I'm looking to repurpose my old PC, which has an Intel 3570k CPU and 8GB of DDR3 memory, into a file server. Right now, it has two 2TB hard drives and a 500GB SSD inside. I also have five 3.5" hard drives and four 2.5" drives that I want to add using a SAS PCIe x4 controller. My question is whether the CPU can handle this setup, especially since I expect no more than four people to access it at the same time. Will there be enough data transfer speed for these users at peak times, or could it potentially slow down? I'm trying to avoid buying new hardware since costs are so high right now.
3 Answers
If you're planning to use standard file-sharing systems like SMB or NFS, your setup should be more than enough. Those protocols were designed to be very efficient, even back when CPUs were much slower. You'll likely find that the 3570k can handle the load without breaking a sweat, especially with just four users accessing it.
In my opinion, you should be fine with four users connecting as long as you’re not pushing it too hard, like transcoding streams or anything intense. I recently turned an i5 4370 into a file server with 8GB of RAM, and it’s running smoothly. Just keep an eye on your power supply; running 11 drives can really draw some current.
My PSU is a 600-watt Corsair, and it handles everything fine!
You can definitely use your old PC for this, but have you considered picking up an older office PC? The 6th, 7th, and 8th generation Intel CPUs are super affordable right now and might give you a better balance of power and efficiency.
Haha, I actually have a similar setup running a file server on an even older LXC. It’s been holding up pretty well with minimal RAM!