1 yr. ago • 92%

Need suggestions for storage expansion in a mini pc

Hi all, I have a very simple homeland which consists of just one thinkcentre mini pc. I don't really need extra storage at this moment, but I think adding another disk for redundancy will be nice.

The problem is, the mini pc only has space for one hard drive. What is the best thing to do in this case? Is the a reliable way to add an (ideally, with space to add more later) extra disk to it? I don't really want to get something like a Synology as I'm happy with the processing power etc. of this. Some way to expand the storage as directly as possible will be the best.

14 comments

USB 3 is often more than enough if you're thinking of using regular spinning disks. I have a ThinkCentre mini with 3x USB 3 ports. I've connected 4 external disks to it, 2 of them directly and 2 via a USB 3 hub. It purrs happily without a fault. Just make sure the cables aren't easy to disconnect accidentally while it's working. E.g.:

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- seems like a fire hazard no?
  
  5
  
  The case is fireproof up to 200°C. Internal ICs will burn much earlier than that and hopefully stop, if the devices were designed competently. 🤭
  
  2
- How bad are the vibrations?
  
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  Not bad at all. These are 4 external WD drives. The actual disks are mounted on big ass rubber mounts to the cases. They're quieter than bare disks in a PC case.
  
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To add simple storage you could go with something like this: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0BQ6SHNP1?

I was blown away at the cool design (the case and cover are the heatsink, you install it with a thermal paste pad inside - how cool is that?!) and how inexpensive 1TB m2 cards are now.

If you want expandable storage, then maybe a NAS?

Husband set up one a year or so ago and it has been really cool. Easy to back up and access anything on it.

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- I was going to suggest something just like this !
  
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- ugreen is Chinese, but one of the good ones.
  
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  so far not been disappointed by Ugreen
  
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- I already have an external HDD. Maybe I can try the setup out with that.
  
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If you need to add more than one drive you should look at external enclosures. There are 4-drive models just over $100 and 8-drive models just over $200. You connect them with eSata, USB 3, or USB C, depending on the enclosure.

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Got an e sata port?

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- No, unfortunately.
  
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