Making a home server

[korgtronix]

Hi

I am looking to build a home server to replace my old Qnap 109 II pro.
My goals are for as low a power system as possible whilst still having the ooomph to do everything the Qnap did with more space plus the ability to run a small Minecraft server (4-6 people).

I have a rough idea of what I would need to achieve this but am unsure when it comes to the best processor for the job, I want to be able to upgrade the system in the future if I need to as I am sure I will decide to use the server for more roles than currently envisioned.

My overall budget is around £200 pounds at top end as I already have the hard drives so it removes a lot of the cost now.

I apologise now if this isn't the right section to post this in but any help would be brilliant as I do not want to waste money and be stuck with duff parts.

 

[korgtronix]

N40L

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18216324&page=178

The problems I have with the N40L are that it doesnt leave much room for future upgrades other than the RAM and hasn't the rebate ended? I did look at getting one but the rebate had just ended when I went to buy.

I already have a case and the hard drives so am really looking for recommendations for the rest of the innards to suit my current goals but also allow room for more expansion in the future.

 

[korgtronix]

Try and look around for some second hand parts, but I'd be inclined to go with something like this:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Asus P8H77-I Intel H77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 MiniITX Motherboard £83.99
1 x Intel Core i3-3220 3.30GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £83.99
1 x BitFenix Prodigy Mini-ITX Cube Case - Midnight Black £64.99
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 430w Modular '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020058-UK) £38.99
1 x TeamGroup Elite 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (TED34096M1600HC11DC) £23.99
Total : £310.04 (includes shipping : £11.75).



The board has 6 SATA ports, so 4-5 HDD, 1x SSD, or 4 HDD, 1 SSD, 1 Optical for ripping.

I notice you put a i3 3220 on there, is the extra processing power worth the increased power consumption over the t series of ivy/sandy processors? I had been looking at the 2120T and its ivy bridge equivalent before but I am not really sure whether they are worth the money for the goals

 

[korgtronix]

Hi

Thanks for your help I have decided to go with the homebuilt route.

So far I have the CPU and some ram sorted although now I have I am shopping around for a H61 motherboard and a different case (space has just become a priority, bye bye Antec 1100 )

 

[korgtronix]

I have gone with the following so far

Intel Pentium 630T (Low power usage with reasonable power)
8gb Corsair XMS 1333mhz
3x 1.5tb Seagate Barracuda Green Drives
CFI 2 hot swap bay NAS chassis, with a 220W PSU

Still need

Motherboard, Currently looking at the Gigabyte GA-H61N-DS3 as its cheap and Gigabyte are quite reliable (based on my experience)
Solid State Drive - Small going to use it for the boot to save more power (Although this piec isnt really needed)

Grand Total so far: £118 (Had the hard drives already) so I am on target for the build.

 

[korgtronix]

Im afraid I already have, still guarantees me the lowest power use I suppose. I did look at the Celerons but couldn't find any in a reasonable price range in comparison.

The case I have maxes at 4 bays I think I haven't looked to see if I can squeeze anything else in yet as I still dont have my MB yet