I have a task to install a file/print server for our office. We're 12 users that could expand in the near future for up to 15-18 users. I'm aware that server class hardware is of higher quality/reliability than consumer machines. However, in my country new servers are extremely expensive. For example, a Dell T110 ii would nearly cost double the labeled price on a Dell web store. Moreover, importing a server would cause much additional cost of customs + shipment. This is why I'm thinking of locally buying a used workstation like a Dell precision or HP XW machine.
Would a workstation give me the necessary reliability to file serve the office? given that downtime is very counter productive and might cost money; and data loss would be very costly. So, would a workstation with a RAID controller ensures the same redundancy a good server should provide? I'm planning to have regular backups to the cloud + may be turn an old machine into a local backup machine.
I'm planning to run a windows server 2008 or a SBS 2008.