@killyourfm@layer8.space I know it's a big ask especially nowadays, but if you can stretch the budget a bit more, get more ram and use Proxmox. I've built my homelab rig with older components and upgraded this year. ZARC is black magic, and you don't even have to do anything, proxmox does it for you!
Welcome to a particularly deep rabbit hole Jason!
Edit/PS: I blame @techhut@fosstodon.org for making me a fan of Proxmox and Wendell from L1T for making learning about storage tech actually interesting