Server Recommendation -- Dell dropped the ball and we need to move on

[GCS]

Well we ordered a Poweredge T300 Server from Dell back in Jan. It was supposed to come this week but I got an email from them that it is delayed until March. Called and there is nothing they can do. I can change my order of course but the next closest thing would cost more money and still would not be available until March.

We need to move on and try and get something else in here very soon.


Here is the T300 we were supposed to get from Dell - total cost was about $775 or so.

Need something similar to this for about the same cost but within the next week. I am thinking I will have to build my own or get something prebuilt from newegg, zipzoom etc

Looking for specific hardware recommendations please.


1 223-6141 Quad Core Xeon X3323 Processor2x3M Cache, 2.5GHz, 1333MHz
1 311-7154 8GB 667MHz (2X4GB), Dual Ranked DIMMs
1 310-5017 No Keyboard Selected
1 341-6084 160GB 7.2k RPM Serial ATA 3Gbps 3.5-in
1 341-5437 No Floppy Drive
1 420-6320 No Operating System
1 430-2008 On-Board Dual Gigabit Network Adapter
1 313-9281 16x DVD-ROM Drive, Internal SATA
1 330-5280 Dell Management Console
1 330-0317 Electronic Documentation and OpenManage CD Kit
1 341-6084 160GB 7.2k RPM Serial ATA 3Gbps 3.5-in
1 341-6349 Onboard SATA, 1-4 Drives connected to Onboard SATA Controller
1 330-0314 Chassis with Cabled Hard Driveand Non-Redundant Power Supply


I do not need the second 160gb since all we need is 1 drive for the OS as we will be running a 4TB RAID 5 array for everything else.

This will be running SBS 2008.

Thanks in advance.

Greg

 

[BTA]

At my last job where I had some responsibilities with servers...we were moving from Dell over to HP Proliant servers. We had a lot of good luck with the HP's. I'm not real familiar with prices anymore though.

 

[rudder]

HP.com? As tempting as it is to build your own... if it is a business that relies on the server being up... I would get a major manufacturer with onsite support.

 

[GCS]

Looked into the HPs before we went Dell.

They are quite a bit more $$ for lesser spec'ed product (unless I am doing it wrong)

Greg

 

[Red Squirrel]

Personally I prefer building my own as you get more power for less money and non propiatory parts that are easier to replace, but if you want something premade with support etc, maybe try HP, Sun (pretty sure they make "IBM compatible" hardware too, not just solaris) and maybe even IBM.. though IBM is good for price gouging once it goes out of warrenty.

I would maybe give Dell a bit more of a chance we've never had too many issues with them and their support is decent.

 

[GCS]

I don't necessarily need pre-made. The Dell was just easy to do and cost effective.

Well I don't have 3-4 weeks to wait on Dell is the issue. We have been waiting since mid-late Jan and the server was supposed to arrive this week.

I need to be switched over to a new setup within the next 10 days or so and that's part of the problem.

Greg

 

[theevilsharpie]

Looked into the HPs before we went Dell.

They are quite a bit more $$ for lesser spec'ed product (unless I am doing it wrong)

Greg

HP uses the standard distribution channels, so if you just looked at HP's site, all you saw was the inflated MSRP. If you source the equipment from a reseller, it will be cost-competitive with Dell, and you'll probably get your equipment within a few days.

I'll also second the recommendation not to build it yourself. Every custom-built server I've ever inherited has had various stability issues.

 

[GCS]

Well after spending time with an HP rep looks like I can get an ml110 G6 with similar specs (newer Xeon processor than the T300s) for almost the same price.

Best part is I can order it right from newegg or CDW and both have it in stock ready to ship.

I'll need to get some extra ram and add it but that's no problem at all.

Greg

 

[RebateMonger]

Not necessarily a recommended solution, but...

If you had any interest in virtualizing your SBS 2008 server, you could do so now on any PC that has maybe 6 GB of memory and a 64-bit processor that supports virtualization.

When your new server arrives, you install the hypervisor host on it and import the virtualized OS to the new server.