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Build my own server

C

CaptainKahuna

Platinum Member
I'm building a server for non-critical use, this is what I need:

RELIABILITY (will be on 24/7/365)
60GB or more of storage
10/100 Ethernet
IDE hard drive (no RAID)
no OS
no monitor
no keyboard/mouse

I'm thinking about running Windows 2000 server on the box. I need it running 24/7 because I'm not going to be around to turn it on and off. I'm going off to school, and I'm prepping our home network for when I'm gone. This server is going to host gigabytes of music, powerpoints, and medical videos for my dad (he's a physician). It's also going to act as a "remote" daily backup of critical files from each computer in the house. I also want to use Active Directory, and use user accounts to install programs to each PC over the network. I plan on doing all this from a Remote Desktop connection to the box from school.

Does that make sense? Am I on the right track? How's the hardware choice below?

------------------------------------------------------
(from Newegg)

Linkworld miniATX tower case w/ 300W P4 PS($20)
ASUS "A7V8X-MX SE" KM400 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU ($59)
AMD Athlon XP 2000+, 266 FSB, 256K Cache Processor ($57)
Crucial 184 Pin 128MB DDR PC-2100 ($46)
Crucial 184 Pin 256MB DDR PC-2100 ($32)
SAMSUNG 120GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive ($93)
Samsung Black 52X CD-ROM ($18)

TOTAL (including $15 shipping): $339.99

Summary
Athlon 2000+ (1.67ghz)
ASUS KM400 chipset mobo
384MB PC2100 DDR RAM
120GB 7200RPM HD

Does that look good? Am I forgetting anything? Good price?
-------------------------------------------------------
 
Is electric consumption an issue ? Getting a system that is low power can accumulate a lot of savings in the long run.
 
Originally posted by: vegetation
Is electric consumption an issue ? Getting a system that is low power can accumulate a lot of savings in the long run.
Click to expand...

No, not that huge an issue, but low power would be nice.
 
prices from newegg.com

PCChips with i845GV. Onboard Video, Nic. $44 free shipping.
Crucial 256megs PC2700 ddr ram. $47 dollars free shipping.
WD 80gig drive. $65 free shipping.
Samsung CD-RW burner. $29.99 free shipping.
Intel Celeron (P 4-based) 2.2ghz $64 free shipping
Enlight ATX tower with 300watt PSU $43, $15 shipping

308 bucks. I just randomly picked what I liked out of the cheapest stuff I could find. I chose intel just because, if you go AMD you can get a proc for cheaper, and a motherboards are almost as cheap. You can get a cdrom for 17 bucks instead of a burner, but a burner is nice for backups. You could choose the absolutely cheapest stuff and get it down under 250 if you tried hard enough.
 
Originally posted by: drag
prices from newegg.com

PCChips with i845GV. Onboard Video, Nic. $44 free shipping.
Crucial 256megs PC2700 ddr ram. $47 dollars free shipping.
WD 80gig drive. $65 free shipping.
Samsung CD-RW burner. $29.99 free shipping.
Intel Celeron (P 4-based) 2.2ghz $64 free shipping
Enlight ATX tower with 300watt PSU $43, $15 shipping

308 bucks. I just randomly picked what I liked out of the cheapest stuff I could find. I chose intel just because, if you go AMD you can get a proc for cheaper, and a motherboards are almost as cheap. You can get a cdrom for 17 bucks instead of a burner, but a burner is nice for backups. You could choose the absolutely cheapest stuff and get it down under 250 if you tried hard enough.
Click to expand...

eww Celeron
 
from your link...
Onboard AMD Duron/Athlon CPU at 200/266MHz FSB; SiS740/SiS962L chipset ; DDR200/266 Memory (1GB Max); 56K V.90 CNR Modem; 2 PCI Slots; 1 CNR Slot; 4 USB 2.0 Ports; Video/LAN/Audio Onboard; microATX; REMOVAL OF CPU COMPANENTS VOIDS ALL WARRANTIES
Click to expand...
...they don't tell you what actual chip the CPU is. Sounds a bit sketchy to me.
 
I think this will probbaly beat the Celery setup:

ASUS "A7V8X-MX SE" KM400 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU -RETAIL $59.00
Crucial 256MB PC2700 $47.00
WD 80GB 7200RPM HD $64.75
IN WIN Gray/Beige Micro ATX Mid Tower Case with 240W Power Supply, Model "L545P.240GFU2 GRAY" -RETAIL $48.85
SONY 52X CD-ROM, Model CDU5211, OEM $18.00
AMD Athlon XP 2000+ Retail w/ HSF $57.00

Total $294 shipped from newegg.

There are cheaper mobos than the Asus, but Asus has always proven to be reliable for me, and I would think with a 365/24/7 setup you wouldn't want to save $10 a get a completely cheap mobo.
 
Originally posted by: nitromullet
I think this will probbaly beat the Celery setup:

ASUS "A7V8X-MX SE" KM400 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU -RETAIL $59.00
Crucial 256MB PC2700 $47.00
WD 80GB 7200RPM HD $64.75
IN WIN Gray/Beige Micro ATX Mid Tower Case with 240W Power Supply, Model "L545P.240GFU2 GRAY" -RETAIL $48.85
SONY 52X CD-ROM, Model CDU5211, OEM $18.00
AMD Athlon XP 2000+ Retail w/ HSF $57.00

Total $294 shipped from newegg.

There are cheaper mobos than the Asus, but Asus has always proven to be reliable for me, and I would think with a 365/24/7 setup you wouldn't want to save $10 a get a completely cheap mobo.
Click to expand...

REAL mobo manufacturer=win
chip that doesn't suck=win
paying $18 for a CDROM=lose (I realize that's how much they go for, but I bet he can swipe one from FS/FT for much cheaper).

Overall that looks like the sort of system the OP might want though. And no *shudder* Celeron.
 
Originally posted by: jagec

REAL mobo manufacturer=win
chip that doesn't suck=win
paying $18 for a CDROM=lose (I realize that's how much they go for, but I bet he can swipe one from FS/FT for much cheaper).

Overall that looks like the sort of system the OP might want though. And no *shudder* Celeron.
Click to expand...

What's your opinion on the PC Chips mobo/chip in my first post (the chip is a 2600+)
 
Originally posted by: amdfanboy
Originally posted by: drag
prices from newegg.com

PCChips with i845GV. Onboard Video, Nic. $44 free shipping.
Crucial 256megs PC2700 ddr ram. $47 dollars free shipping.
WD 80gig drive. $65 free shipping.
Samsung CD-RW burner. $29.99 free shipping.
Intel Celeron (P 4-based) 2.2ghz $64 free shipping
Enlight ATX tower with 300watt PSU $43, $15 shipping

308 bucks. I just randomly picked what I liked out of the cheapest stuff I could find. I chose intel just because, if you go AMD you can get a proc for cheaper, and a motherboards are almost as cheap. You can get a cdrom for 17 bucks instead of a burner, but a burner is nice for backups. You could choose the absolutely cheapest stuff and get it down under 250 if you tried hard enough.
Click to expand...

eww Celeron
Click to expand...



Well it's cheap, and you probably won't notice the difference between that and a 3.06ghz P4 in a simple server. 😉
 
A good bet for a low use server is an older P3 cpu based system. Due to heat and power consumption.

Get a low profile case and a microATX motherboard, and you're all set.

AOpen H340D case (check Newegg for these)
256mb PC133 sdram
P3 733mhz or better is more than enough.
microATX mobo w/ onboard video, lan, etc.
cdrom drive
60gb+ hard drive.

I bet you could build that for under $200. Check the FS/FT forum for good deals on mobo/cpu/ram/cdrom.
 
Originally posted by: CaptainKahuna
Originally posted by: jagec

REAL mobo manufacturer=win
chip that doesn't suck=win
paying $18 for a CDROM=lose (I realize that's how much they go for, but I bet he can swipe one from FS/FT for much cheaper).

Overall that looks like the sort of system the OP might want though. And no *shudder* Celeron.
Click to expand...

What's your opinion on the PC Chips mobo/chip in my first post (the chip is a 2600+)
Click to expand...

Well, IMO 24/7/365 doesn't belong in the same sentence as "cheapo mobo" and "non redundant IDE disks".
Just cough up a few extra bucks and go for an Asus, Tyan, or other good mobo, and get another disk and mirror them.
Won't set you back more than ~100$ extra, tops.
 
How about this (from Newegg)

Linkworld miniATX tower case w/ 300W P4 PS($20)
ASUS "A7V8X-MX SE" KM400 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU ($59)
AMD Athlon XP 2000+, 266 FSB, 256K Cache Processor ($57)
Crucial 184 Pin 256MB DDR PC 2700 ($47)
SAMSUNG 120GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive ($93)
Samsung Black 52X CD-ROM ($18)

TOTAL (including $15 shipping): $293.99

Does that look good? Am I forgetting anything? Good price?
 
Can you be a little more specific on what this server does? I assume you might be running Linux on this server. If you'll settle for an Athlon XP 2000+, I'd like to know why you need this thing running 24/7. If you need to use it that much, you'd need more RAM, and maybe some more CPU power.
 
Originally posted by: Psych
Can you be a little more specific on what this server does? I assume you might be running Linux on this server. If you'll settle for an Athlon XP 2000+, I'd like to know why you need this thing running 24/7. If you need to use it that much, you'd need more RAM, and maybe some more CPU power.
Click to expand...

I'm actually thinking about Windows 2000 server. I need it running 24/7 because I'm not going to be around to turn it on and off. I'm going off to school, and I'm prepping our home network for when I'm gone. This server is going to host gigabytes of music, powerpoints, and medical videos for my dad (he's a physician). It's also going to act as a "remote" daily backup of critical files from each computer in the house. I also want to use Active Directory, and use user accounts to install programs to each PC over the network. I plan on doing all this from a Remote Desktop connection to the box from school.

Does that make sense? Am I on the right track?
 
Originally posted by: CaptainKahuna
Originally posted by: Boztech
Get 512 of pc2100. 2000+ only has a 266fsb. Like was said, more mem the better. This is a server.
Click to expand...

Are you saying 512MB of PC2100 is better than 256MB of PC2700?
Click to expand...


Yes. 1 because Athlon XP's are known to perform best with the ram and the CPU FSB running synch (1:1), and a 2000+ runs 266. 2 because obviously 512 is twice as much memory and everyone knows that W2K and WXP run best with at least 512. 3 because servers by nature are RAM-intensive and benefit from the addition of ram.
 
Originally posted by: CaptainKahuna
Originally posted by: Psych
Can you be a little more specific on what this server does? I assume you might be running Linux on this server. If you'll settle for an Athlon XP 2000+, I'd like to know why you need this thing running 24/7. If you need to use it that much, you'd need more RAM, and maybe some more CPU power.
Click to expand...

I'm actually thinking about Windows 2000 server. I need it running 24/7 because I'm not going to be around to turn it on and off. I'm going off to school, and I'm prepping our home network for when I'm gone. This server is going to host gigabytes of music, powerpoints, and medical videos for my dad (he's a physician). It's also going to act as a "remote" daily backup of critical files from each computer in the house. I also want to use Active Directory, and use user accounts to install programs to each PC over the network. I plan on doing all this from a Remote Desktop connection to the box from school.

Does that make sense? Am I on the right track?
Click to expand...

What will you be using for backups?
 
I would definately run a Raid 0 array if this server is going to be used for backup. I was able to find a DFI motherboard that had imbeded video and RAID, but it was SATA, along with almost every other motherboard I could find. Serial drives run ~$75 for 80 gigs, so that is an increase in price.
A bit busy right now, but will try and hunt down some IDE raid boards
 
Originally posted by: Pete84
I would definately run a Raid 0 array if this server is going to be used for backup. I was able to find a DFI motherboard that had imbeded video and RAID, but it was SATA, along with almost every other motherboard I could find. Serial drives run ~$75 for 80 gigs, so that is an increase in price.
A bit busy right now, but will try and hunt down some IDE raid boards
Click to expand...

I assume you mean RAID-1? AKA mirroring.
 
Originally posted by: Pete84
I would definately run a Raid 0 array if this server is going to be used for backup. I was able to find a DFI motherboard that had imbeded video and RAID, but it was SATA, along with almost every other motherboard I could find. Serial drives run ~$75 for 80 gigs, so that is an increase in price.
A bit busy right now, but will try and hunt down some IDE raid boards
Click to expand...

I don't know if I can fit RAID into the budget, because it means going with a RAID and SATA mobo, and not only SATA drives, but twice as many of them.
 
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