I've been running my UnRAID server now for about 3 years. It's been running on the following hardware:
Intel Core i5-2500K CPU
8GB DDR 3 ram
Asus P8P67 Pro m/b
Onboard 8-port SATA
18TB of array storage (no SSDs) and cache
I use the server mainly as storage and a Plex server. I need to be able to run up to 3 streams reliably, and possibly be streaming at least one stream of 4K/UHD video. I'd also like to add in some additional SATA slots through an add-in card but don't want to spend much more than $100 for this card.
I also run various other Docker containers (Sonaar, SABznbd, Radaar, Open-VPN). I will also be wanting to run at least 1 Windows VM at some point in the near future.
Another thing I will want is to add an SSD or 2 for the cache drives.
I am open to suggestions, and willing to take a good look at either AMD or Intel CPUs. My total budget would be about $700 for the CPU, MB, SSD(s), RAM, and SATA card (I will reuse case and PSU as they are more than capable). Is it even worth it to have 2 SSDs for the cache pool other than redundancy?
I appreciate all of the suggestions!