Picking a Server Build - Old School vs New School

[IAmBecomeLinus]

Hello, LinusTechTipians, I'm planning to build a server in the coming months and I've come up with two possible builds. The first one can be seen here: UNraid mITX Atom Build. This build would feature the Intel Atom C2758 Octa-Core processor, with 8gbs of Unbuffered ECC Ram all in a relatively small Fractal Node 304 .

 

My hard drive selection will be the same between the two, so for all intents and purposes, lets ignore them, and focus on the core build alone, which also means you can knock off $953.00 from the total cost of the mITX build, bringing the cost of the drive-less server down to  $588.78

 

My second build option is comprised of MANY used and old parts (but old server grade parts have an incredible shelf life). I figured used parts weren't so bad after seeing Linus and Luke defend the art of used pc part shopping so vigorously. It would feature 2x Xeon E5440s, and 32gbs of ECC Ram as well as MUCH more room for expansion considering that it will be housed in a 4U Server Chassis. To see a list of this build, click here: Dual Xeon Build. The total cost of this build is $346.82, so It's also considerably cheaper ($241.96 Cheaper to be exact).

 

Both of these builds will have UNraid on them, and I may re-do the fan configuration for both (but I'm not to concerned with that as for now).

 

So, which do you think is better? I'm drawn towards the older Dual Xeon build, but I do feel a bit safer with the all new parts and compact size of the Intel Atom build. 

 

Any and ALL input is greatly appreciated!

 

**Forgot To Mention, This Will Be a File Server With Couch Potato and Plex, I Have No Intention of Running VMs on It.**

[KirbyTech]

Go with the Xeon build it will last you much longer and has more room for expansion. The life of that system might be another 10 years as a file server with hard drive and networking upgrades over time.

[KirbyTech]

1 minute ago, valdyrgramr said:

That depends on the socket.  There are lot of limited socket ones like the E7530s that can stock on an unfair price tag for a mobo.

Did you miss where he said the Xeon E5440 x2? I was talking about those cpus not some other one you decided I was referring to, nor was it a general statement.

[brwainer]

13 minutes ago, KirbyTech said:

Go with the Xeon build it will last you much longer and has more room for expansion. The life of that system might be another 10 years as a file server with hard drive and networking upgrades over time.

On first glance and as well as for the badassness points I would say go for dual Xeon. But before you make that decision, I would suggest looking up the idle power usage of each of your configs. I have an HP DL380 G5 with dual CPUs, I don't remember what sku, but the server uses 160 Watts at idle, and if left running 24/7 costs $40 per month for power. This server is about as old and the CPUs about as powerful as the ones you are suggesting. A few months ago I was asking myself essentially the same question you are now - continue using the HP 24/7 or replace it with new hardware. In the end I found that my $1000 new server build, still with lots of ECC memory and a new Xeon that was as powerful as the two old ones combined, would only cost $8 per month to run, meaning it would pay for itself in cheaper power in about two and a half years.

[IAmBecomeLinus]

2 minutes ago, brwainer said:

On first glance and as well as for the badassness points I would say go for dual Xeon. But before you make that decision, I would suggest looking up the idle power usage of each of your configs. I have an HP DL380 G5 with dual CPUs, I don't remember what sku, but the server uses 160 Watts at idle, and if left running 24/7 costs $40 per month for power. This server is about as old and the CPUs about as powerful as the ones you are suggesting. A few months ago I was asking myself essentially the same question you are now - continue using the HP 24/7 or replace it with new hardware. In the end I found that my $1000 new server build, still with lots of ECC memory and a new Xeon that was as powerful as the two old ones combined, would only cost $8 per month to run, meaning it would pay for itself in cheaper power in about two and a half years.

Thanks! I forgot to check that out.

[KirbyTech]

15 minutes ago, IAmBecomeLinus said:

Thanks! I forgot to check that out.

If you are concerned about power draw I would look into consumer hardware that is 1-2 gen old so you still get a good deal but the power draw is still relatively low

[maxtch]

The old school one is a very nice deal. Similar to my NASter rig, old server-grade gear.

[Tyrius]

1 hour ago, brwainer said:

On first glance and as well as for the badassness points I would say go for dual Xeon. But before you make that decision, I would suggest looking up the idle power usage of each of your configs. I have an HP DL380 G5 with dual CPUs, I don't remember what sku, but the server uses 160 Watts at idle, and if left running 24/7 costs $40 per month for power. This server is about as old and the CPUs about as powerful as the ones you are suggesting. A few months ago I was asking myself essentially the same question you are now - continue using the HP 24/7 or replace it with new hardware. In the end I found that my $1000 new server build, still with lots of ECC memory and a new Xeon that was as powerful as the two old ones combined, would only cost $8 per month to run, meaning it would pay for itself in cheaper power in about two and a half years.

What hardware did you use for the new server if I may ask?

[brwainer]

23 minutes ago, Tyrius said:

What hardware did you use for the new server if I may ask?

 

See my post near the end of this topic for one recent NAS/VM system I set up. Another I set up with similar capabilities is:
Silverstone DS380
Asrockrack E3C224D2I

Xeon E3-1220v3
1x 8GB Kingston DDR3-1600 ECC RAM
Silverstone ST30SF SFX power supply

1x OCZ Trion 100 120GB (boot)

2x OCZ Trion 100 240GB (Part of storage pool)

2x 3TB WD RED

[Tyrius]

24 minutes ago, brwainer said:

- snip -

Thanks I'll have a look at it! Might build something similar soon  

[IAmBecomeLinus]

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[IAmBecomeLinus]

Ignore that previous post. So @KirbyTech are there any recommendations you have for the 1-2 gen old server gear?

[KirbyTech]

1 minute ago, IAmBecomeLinus said:

Ignore that previous post. So @KirbyTech are there any recommendations you have for the 1-2 gen old server gear?

Look into some ivy bridge and haswell e5 xeons. I can't say models off the top of my head right now but anything with 2-4 cores/threads should work just fine for your needs. Will come down to what is the best deal really.

[IAmBecomeLinus]

19 hours ago, KirbyTech said:

Look into some ivy bridge and haswell e5 xeons. I can't say models off the top of my head right now but anything with 2-4 cores/threads should work just fine for your needs. Will come down to what is the best deal really.

Followed your advice and found a great deal on some E5520s. So I get 8 more total threads, and more ram slots with the board I've chosen. I might just run a VM on here after all. (No what it'd be, though).

[Djole123]

It's my dream to have an 8 core Atom!

 

BTW go with Xeons.