BUILD First build, opinions welcome!

[EvilLeprechaun]

This is my first FreeNAS build, and I would really appreciate any and all opinions on this build.

Purpose of the machine:

1. Primary Windows file storage for two people. The OS will be on a different machine, but my goal is to just mount a drive in Windows and put anything that needs saving in the NAS rather than the desktop boxes.
2. Cloud backups with the CrashPlan plugin for offsite in-case-of-fire backup.
3. Video streaming (probably with Plex) for two simultaneous users.
4. Photo/video repository of the kids (this is what attracted me to NAS/redundant storage in the first place).
5. Sickbeard/couchpotato for entirely legitimate purposes.
6. Depending on the performance, I may use it for my Steam game storage, but that's not at all a deal-breaker.
7. Running a very low-traffic wordpress blog (may get moved to a different machine that will back up to the NAS, again depends on performance).
8. Maybe running a Minecraft server?

The build:

• Case: Fractal Node 304
• RAM: 16GB ECC (Corsair model CT102472BD160B)
• Motherboard: Either the ASRock C2550D4I or C2750D4I (opinions, please!)
• Power supply: Corsair 450W ATX 80Plus Gold (CP-9020066-NA)
• HDDs: 6x?TB in RaidZ2. Probably WD Reds. Probably 1TB drives at first to save on costs (I've never filled up a single TB drive in my life, let alone 4), possibly 2TB drives.

That's what I've got so far. I don't think anything's terribly surprising. I'm very interested to hear how people think it will perform. Specifically, I have two questions:

1. Should I stick with the C2550 for lower costs or spring for the C2750 -- would I see a decent increase in usability for the extra $120?
2. How often do people use hot-swap bays or wish they had them? I was debating the DS380B because of all the shiny hot-swap bays, but it's over twice as much as the Node 304 (and it would require a different power supply)

I'd love to hear how more experienced FreeNAS folks think this build would turn out. Am I getting way too much machine for what I want to do? Not nearly enough? Honestly, neither answer would surprise me. Thanks for any and all opinions!

 

[sremick]

The Node 304 is really nice. The 450W is fine but probably overkill. I have a much-more demanding CPU, a 400W power supply, and it draws 40W idle and only gets to 110-120W if I artificially stress it to 100%.

Not sure if those Atom CPUs will keep up with everything you're thinking of throwing at it. 2-3 Plex transcode streams might be the max, let alone asking it to do anything else (Minecraft, CrashPlan, WordPress, Steam, etc). I considered them but opted to risk having too much CPU vs. too little.

 

[EvilLeprechaun]

The C2750D4I is (I think) the board in the FreeNAS mini, which people have reported can transcode to three devices at once, so I figure that will do fine for streaming. Are the other activities (web server, backups, steam library) enough to max out the rest of the CPU? I don't know how intensive those tasks are.

Good note about the PSU, I was expecting much more power draw than that.