Older QUIET, Dependable & Cheap Systems

[tyanni]

I am setting up a home network to play with Win2003 Server running AD, DNS, DHCP, RIS, etc. Unfortunately, one of my test machines "blew up" last night when the power supply finally failed after probably 5 years of abuse. I don't really have time to build my own machines, so I am looking for recomendations on a company that made very quiet PII or PIII machines, so my room doesn't sound like a jet engine testing facility. How quiet are the Dell Optiplex GX1s? Or one of the other Small Dell's with a PIII in it? Any other suggestions?

I may be able to get two GX1's with PIII 500s in them for 40 each, should I grab these?

I am not looking for suggestions of building a duron system or the like, since I have plenty of memory lying around that is PC 133 SDRAM, not DDR and I don't want it to go to waste.

Thanks Guys.
Tim

 

[zodder]

For only $40? Of course you should.

 

[DaveSimmons]

A P3-500 will be fine for a 1-user server as long as you can stuff in 384 - 512 MB of RAM.

 

[mikecel79]

We have over 200 Optiplex GX1s where I work and they are super quiet. You can barely hear them run. The loudest things on them are the hard drives in the early models, when they used some WD drives. Another quiet machine with a bit more power would be the Optiplex GX110. Another very quiet system.

 

[dderolph]

I am not looking for suggestions of building a duron system or the like, since I have plenty of memory lying around that is PC 133 SDRAM, not DDR and I don't want it to go to waste.

That sentence makes no sense. There are plenty of motherboards available to use a Duron processor and PC133 SDRAM. I've got one; it's an ECS K7SEM. Also, there are motherboards that will support either PC133 SDRAM or DDR, providing the opportunity to use PC133, then later upgrade memory to DDR.