Help Building a New Server

[CyberTron]

Alright, so i'm trying to build a new server that MUST be 1U for the colocation i've been looking into. A friend has a rack and he is trying to get the mouse out of the space. Anyways, AMD is having this convention near my house and they are offering the following setup for $500 and I'm trying to figure out if its going to do what I need and will be reliable.

? 2 - AMD Opteron? 246 CPUs
? Tyan Thunder K8SD Pro (S2882-D) motherboard (w/ U360)
? Microsoft Server 2003 x64 Edition

From what I've priced, its a steal, but more importantly is it going to work for my application. My primary use for this server will be serving web pages (.Net apps and such), Running a MS SQL server, and running a mail server. I have 2 GB of DDR2... crap. which i just realized wont work. blah. Alright, so i'll need to buy ram, can I get normal ram or do i HAVE to ahve REG'd ECC? I know it supports non-ecc, but how about non-reg'd? I am being told by a friend that 2003 x64 is not going to be very reliable and I'm just trying to figure out if any one has experience with this setup and its reliablitiy?

Thanks in advance.

*edit*
Doh... forgot... Any idea where I would buy a 1U case for this bad boy?

 

[Jojo7]

Woo. I'll be going to the Dallas Tech Tour.
I signed up for the same combo.
As far as the memory goes, I was planning to get THIS memory. And yes, it must be registered, not necessarily ecc.
Why not have a look at the product's PAGE and you can download the manual from there.
I can't comment on the stability of the x64 version of 2003 but it's a server OS and I'd imagine it was pretty stable or people wouldn't use it.

Just look for 1u cases on the web. Make sure it supports eatx boards.

 

[GuitarDaddy]

Thats a hellava good price on that combo. The two opterons will cost that at most places, your basically getting the mobo and OS for free.

And it should work well for what you are describing

 

[vrbaba]

wish the tour was anywhere near NC

 

[Hyperlite]

Originally posted by: vrbaba
wish the tour was anywhere near NC

ditto

 

[Chode Messiah]

I heard that mobo has dual core support out-of-the-box

 

[JBird7986]

vrbaba and Hyperlite: I also live in NC. I dunno where you guys are, but you could always make the day trip down to Atlanta.

 

[WorldTraveller]

Originally posted by: CyberTron
Alright, so i'm trying to build a new server that MUST be 1U for the colocation i've been looking into. A friend has a rack and he is trying to get the mouse out of the space. Anyways, AMD is having this convention near my house and they are offering the following setup for $500 and I'm trying to figure out if its going to do what I need and will be reliable.

? 2 - AMD Opteron? 246 CPUs
? Tyan Thunder K8SD Pro (S2882-D) motherboard (w/ U360)
? Microsoft Server 2003 x64 Edition

From what I've priced, its a steal, but more importantly is it going to work for my application. My primary use for this server will be serving web pages (.Net apps and such), Running a MS SQL server, and running a mail server. I have 2 GB of DDR2... crap. which i just realized wont work. blah. Alright, so i'll need to buy ram, can I get normal ram or do i HAVE to ahve REG'd ECC? I know it supports non-ecc, but how about non-reg'd? I am being told by a friend that 2003 x64 is not going to be very reliable and I'm just trying to figure out if any one has experience with this setup and its reliablitiy?

Thanks in advance.

*edit*
Doh... forgot... Any idea where I would buy a 1U case for this bad boy?

I am planning something similar. I am trying to convince my company that I can build this for them as a backup machine! I did some quick research & found that good ol' 'egg sells about 17 different rackmount cases. You could start there. If I find anything interesting, I will add to the thread.

 

[WorldTraveller]

Originally posted by: Chode Messiah
I heard that mobo has dual core support out-of-the-box

Yes, it does...

 

[CyberTron]

Originally posted by: Jojo7
Woo. I'll be going to the Dallas Tech Tour.
I signed up for the same combo.
As far as the memory goes, I was planning to get THIS memory. And yes, it must be registered, not necessarily ecc.
Why not have a look at the product's PAGE and you can download the manual from there.
I can't comment on the stability of the x64 version of 2003 but it's a server OS and I'd imagine it was pretty stable or people wouldn't use it.

Just look for 1u cases on the web. Make sure it supports eatx boards.

Is that memory really any lower? or is that just a generic pic? and what heatstink will you be using? and what kind of PSU (w) will you think it needs running 3 sata drives?

 

[Jojo7]

Originally posted by: CyberTron
Is that memory really any lower? or is that just a generic pic? and what heatstink will you be using? and what kind of PSU (w) will you think it needs running 3 sata drives?

I'm pretty sure that is an actual pic of the memory. It says "low profile" but I have no idea how much smaller it is than normal ecc/reg ram.

The xp-90's are pretty much the tops. If you want to spend a little more for a few degrees lower, go with the xp-90c's (heavy).
If you are still planning to use a 1u case, then the xp-90's obviously won't work for you.

As far as the power supply goes, I haven't made up my mind yet either. The True550 EPS12V, Silverstone Zeus ST65ZF (probably overkill) and PCP&C 510 (overkill) are what I'm looking at.

 

[Pr0d1gy]

Originally posted by: CyberTron

? 2 - AMD Opteron? 246 CPUs
? Tyan Thunder K8SD Pro (S2882-D) motherboard (w/ U360)
? Microsoft Server 2003 x64 Edition

I know where you're getting that setup & I'm getting the exact same one.

 

[Pr0d1gy]

Originally posted by: JBird7986
vrbaba and Hyperlite: I also live in NC. I dunno where you guys are, but you could always make the day trip down to Atlanta.

Yeah, we'll be tailgating outside Turner Field if you want to meet us there. Nothing like an AMD show while stinking drunk! lol

 

[CyberTron]

haha, nice we should all meet up. what time are u lush's getting there?