All in One Package System Vs Pc Based Piece-meal System

Hello everybody. This is what I want to know. I am ready to bite the bullet on a system but cannot decide on whether I want to build one (ip, poe, pc based) or buy an all in one dedicated system. What I am struggling with is how beefy of a computer tower would I need to be able to stream/record/manage say 4 high def cameras that will be recording constantly? Would I definitely need to invest in a pc card? What kind of RAM would the computer need at a minimum in order to be able to stream efficiently?

I am aware of the benefits of a pc based system. However, I don't want this latest project of mine to turn into a huge money pit (although I would love for it to). Thank you in advance.

I use an Intel NUC i5, 4GB RAM, 2TB drive, 10 cameras (8 are 3MP, 2 are 1.3MP) and it works great for me. For 4, I would save the money and get the Intel NUC Celeron, 4GB RAM, 1TB drive, should cost you under $250 for the hardware. I like the NUC's because they are tiny (4.5" square, 2" tall), they use very low power CPU, so minimal heat, heck, no CPU fan to burn out and mine uses about 12-14W. I also use efficient software, in my case Milestone XProtect. You can get the free Go version as it supports 8 cameras with 5 days recording or pay $49/cam without those limitations for the Essential version. Or many times, you can get pretty decent software from the camera company for free, like ACTi NVR 3.0, Hikvision iVMS4200 PCNVR or Dahua iDMSS.

The downside to the NUC is only one drive, so you can't have redundancy in a RAID configuration. If that's important to you, look at the Dell T20, can hold 4 3.5" drives + 2 2.5" and has beefy fans, well made, cheap. The Celeron is fine for 4 cameras, more than that, the Xeon version works well, we run it with about 20 cameras.

As for packaged system, do you mean a DVR/NVR or a pre-built system from major NVR software company like a Milestone appliance? If installing Windows and Windows based software is beyond your skills, then this is the way to go. If you don't have issues with Windows, then once you install the software, setting up cameras, motion detection, remote access and the like is the same level of effort.