Celeron J4105 based NAS build

Here comes some info about my NAS I build in Febuarry 22

ASRock Celeron J4105 (10W TDP ),

150WPicoPSU,

Raid 5 Array: 4x WD Red 2TB,

250 GB NVMe SSD on PCIe V1,

2x 4GB RAM SO-DIMM 2400,

(read/write 950/850 Mb/s over GE (84 GB-file with i5 8th Gen, NVMe SSD as exchange partner).

It's in a Lian Li (PC_Q08) Alu-Case with 2 Fans controlled by MB.

272 x 227 x 345 mm. I replaced the huge 350W Powersupply by a tiny 150W PicoPSUYou can't even see on the pics, but it's inserted in the powersupply socket on the MB and an external 90W AC-Adapter. It is very silent and only needs 12W.

All for EUR 280,- most ordered as used parts by bits and peaces. (excluding the four WD Red drives, I had before, about EUR 65,- each)

Additionally I have a 6 TB external USB3 Drive to backup the entire Raid 5 array regularly via rsync of all shared folders. (cause there is no 5ht Sata-port left on the MB)

Hi Stratosrv,

Yes I took a Xiwai Low Profile PCI-E 3.0 x1 Lane to M.2 NGFF M-Key SSD Nvme AHCI PCI-Express Adapter.

Fist have look to your free PCIe Slot what physical iterface it is and then You should take care that it is compatible with your SSD Module.

In my case it was a just a small PCIe x1 Slot. And i had a NVMe SSD. Just had a look to asrock page and saw that it seems to be the same slot on Yours.

This is what it looked like when I did my first proof of concept

Fresh measured at the Wallsocket:

Total power consumption is about

23,5 W with spinning raid array

and

26,5 W sending large files with about 800 Mbit/s.

The 12W were only CPU, RAM, SSD Systemdisk and the 2 Fans without any rotating HDDs connected.

I configured spindown for every single disk in the raid array after 5 min. Then there is 19 to 20W power consumption. But i can't really see if, or when they actually spin down.

As mentioned in the manufacturers Product Features the 4 WD Reds have a power consumption of 4.1W (Read/Write) and 2.1W (Idle) each one

( Standby/Sleep 0.4W ).

But they can deliver 210MB/s (intern. transferrate) what no one else in my entire network can support. Top bandwidth in my 1Gbit Network would be 128MB/s . So it should be less.

Cause my Raid 5 Array has been destroied by a sneeking poweroutage on at the end all 4 SATA drives, I changed to a conventional PSU.

Additionaly I changed my system drive last weekend (Feb. 2nd 2025) fom VNAND 256GB/Efi on PCIe Adapter to another M.2 NVME 256GB/MBR on PCIe to SATA-Adapter, by dd copy 1:1. Cause I needed one more SATA to change my externeal USB3 BU-Drive to a chassis-integrated SATA Drive now. (Less devices and PSUs beside the chassis). Everything worked like a charme. Even UUIDs have been Cloned ; )) by dd. Now I'ld like to change the System drive to gpt/efi again. So I decided to use clonezilla for a full BU but this is another story...

And I changed my Systemdrive

from

to (cause new SATA Adapter does not accept of the V-NAND above)

on a M.2 SSD to 2,5“ SATA Adapter

connected via SATA cable to a PCIe adapter

3,7GB-File Raid to Notebook via GB-Ethernet:

refer post #1 above: It's in a Lian Li (PC_Q08) Alu-Case with 2 Fans controlled by MB.

Quote from MGiannandrea

Hello .

About the PICO PSU..can you explain how it works? I see is like an add on part where you connect power supply.

Is it used to optimize the power consumption?

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If You would have asked chat gpt the answer would have been this:

A 150W PicoPSU is a small form factor power supply unit (PSU) commonly used in compact or low-power systems, such as mini-PCs or embedded devices. It provides electrical power to the system by converting alternating current (AC) from a standard wall outlet into the direct current (DC) required by the components inside the system (like the motherboard, hard drive, or other peripherals). The 150W rating refers to the maximum output power the PSU can supply.

Here’s how it works:

1. AC Input:

• The PicoPSU is connected to a standard power source, usually 100–240V AC (depending on the region). The AC power from the wall outlet is fed into the PSU.

2. AC-to-DC Conversion:

• Inside the PicoPSU, the AC voltage is first converted to DC voltage. This is typically done using a rectifier and filtering components like capacitors to smooth out the AC waveform into a steady DC signal.

3. DC-DC Conversion:

• Once the initial DC voltage is created, a series of step-down converters are used to reduce the voltage to the required levels (usually 3.3V, 5V, and 12V) that are needed by the computer’s internal components. These DC-DC converters are efficient and allow the PicoPSU to remain compact and efficient while providing power to the system.

4. Power Distribution:

• The PSU then distributes the DC power to various components of the system, such as:
  • 12V for the motherboard, storage devices (HDD/SSD), and peripherals.
  • 5V for USB ports and other peripherals.
  • 3.3V for specific low-power components.

5. Low Power Efficiency:

• The PicoPSU is designed to be highly efficient, especially for small systems where minimal power consumption is important. It typically uses a fanless design, relying on passive cooling, and is ideal for systems that need around 150 watts or less of power. This helps reduce power loss and heat generation.

6. Compact Design:

• The "Pico" part of PicoPSU refers to its extremely small form factor. The unit is much smaller than traditional power supplies, making it ideal for small or fanless systems where space is a premium, such as mini-ITX or compact computers.

Key Features:

• Low Power Consumption: Efficient at converting power with minimal heat.
• Compact Size: Great for small form factor PCs.
• Silent Operation: No fans, making it ideal for noise-sensitive environments.
• Efficiency: High efficiency (typically around 90% or more) to reduce heat and wasted energy.

In summary, a 150W PicoPSU works by converting AC power into DC power with high efficiency, providing necessary voltages for small, low-power systems. It’s a compact, fanless solution often used in low-power or miniaturized systems.