Hello all,
I was just thinking how useful a network storage would be: I have an external hdd that I don't want to keep connected to my laptop all the time, even though I use it as a backup disk. However, it would be even more useful to have a small computer (a barebone PC, I guess, or maybe a mini pc, I'm not sure what the difference is) that I can set up myself.
Now my question is: what PC is best for what I want - and cheapest? I'd rather not spend a lot of money on it, though I'm afraid I will have to.
Now what I want from it:
* It must be able to run Free- or OpenBSD (Linux is also acceptable, but I'd prefer Free- or OpenBSD for a server).
* It must have a wireless interface.
* It must have at least two USB interfaces (preferably four) so I can connect external hard disks.
* I might want to use it as a media center eventually, which means it would be good if it would have an HDMI output, and could possibly be extended with a remote control (I guess I'll need another USB port for that...). A BlueRay DVD Player/Writer would be good but I'm not sure if that's going to be worth the extra money.
I'm definitely going to use it as a network storage (unless it's going to be too expensive, in which case I'll buy a regular network storage device), and I'd also like to keep it running at night to download some torrents so I don't have to keep my laptops running at night.
Now, do you guys have any suggestions on what I should buy and how expensive it's going to be? Should I look for Barebone PCs or MiniPCs?
Thanks in advance