Which PC should I use as Server

G

Guido02

Limp Gawd
Joined
Nov 17, 2006
Messages
224
Hello all,

I am trying to figure out which old PC I should use as a personal server. I have 3 that could be used, but not sure if I should use them as is or if I should take parts from these and make a Frankenstein Computer.

The intended use is going to be for storing music, videos, and photos, and being able to access these items anywhere I go. I also want to store documents on this server so that I can work from multiple computers without having to transfer files. I would rather house these files on the server and then access them anywhere and save updated file to the server.

What would be really great is if I could stream these songs and videos on other computers. I run a dance studio and we use a PC to play all of our audio, but if I could play the audio that is held on the server that would be great. Playing videos would be cool too, but that isn't a necessity.

The machines I have to work with are as follows:

PC 1
Old Compaq
Intel Celeron 3.2 Ghz
1 x 512 MB ram PC2 4200 (MB has one open slot)
Integrated Video
80GB HDD
MotherBoard- RC410 - M Rev 1.1
2 x SATA
2 x IDE
6 USB 2.0 ports
PCI Express
3 open PCI slots
Capacity for 4 HDD (case's ability to hold)
This is a Retail PC so case is a bit cramped

PC2
Home Build
AMD Athlon XP 2400+ @ 2.0Ghz
2 x 512 MB ram PC3200 DDR 400 (MotherBoard can hold 3 sticks)
GeForce MX 440 64 MB Ram
80 GB HDD
MotherBoard - Gigabyte GA-7VAXP Rev 1.2
4 x IDE
Case can hold 6 HDD
3 x Firewire
5 open PCI slots
4 USB Ports
This is a home built type PC, so case is large

PC 3
Old DJ Computer
Intel Celeron D 3.33 Ghz
1 x 512 MB ram PC2 4200 (MB can hold 2 sticks)
160 GB HDD
2 x SATA
1 x AGP
Integrated Video
2 x IDE
3 open PCI slots
1 x CNR (I don't know what this is)
MotherBoard - P4M800P ro-M7
6 x USB
Case holds a total of 2 HDD
Case is small, type that Monitor can sit on

Hopefully I can get a decent machine out of all this stuff. I am also willing to invest some money into parts that will help me make these function the way I hope for them too.

Also if you could recommend what software I should run for this server would be amazing.

I am going to thank you all in advanced because I know you will do an excellent job helping me.

Thank you,
Bill


P.S. I currently have a 120 GB HDD that isn't being used that I plan to put in this machine, and I also plan to pick up a few new drives that are at least 500 GB each and I would like for those to be SATA.
 
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Hmmm, what case does PC2 have? PC2 would be your best bet due to the larger case and the fact that there's more RAM available if the case has sufficient cooling.

However you would need some upgrades for that:

- Intel Gigabit NIC for best network performance:
$30 - Intel PWLA8391GT 10/100/1000Mbps PRO/1000 GT PCI NIC OEM w/ 1 x RJ45

- Slap in a SATA PCI Controller for more hard drives

- A new PSU for PC would be a good idea since you probably have some old or crap quality PSU in any of those systems:
$57 - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W PSU
 
Thanks for the quick reply Danny, Should I keep that PC as is? or should I put one of the other motherboard and chips in it? It seems like the 3.33 ghz intel chip is the fastest, will that give me the best performance?

The other items that were recommended for purchase sound great and as I said, buying a few things isnt a big deal.

Should I move one of the 512 MB memeroy sticks into that one open slot on the motherboar?

Or do I stay with the AMD because of the MB having the 3 total memory slots?

Thanks guys
 
If you can deprive PC1 of any kind of RAM, then yes, it would be a good idea to put that 512MB of RAM in PC3, and then move the internals over to the PC2 case.

With that said, even the AMD setup will be more than enough for what you want to do. It doesn't much CPU horsepower to stream and serve files. Hell I use to do with an old P3 866Ghz CPU.
 
Optional -

$95 - Windows Home Server

You could reuse what ever OS you have currently as a peer-to-peer network, but WHS is a great value for it's features (and an even better option if you have no OS yet). And it'll run just fine on this older hardware.

See the sticky thread here for more info.
 
Just so you know, I am willing to destroy 2 of these computers so that I end up with the best possible server PC. If I have one usable machine left that would be great, but it isn't necessary.

In regards to Windows Home Server 2003, is that my best option? I am a bit familiar with Linux, and I am also willing to spend a bit on software to ensure its easy for me to use. That is the most important thing.

Thanks guys
 
Guido02 said:
How is this PSU?
Click to expand...

Crappier than the Antec PSU I posted. Not worth it at $60.

For what you've described, virtually ANY OS will fit you just fine. It's really a matter of any other features you may want. need, or ease of use in regards to the OS's GUI and storage setup.
 
what is the best bet i would have for an operating system? I am somewhat familiar with linux, but is windows server easier overall?

Thanks
 
I personally believe that you'd be far better off running Linux instead of Windows Server.

Advantages include:
- It's free
- Less intensive on the machine so it can focus on performing its actual duties
- Very well documented howtos to set up features
- Features won't randomly stop functioning and the machine won't ever need a reboot unless it's a kernel update :)

And the list goes on. My personal recommendation is Ubuntu Server. It's dead-easy to configure and run, and can easily be operated in a command-line-only environment over SSH.

EDIT: Although you've probably already figured this out, my personal recommendation will also be to run this box using PC2. :)
 
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I agree with nerr. Linux or BSD, while requiring you to learn a bit, are generally much more suitable for servers, imo.

SubMesa is currently developing a web-interface for BSD as well :)
 
I think the 3rd PC with a new case and SATA card is the best bet.
 
Quick Update.

I took the motherboard and chip out of pc3 and put them in the case of pc2. Then I took the memory from pc1 and combined it with pc3's to make 1 GB total. (I was gonna go with PC2 as it was and add one of the 512 MB of memory to give 1.5 gig total, but it was different memory and it didnt fit. Go Figure). So then I put in 3 HDDs to start, an 80GB IDE, a120 GB IDE, and a 160GB SATA. Thats why I went with PC3's MoBo and processor because of the onboard SATA. And the motherboard had alot more to offer than the very very basic mobo of PC1.

I may go back to the mobo and processor of PC2 when I can purchase the SATA card. Should I purchase more ram for that 3rd Dimm on the mobo of pc2? If so how much? I may be making these purchases very shortly, I just need to make sure some things clear out of my business account before I do. I would also like to purchase a large main HDD for the server as well. I want a fast HDD that doesn't cost more than $100. For my personal pc i have a 1TB WD Caviar BLack with 64 MB Cache which I'm pretty happy with and it was just under the $100 mark, but you guys always have the best answers for questions like that so Ill wait to hear what you have to say.

Hey Danny, is that SATA card you recommended that costs $450 a high end card? Would raid be something I should consider for this setup?

The server things is very new to me so thank you all for the help so far.

EDIT: I know we mentioned this scenario early on, but the current build I have has left the other 2 pc's non-functioning. The reason being that the AMD and Gigabyte setup doesnt fit in the other case because it is not a micro ATX setup. I'm not unhappy that the other 2 pc's arent functioning, but if i do go back to using the AMD i will be left with the compaq pc (PC1) in working condition. <-- Not necessary though
 
Guido02 said:
I may go back to the mobo and processor of PC2 when I can purchase the SATA card. Should I purchase more ram for that 3rd Dimm on the mobo of pc2? If so how much? I may be making these purchases very shortly, I just need to make sure some things clear out of my business account before I do.
Click to expand...
Don't bother buying more RAM for PC2. Not worth it at all.

Guido02 said:
I want a fast HDD that doesn't cost more than $100. For my personal pc i have a 1TB WD Caviar BLack with 64 MB Cache which I'm pretty happy with and it was just under the $100 mark, but you guys always have the best answers for questions like that so Ill wait to hear what you have to say.
Click to expand...
Then I recommend this 1TB drive:
$75 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Guido02 said:
Hey Danny, is that SATA card you recommended that costs $450 a high end card? Would raid be something I should consider for this setup?
Click to expand...
That's more of a mid-range card I guess. Whether or not you should go that route really depends on your OS choice, how much you're willing to spend, what kind of performance you're looking for, network setup, etc etc. I'm fairly sure that a true hardware RAID card is probably not the best choice for you however. The words "overkill" comes to mind.

So after the hardware setup, figure out the OS you want to use. Look at the features set of the OS, the GUI (or lack thereof :D)., ease of use, etc, etc. Try out Linux or BSD first as those are the free options. However there is also a 120 day trial of WHS available online. So basically you need not spend money on the OS to try it out.
 
I have a question that isn't exactly related to this thread here, but here it goes.

How do I tell the difference these days between Hard Drives? It isn't as easy as 5400 rpm 7200 rpm and 10000rpm. Now one 7200 rpm drive can be much better than another. Obviously the cache is important, but how do I reach a conclusion on which drive is better than another.
 
Guido02 said:
I have a question that isn't exactly related to this thread here, but here it goes.

How do I tell the difference these days between Hard Drives? It isn't as easy as 5400 rpm 7200 rpm and 10000rpm. Now one 7200 rpm drive can be much better than another. Obviously the cache is important, but how do I reach a conclusion on which drive is better than another.
Click to expand...

Find reviews of the hard drives in question. Or even a HDTune score would help distinguish different hard drives:
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1284410

You can't go on specs alone these days. Now you need actual reviews or scores to figure how fast a drive really is. Some 5400RPM drives perform just as well as a 7200RPM drive and some 7200RPM drives perform better than 10K RPM drives.
 
I may have made a mistake. Should I be looking for Windows Home Server or Windows Server 2008?
 
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