Low-end file serving + some webserving requirements?

[the_jest]

I currently have a Synology 2-bay NAS that I would like to replace with a FreeNAS build. I've been reading various resources and guides, and I do have experience running FreeBSD, though not for some years, and that was strictly a webserver with no extreme tuning requirements.

My needs are pretty low-end; I pretty much just use it for media storage and cron backups within my home, and I'm usually the only user. I'm looking to build three or four HDs in a Z1 or Z2 configuration, maybe 8TB storage. After I upgrade I'll probably move my Transmission onto it (instead of on my desktop), and look into OwnCloud or something like that, but I'll never be doing multiple simultaneous transcoding streams or anything like that.

However, I also have a personal webserver running in AWS, which I'd like to port to a jail (either directly or in a VM, I haven't decided) on the FreeNAS: it does handle some public-facing things, but it's also mostly for low-end personal use, with very basic MySQL db's and such, and I'm tired of paying Amazon $30/month for an underpowered, under-RAM VM just to get reliability that I could get close to at home.

Without asking (yet!) about specific hardware, would the general low-end recommendations on the various resources, with 16GB of RAM, be enough to handle these needs? I'm not that keen on spending $3000 for a bling-y, overpowered build for what most of the time I could do with any consumer grade networked HD, but I would like to get something reasonably stable, mid-term future-proof, etc.

Thanks.

 

[Jailer]

Without any transcoding needs you could get by with a G4560 powered server with 16Gb of RAM for not much money. It's a dual core hyperthreaded CPU and it supports ECC memory for only $65. For what you describe for usage it would work quite well.

 

[the_jest]

Oh, that's _really_ cheap. If these needs are so easily fulfilled, I don't mind springing for a moderately more powerful server for overkill.

OK, will cobble together a prospective build and post back here. Thank you.

 

[Dice]

I don't mind springing for a moderately more powerful server for overkill.

While overkill is generally cool, what it gives in different situations vary quite a bit.
For example in a gaming situation FPS needs to be above a threshold to have an enjoyable experience. However, if FPS are doubled the experience may somehow be <more robust> to never run into low FPS dips. ...not to mention how it rubs your hw-demon ;)
In FreeNAS though, I recon it is a bit different when it comes to CPU. Generally ...overkilling CPU does nothing else than assuring your CPU utilization remains stupidly low. Unless you are interested in a multiple streams of transcoding as the typical workload.

I choose between an Xenon 1230v5 and the i3-6100 at 1/3 of the cost. I virtually never see my CPU pass 10% use.
Would you've been happier with the Xenon in that case?

If the cash burns in your pocket, step one is to max out RAM.