Complete Rebuild Of My Home Server. What To Do With The Leftovers...?

[Davidh373]

Complete Rebuild Of My Home Server. What To Do With The Leftovers...?

I've decided to rebuild my home server into a smaller Mini-Itx Case. The current build is too big and loud to be on top of a desk, and is running slightly too hot to have behind closed doors in a cabinet. It's been reliable behind the open doors of a cabinet for three and a half years, but it's time for a sleek and slim model to replace it. I'm doing a complete rebuild, but I think I can still make use of some of the parts for a HTPC build in the near future. I wanted to get an opinion from you guys, though. It's mostly about performance, but also about practicality and value.

Current Home Server

-350W Antec PSU
-Lian-Li Micro-ATX Case
-Gigabyte AM2+ Mobo
-AMD Sempron 140
-1GB RAM
-2 x 1TB Caviar Black 7200RPM (To Be Transplanted)
-1 x 1.5TB Samsung 5400RPM (To Be Transplanted)

New Home Server

-Case + PSU

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811128074

-Motherboard VGA Combo (Already Purchased on EBay)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131843

-RAM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231607

-HDDs (x4 once next month rolls around)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822178393

So there are a few things keeping me from just going at this. The entertainment room I would be putting the HTPC only has a 640 x 480 projector, or a standard 480i tube TV which is suffering some static in the picture. Obviously one or both of these will be replaced sooner or later, but until then, my experience with the HTPC will be extremely hindered.
The next thing is, the price, and I'll give you more details on that in a bit, but basically I can use a newer more powerful chipset at the cost of convenience (Size, PSU, Heat, Noise), or I can lose some functionality and performance by going with an older chipset (DDR2 Memory, Old Processor).


So Basically, to summarize...

1. Should I build an HTPC at all at this point? I don't have a good screen, but I'd hate to have all the parts I have laying around go to waste. I could build a new chipset with an APU, or a midrange intel processor as well, but then I'll still have all those parts wasting space. I have two fairly capable GPUs. An HD 6850, or GTX 470.

2. Should I build from the AM2+, or the x58? Or should I just scrap everything but the case and GPU and start from close to scratch?

3. Pro/ Con.

-AM2+

+Case fits and it's the right size.

-Have to buy 8GB DDR2 RAM

-Have to buy a really old, outdated processor

-Have to buy a Windows License

-x58

+Have RAM

+Have Windows License

-Need to buy case which would barely fit in the space I have

-Mobo either needs a Bios flash or has some sort of permanent Software RAID issue

-Need to buy a PSU.

 

[Cerb]

0. Read the reviews on that case. I was kind of :\ just from the photos, but the low-star reviews are not the common dummies who should know better types.

It also doesn't look like it be good for noise, either (most hot-swaps aren't, but 2.5" are pretty tolerable). That's typical of such hardware, and is fine if it's going to be stuffed in the networking closet, but you often don't have that luxury at home. You also don't need hot-swap, which can be quite a contributor to noise, since the drives necessarily get highly restricted airflow, assuming the rails are made well enough to not rattle or resonate.

The Fractal Design Node 304 would serve your needs, with regular PSU (CX430 for $20 AR?), and has enough drive mounts to use all your SATA ports, if you so desire. PSU and video card length can be issues, though.

1. Good question . Both video cards will be overkill, for performance. If the 6850 has a good non-reference cooler, though, it could be quiet enough to be worth using (the 470 will be a no-go).

If you need s-video, look at used Geforce 8400, 8500, and 8600 cards, on eBay. Video card analog TV support is pretty much dead, today. Active converters exist, but usually cost more than a used video card.

2. Can you be specific about what this X58 is? Namely, the motherboard model, CPU model, and Windows license (XP/Vista/7, Home/Pro, OEM/upgrade/other).

Finally, what is you initial HTPC budget? An AMD quad-core APU and good motherboard can be had for, at most, $200. But, add RAM and a Windows license, and that's more like $300-350, instead of $150-200. If you've got the money, it would make for a nicer HTPC, but with the NAS HDDs being put off, I get the idea you might be stretching things already, to make the NAS right, this time.

 

[Davidh373]

0. Read the reviews on that case. I was kind of just from the photos, but the low-star reviews are not the common dummies who should know better types.

It also doesn't look like it be good for noise, either (most hot-swaps aren't, but 2.5" are pretty tolerable). That's typical of such hardware, and is fine if it's going to be stuffed in the networking closet, but you often don't have that luxury at home. You also don't need hot-swap, which can be quite a contributor to noise, since the drives necessarily get highly restricted airflow, assuming the rails are made well enough to not rattle or resonate.

The main reason I'm getting that case is size, and convenience. I will be upgrading the HDDs 2-3 times before I'm finished with that configuration. The last time I upgraded my HDDs in the current Micro-ATX server, I had to spend an hour and a half pulling the whole build apart to get the the HDDs. I also have a friend who built with that case and he said it was a really tight fit to build in, but it's a good quality case. The Node is much bigger, but believe me, I gave it a good look.

2. Can you be specific about what this X58 is? Namely, the motherboard model, CPU model, and Windows license (XP/Vista/7, Home/Pro, OEM/upgrade/other).

The x58 chipset is made of a EVGA 3-Way SLI Full ATX Motherboard which takes about a minute to get through post and bios and error messages about RAID. It has an Intel 920 at 2.66 GHz, and 12GB of GSkill Ripjaws 1333MHz DDR3. For the cabinet I have space in, the full ATX seems too big, especially for the GPU I want to put in, and the heat both it and the GPU would put out. Cases are just too tall and wide and massive. It would fit, but it would be a tight squeeze with nowhere for heat to go...

I also have it in the goodness of my heart to dust it off and maybe give it to a friend for a really good price. I was talking with him last night, and he brought up how we were talking about that a month ago. So maybe at this point it's between buying a decent new chipset, or putting a little money into the am2+.

 

[mfenn]

I don't think I would throw any money at either of those configs. If you can make the Sempron work with parts you have lying around, it would make for a reasonable SD HTPC.

 

[Davidh373]

I don't think I would throw any money at either of those configs. If you can make the Sempron work with parts you have lying around, it would make for a reasonable SD HTPC.

So you're saying I should just transfer what I have to the living room until I have money to upgrade to a new chipset? Will a Sempron run Windows 7 without choking? I'd have to get a license and at least a 4GB stick o' RAM if so.

 

[Cerb]

So you're saying I should just transfer what I have to the living room until I have money to upgrade to a new chipset? Will a Sempron run Windows 7 without choking? I'd have to get a license and at least a 4GB stick o' RAM if so.

An Atom can run Windows 7 without choking. If you can give it 2GB+ of RAM and any HDD new enough to be SATA, it will be fine, for such light use. Only thing there is that you've already bought the little Zacate board, and overall, it should be faster than the Sempron .

Edit for clarification: the Sempron can probably handle Netflix in the browser, while the Zacate can't, due to clock speed, but the Sempron is sufficiently cache-starved, and bandwidth-starved, compared to the Zacate, that most everything else will favor the Zacate, which also had the added benefit of a 2nd core.

 

[Davidh373]

Edit for clarification: the Sempron can probably handle Netflix in the browser, while the Zacate can't, due to clock speed, but the Sempron is sufficiently cache-starved, and bandwidth-starved, compared to the Zacate, that most everything else will favor the Zacate, which also had the added benefit of a 2nd core.

I think you might be confused. My post was a bit long and scattered. I'm using the C-60 for a rebuild of my FreeNAS server. The Sempron is what's currently in my server build. I wasn't planning on running the HTPC off the Sempron. If I'm going to throw anything at the AM2+ build, it's going to be a full overhaul. 4GB-8GB DDR2, a Phenom II x4, and a Windows license. When the math is done, I'm in about $400 for new product, and about $300 if I go used on eBay. I want this system to play some games eventually on a 1080p TV or Projector. The SD screens I have now are probably going to be replaced within the next 3 months to a year. If they aren't, I'm planning to take it with me when I move out, which will be within the next year and a half, and I'll have a 1080p TV there.

So is it worth the $300-$400 for the new gear for the AM2+, should I get out of my loose agreement with my friend and use my x58 chipset (squeezing it into the space I have) which would come to about $250, or should I go with a new Ivy Bridge or Haswell Chipset for around the same $400?

That is the question. I think given the price for the upgrades, I might as well go for broke and get a Haswell i3 or i5 and a sub-$100 Micro-ATX Motherboard. It's just a shame I can't reuse any of these parts wisely. The AM2+ has been stable for around 3 1/2 years 24/7...

 

[Cerb]

So is it worth the $300-$400 for the new gear for the AM2+, should I get out of my loose agreement with my friend and use my x58 chipset (squeezing it into the space I have), or should I go with a new Ivy Bridge or Haswell Chipset for around the same $400?

In that case, new Ivy Bridge or Haswell. Core 2 era and newer used is still too expensive. Problem is, there are too many people (for prices to go down, anyway) with whole working computers that are just upgrading a CPU, for instance, or replacing a blown motherboard. For them, the costs of each part are acceptable, as that's all they are replacing. In aggregate, the newer Intel and AMD platforms cost a little bit more for a lot more performance, plus you get decent USB 3.0, SATA 6GBps, more affordable DDR3 RAM, cheap non-finicky motherboards (thinking of the X58, for this one), GbE NICs that can saturate GbE, etc..

The old stuff is still worth using for what it can do (FI, it should be able to handle non-ZFS NAS duties fine, or light HTPC use if it's kept off quiet enough), but not really worth upgrading much, since making, say, the Sempron machine, a decent Phenom II machine, including more RAM, would get you pretty close to the cost of new components. An OEM Windows license leans in favor of an older motherboard with one, by around $90, but aside from that...

 

[mfenn]

Agree with Cerb, don't dump $400 into an AM2+ platform. A cheap B75 Ivy Bridge rig is in that same price range.

i3 3220 $130
ASRock B75M DGS R2.0 $50
Team DDR3 1600 8GB $53
Total: $233

Add $100 for a Windows license and you're at $333, right within your AM2+ range.

 

[Davidh373]

Alright. That way everyone is happy... except my retiring AM2+. I feel bad now. That thing has been so kickass reliable. Maybe someone else I trust will want it cheap for a server of their own.

 

[Cerb]

Alright. That way everyone is happy... except my retiring AM2+. I feel bad now. That thing has been so kickass reliable. Maybe someone else I trust will want it cheap for a server of their own.

Or, just see if anybody has a use for it. I know what you mean. I have several such GB and ECS Athlon XP boards, just sitting around like that (some have bum CPU fans, now, but that's easy enough to deal with). Still work great, but between PATA, the cost of RAM (and not having much spare, anymore), the performance...they're just not that good for too much, anymore, but I hate to have them become waste, at the same time.