500$ Server Build

[hoot.]

The title says it all.

 

I already have:

A monitor (For temp use)

A Hard Drive

A cheap GPU

OS

Optical Drive

 

But I need advice for the rest. I'm planning on using the server for small game servers. (Gmod, TF2, Minecraft, Terraria, Etc.)

Nothing too intensive.

 

My budget is 500 dollars.

 

I was thinking about going with a Xeon, but what do you guys think? Is it really worth it, or should I go with a high end AMD cpu?

 

And for Ram, should I go with ECC, since it's a server? I'm not sure.

 

If you guys could give me a pcpartpicker link, that would be amazing.

 

Thank you in advance!

[Lotus]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($242.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($66.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design FD-CA-CORE-3300-BL ATX Mid Tower Case  ($34.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $499.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-20 12:58 EST-0500

 

For game servers, you don't need ECC (ECC is for critical servers that absolutely MUST NOT CRASH, a game server crashing isn't the end of the world), and that would be cost prohibitive in my opinion. This build is the best you can do for $500 with the parts you described. You need both good single-threaded performance for each individual server, and depending on how many servers you run simultaneously, you need good multi-threaded performance. The Xeon is only worth it if you run several servers at once. Otherwise, if you only run one, even a G3258 would suffice. Same goes for the ram. You only need more ram if you several game servers simultaneously. Keep in mind you're going to need a kickass ISP in order to deliver the bandwidth and ping this kind of server needs.

[the jolly roger]

The title says it all.

 

I already have:

A monitor (For temp use)

A Hard Drive

A cheap GPU

OS

Optical Drive

 

But I need advice for the rest. I'm planning on using the server for small game servers. (Gmod, TF2, Minecraft, Terraria, Etc.)

Nothing too intensive.

 

My budget is 500 dollars.

 

I was thinking about going with a Xeon, but what do you guys think? Is it really worth it, or should I go with a high end AMD cpu?

 

And for Ram, should I go with ECC, since it's a server? I'm not sure.

 

If you guys could give me a pcpartpicker link, that would be amazing.

 

Thank you in advance!

i would go with: 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor  ($138.88 @ OutletPC) 

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($28.75 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($74.99 @ Micro Center) 

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($119.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($62.99 @ Amazon) 

Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($29.98 @ OutletPC) 

Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($49.99 @ Newegg) 

Total: $505.57

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-20 13:01 EST-0500

 

i threw in an SSD in there because it really helps reduce loading times in the server, spcially say minecraft, it helps with the experience of everyone in the server so host your servers in the SSD

[Flyguygamer]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1220 V3 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($194.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Motherboard: Asus H81M-D PLUS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($44.49 @ Newegg) 

Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($57.98 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Corsair Force LS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($79.99 @ Newegg) 

Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 750 1GB Video Card  ($79.99 @ Newegg) 

Case: Cooler Master TC102 ATX Mid Tower Case w/500W Power Supply  ($37.99 @ Micro Center) 

Total: $495.43

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-20 13:08 EST-0500

[awesomes8wc3]

For game servers, ECC is not necessary, nor is a GPU unless you'd actually be playing the game on the server itself.

Xeon would be OK, but for the same price a Core series chip outperforms (at least 1220V3 vs 4460, both $240, Core beats it slightly)

 

I'd reccomend

i5 4460 = $240

16gb DDR3 1600 (2x8) = $40 (maybe more if you are running multiple servers at once? In that case 32gb DDR3 1600 (4x8) = $80)

Gigabyte Z87-HD3 = $75 (before people go apeshit at why i chose Z87, its because it is same price as some H87 and this supports 4 DIMMs, all other H87 at the same price only supported 2 DIMMs)

eVGA 430W = $50

Coolermaster N400 = $60 (One of the cheapest cases, still nice!)

Total = $455 (16gb) / 495 (32gb)

 

All prices current @ MSY technologies, Australia.

[hoot.]

I'd only be running 1-2 game servers at a time. Namely a Minecraft server 24/7, and the occasional Gmod/TF2 server if my friends wanted to play. Would I still need a Xeon then?

[Lotus]

I'd only be running 1-2 game servers at a time. Namely a Minecraft server 24/7, and the occasional Gmod/TF2 server if my friends wanted to play. Would I still need a Xeon then?

Nope. If you're only running 1-2 games, then that's only 2 threads (plus the OS and background apps) so an i3 (2 cores with hyper threading) becomes perfectly sufficient. Keep in mind though that this limits you to NOT running more servers simultaneously. The G3258 would be a great option if it weren't for the OS and background apps (2 REALLY strong threads). Anyway, dropping down gives you this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($104.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Motherboard: ASRock H97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($66.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($63.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Sandisk X110 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($59.99 @ NCIX US)

Case: Fractal Design FD-CA-CORE-3300-BL ATX Mid Tower Case  ($34.99 @ NCIX US)

Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($34.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $365.94

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-20 13:37 EST-0500

 

and you don't need the 16GB Ram either, so I threw in an SSD. You still need powerful single-threaded performance, but you don't need multi-threaded performance, so AMD is a really bad route to go.

[hoot.]

Nope. If you're only running 1-2 games, then that's only 2 threads (plus the OS and background apps) so an i3 (2 cores with hyper threading) becomes perfectly sufficient. Keep in mind though that this limits you to NOT running more servers simultaneously. The G3258 would be a great option if it weren't for the OS and background apps (2 REALLY strong threads). Anyway, dropping down gives you this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($104.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Motherboard: ASRock H97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($66.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($63.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Sandisk X110 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($59.99 @ NCIX US)

Case: Fractal Design FD-CA-CORE-3300-BL ATX Mid Tower Case  ($34.99 @ NCIX US)

Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($34.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $365.94

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-20 13:37 EST-0500

 

and you don't need the 16GB Ram either, so I threw in an SSD. You still need powerful single-threaded performance, but you don't need multi-threaded performance, so AMD is a really bad route to go.

Alright, sounds great! I wouldn't really need an aftermarket cpu cooler then, huh?

[Lotus]

Alright, sounds great! I wouldn't really need an aftermarket cpu cooler then, huh?

Nope. The i3 cannot be overclocked, and stock coolers are fine for stock clock speeds.