First FreeNAS Build - Looking for advice and thoughts

[Dieo]

Hello. I am looking to put together my first FreeNAS box and just trying to get some details out of the way before I purchase all the hardware. My current NAS system is an Odroid Xu4 with an External hard drive attached that I use as a file server, torrenting, development system. This build will be primarily used as a backup system for the household (about 2 heavy users and 2-4 light users). Will also be looking to run Plex with probably 1-2 transcodes running but don't really see any more than that. Would also like to maybe run a few VMs/jails/docker in the future. Would like to keep the total build budget below or around $1000 and with my current selection I seem to be there.

CPU: Intel Core i3-6300 ($137.57) (Was debating between this or the Xeon E3-1220v6. The i3 seemed like a better price/performance. How will it handle later if I start to use VMs?)
CPU Cooler: Stock cooler for now but want to replace with a quieter one since I hear the stock cooler can be loud. In this case what is recommended for best performance/noise? Was thinking the Noctua NH-D14 but this seems a little pricey.
Motherboard: Supermicro Micro ATX DDR4 LGA 1151 Motherboards X11SSM-F-O ($235.63) (Decided on this vs. the X11SSM-F as I wanted to use the m.2 as a boot drive rather than a SATA SSD so I can keep the sata ports open for future)
Memory: 1xKingston Technology ValueRAM 16GB 2133MHz DDR4 ECC ($198.95) (Plan to add another stick in when price comes down a bit, and possibly max out to 64GB if the price drops low enough)
Case: Fractal Design Define Mini ($118.98) (Was deciding between this and the U-NAS 810A. U-NAS was smaller but decided on the Define Mini for reduced noise and better airflow)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G Series 550-Watt ($74.61) (I believe I could get away with a 450W PSU, let me know your thoughts)

Total Cost: $765.74 (+~$200 if I decide to add another stick of 16GB ram)

Storage: 6x8TB WD Red (RaidZ2) (shucked from BB Easystore)

Others
Boot Drive: Going to use a extra USB drive I have laying around till I can find a good deal on a small M.2 SSD.
Case Fans: Noctua NF-P12 (Will wait to see how the fans that come with the case perform first)
UPS: Don't really know what to get here so any recommendations would be very helpful. The NAS would probably be the only device utilizing the battery backup but other devices would probably be connected to the surge protection portion.

For storage I was starting with the 6x8TB in RaidZ2 and then possibly adding a mirror of 8TB later on so that I can have multiple copies of important data. Is this a good idea or would it be better just to max out the drive space now and run 8x8TB in RaidZ2? I also have an external drive I use for important backups that gets updated once a month and then put back inside of a safe. Looking to add cloud storage so that I have an offsite backup as well.

Please let me know any thoughts or concerns as I know I am probably missing something obvious here.

 

[Ericloewe]

How will it handle later if I start to use VMs?)

Depends on what you're doing.

Was thinking the Noctua NH-D14 but this seems a little pricey.

And excessive. The 90mm ones are a better choice, like the NH-D9L.

Motherboard: Supermicro Micro ATX DDR4 LGA 1151 Motherboards X11SSM-F-O ($235.63) (Decided on this vs. the X11SSM-F as I wanted to use the m.2 as a boot drive rather than a SATA SSD so I can keep the sata ports open for future)

I assume you meant X11SSH-F. It's almost always an inferior choice, because it wastes two PCIe lanes, the M.2 slot only has two lanes and it's much more expensive than a PCIe card to M.2 adapter.

Power Supply: SeaSonic G Series 550-Watt ($74.61) (I believe I could get away with a 450W PSU, let me know your thoughts)

For up to eight drives, 450W should be enough.

Case Fans: Noctua NF-P12 (Will wait to see how the fans that come with the case perform first)

The NF-S12As are probably more appropriate.

 

[Dieo]

And excessive. The 90mm ones are a better choice, like the NH-D9L.

Ah good to know. I looked into this cooler and it actually looks like the NH-U9S has slightly better performance and noise levels. It's only 15mm taller and $5 more so would this be a good option?

I assume you meant X11SSH-F. It's almost always an inferior choice, because it wastes two PCIe lanes, the M.2 slot only has two lanes and it's much more expensive than a PCIe card to M.2 adapter.

Ah yes I did mean the X11SSH-F. I was looking to do exactly that with the X11SSM-F but thought for simplicity I could just get the m.2 slot on the motherboard itself. If the cost of an adapter is < difference between the two boards then it would be worth it to me. Any suggestions on a good adapter and small size m.2 drive for boot? I've been reading and it seems some have gotten the Intel 600p working but the smallest size I can find is 128GB and that seems a bit excessive, also a little pricey. I may just go with using a USB drive for now and then consider the pcie m.2 boot drive later on.

For up to eight drives, 450W should be enough.

That's what I was calculating but since amazon didn't have the Seasonic G-450s I opted for the 550 instead. Looking into their replacement for the G-Series, the Seasonic FOCUS FM series 450w, looks like the only difference listed in the spec sheet is the life expectancy and the MTBF.

The NF-S12As are probably more appropriate.

Thanks for the suggestion will look into these.

 

[Ericloewe]

Ah good to know. I looked into this cooler and it actually looks like the NH-U9S has slightly better performance and noise levels. It's only 15mm taller and $5 more so would this be a good option?

I don't see any need to spend more.

suggestions on a good adapter

The adapters are stupidly simple, even a Shenzhen special wouldn't concern me. Just make sure it doesn't have an unreasonable amount of negative reviews on Amazon/Newegg/whatever.

As for the SSD, I don't know of any cheap models, since the interface is most useful to those looking for performance.