you don’t pick more drives than you have bays or capacity for. You can get a quick read of basic specs, like RPM, cache, and size, but for greater details you’ll have to click on the product to launch its separate product page.
The tool also doesn’t tell you if an HDD uses SMR (shingled magnetic recording) or CMR (conventional magnetic recording) disks. Our testing has shown that SMR can be OK for certain NASes, but if users insist on CMR, they’ll have to look at more information than what’s on Newegg’s tool. When asked why the tool doesn’t differentiate between HDDs using SMR and CMR disks, a Newegg rep told Ars Technica that the tool’s “goal is to streamline the shopping process” but noted the company’s “continuing to evaluate the tool.”
There is a disclaimer, though, about Western Digital Black and Surveillance drives being “not recommended for NAS with heavy read/write workloads,” but they’re still included in the shopping tool. If you’re considering one of these drives and aren’t sure if it’s right for your particular needs, Newegg’s NAS Builder can’t help you make the right decision.
Newegg’s tool also estimates the number of minutes of videos, photos, and albums that a built NAS can hold, but its parameters are wide and users’ needs and experiences vary widely. For example, the supported video minutes are measured at 270 MB per minute based on 4K resolution at 24 frames per second, 36.48 Mbps bitrate, and H.264 codec support. Having tools that allow you to adjust these parameters for different video resolutions, for example, allows for greater customization and predictive control.
Filling out your selected NAS is also easier with the Newegg configurator’s RAID calculator (RAID 0, 1, 5, 6) that breaks down your storage array by general storage or “capacity,” “protection,” and “unused.”
Finally, the tool comes with a minimum wattage estimate (Newegg uses “a power consumption property to calculate the wattage on a SKU-by-SKU basis for NAS enclosures,” and for HDDs, it uses “a benchmark number estimated by the average across most drives,” it told Ars), plus, of course, the cost of buying all these parts from Newegg. Obviously, the latter encourages you to buy from Newegg, but seeing the price for a would-be NAS change on-screen automatically with different product selections can simplify shopping, regardless of where you ultimately make your purchase.
A good place to start
As mentioned, NAS builders seeking certain features will have to dig deeper than Newegg’s shopping tool to ensure they have what they need in a NAS, but this tool makes getting the ball rolling easier and more organized.
But while the tool has a link to Newegg’s general page for prebuilt NAS devices, it doesn’t suggest to users the option to build a NAS from scratch, despite recommending DIY NAS elsewhere on its site.
Newegg’s NAS Builder, though limited, is a unique organizer that can serve as a launching point for newcomers and those who want to set up a NAS and have few concerns beyond capacity, drive type, RAID configurations, and budget. Conscientious shoppers read reviews, scan product pages for features and features they want, and double-check pricing and availability outside of Newegg. But considering the good stock Newegg offers his PC enthusiasts, and the neat functionality of its new tools, the builder isn’t a bad place to start.
