Building a tower server

[andy68]

[andy68]

My advice: Don't build a tower server. Get yourself a nice 1U or 2U case and build your server into that.

The cost savings for colocating a 1U or 2U server are enormous. Mid-tower servers are a pain in the @ss to colocate.

[andy68]

[rabbit85]

IMO, http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduc...ion=13-131-436

Is one of the best boards out there for AMD...

[spoon84713]

Well, you have one thing right -- mid-tower cases are cheaper. However, I'd definitely argue the other factors.

We bought a 2U case a couple days ago. It has 6x3.5" drive bays, 2x5.25" drive bays, and 4 fans. We put a dual 1GHz setup in there with no problems. We have a couple 200GB disks here as well... besides power issues (you'll want a 400w power supply to run dual 200GB), a 1U or 2U case will suit you just fine.

Most (and I mean most, as in every company that colocates in racks or cabinets as opposed to having their own datacenter with shelves), will charge you extra for colocation. The only colocation company that I know that charges you the same for 1U and 4U is ServerMatrix, but they have their own datacenter, so they probably just put you on a shelf. If you decide to change colocation providers later, you will incur a hefty difference between 1U/2U and a midtower server.

You can shrug off my advice if you want, but I'd recommend planning ahead. Build your system out into a 1U or 2U case. A 1U will be fine if you only need one or two drives; if you want more expandability, go with the 2U. You'll pay about $100 more upfront, but IMHO you'll better equip yourself for the future.

[andy68]

I'm probably going to build the server for my home network use before I think of deploying one as a live web server. I don't have a rack to mount servers in at home, so I'd at least like a mid-tower for home. What would be a good and sturdy case that allows for good cooling?

Erica - Where do you buy your rackmount cases? I've seen a ton of places selling them, but am not sure which ones are good quality in terms of cooling and case durability.

-Josh
(Formerly MainAreaJosh for those wondering )

[spoon84713]

We buy them here and there... we recently bought a couple from Rackmounts Etc., and they seem to be doing fine. Supermicro cases also come highly recommended from what I can tell, though we don't have any in our rack.

[rabbit85]

http://www.rasputinj.com/article946.html

Dell: PowerEdge 400SC Server P4 2.4ghz, 800mhz FSB, 40gb, 128MB $373 w/ free shipping @ Dell Small Business
Posted on Thursday, November 13 @ 18:14:39 EST

Dell PowerEdge Servers

Dell Small Business has a great deal on the PowerEdge 400SC Server with an Intel Pentium 4 2.4ghz, 800mhz FSB 128MB DDR 400Mhz ECC RAM, 48x CD-ROM, 40GB Hard drive, Integrated Intel gigabit NIC, Keyboard, Mouse, 1-yr Warranty all for

$598 - $125 auto off (discount will show up when add to the cart) - $100 rebate = $373 with free shipping.

To get the deal click on the link above, choose the PowerEdge Servers/Choose SC Value Servers/PowerEdge 400SC scroll down to Recommed solutions/ then click on the $274 priced model, upgrade the CPU to 2.4ghz P4 800Mhz FSB

if you want to save a few bucks keep it on the Celeron for $274 or just upgrade to the 2.26Ghz P4 with 533Mhz for 49 more will give you a total of $313