Building a Silent All-Flash NAS: Zero Noise, Maximum Speed

Tired of the constant drone of spinning hard drives in your living space? Want NAS performance that doesn't sound like a jet engine taking off? Welcome to the world of all-flash NAS builds—silent, fast, and surprisingly affordable in 2025.

This guide walks you through building a completely silent, all-SSD network attached storage system using the popular Jonsbo N2 case, an Intel N100 processor, and modern SATA SSDs. You'll get blazing fast storage with zero mechanical noise, all while keeping power consumption under 20 watts.

Why Go All-Flash?

Traditional NAS builds use spinning hard drives for their cost-per-gigabyte advantage. But that advantage comes with trade-offs that matter more than ever:

The Case for SSDs

When All-Flash Makes Sense

• Living room or bedroom placement: Zero noise is essential
• Home office environments: No drive chatter during video calls
• Small apartment living: Every decibel matters
• High-IOPS workloads: VMs, databases, Docker containers
• Photo/video editing: Random access performance is critical
• Energy-conscious users: Lower power bills over time

The Jonsbo N2: The Perfect Silent NAS Case

The Jonsbo N2 has become the go-to case for DIY NAS builders seeking a compact, attractive, and functional enclosure. Here's why it's ideal for all-flash builds:

Jonsbo N2 Specifications

• Dimensions: 222.5mm × 222.5mm × 224mm (compact cube)
• Drive Bays: 5× 3.5" (or 2.5" with adapters)
• Motherboard Support: Mini-ITX
• PSU Support: SFX/SFX-L
• Cooling: 1× 120mm rear fan + 1× 92mm drive bay fan
• Build Quality: Aluminum exterior, steel interior

Why the N2 for All-Flash?

The Jonsbo N2's drive cage design uses rubber grommets and handles rather than traditional caddies, providing vibration dampening—less critical for SSDs but still appreciated. The compact footprint (about the size of a toaster) makes it perfect for shelf or desk placement.

Key Modification for Silence: The stock 92mm drive bay fan is notoriously loud. Replacing it with a Noctua NF-A12x25 LS-PWM (using a 3D-printed adapter or creative mounting) drops noise to near-zero while maintaining adequate airflow for the passively-cooled N100.

Hardware Selection

Let's build a silent all-flash NAS with two budget tiers.

Budget Build (~$400-500)

Motherboard + CPU:

• ASUS Prime N100I-D D4 (~$130)
  • Intel N100 with passive heatsink (fanless!)
  • 2× DDR4 SODIMM slots
  • 1× M.2 NVMe slot
  • 2× SATA ports onboard
  • Intel Quick Sync for transcoding

RAM:

• 16GB DDR4 SODIMM (~$35)
  • Crucial or Kingston
  • 3200MHz adequate for NAS workloads

Boot Drive:

• 256GB NVMe SSD (~$25)
  • M.2 slot for OS
  • Keeps SATA ports free for storage

SATA Expansion:

• ASMedia 1166 M.2 to 6× SATA adapter (~$25)
  • Plugs into second M.2 slot (if available) or via PCIe adapter
  • Well-supported in TrueNAS and UnRAID
  • Avoid JMB585-based cards (compatibility issues)

Storage SSDs:

• 4× Crucial MX500 2TB (~$130 each = $520)
  • Total: 8TB raw storage
  • Excellent endurance (700 TBW)
  • 5-year warranty

Power Supply:

• Corsair SF450 Gold (~$90)
  • SFX form factor for N2 case
  • 80+ Gold efficiency
  • Includes SFX-to-ATX bracket
  • Semi-fanless at low loads

Case:

• Jonsbo N2 (~$100)

Cooling:

• Noctua NF-A12x25 LS-PWM (~$35)
  • Replaces loud stock fan
  • Ultra-quiet at low RPM

Budget Build Total: ~$960 (8TB usable with no redundancy, ~6TB with RAID-Z1)

Premium Build (~$800-1000)

Motherboard + CPU:

• Topton N18 NAS Board (~$180)
  • Intel N100 with passive cooling
  • 6× SATA ports built-in (no adapter needed!)
  • 2× 2.5GbE NICs
  • DDR5 support
  • Better BIOS than earlier Topton boards

RAM:

• 32GB DDR5 SODIMM (~$80)
  • Future-proofs for VM workloads

Boot Drive:

• 512GB NVMe SSD (~$40)
  • More space for Docker containers

Storage SSDs:

• 5× Samsung 870 EVO 4TB (~$250 each = $1,250)
  • Total: 20TB raw storage
  • Industry-leading reliability
  • 2,400 TBW endurance

Power Supply:

• Corsair SF450 Platinum (~$110)
  • Higher efficiency = less heat

Case:

• Jonsbo N2 (~$100)

Cooling:

• Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM (~$35)

Premium Build Total: ~$1,795 (20TB raw, ~16TB with RAID-Z1)

Step-by-Step Build Guide

Prerequisites

• Phillips screwdriver
• Anti-static wrist strap (recommended)
• Right-angle SATA cables (highly recommended for cable management)
• 2.5" to 3.5" drive adapters (if using Jonsbo N2's 3.5" bays for 2.5" SSDs)
• Thermal paste (if reseating CPU cooler)

Step 1: Prepare the Case

1. Remove the Jonsbo N2's side panels and top panel
2. Remove the stock 92mm drive bay fan
3. Plan your cable routing—the N2 is compact!

Step 2: Install the Motherboard

1. Install the I/O shield
2. Mount the motherboard using the included standoffs
3. Connect front panel headers (power button, LEDs)

Step 3: Install RAM

1. Open the SODIMM clips
2. Insert RAM at a 45° angle
3. Press down until clips engage
4. For 2 sticks, use both slots for dual-channel

Step 4: Install Boot NVMe

1. Remove the M.2 heatsink (if present)
2. Insert NVMe at a 30° angle
3. Secure with the M.2 screw
4. Reattach heatsink

Step 5: Install SATA Expansion (if needed)

For ASUS N100I-D D4 (only 2 onboard SATA):

1. Install ASM1166 adapter in M.2 slot or PCIe slot
2. Route SATA cables from adapter to drive bays
3. Use right-angle SATA cables for cleaner routing

For Topton N18 (6 onboard SATA):

1. Simply connect SSDs directly to motherboard SATA ports
2. Use right-angle cables at the drive end

Step 6: Install SSDs in Drive Bays

1. Attach 2.5" SSDs to 3.5" adapters
2. Slide into Jonsbo's rubber grommet mounts
3. Connect SATA data cables
4. Connect SATA power cables (daisy-chain from PSU)

Step 7: Install Power Supply

1. Mount SFX PSU in the rear compartment
2. Route 24-pin ATX to motherboard
3. Route CPU power (4-pin or 8-pin) to motherboard
4. Route SATA power chains to drive bays

Step 8: Install Replacement Fan

1. Mount Noctua NF-A12x25 in the rear fan position
2. Connect to motherboard fan header
3. Set fan curve in BIOS (target: 500-800 RPM for silence)

Step 9: Cable Management

1. Bundle excess cables with zip ties
2. Route cables behind motherboard tray where possible
3. Ensure no cables obstruct airflow paths
4. The N2 is tight—patience is key!

Step 10: First Boot

1. Connect monitor, keyboard, and Ethernet
2. Power on and enter BIOS (usually DEL or F2)
3. Verify all SSDs are detected
4. Set boot drive priority to NVMe
5. Enable Wake-on-LAN if desired

Software Setup: TrueNAS SCALE

TrueNAS SCALE is ideal for all-flash NAS builds—it's free, supports Docker/Kubernetes apps, and handles ZFS beautifully.

Installation

1. Download TrueNAS SCALE ISO from truenas.com
2. Create bootable USB with Rufus or balenaEtcher
3. Boot from USB and follow installer
4. Install to NVMe boot drive
5. Reboot into TrueNAS web interface

ZFS Pool Configuration

For all-flash pools, consider these configurations:

4× 2TB SSDs (8TB raw):

• RAID-Z1: ~6TB usable, survives 1 drive failure
• Mirror pairs: ~4TB usable, best performance
• Stripe: ~8TB usable, no redundancy (not recommended)

5× 4TB SSDs (20TB raw):

• RAID-Z1: ~16TB usable, survives 1 drive failure
• RAID-Z2: ~12TB usable, survives 2 drive failures (recommended for important data)

SSD-Specific ZFS Tuning

# Enable TRIM (automatic on modern TrueNAS)
zpool set autotrim=on tank

# Optimize for SSDs (reduces write amplification)
zfs set recordsize=128K tank
zfs set atime=off tank
zfs set compression=lz4 tank

# For databases/VMs, consider smaller recordsize:
zfs set recordsize=16K tank/databases

Power Management

TrueNAS SCALE supports Intel N100 power states well:

• Enable C-states in BIOS
• System idles at 8-12W with SSDs
• Quick wake from sleep for WoL access

Noise and Power Results

Real-World Measurements

Comparison to Traditional HDD NAS

Cost Analysis: SSD vs HDD Over Time

5-Year Total Cost of Ownership

8TB HDD NAS (4× 4TB HDDs):

• Hardware: ~$500
• Electricity (40W × 24/7 × 5 years): ~$175
• Total: ~$675

8TB SSD NAS (4× 2TB SSDs):

• Hardware: ~$800
• Electricity (12W × 24/7 × 5 years): ~$52
• Total: ~$852

The SSD build costs ~$177 more over 5 years but delivers:

• Zero noise
• 400× faster random IOPS
• Lower heat output
• No vibration concerns
• Potentially longer lifespan

For living spaces where silence matters, the premium is easily justified.

Common Issues and Solutions

SSDs Not Detected

• Check SATA adapter compatibility: ASM1166 works best with TrueNAS
• Verify SATA ports are enabled in BIOS
• Try different SATA cables: Cheap cables fail frequently

High Idle Power

• Enable C-states in BIOS (Intel SpeedStep/SpeedShift)
• Check for rogue processes keeping CPU active
• Verify SSD power management: DevSleep should be enabled

Fan Noise (with Noctua)

• Lower fan curve in BIOS (500 RPM is often sufficient)
• Check fan mounting: Vibration against case causes noise
• Use rubber fan mounts if available

TRIM Not Working

• Verify ZFS autotrim: zpool get autotrim tank
• Manually trigger TRIM: zpool trim tank
• Check SSD TRIM support: hdparm -I /dev/sdX | grep TRIM

Alternative Cases

If the Jonsbo N2 isn't available or doesn't suit your needs:

Conclusion

Building a silent all-flash NAS has never been more practical. With SSD prices continuing to fall and excellent low-power CPUs like the Intel N100, you can create a completely silent storage server that:

• Uses less than 15W at idle
• Delivers hundreds of thousands of IOPS
• Fits in a compact, attractive case
• Costs under $1,000 for 8TB of redundant storage

For home users who want their NAS in a living space without the constant reminder of spinning drives, all-flash is the way forward in 2025.

Key Takeaways:

• Jonsbo N2 + Intel N100 = ideal silent NAS platform
• Replace stock fans with Noctua for true silence
• ASM1166 SATA adapters work reliably with TrueNAS
• ZFS RAID-Z1 provides good balance of capacity and protection
• 8TB all-flash costs ~$850-1,000 total
• Electricity savings partially offset higher SSD costs

Ready to enjoy the sound of silence? Start your build today.

Additional Resources

• OpenMediaVault Forum: Silent Jonsbo N2 Build
• NAS Compares: Jonsbo N2 Build Guide
• Brian Moses: DIY NAS 2025 Edition
• Hardware Meta: Jonsbo N1 Build
• TrueNAS Documentation
• r/DataHoarder