Budget Build dual ethernet, 2x2TB, $400

[drexvil]

I'm building several NAS's for small businesses.

==Here are the requirements==
$400 budget on parts
-4-8 simultaneous users at once, accessing small office documents.
-RAID 1 for redundancy
-Dual ethernet, as the locations all have two separate networks that cannot be bridged.
-Network switches are 10/100MB based, not Gigabit.
-Data integrity and backups have priority over speed.

==Here's what I spec'ed out so far==
CPU: Phenom II X2 560 Black Edition $87.99
MB: Gigabyte GA-78LMT-S2P 760G $10 (before rebate price, free AR at microcenter.com)
RAM: Major brand 8GB DDR3 $50
HD: 2x2TB Hard drive $160
NIC1: Integrated
NIC2: ???? $20
Case: Rosewill R103A w/350W PS $45
USB Stick: $15
SHIPPING/TAXES: ???
TOTAL: $400 (roughly)

==Questions==
1) Based on this, I don't think ZFS is necessary, any opinions on this?
2) Should I use FreeNAS 7 or 8?
3) Any issues with FreeNAS 7/8 and the integrated RTL8111E?
4) I know the CPU is overpowered, but Microcenter has a free motherboard deal with this. Any other CPU/motherboard suggestions?
5) What about getting this refurb Dell for only $219 and then upgrade parts? http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0364193

Thanks!

 

[louisk]

If the system will have >4G and is 64bit (hopefully you aren't planning a 32bit system with 8G), I don't see a reason not to use ZFS. Performance would be sufficient, and it offers more flexibility than UFS. I've been running it for almost 4yrs now (on FreeBSD) and haven't had any issues in terms of speed or reliability. ZFS also offers data integrity checks that UFS doesn't. In order to get those, you'd have to get a hardware RAID controller (that supports them).

As long as the network chipset is supported by FreeNAS, you should be ok there. I don't personally care for RealTek chipsets, but you can't always be choosey. If you're going to add a NIC, I'd get an Intel. You say the networks can't be bridged, but usually, plugging 1 device into 2 networks constitutes bridging. Are you sure they're OK with this?

How much cheaper is it than just buying the parts from the beginning?