File/Game Server Build

[nsafreak]

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

File serving, media transcoding (full MKV Blu Ray rips), Game servers (currently Minecraft Feed The Beast DireWolf20 modpack (mostly for friends, have at most 5 simultaneous users currently at most & Natural Selection 2 16 slot server (typically empty so I may not run it), potentially add more games), file backups (CrashPlan)

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

$300 - $400

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.

USA


5. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.

No brand preferences, reliability is king here.

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

Hard drives from current server

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

Default

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?

n/a

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
Note that it is usually not cost or time effective to choose your build more than a month before you actually plan to be using it.

Within the next month

X. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?

Nope, already have Windows Server 2008 R2

I've come to the conclusion that my current Dual Xeon (Irwindale) server isn't performing quite as I'd like it to and is drinking down even more juice than my gaming system. So to get better performance and hopefully cut down on power consumption I'm looking at building a new server. I'm currently bouncing between two potential builds and I'm not quite sure which way to go. I'm leaning towards Intel since most of the tasks I intend to run on this server (aside from occasional transcoding) are primarily single threaded which Intel rules the roost on. I have nothing against going with AMD either though I just want good and steady performance. I should note that I'm very close to a Microcenter so I'll likely get a CPU/motherboard combo from them.

Here are some potential builds I'm looking at:

Build 1

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($118.97 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI B85-G41 PC Mate ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($76.49 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($37.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12G 550W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($77.99 @ Mwave)
Total: $361.43
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-16 19:52 EDT-0400)

Build 2

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A75M Pro4+ Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($59.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($37.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12G 550W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($77.99 @ Mwave)
Total: $315.95
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-16 19:56 EDT-0400)


Any suggestions on changes that I can make and which would be the best bang for the buck? Thanks for the help.

 

[mfenn]

Since you're close to MC, you should definitely factor their combo deals into your initial pricing.

i5 4670K + GA-H81M-H combo $205 AR
Patriot Viper 3 $50 AR - this is the one you picked out
CX430 $20 AR
NZXT Source 210 $38 - also the one you picked out
Total: $313

This gets you an i5 for quicker transcoding at the same price as you were looking at for the A10 system. A couple of points:

- The CX430 is less efficient, but we're talking at most 10% of 50W here (5W). That's $6.57 per year assuming you pay $0.15/kWh. That's a long time before the Gold PSU pays back its purchase price
- The mobo only has 4 SATA ports, if you need more you can grab a B85/H87 board like the one you picked out or the ASRock H87M Pro4 for +$35 at MC.

 

[nsafreak]

Wow, I hadn't even considered getting an i5, kinda silly that the CPU in my server will be faster than my main system. Still, something to seriously consider thanks for point it out, can't believe I missed it myself.

 

[Knavish]

If you want to save a bit of money, MC also has an A10-6800K + Asus A55BM-E bundle for $140 or an i3-4340 + MSI Z87-G41 for $185. The cheapest MC i5 bundle I see is $245, but I'm not looking very hard.

 

[mvbighead]

Wow, I hadn't even considered getting an i5, kinda silly that the CPU in my server will be faster than my main system. Still, something to seriously consider thanks for point it out, can't believe I missed it myself.

You could always use your current parts as the server, and upgrade your rig...

That's what I do.

 

[mfenn]

You could always use your current parts as the server, and upgrade your rig...

That's what I do.

:thumbsup: This is a good option if your current machine has an Sandy Bridge or newer chip. Anything before that probably idles too high to meet your power goals.