Before going out and building your own NAS RAID solution, you need to consider some important details. One detail that is getting a lot more press is energy costs. In the past, some would recommend just taking some old desktop hardware you have laying around and then loading a dedicated NAS operating systems such as Unraid or TrueNAS.

But as many have pointed out in the comments, using a dedicated NAS box has some serious advantages – mostly in more efficient power draw. While a commercial NAS box may cost about 20% more, that can easily pay for itself after a year of power draw if the NAS is always on.

It’s always good to check your TCO (total cost of ownership) before just whipping something up you’ll need long-term.