First of all, the purpose of my lab is mostly for spinning up linux boxes, virtual routers and firewalls (and maybe some W2k12 DCs). My priority is not to learn and test all that the VMware eco-system has to offer, although, maybe one day I would like to do that. This is for misc labbing, and won't always be turned on.
Now, I really think I could do most of what I need to do in VMware Workstation, except. I'm waiting for Haswell and the next nVidia generation for my next build. Most of my work is done on a Macbook Air with 4gb of RAM these days as well.
I live in a very, small 700sq ft 1BR apartment in Manhattan (although this is huge for NYC!). So size, noise, heat/power matter. I certainly don't want some monstrosity in my living room.
So, in terms of build, it must be:
1) very small, I want microATX
2) energy efficient
3) quiet
4) have potential for expand-ability
I'm also trying to keep this in the ~$450 - $600 range.
The main components I *think* building around are the following:
Now, thanks to Amazon Prime, this comes out to $560 shipped. Right in my price range. But I could save > $100 if I went with an enthusiast board and an i5.
Now, finally, my questions:
Thanks in advance!
Now, I really think I could do most of what I need to do in VMware Workstation, except. I'm waiting for Haswell and the next nVidia generation for my next build. Most of my work is done on a Macbook Air with 4gb of RAM these days as well.
I live in a very, small 700sq ft 1BR apartment in Manhattan (although this is huge for NYC!). So size, noise, heat/power matter. I certainly don't want some monstrosity in my living room.
So, in terms of build, it must be:
1) very small, I want microATX
2) energy efficient
3) quiet
4) have potential for expand-ability
I'm also trying to keep this in the ~$450 - $600 range.
The main components I *think* building around are the following:
- Intel Xeon Quad-Core E3-1220V2
- SUPERMICRO MBD-X9SCM-F
- Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1600
- Rosewill U400W 2.2 12V PS R363-M-BK
- Samsung 840 Series 2.5 inch 120GB SSD
Now, thanks to Amazon Prime, this comes out to $560 shipped. Right in my price range. But I could save > $100 if I went with an enthusiast board and an i5.
Now, finally, my questions:
- What advantages would the Xeon give me so over a cheaper i5? I'm really like the 69Watt power on the E3 though
- I can always throw in 2x more 8gb sticks down the road?
- How many NICs do I really need? I know there is a newer version (more $$) of the Supermicro that has two, officially support NICs. Down the road I could always throw in an PCI-X NIC?
- If I go with an enthusiast board over (MSI Z77MA-G45 Mobo) over the super micro, what capabilities will I be missing?
- Is the SSD enough space? Or should I go with a 500gb Seagate? I basically plan on storing very little data, and don't have plans on adding a NAS. I chose an SSD for speed/noise reasons. What other advantages are there, besides the obvious faster booting.
- Expand-ability: Maybe I want to incorporate a NAS down the road, or a second box. Anything in my current setup that will prevent that?
Thanks in advance!