When people talk about building a NAS, the conversation usually goes one of two ways:

  • A step-by-step install guide for software such as TrueNAS
  • Or a massive rack-mounted setup with more drives than most small businesses will ever need

Neither of those was what I was looking for.

I didn’t want a homelab, I didn’t want a science project, And I definitely didn’t want something that sounded like a server room sitting five feet from my desk.

I wanted something simple:

A reliable, quiet NAS that fits into a real office and just does its job.

This is how I approached that problem—and why I landed on TrueNAS.

The Constraints (This Is Where It Starts)

Before looking at hardware or software, I had to be honest about the constraints.

This wasn’t going into a basement or a dedicated rack closet; it was going into a small office where I actually work every day.

That meant:

  • Noise matters — constant fan and/or hard disk noise gets old fast
  • Size matters — I don’t have space for a full rack server
  • Power usage matters — this runs 24/7
  • Reliability matters — this is storing real work, not media hoarding
  • Cost matters — but not at the expense of stability

And maybe most importantly:

I didn’t need “infinite scalability.” I needed “appropriate capacity.”

That framing alone rules out a lot of overbuilt solutions.

Why Not Just Buy a Synology?

I seriously considered it.

Synology (and others) are great for:

  • Plug-and-play setups
  • Low effort
  • Clean UI

But I kept coming back to a few concerns:

  • You’re locked into their ecosystem
  • Hardware is often underpowered for the price
  • You don’t really control the underlying system
  • ZFS (which I wanted) isn’t part of the story

For some use cases, that tradeoff is fine. For mine, I wanted something that felt a little closer to the metal, without becoming a full-time job to manage.

Why Not Reuse Old Hardware?

This is the classic “free NAS” trap.

Take an old desktop, throw some drives in it, install something, and call it a day.

The problem is:

  • It’s usually louder
  • It’s often less power efficient
  • It tends to become less reliable over time

It works—until it doesn’t. I wanted something intentionally built for the role.

Hardware: Right-Sized, Not Overbuilt

I ended up building around an Intel N5105-based motherboard in a compact NAS case.

That decision wasn’t about chasing performance—it was about practicality.

A big factor was:

I already had DDR4 SO-DIMMs on hand

That immediately lowered the cost of the build and made the N5105 platform a very natural fit. It’s easy to overlook things like existing parts, but they can (and should) influence your decisions.

Beyond that, the platform checked the boxes I cared about:

  • Low power draw
  • Quiet operation (no need for aggressive cooling)
  • Enough performance for storage and light services
  • Compact, purpose-built NAS boards available

For storage, I went with:

3 × WD Red Plus 6TB drives Configured as RAIDZ1

Why 3 drives?

Because it hit the balance I was looking for:

  • Redundancy
  • Reasonable usable capacity
  • Lower cost and less noise than a larger array

Could I have gone bigger? Sure. But again, the goal wasn’t to build the biggest NAS possible—it was to build the right one.

The Case for Quiet

The case matters more than most people think.

I went with a Jonsbo N1, which is:

  • Compact
  • Clean looking
  • Designed for NAS builds
  • Capable of good airflow without excessive fan noise

Combined with:

  • Fewer drives
  • Efficient CPU
  • No unnecessary components

…the result is something that fades into the background.

That was the goal.

Why TrueNAS

Once hardware was settled, the OS decision became much easier.

I considered:

  • Unraid
  • Plain Linux + ZFS
  • Even going back to something simpler

But TrueNAS hit the balance I wanted:

1. ZFS Without Compromise

ZFS was a requirement:

  • Snapshots
  • Data integrity
  • Long-term reliability

TrueNAS treats ZFS as a first-class citizen.

2. A Real UI (Without Losing Control)

I didn’t want to manage everything via CLI.

But I also didn’t want a locked-down appliance.

TrueNAS sits in a good middle ground:

  • Web UI for 90% of tasks
  • CLI available when needed

3. Designed for This Exact Use Case

TrueNAS isn’t trying to be everything.

It’s very clearly designed to:

Store data reliably.

That focus shows up in:

  • Dataset management
  • Snapshots
  • Replication
  • Backup workflows

Setup: What Actually Mattered

There are plenty of guides on installing TrueNAS, so I won’t repeat that.

What did matter:

Network Gotchas

My onboard NICs didn’t behave as expected during install.

This is one of those moments where:

Having a simple USB Ethernet adapter saved a lot of time.

Once installed, everything worked—but it’s a good reminder that:

  • Hardware compatibility still matters
  • “Supported” doesn’t always mean “smooth”

Pool Design

I kept things simple:

  • boot-pool (system)
  • core-pool (main RAIDZ1 storage)

There’s a temptation to over-engineer this early. I’d recommend resisting that. Start simple. Expand later.

Dataset Structure

Instead of dumping everything into one dataset, I split by purpose:

  • Backups (Proxmox)
  • General storage
  • Future expansion

This gives flexibility later without overcomplicating the initial setup.

How It Fits Into My Stack

This NAS isn’t standalone.

It’s part of a broader setup:

  • Proxmox running VMs and containers
  • Backups flowing into TrueNAS
  • Future plans for snapshots and replication

The goal is:

Compute happens on Proxmox Storage lives on TrueNAS

Keeping those roles separate has already proven to be the right call.

What I’d Do Differently

A few small things:

  • I’d plan static IP assignments earlier
  • You don’t need a huge boot drive; I settled on 32GB and it’s been plenty
  • I’d document drive bay → serial mappings sooner

Nothing major—but these are the kinds of details that matter over time.

Final Thoughts

There are a lot of ways to build a NAS.

Most of them fall into one of two categories:

  • Overbuilt
  • Or underthought

I was aiming for something in the middle.

  • Not flashy.
  • Not massive.
  • Not complicated.

Just:

Reliable, quiet, and appropriate for the job.

And for that, TrueNAS turned out to be the right foundation.

If you’re building something similar, my advice is simple:

  • Start with your constraints.
  • Be honest about what you actually need.
  • And resist the urge to build for a future that may never come.

That alone will get you 90% of the way there.