New Server Hardware

[radtechtips]

I am looking to build a new home server to run the latest version of Windows

Home Server. It will be mostly for streaming videos saved on the hard drive of

it. I want probably 2 TB, and a DVD/BD RW, and it is going to be rack

mounted. Those are pretty much the only specifiaction i have(see below),

but i have no clue what a go mobo, cpu, or graphics card(if i even need one)

is for a server. MY budget is under $1000. Im also wondering if WHS will run

VM so i can use programs like solidworks, eclipse, etc on a virtual windows

7/8 machine. or will it run them already with out a VM. Also will I need extra cooling (if so water or air)

Im in the U.S. btw



Specs:
2 TBs (SSD for boot?)
DVD/BR WR
Network streaming to Rasberry Pi
Run WHS
Be a samba network drive
Rack mounted
WOL mobo and network card capability

Thanks im really looking forward to this build and I want to make sure it works as well as I can get it too.

 

[radtechtips]

Hows this look.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/It9f

 

[mfenn]

Hows this look.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/It9f

That looks pretty good to me. You're not going to be overclocking an i3 3220, so you might want to consider swapping the motherboard to the ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP. That saves you a little money and gets you more SATA ports.

Regarding your question about VMs, yes you can install VirtualBox on WHS 2011 and use that to host VMs. Don't get your hopes up about doing anything too graphically intense though.

 

[radtechtips]

That sounds great. I just want some basic stuff

 

[radtechtips]

Im changing the CPU to the i3-3225 for the hd 4000 integrated graphics for 10 bucks more.

 

[mfenn]

Im changing the CPU to the i3-3225 for the hd 4000 integrated graphics for 10 bucks more.

I would save your money. It doesn't really make a difference for your workflow. Running 3D programs in a VM kills performance big time, even on a strong dedicated card.

 

[radtechtips]

I read that you can run most windows programs in whs so i wouldnt need a vm. Is that true?

 

[mfenn]

I read that you can run most windows programs in whs so i wouldnt need a vm. Is that true?

Sure, but you still have to use RDP which kills performance for 3D applications.

 

[radtechtips]

Whats rdp?

 

[mfenn]

Whats rdp?

Remote Desktop Protocol. That's how you access WHS since it's meant to run as a server (no monitor). If you were planning to use a monitor with it, you are probably better off with a standard desktop chassis and Windows 7.

 

[radtechtips]

Ya i m not using a monitor i just didnt know what it stood for. I dont really know a lot about whs becuase i usually use ubuntu server

 

[radtechtips]

I am just heard about the Haswell series should I wait for those? or are they going to be really expensive? I have no idea so im just trying to get a scope on them.

 

[mfenn]

Ya i m not using a monitor i just didnt know what it stood for. I dont really know a lot about whs becuase i usually use ubuntu server

I dunno if I would move from a real server OS like Linux to a moderate one like Windows. If anything, I'd just install VirtualBox on my Ubuntu machine and run Windows VMs there. You can use vRDP to get a decent visual connection to the VM.

I am just heard about the Haswell series should I wait for those? or are they going to be really expensive? I have no idea so im just trying to get a scope on them.

Haswell will be a lot lower power for nearly the same performance as the current Ivy Bridge parts. So it could be worth waiting if power consumption is really important to you. I expect the high-end (read: expensive) i5 and i7 chips to come out first on the desktop.

 

[radtechtips]

Ya im still thinking about the OS.Would you use regular ubuntu or server command line, cause i dont think you can run VM in command line.

Im also thinking about sticking with my current server + some new drives, and buying a really fast rendering and CAD computer(solidworks). I might also use it for games.


Would the haswell use less power than the xeon e3-1220 with matching mITX and how much better performance (3.1 ghz 8mb cache) and how much more expensive would it be ($204)

I dunno if I would move from a real server OS like Linux to a moderate one like Windows. If anything, I'd just install VirtualBox on my Ubuntu machine and run Windows VMs there. You can use vRDP to get a decent visual connection to the VM.



Haswell will be a lot lower power for nearly the same performance as the current Ivy Bridge parts. So it could be worth waiting if power consumption is really important to you. I expect the high-end (read: expensive) i5 and i7 chips to come out first on the desktop.

 

[mfenn]

Ya im still thinking about the OS.Would you use regular ubuntu or server command line, cause i dont think you can run VM in command line.

You can definitely run VMs completely from the command line. No X server is necessary. You can read up on the VBoxManage command for how to do it. VirtualBox also has a web interface that you can use.

Im also thinking about sticking with my current server + some new drives, and buying a really fast rendering and CAD computer(solidworks). I might also use it for games.

That's a totally fine option too.

Would the haswell use less power than the xeon e3-1220 with matching mITX and how much better performance (3.1 ghz 8mb cache) and how much more expensive would it be ($204)

Haswell is not out yet, so I can't really quantify the difference. It'll use less power and it will be slightly faster.

 

[radtechtips]

decisions decisions. hopefully i dont get ulcers over this one.