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May 19th, 2014 23:00
Using XPS 8300 as a NAS?
Hello everyone,
In about a several months or so, when I get my laptop, I am planning to use this PC as a NAS. Has anyone done it with this PC before? I got a couple questions to ask.
There is a PCIE x16 slot on the XPS 8300's motherboard, primary for dedicated GPU use. Is it possible to plug in a RAID card in there? Spec wise it will work, but will Dell's BIOS will prevent it from working?
Second, have anyone plug in a GPU into one of the PCIE x1 slots? Does it work? I am still deciding whether to put in a GPU or not (might be thinking to use it as a HTPC as well), most likely a low end card such as HD 5450 or HD 6450, a regular PCIE x16 card, with a PCIE x1 to x16 riser, such as this:
Or this with additional power (I have heard other threads and people saying that video cards won't work because they don't have enough power):
http://www.amazon.com/Vantacor-Powered-Flexible-Riser-Extender/dp/B00HG1C702/ref=pd_cp_pc_0
That's all I got to ask at the moment. Thanks for the help.
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ipwn3r456
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May 20th, 2014 18:00
Hello Osprey4,
Thanks for the reply. It's not that I want to put the video card on the x1 slot, there isn't just enough PCIE x16 slots on the Dell XPS 8300's motherboard. The PCIE x16 slot will be used for the RAID controller, so that leaves me with 3 PCIE x1 slots left. Or maybe I am not just going to put in a GPU at all, still deciding.
The other thing I am worry about are the drivers. I don't think I am going to use Linux OSes, or something like FreeNAS. I think I might go with Windows Server OSes, such as Windows Server 2008, 2012, or Windows Home Server 2011. Would Windows 7 drivers would work for those OSes? Thanks.
osprey4
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May 20th, 2014 18:00
Hi ipwn3r456,
The Dell BIOS will not prevent your using drives attached to a controller card, which generally have their own BIOS. In theory, there's nothing wrong with your idea, although I'm not sure why you want to put the video card in an x1 slot. I can certainly think of easier ways to put together an NAS.
osprey4
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May 23rd, 2014 06:00
This is a consumer machine so driver support for operating systems other than Windows 7 is going to be non-existent. If you really want a server, there is lots of cheap used hardware that would work better with a server OS.