Thinking of changing my server - what to get?

_Kaiser_

Hey all,

I'm currently running a DELL Precision 690 - 2x 3GHz Dual-Core Xeons, 24GB RAM, 4x 1.5TB SATA in RAID 5 via an Adaptec card - and have it setup with Server 2012 R2 and a few Hyper-V instances for a Domain Controller, Media Server and WSUS/apps box. All in all it's served me well

But.. it also weighs a tonne, is relatively noisy beside the telly (I'm renting an apartment and sticking it in a press isn't an option), and is fairly heavy on the old electric bill as it runs 24x7

So, I'm looking at replacing it and consolidating the Hyper-V setups - I'm thinking:

- Quad-Core CPU
- 8-16GB RAM
- 3/4 3TB Disks in RAID 5
- Server 2012 running 2 Hyper-V instances (DC/WSUS/DHCP etc) and a File/Media server (using Mezzmo)

I've been looking at options online with a budget of up to around €250 for the server ex-disks. I'm looking at everything from other Precisions, to HP Microservers, to NAS options but no further with a decision.

Key requirements would be that it should run the above, be quiet(er) and a bit more power efficent would be good too

Any suggestions? Cheers!

_Kaiser_

Been looking at the options again today and I'm thinking of going for the DELL Poweredge T20

- Supports 4 drives+ though I'll need a card for RAID 5
- USB 3 ports
- Supports Server 2012 natively
- Small, quiet and efficient
- Cheap - €250 ex-VAT on the site for the entry spec

I also like DELL hardware anyway and have a good relationship with them so I think I'll talk to my a/c manager tomorrow and see what they can do

Mr. Fancypants

Is it just for home use? Not sure why a DC and a WSUS server would be required? May be easier to just get a decent NAS for file shares/media and set permissions that way.

colm_c

I've always found DELL servers pretty loud/noisy, as they've got a lot of fans to keep things cool and are designed for comms rooms/racks.

It's worth swapping out the stock fans for some ultra quiet ones that you can configure to spin up/down depending on load/temperature in the box.

The dell you linked to doesn't look upgradable at all, no options for better processor or even more memory!

kingtiger

why not just rent an online one? way cheaper on the electricity

I have this

http://www.online.net/en/dedicated-server/dedibox-classic

bandwidth

seamus

Synology NAS.

You can get them with RAID configs and they'll do pretty much everything you need from a Windows server setup. I've done the whole DC + WSUS + Group Policy thing for small setups and while it's nice from a practice point of view, it ends up being a lot more maintenance work than a simpler setup. You won't get Active Directory or WSUS on a Linux NAS, but that's about it. And if you're using AD & WSUS on less than ten computers, then you're way overengineering your setup IMO.

If you want to be able screw about with VMs, etc, then you'll have a lot more fun working with your own AWS instance.