First NAS hardware review

[pkeynote]

Hello, I am planing to build a custom NAS that will be Storing Photos, Videos and Backups of 2-3 Computers in a Gigabit network. It will be powered on about 8-12 hours a day. I will be using Software Raid on about 10TB.

I have chosen the following parts i think all of them are compatible with FreeNas, if not please let me know so I can choose another one.

Motherboard: MSI 880GMA-E35 72€
CPU: Amd Athlon Ii 260 X2 Dual Core 3.2ghz 47€
Ram: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB 35€ or better 16GB?
Case: Searching, but something about 30-40€
PSU: Searching... (About 400W)
NIC: Do I need one or the built in works?
HDD: 4-6x 2TB WD Caviar Black or WD Red 2TB

I accept suggestions and changes ;D
I hope everything is compatible.

Thanks

 

[pkeynote]

Any idea if everything will work?

 

[pkeynote]

I found the following MOBO, instead of the older MSI, ASUS M5A97 EVO
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/AMD_AM3Plus/M5A97_EVO/
Is this mobo compatible with FreeNas? I tried checking the compatibility list but i could not find anything.

 

[StephenFry]

I don't see a reason why it shouldn't.

I'll give you roughly the same advice as I just gave Daytona in This thread:

-Consider a small UPS. I bought mine online from APC for less than €80.
-Try out the standard NIC, but be prepared to buy a PCI-e one.
-8GB is enough for what you want. 16GB never hurt anyone, but it's a waste.
-Don't skimp on the PSU. Get a brand that is well-reviewed (there are only a few OEM manufacturers, the name that is stamped on the package doesn't tell the whole story).
-400W should be fine and is in fact overkill. However, a larger PSU might actually be more efficient. Totally depends on its properties though. I'd seriously look at 500W or higher PSUs, they'll be able to keep quiet and cool - much better have that thing 'idling' at 30% than have a 250W that has to run at 60% capacity, gets hot and needs a fan blowing at high speed.
-I don't see the need for WD Black drives, let alone Red drives. Save some money, get (if you want WD drives, and you seem to) a bunch of Greens and flash them with WDIDLE3.EXE /S300 to get a normal LLC count.
-Get 6 drives (an 'optimal' number for Z2) and put them in a RAIDZ2 configuration if you want to have peace of mind.