Should I upgrade my server :)

[farscapesg1]

OK, I'm currently running a Phenom 9750 as my WHS box. Yes, I know it is complete overkill for a file server, but I use SageTV for recording TV and convert the TV shows to h.264 for storage. It does everything I need it to. I also just purchased a new Norco 4220 to house my "media server" in and that got me thinking about what I really want it to do.

I'm thinking about installing Windows Server 2008 R2 and running WHS in Hyper-V, along with a Windows 7 VM for cablecard (when they come out). I also want to run a couple other VMs to get more familiar with other software (Exchange, AD, SCCM, etc.). I'm pretty sure the Phenom can handle it, but at the same time it is a 125W processor and my server is currently drawing around 200W idle (according to my Kill-a-watt) Sure, that is running 2 1.5TB low power drives, 4 500 GB drives, 2 250 GB drives, 2 Nvidia DualTV tuner cards, a Supermicro AOC-SATA2-MV8 card, and a cheap ATI X1300 PCIe video card I pulled from an older Dell desktop.

Would replacing it with a Xeon 3440 system (new supermicro X8SIL-F motherboard, cpu, ram) do much to save on power? I realize I could step down to a dual core AMD processor and still run WHS fine, but I hate to give up the h264 encoding speed for TV shows and DVD encoding, as well as wanting to run some other OS's as VMs. The IPMI on the motherboard would be nice, but the server sits in my office so I have easy access to it via KVM. If it really isn't going to save me on power, and my current system can handle everything, I could instead spend the money to increase the RAM in my current server and add some more low-power drives....

 

[lightp2]

Dear Farscapesg1,

Can you kindly elaborate your preference for the following

1. Just-In-Time (reasonable necessity). Rolling upgrade to go.
2. Pro-long usage. (please state how many years is your limit)

side question (honest question, no negative view)
1. Can you state up-front whether you enjoy tinkering with computer/technology?
2. Or you are set-it-and-forget type of situation

I understand your post seems to imply one-type, but your question has quantifiable needs. Power and therefore Cost of running, for WHS likely many hours/day, or some just leave it 24x7. So it is better to know in advance on firmer ground.

I state up-front I am not able to give suggestion and depend on others to give you good advice. I am however interested how you arrive at the solution. Don't forget the software costs, one option is free software from Microsoft DreamSparks if you are student from participating institutions.

Edit : OK based on post and sig, does not look like student so maybe DreamSpark is not available. So you do need to factor software cost.

 

[farscapesg1]

Well, I work as a system admin for a large company, so computers and tinkering is a daily thing I do have to say that I've been very happy with WHS at home because I don't need to tinker with it all the time just to keep it running though.

I'm not in a huge hurry to upgrade the server at the moment. However, I do need to start learning more marketable skills as we would like to leave the Houston area in the next 2 years and I will have to find a new job. Not to mention my current one is starting to get old due to corporate restrictions on access (no admin access to AD, Exchange, parent SCCM infastructure, etc.).

The server runs 24/7 providing TV recording/watching capabilities to 3 TVs in the house, as well as running a forum for my wife's photography club and providing easy access for sharing pictures with family members across the country. The system needs to be pretty reliable to keep my head off the chopping block when it comes to TV shows/access to photos. If the forums go down for a day or two, no one will complain too much

The current system was purchased about 4 years ago with a processor upgrade about 1.5 years ago. Generally, most of the time I manage to squeeze about 5 years out of a box before having to rebuild from scratch.

 

[lightp2]

I checked Asus website and found Athlon II X4 and Phenom II both supported.

My suggestion is a supported 95watt Athlon II X4 for drop-in replacement. Check CPU list 1st. it will do VM for learning just fine. You do need 8GB for active multiple VM tests. When you feel the limit of Athlon II X4 for this particular case, SB/Bulldozer probably already available for you upgrade consideration.

If you must have Xeon, try Dell PowerEdge T110 Server. Low cost and effective. 4-disk slots. You can spend money on buying good multi-disk enclosure. You may need 3rd party PSU if you want to get creative with its usage.