Movie / Series Storage

[MikyMouse]

I was thinking that this might be my best bet. Thanks though. Any brands to look out for in particular?

I bought a 2TB Verbatim, which is also USB3 compliant. It was formatted in FAT32 out of the box, so perfect for my needs. So far, it is working perfectly, so I would really recommend it. It is currently selling for R1499, though.

Where did u get it from?

[Superjakes]

Where did u get it from?

I bought it from Makro about a month ago. Their promotions change on a weekly basis, keep an eye on their website.

[MikyMouse]

Where did u get it from?

I bought it from Makro about a month ago. Their promotions change on a weekly basis, keep an eye on their website.

Thanks I will definitely do so

[TJ99]

Thanks for the explanation! Just a few more questions, how would you connect the micro server to a pc, ps3 etc via USB? FireWire? Or only over a network?? What connections are available at the back of the server. Also is this HP one the best bang for my buck that I can get? Where can I get them and how much are they generally. And finally what SATA drive brand and model should I look out for.

Thanks again for the help

It depends largely on what you want to do. The best way to connect anything of course is having all devices on a home network. It works just like any PC, you can connect a screen, keyboard, etc, or remote manage it through the network, which is what I do. On the back it has 2 USB 2.0 ports, a Gigabit network port and a VGA port. On the front there's another 4 USB 2.0 ports.

Here's a link http://www.digitalplanet.co.za/p-124...croserver.aspx although it seems very expensive, they should be about R1300 to 1500 normally. I got mine from the HP shop but it's no longer listed there. Some forum members have got them for under a grand though. A few people bought boatloads of the things on special and are selling them. Check out the official thread: http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthre...ht=Microserver There's usually people discussing where the best places to buy them are, what setups they use, etc.

It's definitely the best bang for buck you can get, it's a full server PC that's really (I mean REALLY) well built, for under R2000. Most 4-bay NAS units cost a lot more than that.

You can also turn it into an HTPC (which is what most people are doing it seems) by adding a cheap graphics card with HDMI out, see the thread above. You can use any standard 3.5 inch SATA drives, same as a desktop PC. It comes with a 250GB drive if I remember correctly. Same with DDR3 RAM. (I think the newer model comes with 2GB). You don't need ECC server RAM and you can even mix ECC and non-ECC RAM. In other words it can work straight out of the box (after installing an OS), and you expand it with standard PC components.

Although if you don't have a network set up and prefer to carry and plug in a portable HD all the time, just get an external enclosure for your existing drive. Less setup but waaaaaay less convenient and more of a daily schlep than a centralised storage solution.

[dualmeister]

I am looking for a storage solution for all my movies and series, I currently use a Verbatim 1TB external HDD which I connect to my TV or PS3. Sometimes however I do need to disconnect it and take it to my girlfriends place and watch on her TV

Based on your requirements, the stock HP Microserver is not the best option for you. It's basically like carting around a PC when you are looking for a portable USB HDD. Go with the 2TB option as mentioned or even a 2 bay external HDD enclosure. Can use 1HDD in it for now and add another one later.

[TJ99]

Based on your requirements, the stock HP Microserver is not the best option for you. It's basically like carting around a PC when you are looking for a portable USB HDD. Go with the 2TB option as mentioned or even a 2 bay external HDD enclosure. Can use 1HDD in it for now and add another one later.

I agree with this, but that's why I mentioned the removable drive trays. That's what I use. I just take 1 drive at a time and leave the server running.

One more thing to mention - Using a portable drive as permanent storage for anything is a seriously bad idea. Portable drives are good for just copying the stuff you want to take with you, but your permanent storage should still be something fixed.

[MikyMouse]

Wow guys thanks for all this info, it has really given me something to think about.

Dualmeister, the option that you mentioned with the dual drive bay sounds very interesting. Could you recommend any brands for this type of thing? Where to get it and how much they cost?

Again with hard drives I am quite clueless as to what to look for and brands and where to get them

[dualmeister]

I was using this one.

Agestar Usb V3 External Enclosure For Two Bay Sata Hard Drive

However, it seems they no longer stock it

I know Vantec also has some and if you wan to be fancy Lian-Li has a few fancy ones.

[Superjakes]

Game is advertising a 2TB Western Digital hard drive for R1099. I think it's a great price
http://www.winwithgame.co.za/media/g...5-07-2012.html

[pozmans]

LIKE! Atleast Walmart's doing something right!