How do this Server and 2 Workstations look I'm going to build for the office?

[Muscles]

Workstations X 2

Item: Price:
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Newcastle 161.00
Soltek SL-K8An2E-GR 90.00
Corsair 512mb pc3200 80.00
Samsung DVD/CD-RW 36.00
Seagate 80gb 7200rpm SATA 70.00
Logitech Keyboard + Mouse 25.00
Apollo ATI Radeon 9200SE 64mb 40.00
Antec Solution Series Super Mid Tower w/350W PS 70.00
MS Windows XP Pro w/SP2 146.00
Total: 718.00
X2: 1436.00

Server

Item: Price:
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Newcastle 161.00
Soltek SL-K8An2E-GR 90.00
Corsair 1gb (512mbX2) pc3200 160.00
NEC DVD-RW 80.00
Seagate 80gb 7200rpm SATA X 2 140.00
Logitech Keyboard + Mouse 25.00
Apollo ATI Radeon 9200SE 64mb 40.00
Antec Solution Series Super Mid Tower w/350W PS 70.00
MS Small Business Server 2003 Standard Edition OEM 438.00
APC 500VA BACK-UPS ?Model BE500U? 60.00
Total: 1264.00

Note: I'm not planning on using RAID for the server. I'm planning on just setting up a nightly backup ghost image on the second hard drive. If the primary hard drive ever gets screwed by a virus or it dies or whatever I'll format/replace using the nightly ghost image on the secondary hard drive. The servers primary use is file storage / transfer to workstations. Just for fun, I'm probably going to set up MS Exchange on it.

As an alternative to a tape drive I'm just going to use the dvd-r burner for a weekly backup I can take offsite.

Questions: I'm not planning on using ECC ram for the server. I've never used it before in any system I've ever built. Should I consider using it? Is it worth it or is it a waste of money?

What do you guys all think about my hardware choices? This is purely an office setup so no games obviously. I know I could of gone a little cheaper on the processor but for the few extra bucks to me its worth it Same goes for the case selection. Reliability is my #1 concern. I've never built a system using sata hard drives but I'm sure it's a breeze. The mb I've selected has native sata support so I don't need to buy any floppies.

All feedback is very appreciated.

 

[kornphlake]

my workstation has dual xeon 2.8 processors, 1gig ram, quadro FX 1000 graphics card, 21" monitor, CD-RW, keyboard, mouse, ... Even with all the processing power I have, the abundant memory and high end graphics card I occasionally have to wait for my computer to catch up.

What kind of work do you have in mind for these workstations?

 

[Muscles]

It's for an attorney's office (friend of mine). The vast majority of the work being done on the workstations is on OpenOffice or Microsoft Office. Other than that it's all web browsing and email. Later, we're planning on installing some kind of software on the server for scheduling/appointments, billing etc.

 

[MrChad]

I'd recommend ordering from a vendor such as Dell unless you want to be supporting the hardware on these machines for the next couple of years.

 

[Muscles]

Panty waists go with dell. Real men build their own but thanks

Any other suggestions not relating to Dell or other vendors?

 

[Cerb]

I'd personally avoid Apollo for video...

The server:
[*]And why not RAID?! If reliability is a concern, RAID 1 should be a minimum, with the ghosting on top of that. ALso, I'd stick with PATA, or use a controller card, so if it dies, you can stick the stuff in any PC you have handy and read it. Remember that with the server, you should design it with the expectation of catastrophic failure.
[*]DVD burner sounds good, though you may want to look into extrenal HDDs, as well.

The workstation:
[*]Aside from video, looks good. What monitor?

 

[Muscles]

I'll replace apollo and spend a few extra bucks for the abit I guess. Apollo just happened to be the cheapest on newegg.

And why not RAID?! If reliability is a concern, RAID 1 should be a minimum, with the ghosting on top of that. ALso, I'd stick with PATA, or use a controller card, so if it dies, you can stick the stuff in any PC you have handy and read it. Remember that with the server, you should design it with the expectation of catastrophic failure.

I wasn't going to go with raid because I just don't think it's necessary. If I got my two hd's in a mirror array then if I get a virus or some other crap both drivers are screwed anyway. The only advantage I can see with raid is if one of the drives happens to die but not the other but I don't care because I'll have the night backup image. Also (knock on wood) I haven't had a hard drive fail on me in more than 10 years... Just trying to save myself some money. If the server did die and I needed to get at the hard drive, all the other pc's in the office has sata support too so I shouldn't have a problem. Unlike a lot of other businesses, if my server dies I don't need it back up and running in minutes, a couple hours to a day of downtime is acceptable.

Aside from video, looks good. What monitor?

Didn't bother posting the monitors but since you asked I'll be using these for the workstations:
CTX S761 (Black) 17" LCD Monitor

You've definitely got me considering going PATA for the server instead of SATA. I doubt I go with a raid array but I appreciate the feedback Cerb, thanks a lot.

 

[Dug]

Definately get PATA. I've gone through trying to recover on SBS2k3 on a SATA controller. You can do it, but it's a PITA. Plus Ghost and every other backup software is easier to use with PATA.

 

[Muscles]

Thanks Dug. You guys sold me on going with PATA for the server.

 

[Muscles]

Hey, no one ever answered my question about the benefits of using ECC ram in the server, is it worth it or a waste of money in my case?

Anymore feedback is also welcome.

 

[Cerb]

That's difficult to answer. It would require using a different motherboard, possibly even going with an Opteron.

 

[robcy]

Originally posted by: Muscles
Hey, no one ever answered my question about the benefits of using ECC ram in the server, is it worth it or a waste of money in my case?

Anymore feedback is also welcome.

ECC is probably not that important for a setup like yours. I have a XP2200+\NF2\512mb DDR\40gb x 2 5400rpm 2mb Maxtor?s running SBS2003 with Exchange 2003. There are 3 local computers, and 15 off site users that connect to the Exchange server by Web mail interface. I backup nightly to a remote computer that?s running a P3 700 (read cheap) and an extra 40 GB Maxtor. While I could probably use another 512mb of ram, it works fine as is.

P.S. the workstations look good.

 

[JackMDS]

You should find what are the backup rules for law offices. Could be that it is not just a "Geeky" choice.

In addtion if they are doing Medical-Legal there is HIPPA concerns as well.

:sun:

 

[Muscles]

Thanks for the info guys, it's really appreciated.