Is this a good freeNAS system?

[Jesh W]

Hello all. I am looking to get into freeNAS and I would like to do it right. However, my very low budget makes this difficult. I was looking around for some used server gear to use as a basis for a freeNAS server, and I came across this on ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Supermicro-1U-Server-X7DBR-E-2x-Xeon-E5410-2-33ghz-Quad-Core-32gb-Add-Your-HDD/291856095811?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid=222007&algo=SIC.MBE&ao=1&asc=20131003132420&meid=a08ae1720e67471ebba1943d27ff0682&pid=100005&rk=1&rkt=6&sd=232087945942
I also spotted this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Supermicro-...945942?hash=item36098502d6:g:Ko0AAOSwPCVX3-bj
Now to me, this looks like a great starting point, as it has ECC memory, a reliable board and PSU from supermicro, and more than plenty of cores and power. I was planning on buying this machine with a couple of WD Red or Blue 4TB drives in RAID 1. However, I read through the recommended hardware post on the forums, and that post didn't recommend getting anything older than Sandy Bridge era and stated that anything with a FSB is a no-no. However, the system that was recommended was out of my price range. So, I am wondering if this system would be adequate for what I plan to do, which is to mainly be a backup server and a photo storage server where I will be uploading RAW files over the internet. If this machine isn't adequate, do you have any recommendations for some used server gear? Thanks.

 

[Dice]

-Typically you'd not want to go deeper into forensics than X8 series.
-Verify that the backplane supports larger than 2TB drives.
-Avoid "raid1" as terminology. "mirror vdev" is the correct terminology.

 

[danb35]

Just to ground things--the Dell PowerEdge T20 and the Lenovo ThinkServer TS140 are each under $300 new. They contain appropriate server-grade hardware (not fantastic, but adequate), and have room for at least four disks. Add an a 8 GB stick of RAM ($50 or less) and your disks, and you're good to go. For a long time, the T20 was under $200, but I understand it's closer to $300 now--you may want to keep an eye on it. Keep these in mind when you're looking at used hardware to save money.

 

[Mirfster]

Pretty sure anything that is a 1U is going to get very loud as well...

 

[Jesh W]

Just to ground things--the Dell PowerEdge T20 and the Lenovo ThinkServer TS140 are each under $300 new. They contain appropriate server-grade hardware (not fantastic, but adequate), and have room for at least four disks. Add an a 8 GB stick of RAM ($50 or less) and your disks, and you're good to go. For a long time, the T20 was under $200, but I understand it's closer to $300 now--you may want to keep an eye on it. Keep these in mind when you're looking at used hardware to save money.

I see. Those look like a good option. Thanks for pointing those out.

 

[Robert Trevellyan]

For a long time, the T20 was under $200, but I understand it's closer to $300 now

Sadly, the Pentium T20 is not available on dell.com (I have a feeling they've stopped making it, but no proof). Third parties are charging $250-$300 or more, which isn't bad, but I'd probably pick the Xeon T20 direct from dell.com, at around $480, for an entry-level FreeNAS.