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home lab

A

akode

n00b
Joined
Apr 4, 2012
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41
made a post about this a few months back but never made a purchase.

now is the time though as i need to repurpose my current esxi host (for the kids :D )

what im wanting is to run

2x 2008r2 vms...4gb ram each
1x w7 vm....4gb ram
4-6 linux vms...1gb each

looking for best bang for my buck as far as cpu/ram/case/psu

i have shared storage so only need small ssd/hdd for esxi boot drive.

also want room to grow(if budget permits)


i know i can get away with less memory on each vm but considering ram is going for really cheap i dont see a reason to hold back.

i want to spend no more then 700.

its late so sorry for any typos
 
The barebone chassis I bought is no longer available, but this gives you an idea (you should be able to find something similar). I used the Asus RS100-E7/P12 on a rebate, paired it with a Xeon ES-1220 (Quad core), 4 x 4Gb of Kingston ram and a 60Gb SSD for boot. All in, I was at around $750 (though again, had a $100 rebate on the server chassis).
 
Intel BOXDQ77MK - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121623&Tpk=Intel DQ77MK - $140

Intel i5-3570 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115233 - $200 w/ promo code

Kingston RJX 4x8GB DDR3-1333 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231487 - $165

Spend $5 for a cheap USB key for ESXI boot and you are done since you stated you already had a shared storage solution. This setup supports VT-d IIRC, but you need to verify that.

Chassis and PS - pick one you like

Total = $505 with free shipping on all of it minus USB key and chassis/PS

You could add a couple of extra NICs too if you wanted. Best option that is the most inexpensive is the Intel Pro/1000 CT PCI-E - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833106033 - $30 each
 
Last edited:
webdes03 said:
The barebone chassis I bought is no longer available, but this gives you an idea (you should be able to find something similar). I used the Asus RS100-E7/P12 on a rebate, paired it with a Xeon ES-1220 (Quad core), 4 x 4Gb of Kingston ram and a 60Gb SSD for boot. All in, I was at around $750 (though again, had a $100 rebate on the server chassis).
Click to expand...


is there any cheap way to get that board and cpu going with 32gb ram?
 
akode said:
is there any cheap way to get that board and cpu going with 32gb ram?
Click to expand...

Have you thought about going down the AMD path? I did, and I'm very happy with the result.
The price difference between the Intel and AMD components could cover the cost of 32GB RAM.

Here is my build if you want to take a look: http://wp.me/p14JWB-5q
 
ya im aware of the amd, im still debating on weather i want to go the cheap route with an amd/i5 or shell out a little extra cash for a supermicro/e3 which will leave me with a little more flexability
 
What kind of flexibility are u looking for in a Xeon as opposed to a desktop CPU?
 
mayhem87 said:
What kind of flexibility are u looking for in a Xeon as opposed to a desktop CPU?
Click to expand...

ecc memory is the main reason, im leaning toward intel because im not reading good things about power/heat in regards to amd, please correct me if im wrong on that.

i would like to have the option of turning this into an all in one at some point(if my budget permits), i know i stated i have shared storage, but im just making sure i gather all info on different options that are out there before i make my purchase.
 
I know what you mean. I'm building mine to get myself back into IT crap again. Man it's tough after not doing it for so long.

AMD has one thing going for it. More cores at full speed. Sure the E3 I'm getting to do 8 cores but that is only with HT which cuts the speed of the cores in half. AMD doesn't do that and that is why they do run a bit warmer. I know my next home server will be an AMD one but it will be running lots of VM's on it. However my E3 will handle all of my needs for now. And to play with Hyper-V I have an old Core 2 Duo that is running it with 8GB of ram. BTW Hyper-V is using less than 10% of my memory at idle with 0%-1% CPU usage. But man is it a huge learning curve since there is ZERO gui in it.
 
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