Hello,
I'm building a file server for the laboratory that I work in. I've built multiple PCs including the one in my sig so I know how it's done in general, but I've never built a server before. I'm wondering what major differences there are between building a server and a gaming PC. I'm aware of the following design points:
Aside from that, what features should I be designing for? Should a file server (won't be used for hosting any web material) have SAS drives, or would SATA be fine? Will I see any real-world performance increase by putting the OS on an SSD? Is it worth using a NAS instead of a desktop server?
Here are my answers to the questionnaire:
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
File server for a lab of 10-30 people. Each person should have 150 GB storage space (If the storage configuration is extensible, I can start with the assumption that 10 people will be using it and expand as necessary). There should also be at least 500 GB of scratch space for large temporary projects.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$1500 total would be good. Can go up to $2000 if it's justified.
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Los Angeles, CA, USA
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
Case, CPU, RAM, HDDs, Optical Drive, Motherboard, PSU
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
None except possibly a monitor.
6) Will you be overclocking?
Nope
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
N/A.
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Within a couple weeks
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
Probably onboard video, hot-swap support, and any other features to support the required storage configuration
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
I have access to a variety of Windows Server OSs via my institution. Also any free linux server (although most of the lab runs Windows, so Win Server might be preferable).
The only other concern is that the file server must be accessible by both PCs and Macs, preferably via both a web browser and by allowing each user to mount his or her folder on the server as a virtual drive on their individual PC or Mac.
Thanks for any advice!
I'm building a file server for the laboratory that I work in. I've built multiple PCs including the one in my sig so I know how it's done in general, but I've never built a server before. I'm wondering what major differences there are between building a server and a gaming PC. I'm aware of the following design points:
- Use a cheap or integrated GPU; spend the money on HDDs or CPU
- Make sure the case provides good airflow over the HDDs
- Lots of RAM
Aside from that, what features should I be designing for? Should a file server (won't be used for hosting any web material) have SAS drives, or would SATA be fine? Will I see any real-world performance increase by putting the OS on an SSD? Is it worth using a NAS instead of a desktop server?
Here are my answers to the questionnaire:
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
File server for a lab of 10-30 people. Each person should have 150 GB storage space (If the storage configuration is extensible, I can start with the assumption that 10 people will be using it and expand as necessary). There should also be at least 500 GB of scratch space for large temporary projects.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$1500 total would be good. Can go up to $2000 if it's justified.
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Los Angeles, CA, USA
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
Case, CPU, RAM, HDDs, Optical Drive, Motherboard, PSU
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
None except possibly a monitor.
6) Will you be overclocking?
Nope
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
N/A.
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Within a couple weeks
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
Probably onboard video, hot-swap support, and any other features to support the required storage configuration
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
I have access to a variety of Windows Server OSs via my institution. Also any free linux server (although most of the lab runs Windows, so Win Server might be preferable).
The only other concern is that the file server must be accessible by both PCs and Macs, preferably via both a web browser and by allowing each user to mount his or her folder on the server as a virtual drive on their individual PC or Mac.
Thanks for any advice!