Spec for small server

[bluestreak101]

hi guys,

I asked this in the Server forum but was told it might be worth doing it in here.

I have an aging server that I now need to replace as it runs a lot of services my family, friends and I all use and its starting to show performance issues.

It has to run the following:

Active Directory
File Storage
Web Server (Abyss and IIS for OWA)
DHCP
DNS
Exchange
Remote Access
Remote Desktop
Games Server

currently the server runs all but games on it in a single enviroment and im thinking of moving to virtual servers on the one box, only need to run 4 virtual servers at most!

Heres the spec I have put together, but Its the first Intel I have ever built:

• Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 2.40GHz Guaranteed to run at 3.00GHZ (1333FSB) - Retail
  
• Asus P5Q-E Intel P45 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard
  
• OcUK GeForce 8400 GS 256MB DDR2 HDTV/DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail
  
• 2x Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (ST3250410AS)
  
• OCZ 4GB (2x2GB) PC2-6400C5 Dual Channel Vista Gold Series DDR2 (OCZ2G8004GK)

Total: £435.80

I plan to RAID the HDD's for some redundency

Is this spec likely to run VMware well with what I want?

 

[bluestreak101]

It sounds fine to be honest...

I would personally get more hard disk space, 1 or maybe two 1TB F1s but thats just me.

Avoid the quaranteed processors.

I have 3x 500GB disks in an ICY Dock 4 disk caddy already so space isnt much of a problem, those two drives are just purely to hold the operating systems, exchange database/mailboxes and webroot folders. Hence the want of some redundancy. I may also be swapping out 2 of the 500's for a 1TB and using the 500's as system disks, though im a little undecided on that point at the moment.

when you say Quaranteed processors ill assume you mean guaranteed, it is only £1 more expensive and i hadnt planned on overclocking myself. Even though I have been AMD since I got into computers, AMD's recent issues with the Phenom makes me relucant to buy one.

 

[bluestreak101]

Well the point behind it being a little more meaty is to run those games servers, and to have it on VMware. At least with the Quad core I can assign a core to a VM.

Also the motherboard I spec'd there is one of the E-boards asus do, or at least so i've read, meaning I can tone it down and run it at a slower speed when its not being used reducing the energy consumption.

Although you have made a very valid point.

The current spec is this:

A8V Asus mobo
AMD 939 3500+
2GB RAM (2x 512 Corsair XMS C2PRO + 2x 512 Generic)
40GB System disk
120GB website Storage and database's etc
DDS3 Tape drive for exchange back
3x 500GB SATAII drives
2x 160GB IDE (RAID 0)