Building a server, need mobo, cpu, ram, and HD recommendations

[Rgreen]

Hi all. I'm putting together a server for small business. The components that i still need to buy are the mobo/cpu/ram and hard drives. It's been a while since i've put together a system so i just wanted some recommendations on what current processor you recommend whether it be the opteron or whatever. Looking to spend <1000.00 for these remaining components. Importance is on stability, moreso than speed. Thanks for your input.

---Ryan

 

[Ricemarine]

Hitachi Deskstart T7K250 for hard drives.
Opteron 165 or 170 for cpu.
I'll let someone decide mobo.

 

[Rgreen]

I would just like to add the server will be running IIS and SQL Server and that's about it. Looks like we're going to be buying a new case as well so i need recommendations on a good case with good cooling as in the summer here in Sacramento it can get Warm. Also regarding RAM we're going to be running Server2003 is 1 Gig enough or should we get 2GiGs and what type/Brand RAM would you recommend. Thanks again everyone for your input.

---Ryan

 

[bamacre]

Check Dell Outlet, gotta be cheaper than building.

 

[ribbon13]

mobo/cpu/ram and hard drives:

Well that's an anemic budget for getting all those parts in something 'Server' class.

So get an Opteron 175, 2GB DDR400 CAS2, and wait till march 2nd for the Asus A8R32-mvp

 

[Rgreen]

Well we're looking at ordering it this week. Is there another mobo besides the a8r32-mvp that you'd recommend? Granted we won't be overlocking we just want a VERY stable system. The opteron 165, 2 Gigs of ddr400, and the Hitachi Deskstar t7k250 sound good so far though.. just need mobo and case. Again we're mainly running sql server and IIS so if that processor is overkill let me know although it looks pretty nice and has good reviews.

---Ryan

 

[thecoolnessrune]

Opteron 165
2 Gigs DDR 400
Hitachi Deskstar t7k250
Tyan S2865G2NR. Rock solid board made for server work. Its the middle version that comes with video and without audio.
Antec Solution Case (lose the PSU)
PC P&C 510 AG PSU

And that my friend, is a rock stable build.

That processor is indeed excellent and if you got it, you would probably be one of the very few who ever bought one of those for its intended purpose. :laugh:

 

[Varun]

Go with an OEM - Dell, HP, IBM... if this is for a buisness they likely want to minimize downtime, and I doubt that you can offer support as good as say HP. The cost will be worth it.

If the buisness can't justify the price, and aren't so worried about 99.999% uptime, go ahead and build one.

I'm going to recommend the Raptor, mostly because it has a great warranty and is built for low end server use. You'll get much better performance doing SQL with it than a desktop class hard drive, as well as better reliability.

 

[RebateMonger]

If you want cheap and stable, I'd recommend looking at stripped-down Dell servers. Add extra memory and drives as required. You'll want ECC memory for sure, if you want to ensure reliability. Many would also insist on SCSI drives, but, as long as you have a RAID 1 or RAID 5 array, I don't mind SATA.

 

[ribbon13]

The best choices for the 4 requested components within a ~$1000 budget
$502 AMD OSA175CDBOX
$110 Gigabyte GA-K8N Pro. No chipset fan to fail.
$188 Western Digital WD4000KD.
$225 OCZ4002048ELDCPE-K

 

[alimoalem]

Originally posted by: ribbon13
The best choices for the 4 requested components within a ~$1000 budget
$502 AMD OSA175CDBOX
$110 Gigabyte GA-K8N Pro. No chipset fan to fail.
$188 Western Digital WD4000KD.
$225 OCZ4002048ELDCPE-K

looks more like a system an x1900xt would be happy in....pc4000 ram? opty 175?

what thecoolnessrune recommended sounds good. i'd get a fortron 450w instead of the PC P & C power supply just so you can save $150. maybe you could get a raptor with the saved money (although i'm not a fan of them but i think they're good for servers). you should get Registered ram btw

 

[ribbon13]

Originally posted by: alimoalem
looks more like a system an x1900xt would be happy in....pc4000 ram? opty 175?

Shows what you know. Thats DDR400 CAS2, important for a 'server' with no overclocking. Opty 175 fits the budget and fits the 'server' bill nicely.

what thecoolnessrune recommended sounds good. i'd get a fortron 450w instead of the PC P & C power supply just so you can save $150. maybe you could get a raptor with the saved money (although i'm not a fan of them but i think they're good for servers). you should get Registered ram btw

He said stability. Fortron is great for the masses of office PCs, or a gaming machine, but a $50 PSU is the last thing you put in a workstation/server. The WD4000KD is more at home for server usage than the hitachi could ever hope to be, and the Raptor is a slap in the face of thier monetary contraits to socket 940. Registered ram takes a socket 940 board, which puts them immediately in the 'anemic budget' range.

Edit: Comparison