NAS or Mac mini 3,1

[mdelrossi]

Hello,
I have a spare Mac mini 3,1 and was wondering if it would be suitable for use as a NAS. Basic file backup TimeMachine, iTunes storage, Photo archive (I've got over 2 TB of photographs).

I will also have an offsite backup that I'd like to have synced overnight.

Ive got a Synology DS414j that I'm testing right now it would work fine as the offsite backup but it's a bit slow for transfers at home/office, ranging around 20-50 MB/s on Gigabit network.

Any suggestions would be welcome .
thanks
mdr

 

[ColdCase]

I have both, the mini (with the $30 server package) works much better and is scalable. All the apps work better and being mac based there is no learning curve. The synology is not approved for TM backups, use CCC instead. The mini works best with TB enclosures. USB is OK if you use a drive/enclosure thats not quirky.

 

[Ray2]

+1 to the above. I tried an early model NAS (I assume they've improved) and almost immediately went back to my 3,1 mini.