Building a Dedicated Server

[pixelbypixel]

Hello,

For a long time now I have been on and off renting dedicated servers for a few months, then realising I cannot afford it, which ultimately costs me more.

So I am building one. As it stands im at the following spec/price:

Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 2.5ghz 4mb
4GB Corsair DDR2 800mhz RAM
500gb low power WD SATAII HDD
Gigabyte GA-EG41MF-US2H (Altered to fit 1u rack)
Akasa 1u CPU Cooler
4 internal fans
1u Short Rackspace Case
350w PSU

Totaling £350 +vat

Does this seem reasonable to you? I am struggling to afford a Xeon so this is about as close as I can get, or I can spend £20 more on a Q8400.

Does anyone have experience with building their own 1u server? I have been made to understand that desktop motherboards wont fit if they have onboard audio due to the 3.5mm jacks on the back, is this true?

Also, does anyone know of good value colocation in the UK? My best price so far is with Rapidswitch at £36pm 0.4a 100mbps 3tb.

Would like to get some advice, opinions and support as I don't want to be spending a lot on a server if it won't work together :D I feel much more confident banging together a desktop as they rarely fail.

Thanks,

 

[FatHive]

I would go ahead and get core i5 and ddr3.Doing this might extend your server life by 1 - 2 years.

Also 2 Harddrives in Raid - 0 is important in a server. MUST. Plus a raid card.

When you are building a server ... it should not be as cheap as possible. The server must be reliable or else you will cry later on.

 

[pixelbypixel]

I've been told in the past an i5 is a waste unless you get the 750 (?) version of it.
2 hard drives is a possability, it wont cost me a lot more if anything to do that. I am mainly using it for my own web development server and hosting clients sites instead of using reseller hosting.

And I am not trying to be as cheap as possible, I would copt with a dual core if that was the case. I am going up as high as possible without breaking my actual funds available for the server. This is just an initial start and looking to increase performance/number of servers in the future.

My main concern is getting a motherboard that will fit in a 1u rack. do you have any advice on this? the server specific stuff by Intel or Supermicro is quite expensive.

 

[FatHive]

I've been told in the past an i5 is a waste unless you get the 750 (?) version of it.
2 hard drives is a possability, it wont cost me a lot more if anything to do that. I am mainly using it for my own web development server and hosting clients sites instead of using reseller hosting.

And I am not trying to be as cheap as possible, I would copt with a dual core if that was the case. I am going up as high as possible without breaking my actual funds available for the server. This is just an initial start and looking to increase performance/number of servers in the future.

My main concern is getting a motherboard that will fit in a 1u rack. do you have any advice on this? the server specific stuff by Intel or Supermicro is quite expensive.

Core i5 is faster than the core 2 quads.

If the mother board is a normal ATX ... then it should fit in the case. Though you might have problems fitting in a cpu cooler.

i would recommend a core i3 if you are not going hard core with the server.

You might even be better of getting a VPS.

 

[SnoorkAdvertiser]

From the specifications of hardware you have provided, I'm seeing that you are using some hardware that may not be compatible with server performance.

- Motherboard: The motherboard you have selected is a computer motherboard. I highly recommend looking into server motherboard, Supermicro.

- Memory: For servers Kingston memory is recommended due to reliability and Intel certification.

- Chassis: Try looking at the Supermicro chassis which are excellent for data center environment.

 

[SiberForum]

If I were you I would learn propositions from current and prospective competitors.

 

[WebIntellects - Rob]

I think that the price is honest. But as that has been already suggested: check your competitors to make sure what they offer and how that is different to your price

 

[south]

The price is fair.

However...

Do *NOT* use RAID 0 as mentioned. Use RAID 1, 5 or 1,0

Raid 0 is striping and provides no redundancy. If one drive dies, you lose the data on both. Raid 1 is mirroring, and would recommend at least this. If you intend to run Linux, you'll want a 3ware RAID controller. Adaptec could be a second choice. 3ware drivers have been included in the kernel for a long time. For processor/board, it depends on your purpose. If you intend to do hosting, or run a lot of dynamic sites (forums, wordpress blogs, etc), you will need more horsepower. If you intend to run a lot of static sites, you will need less. A Xeon or 2 is best if you need the power, otherwise a core 2 duo or quad might be enough. Spend a little extra and get enterprise drives. Seagate has the "es" line, in sata (cheaper) or SAS. Make sure you order the right controller for your drives (scsi, sas, sata), and check the bus type, and make sure you have it on the board. PCIe is most common.

Most intel desktop boards would work fine, unless you go xeon, then check out supermicro.

 

[amoeba]

Just to look at all the options, any special reason you need a dedicated server? You should check out Linode's VPS offerings in their UK data center.