I'm planning to build a new FreeNAS server soon, to replace a 13-year-old Linux machine (desktop PC repurposed as ad-hoc NAS). It'll be used for backups from several other computers, as well as storing some large files that aren't accessed often. I may run some VMs on it as well, though I don't have any specific plans or requirements in that regard. I don't expect to use it for anything demanding — no video transcoding or real-time data streaming, for example.
Here's the hardware I've picked out:
Are there any problems with this setup that I'm not seeing? Things I could do better? (Note that I've never used FreeNAS before.)
Here's the hardware I've picked out:
- CPU: Core i3-9100. I'm going with the i3 because i5 and higher don't support ECC, and a Xeon seems like overkill for a lightly-loaded system. I want a chip with an integrated GPU so I don't need a separate video card. I'm only looking at Intel's 9th-gen chips, because they require the fewest software workarounds for Meltdown/Spectre-type flaws. I wouldn't mind getting an i3-9300 instead, but nobody seems to sell it.
- Motherboard: Gigabyte C246-WU4. Supports the i3-9100 and unbuffered ECC RAM. Built-in Intel NIC.
- RAM: 2x Crucial 16GB unbuffered ECC DDR4, which is on the motherboard's supported list. 2x8GB would probably be adequate, but I want to have extra RAM for VMs and such. I know this part is rated for 2666 and the CPU only supports 2400, but the 2400 ECC parts on the board's supported list are either unavailable or more expensive than the 2666. This is the only ECC RAM that Crucial's own website lists as compatible with the board.
- Disks: 6x WD Red 4TB, RAIDZ2.
- PSU: Seasonic FOCUS Plus 550W. This is a bit more than I need — I think 400 or 450 would be ideal, from the guidelines in the FreeNAS hardware guide — but I like that the FOCUS Plus is fully modular, and 550 is the smallest in that line. It also leaves room to add more disks in the future.
- Boot device: Adata 16GB SATA DOM. No special preference for this particular one; it's just what I found. Alternatively, the motherboard has an internal USB port so I might just stick a flash drive there.
- Case: Fractal Design R6. Alternatively I might re-use the old CM Stacker case that houses the machine I'm replacing, but I'd have to get a second 3.5" bay adpater for it.
Are there any problems with this setup that I'm not seeing? Things I could do better? (Note that I've never used FreeNAS before.)