# William Osman, I Built You a Computer!

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_5dq6yK6DY
Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/F_5dq6yK6DY
Generated: 2025-09-27T17:32:55.458+00:00

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## Quick Overview

William Osman built a portable, rugged Network Attached Storage (NAS) server, nicknamed "A.S.S." (Anywhere Storage Server), inside a Pelican Air case, requiring custom 3D-printed parts and specialized server components like an ASRock Rack AM5D4ID-2T motherboard and a 16-core AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU to meet the one-month deadline.

**Key Points:**
- The custom portable NAS, nicknamed "A.S.S." (Anywhere Storage Server), was built inside a Pelican Air case to meet William Osman's requirement for portability.
- The build utilized an ASRock Rack AM5D4ID-2T server motherboard, which supports consumer AM5 CPUs, and an AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU (16 cores, 32 threads).
- Storage capacity came from four KIOXIA CD6-R 15.36TB NVMe SSDs, totaling 61.44TB of raw storage, which were installed using a custom 3D-printed bracket.
- Cooling for the high-TDP CPU was achieved using a Noctua NH-U9S Black cooler, and additional cooling for the case/drives involved three Noctua fans mounted to a custom rear panel.
- The server components were powered by an external HDPLEX 500W GaN ATX Power Supply, which was secured inside the case using custom 3D-printed mounts.
- The project involved extensive modification of the Pelican case, including cutting holes for ports and mounting components, using Loctite 242 threadlocker for security.
- The final result was a functional, rugged, and portable NAS solution designed to be easily transported to events like Open Sauce.

![Screenshot at 00:44: The team demonstrates the custom 3D-printed bracket designed to hold the NVMe SSDs within the Pelican case, highlighting the necessary modifications for component mounting.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/F_5dq6yK6DY/00-00-44.png)

**Context:** The video documents the process of building a highly portable, rugged Network Attached Storage (NAS) device for William Osman, designed to be functional immediately upon arrival at events like Open Sauce. The project required integrating high-performance server components, including a server-grade motherboard and a powerful consumer CPU, into a protective Pelican case, necessitating significant custom fabrication using 3D printing.

## Detailed Analysis

The project involved building a portable NAS system for William Osman, nicknamed "A.S.S." (Anywhere Storage Server), which had to fit inside a Pelican Air case. The build required significant customization, including cutting holes in the case for ventilation and ports, and using 3D-printed parts for mounting. Key components included an ASRock Rack AM5D4ID-2T server motherboard, allowing the use of a consumer AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU. For storage, four 18TB KIOXIA CD6-R NVMe SSDs were used, providing 61.44TB of usable ZFS storage (though the final usable capacity after Raid Z2 parity was calculated to be 186.05 TiB in the software interface). Cooling was a major concern due to the high-TDP CPU and enclosed environment; a Noctua NH-U9S cooler was used for the CPU, and three Noctua case fans were installed on the rear panel of the case. Power was supplied by a compact HDPLEX 500W GaN ATX Power Supply, secured with custom mounts and Loctite 242 threadlocker on screws to prevent vibration-related failure. The final assembly involved carefully mounting all components inside the case, ensuring proper airflow and securing everything so it could withstand transportation, which was jokingly tested by showing the case being dropped or handled roughly.

### Project Setup & Requirements

- The build had a one-month deadline and required the NAS to be portable, rugged, and feature high capacity (288TB raw storage mentioned during ZFS discussion).

### Component Selection

- Key parts included the ASRock Rack AM5D4ID-2T motherboard, AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU, four 18TB KIOXIA CD6-R NVMe SSDs, and a Noctua NH-U9S cooler.

### Custom Fabrication

- The team 3D-printed custom parts, including brackets to hold the NVMe SSDs and inserts to accommodate the external ports (like the 10GbE switch) and mounting the HDPLEX PSU.

### Assembly Process

- Components were mounted inside the Pelican Air case using standoffs and screws secured with Loctite 242 threadlocker; the process involved cutting holes in the case for airflow and external ports.

### Cooling Solution

- The system employed a Noctua CPU cooler and three additional Noctua case fans mounted to a custom rear panel to manage heat, especially since the SSDs ran hot at 70 degrees Celsius at idle.

### Storage Configuration

- The 16 hard drives (though the build used 4 NVMe SSDs for the OS pool) were configured in a ZFS Raid Z2 array for redundancy.

### Final Product & Testing

- The completed portable NAS, labeled "A.S.S." (Anywhere Storage Server), was shown to be successfully powered on and survived transportation, including being dropped/jerked around.

![Screenshot at 00:01: William Osman \(in straw hat\) and a host introduce the project.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/F_5dq6yK6DY/00-00-01.png)
![Screenshot at 00:04: A quick cutaway showing William Osman's previous X-ray machine project, contrasting with the current NAS build.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/F_5dq6yK6DY/00-00-04.png)
![Screenshot at 00:14: The team is shown discussing the requirements for the portable NAS build.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/F_5dq6yK6DY/00-00-14.png)
![Screenshot at 00:47: The hosts discuss the requirements, including portability and a one-month deadline.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/F_5dq6yK6DY/00-00-47.png)
![Screenshot at 00:57: The group gathers around the components, including the empty Pelican case and the various PC parts.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/F_5dq6yK6DY/00-00-57.png)
![Screenshot at 01:03: The unboxing of a component inside the Pelican case reveals an illuminated logo, suggesting a self-contained system.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/F_5dq6yK6DY/00-01-03.png)
![Screenshot at 01:36: The hosts debate the complexity of building the NAS versus other projects, like the robot.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/F_5dq6yK6DY/00-01-36.png)
![Screenshot at 02:48: A screenshot detailing the requirements for the NAS build, including the need for the system to be portable.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/F_5dq6yK6DY/00-02-48.png)
![Screenshot at 03:50: A close-up of the ASRock server motherboard, highlighting the dedicated IPMI port for remote management.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/F_5dq6yK6DY/00-03-50.png)
![Screenshot at 04:44: The team works on modifying the Pelican case, using a utility knife to cut out openings for ports and cooling fans, illustrating the custom fabrication required for portability.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/F_5dq6yK6DY/00-04-44.png)