How many servers can i host?

[dualcore1289]

Basically, some places it's cheaper to rent than colo.

[CGS|Todd]

dualcore1289 Wrote:Ehh it is still iffy.

if the price was the same or 5000GB was not a lot more, that would be the superior alternative. but if the 10Mbps unmetered is vastly cheaper, that would probably be a better deal for someone running a personal server -- where cost is generally more paramount than bleeding edge performance.

[CGS|Todd]

FERMAN Wrote:3.0GHz Xeon Quad Core

i wouldn't get anything more than the 2.5Ghz E5420 -- beyond that the price gets astronomically high and you can't run enough additional slots to justify it.

[FERMAN]

How about this.
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=9840832

[helio]

a 4u box seems like a little over kill

[dualcore1289]

Yea, and would cost alot more to colo. Fit that bad boy into a 1U

[CGS|Todd]

CPU -- make sure you really need the E5420. the E5405/5410 will suffice for most applications. i would get the E5420 if you plan on running lots of TF2 slots (or some other game that is known to very demanding on the CPUs). on the other hand, it does give you some room to grow even if not. balance your budget with your need for power.

Motherboard -- get it from http://www.motherboardpro.com. there are three different revisions of the this motherboard, 1.1a is the only one that allows you to use less expensive dual rank memory in all slots. these guys have EXCELLENT customer service, it is the only place i know of that will make sure you get the 1.1a revision if you ask. if the motherboards show as not in-stock on their site ask them, they can usually special order one for you at no extra cost.

RAM -- if you are running dual processors, get at least 8GB. get the cheapest ram you can find that will work in the X7DCL-i, there is no worthwhile advantage to higher priced RAM. this RAM is cheaper and will work for sure in that motherboard -- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134652&Tpk=KVR667D2D8P5%2f2G.

Hard drives -- 500GB is overkill. get two western digital 250GB RE3 drives. these are extremely fast (close to raptor speeds and MUCH less expensive) and reliable enterprise-class drives. run them in raid 1. you don't want a failed hard drive to take you out of action, especially when you don't have physical access to your server.

Case -- most colos charge less for smaller cases, get a 1u or 2u. if you go with 1u, use zippy/emacs power supplies. these are extremely reliable and very affordable. i have used them extensively over the past 5 years, never had one fail. can be picked up new on ebay very inexpensively. one caveat is that the 600w model has an odd power configuration. the power plug is not built into the power supply itself. it is on a separate cable so you will have to modify most cases to mount it. for a low profile heat sink, this a real bad-boy -- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835114076 -- as far as case fans, if your chosen case does not use 2-ball bearing fans, rip them out and replace them.

[helio]

can change the voltage to a xeon to up the ghz or is that bad to do

[FERMAN]

Alright how about this? I looked at the motherboards on motherboardpro.com and there wasn't any server motherboards that had dual LGA-771.
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=9840832

[helio]

why dont you get a 1u server

[CGS|Todd]

FERMAN Wrote:Alright how about this? I looked at the motherboards on motherboardpro.com and there wasn't any server motherboards that had dual LGA-775.
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=9840832

xeons are 771, there are no dual 775 motherboards. if they are not listed, just ask. newegg will not guaruntee the 1.1 a revison, in which case you could get screwed. the eagle tech case are horrible i would avoid them. that psu will not fit, you need 1u. i higly recommend the psus i mentiond above. i would go with the wd re3 drives, they are superior. get the oem versions of the cpus, the stock coolers will not fit in a 1u case.

[FERMAN]

I meant dual 771. And here is a 1u mount.
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=9840832

[CGS|Todd]

FERMAN Wrote:I meant dual 771. And here is a 1u mount.
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=9840832

like i said, just ask them. good chance they can get them for you. otherwise you are taking a big risk, most places don't let you return mbs/ram unless they are defective. i don't see a 1u cooler in that list?

[FERMAN]

Well idk if i should even get this because i have had people tell me that the 1.8GHz dual xeon will work no problem and then i have people telling me it wont be able to run everything so i am not sure i wish i could just test it.

[CGS|Todd]

dependig on what you are runnng th 1.8s might well be fine, but this platform is a little more future proof. personally, it is worth the extra cost to me.