Which system would make the better Windows Server for home?

[Gerr]

I have a copy of Windows Server 2016 Essentials and have two systems that I could install it onto and am wondering which one would be better.  It will run as a domain controller, dns server, dhcp server, and NVR running Blue Iris.  Whichever system I pick will have a pair of 500GB WD RE4's in Raid1 as their system drive and a 3TB WD Purple as the NVR storage.  All other storage will be on my NAS connected through a 10G SFP+ connection.  Also, the system will be powered by a Xeon E3-1226v3 CPU with a Cryorig C7 CPU cooler.

 

System #1:

Lenovo TS140 (C226 chipset)

16GB of ECC DDR3-1600 CL11 RAM

280W 85+ PSU

Stock case & fans

Brand new

 

System #2:

Self built system...

ASRock Rack H97M WS motherboard (H97 chipset)

32GB non-ECC DDR3-1600 CL9 RAM

360W Gold PSU

Cooler Master Silencio 352 case(silent version of N200) with upgraded fans

About a year old

 

 

[tt2468]

I would trust the lenovo one better.

[DiamondShark286]

put the second psu with the first build and the first one looks good 

[NoRomanBatmansAllowed]

20 minutes ago, Gerr said:

I have a copy of Windows Server 2016 Essentials and have two systems that I could install it onto and am wondering which one would be better.  It will run as a domain controller, dns server, dhcp server, and NVR running Blue Iris.  Whichever system I pick will have a pair of 500GB WD RE4's in Raid1 as their system drive and a 3TB WD Purple as the NVR storage.  All other storage will be on my NAS connected through a 10G SFP+ connection.  Also, the system will be powered by a Xeon E3-1226v3 CPU with a Cryorig C7 CPU cooler.

 

System #1:

Lenovo TS140 (C226 chipset)

16GB of ECC DDR3-1600 CL11 RAM

280W 85+ PSU

Stock case & fans

Brand new

 

System #2:

Self built system...

ASRock Rack H97M WS motherboard (H97 chipset)

32GB non-ECC DDR3-1600 CL9 RAM

360W Gold PSU

Cooler Master Silencio 352 case(silent version of N200) with upgraded fans

About a year old

 

 

First build seems better, but move the 2nd psu to the first build.

[Electronics Wizardy]

5 minutes ago, bob51zhang said:

First build seems better, but move the 2nd psu to the first build.

Those server psu are much small to fit in that case and a much better quality. 

[Gerr]

Yes, I could move the Seasonic 360W Gold PSU from the 2nd system into the TS140 and would just need a 14-ping to 24-pin adapter, which are cheap on Amazon.  Not sure the quality on the TS140 PSU, though I know it's 280W 85+ and is listed a bronze rated.  Just remember that at these lower wattage levels, I don't believe there is much of a difference between 80+ Bronze and Gold.

 

Don't forget that the TS140 is a very low end server, so I can't imagine it has higher end quality server parts.  Plus though quiet for a server, it's still much louder than the 2nd system, which was build for silence.  Neither of those are deal breakers, but food for thought during recommendations.

[Guest]

52 minutes ago, Gerr said:

I have a copy of Windows Server 2016 Essentials and have two systems that I could install it onto and am wondering which one would be better.  It will run as a domain controller, dns server, dhcp server, and NVR running Blue Iris.  Whichever system I pick will have a pair of 500GB WD RE4's in Raid1 as their system drive and a 3TB WD Purple as the NVR storage.  All other storage will be on my NAS connected through a 10G SFP+ connection.  Also, the system will be powered by a Xeon E3-1226v3 CPU with a Cryorig C7 CPU cooler.

 

System #1:

Lenovo TS140 (C226 chipset)

16GB of ECC DDR3-1600 CL11 RAM

280W 85+ PSU

Stock case & fans

Brand new

 

System #2:

Self built system...

ASRock Rack H97M WS motherboard (H97 chipset)

32GB non-ECC DDR3-1600 CL9 RAM

360W Gold PSU

Cooler Master Silencio 352 case(silent version of N200) with upgraded fans

About a year old

 

 

I'd probably look at system 2 - reason being is that if the TS140 is anything like HPE's version: ML10v2, configuring HDD's is a pain in the ass. You need to boot into the RAID software to configure the drive, even if it's not in a RAID array.

[samiscool51]

system 1 looks to be promising...

maybe go with that one...

but before that what processes do they have?

custom-built systems sometimes have more powerful CPU's in them then a server

[Blake]

6 hours ago, Gerr said:

 

5 hours ago, Windspeed36 said:

reason being is that if the TS140 is anything like HPE's version: ML10v2, configuring HDD's is a pain in the ass.

1. Is this a prod server? or just homelab?

if it is production go with the Toshiba, simply because you can get support for it (even if it is old), if you decide to leave you can just tell them to call Toshiba. If it's a homelab then no biggy, both systems have their ups and downs. One will perform better, but is overkill for your use case, the other better meets requirements but will be slower.

2. Can confirm installing anything on any HPE system is annoying, you go to do a clean install of server as you don't know what has been installed by the OEM, through force of habit you try to pxe/usb boot to a litetouch usb and it fails because you didn't tell the raid controller to install the OS.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Blake said:

1. Is this a prod server? or just homelab?

if it is production go with the Toshiba, simply because you can get support for it (even if it is old), if you decide to leave you can just tell them to call Toshiba. If it's a homelab then no biggy, both systems have their ups and downs. One will perform better, but is overkill for your use case, the other better meets requirements but will be slower.

2. Can confirm installing anything on any HPE system is annoying, you go to do a clean install of server as you don't know what has been installed by the OEM, through force of habit you try to pxe/usb boot to a litetouch usb and it fails because you didn't tell the raid controller to install the OS.

Support in this instance isn't really a huge issue. The default service pack for these low end machines is one year if I recall correctly. Unless you get a DOA unit, most of the issues occur post that warranty period.

[Gerr]

Home server for me to play with Active directory & DNS, plus act as an NVR.  Plus once it's fully up and running, I can practice taking wireshark captures between this server and my FreeNas server and watch the traffic, which is something I need practice for work.

[Gerr]

Right now, I am leaning towards taking the Xeon from the TS140 and putting it into my home built system and then buying a used i3 to put into the TS140.  Then I would take half of the ECC memory and move it to my FreeNas system taking it from 16GB to 24GB of ECC RAM.  I believe the resale value of the TS140 would be higher than my home built system.  Plus I have a copy of both Windows Server 2016 Essentials and Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials, so I could easily load the 2012 onto the TS140 using spare HDD's and sell it with the i3 and 8GB of ECC RAM, which is still an upgrade over the base model.

 

Part of my logic is that for a home server, 32GB of non-ECC memory would work better than 16GB of ECC memory because I don't believe ECC memory is really needed for a home Windows server that isn't storing any valuable data where my FreeNas server is and that is where the ECC memory goes.

 

Also, while the TS140 is quiet for a server, it wasn't built for silence like the home built system was and this system will be running 24/7 on my desk in my livingroom.  The FreeNas server is housed in a Define R4, so it's very quiet as well.

 

My other option would be to gut both systems and take the best parts from each and create the best possible server, which would mainly be taking the motherboard from the TS140 and putting it into the silent case and use its Gold rated PSU.  The problem is that leaves me with parts that won't combine into a system.  Yes I could sell the motherboard and RAM from system #2, but I would be stuck with the case & PSU from the TS140 that are not compatible with any systems due to the 14-pin PSU.  They make adapters to allow a regular PSU to plug into the TS140 mobo, but not the other way around.  I would have to buy a Lenovo mobo that uses a 14-pin PSU and a CPU, then sell the system, and I don't see even making my money back on that.

 

However, I am open to suggestions and/or opinions as to what course of action to take.

[Blake]

On 2/3/2017 at 1:23 PM, Windspeed36 said:

Support in this instance isn't really a huge issue. The default service pack for these low end machines is one year if I recall correctly. Unless you get a DOA unit, most of the issues occur post that warranty period.

Was more getting at, the fact that if it is production, it should be on a planned life cycle (i.e. purchase the extended support for X years and retire the system once that support period end).

[paradigm249]

i have the ts140, it has very limited amount of hard drive space (4, more if you have double sided tape or spend a bunch of money on external hard drive enclosure), also a whole bunch of things like @Gerr said