networking - Do I really need quad-core or 6-core processor for small office data server?

I am building a computer that will serve as a networked data storage server for a small office. It will not be used by a human on day-to-day basis like a traditional machine. It will not be doing any CPU-intensive jobs like Photoshop, high-end gaming, etc. The machine will be connected via ethernet or Wireless-N to our network.

• 2 local PCs will read and write data to the machine regularly (multiple times daily)

• 2 additional local PCs may read and write data occasionally (less often than daily)

• Remote users will push git repositories and other data for storage on some regular basis (weekly, but perhaps not daily)

• The machine itself will be backing up to an off-site backup service (Carbonite) when idle.

The machine will be using two 2 TB drives in RAID 1 configuration for data storage. OS will reside on a third drive which may be traditional or SSD if there is a big advantage.

For this type of use, will I require a quad-core processor for optimal data read/write speeds? Thanks in advance.

While 6 cores would be way too expensive for such server, I don't think you should give up on Quad Core.

An Intel Core i3 processor (2C/4T) costs around 130$ while Intel Core i5 processor (4C/4T) costs around 180$. I don't see a reason why you should save 50$ for a PC component that rarely breaks or gives you any trouble. Quad core is definitely worth adding 50$ more.

Also consider giving it some extra RAM (but that's the option you can upgrade later, as you can just add more later).