gareth

I'm planning the purchase of an entry-level development server to run at home. The server will need to run W2K, a DBMS (probably Oracle) and a web application server (prob Tomcat), plus some other proprietary stuff I'm into. It'll also be a file server for my home network.

The sort of spec I'm thinking of would be single processor (but expandable), 512Mb RAM (ditto), 80Gb IDE...

I've looked on www.dell.co.uk and it looks like £700 or so would buy the above spec. There's also Compaq/HP options for slightly more. What I'm interested in is whether there's any other manufacturers I should be considering that might be better value?

Any ideas or recommendations welcome. I'm not really into building my own kit though, as time is an issue...

Cheers,
Gareth

workshy_fopp

At that level IDE based servers are just PC's in a different box, plus you'll be paying for support, remote management software etc. which you probably don't need. Plus you pay a fortune for RAM upgrades etc. The only advantage is dual processor motherboards.
I'd just use a beefy PC.

gareth

I know what you're saying, but by the time you drop support, OS installation etc it's a good bit cheaper than a PC with the equivalent processor/memory. The problem with PCs is once you go for reasonable CPU and memory you're also paying for higher-spec graphics card, monitor etc. These things I don't need...

Taking Dell as the example, a PIII with 512Mb costs roughly £700 as a server and £1200 as a PC...

Cheers,
Gareth

stevencotton

You're much better off building your own than paying for something like you're talking about, at least you get what you need without sound card, graphics card, etc. And it's fun mostly too

Steve.

Mkhan

Then build your own...

Theres loads of computer fairs around these days .. just go and buy everything you need slap a cheap graphics card in and away you go.. and you will still spend less than £700 and have 120 GIG HD 1GIG of ram and most likely a P4 2.4

gareth

So how many hours to build something like this (for the first time)?

By the way I'm a vastly-overpaid contractor so time is money etc etc hence my original comment about not wanting to build my own...

G

STI MAN

From my experience, if you'd rather be twaking db's and webs, you are better paying the £700 for the Dell, compared to spending time sourcing the parts, building your own and pissibly fixing it every month.

It kinda focusses you on what you "want" to do.

ChrisB

For a first timer, you should have a PC built and running inside two hours.

That's probably the length of the first phone call to Dell trying to find where your order is

Mkhan

Even someone who has never built a pc before I reckon it should take 1 - 2 hrs tops... To build

Case
Board about 6 screws (onto plate in the case)
Ram & cpu & fan(and they will probably be put on for you when you buy the board if you get it from the same place)
Floppy 4 screws
HD 4 screws
CD Rom 4 screws
NIC (network Interface card) 1 screw.
Graphics card 1 screw
Then you have 3 power cables to attach (HD, CD and floppy)
Then two IDE cables to attach (HD and CD)
one floppy cable (err floppy)
(And they can only go one way around)
Main PSU cable to board.. (can only go one way around)

Now depending on which case you buy will depend on how long it takes really.. a good case will allow you to take off both sides and get to everything nice and easy.

The longest bit is attaching the Pwd switch, power cable and HD light cables that are on the case to the board and really thats not hard at all..

Once done you are ready to install the software..

W2K will most likely take about 1 hr to install and configure.

The longest bit will be downloading all the patches, which you would have to do anyway even if you bought the machine from Dell etc. Unless they are patching it for you these days..

So put aslide 4 hrs and you have one built and ready to go PC.. and because you built it you know whats there and what you have done so upgrading in the future is a piece of pi$$.

Just to add..

Goto somewhere like Scan.co.uk and put in all the stuff you need and see for yourself how much it would cost.. then make your own mind up..

I know your bothered by money, but if you can save and get more for your bucks I am sure you would prefer to do that.



[Edited by Mkhan - 1/14/2003 5:09:41 PM]

[Edited by Mkhan - 1/14/2003 5:15:56 PM]

Puff The Magic Wagon!

iTrader: (2)

My W2K Server

MSi Mobo ATA133 Raid - £94
2.0 P4 - £120
2x 30Gb ATA133 7200 Maxtors - £55 ea
512mb PC2100 - £45

Thats the basics with RAID mirroring for data security.

Add in a no-name graphics card - £30?
Add in a cheapie 10/100 Nic - £20?
Case - £30?
K/board & mouse - £20

Reasonable spec for sub £600 inc VAT. (Prices correct @ the time I bought & the places I did)

Easy peasy

ATM I've got a trial system running on two FSC Scenics (£340 ea) (W2K, Ex2K, SQL2000, ISA, IIS etc ) so all a server is a PC that is designated as a "server" as opposed to a "client".

gareth

Well I've just put my first precious hour into speccing up a box on Scan. Can't say it's blindingly obvious, even though I'm not that incompetent... anyway, here's a possible spec:

Chieftec Scorpio Blue TX-10 BLD 340W PFC Midi Case
Asus P4GE-VL i845GE + Lan + VGA + Audio ATA133
2.4GHz (400FSB) Intel Pentium® 4 CPU 512k Cache (Northwood) * S478
Coolermaster HCC 002 Socket A/P3/FCPGA Delta Heat Sink & Fan (6800 RPM) upto 3.4GHz
2 * 512Mb PC2700 DDR Memory (Major)
120Gb Maxtor ATA-133 (7200rpm, 8MB Cache, 8.5ms) Quiet Drive Technology
LG x52 Speed CDROM Drive
1.44Mb Samsung Floppy Disk Drive

Net Total £588.94
Carriage £10.00
V.A.T £104.81
TOTAL £703.75

Any thoughts?

G

dsmith

Have you considered buying an old MP box from EBay ?

super_si

Scan arent the cheapest around mate.

http://www.komplett.co.uk

One the better sites.

ChrisB

"Asus P4GE-VL i845GE + Lan + VGA + Audio ATA133"

Nice choice of mobo IMHO. Solid and stable, with everything you need onboard.

Mr Footlong

iTrader: (7)

Only going to comment on one obvious thing, as more than enough cooks in here and I will be typing all night

HEATSINK. Ditch that heatsink there. It is well into what is classified as 'screamer' territory. Very loud and high pitched for a heatsink and not necessary at all for what you want to do. I would consider buying a boxed P4 just to get a matched Intel heatsink and fan, which are getting louder nowadays, but nothing like that coolermaster, or I have another recommendation, a Globalwin CAK4-88T. Temp sensitive, reassuringly large, is audible, but a much lower tone to the sound and still a damn sight quiter than the screamers. Performance is very close to that Coolermaster too. The Screamer will do your head in.....

Others about, but my personal fav for P4's and Athlons currently.

Cheers,

Nick

Mr Footlong

iTrader: (7)

Sorry, but forgot to state the most obvious thing about that Coolermaster. Good luck fitting it Not a P4 class heatsink The mountings are completely different.

Cheers,

Nick

workshy_fopp

Just buy the Dell server then if it's the same price as a self-build.

All it takes is one duff driver or a dodgy bit of ram etc. and you'll be pulling your hair out for days. Waste of time building a machine IMO.

btw if you go for Dell - phone them up as they will drop the daft £50+vat delivery charge if you ask.
Just had a look at the Dell site, they have P4 SCSI servers from £400 - if you drop the support from 3 year to 1 year next day, you get £129 back!