Home Server PC vs. EEE Box + USB/Network HDD's?

Skeeter

Skeeter

Skeeter

Caporegime
Joined
8 Mar 2007
Posts
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Surrey
Hi

In terms of power usage, noise, cost to buy and overall performance, which would provide the best solution for a quiet 24/7 download box that will store backups of PC data and stream media content:

A Home Server PC, such as the HP MediaSmart server, with additional HDD's added as needed

Or

An ASUS EEE Box and either USB or Network Hard drives?
 
My storage requirements arent massive. I want to move my 200GB Backup drive out of my PC, and have somewhere to store downloads and stuff. 500GB would be a good start, and then Id add drives space should I need it.

I like the way Home Server managed the disk space as one lump with duplicates etc, but I also like the idea of an EEE PC being small cheap and quiet.
 
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How many PC's do you have in your home? I've always had my "main" PC as my "server", I never go for a top end PC that uses up loads and loads of power so I dont mind leaving it on, and I have cheap leccy during the night anyway.
 
I have my main PC that is a gaming rig with 4 HDDs and graphics cards and the power demands that go with it.

Then I have my Laptop that I use when just browsing the web or something that doesnt require my PC to be on.

Then I have my HTPC that sits on standby most of the time, plays my DVDs and media stored on its drive.

Then there is a family PC that is used quite a lot by my mum for desktop work and web, and could really do with a backup as its 6 years old now.

And then my sisters have a laptop each that they use for god knows what, Downloading viruses and crap normally.

At the moment, Im having to leave my PC on to download overnight, and its a noisy hot bugger. Id like to have a small low power quiet machine that could be left on all the time dor downloads and such, and run applications to wake my other PCs and other stuff. And then I want some storage availabel to the whole network that can hold backups from all the PCs and any media I want to share around.

Its a choice between combining the 24/7 PC and the network storage, or keeping them separate (via network or USB connection)
 
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Your HTPC must be pretty low wattage? Could you fit 2x 1TB drives in to it and leave that on all the time instead? You can remote desktop to it whenever you wanted to queue some downloads (unless other people use it). Actually I am sure you can set up a shared folder with a torrent (or whatever you use) client that auto loads the download files once in a shared directory on the drive.
 
fobose said:
Your HTPC must be pretty low wattage? Could you fit 2x 1TB drives in to it and leave that on all the time instead? You can remote desktop to it whenever you wanted to queue some downloads (unless other people use it). Actually I am sure you can set up a shared folder with a torrent (or whatever you use) client that auto loads the download files once in a shared directory on the drive.
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My HTPC and my PC are in my room. I want the 24/7 to not be in my room. It would ideally sit with my router/modem.
 
Build your own WHS system. Mine runs at about 80W normally. This includes my 2 routers (One firewall router, 1 wireless) and a 16-port switch. And thats an AMD6000 X2 with 2gb ram, 2x1tb and 3x500gb hard drives. Streams media and DVD's to the PS3, backups of my PC, and duplicates most files so theres a spare in case a drive fails. Can access my files from anywhere with a net connection too. Only way to get everything you want is to build your own.
 
I did build my own using the WHS beta, but the only old kit I have is too old to take new Sata HDDs, so I gave up on it.

Id have to buy new stuff to build anyway.

Is there any way I could make multiple USB drives appear as one on a PC? I like the idea of a single big file space in terms of access, but in reality its split accross multiple drives (this is they key functionality of interest to me in WHS)

I want more than just filespace and a BT client, so id rather have a PC than an intelligent NAS (plus, inteligent NAS boxes are quite expensive)
 
I've got a server type PC in my cupboard. Got a cheapy case, single core AMD chip, an mATX motherboard, 1GB of RAM and it runs like a dream :) Just has a power cord and a LAN cable attached to it. If I need to change anything on it, I just remote desktop in (There's some free VNC software you could use instead).

Got 3 HDD's in it (750, 120x2) and is as quiet as a whisper. It's more of a cube case than a tower so I leave the lid off so it keeps it cool. Used some string to support the hard drives as they create a lot of vibration noise. Draws about 70W under load which it always is as I run BOINC. Can't imagine it's power draw is much when idle.

I could take some pics if you'd like?
 
NightmareXX said:
I've got a server type PC in my cupboard. Got a cheapy case, single core AMD chip, an mATX motherboard, 1GB of RAM and it runs like a dream :) Just has a power cord and a LAN cable attached to it. If I need to change anything on it, I just remote desktop in (There's some free VNC software you could use instead).

Got 3 HDD's in it (750, 120x2) and is as quiet as a whisper. It's more of a cube case than a tower so I leave the lid off so it keeps it cool. Used some string to support the hard drives as they create a lot of vibration noise. Draws about 70W under load which it always is as I run BOINC. Can't imagine it's power draw is much when idle.

I could take some pics if you'd like?
Click to expand...

Sounds very much like what I was planning with my old kit. ITs an iDEQ SFF case with an AMD XP2100+. Its just the mobo wont support 300GB/s SATA (only the older 150GB/s) drives so im limited on space. I bought a 500GB to make it a server, gave up and now that drive is in my PC.

Id have to buy new kit anyway, so its a case of what.
 
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