I am looking to build a new server to replace my Dell R510 with. When I first got the server about 5 years ago, I was doing a lot of virtualization and messing around with it as a lab, but in recent years I don't spend as much time doing so. I got the server while in school and am now employed in the field, so it sits pretty much idle 24x7.
My issues with the server first and foremost are power, heat, space. I've got 8x3.5 7,200RPM drives, a pair of L5630s, and 8x4GB DDR3 sticks. The server will typically idle between 170-190W and with about 25-50% load will hit 200-220W. 100% load will get it to 300W. With the power is also obviously the noise, I use a script to downplay the fans but the server sits in my office and is still the loudest thing by far. I also have a small 4 post rack in the office which is a bit unsightly and would be nice to get rid of; my switch, router, UPS are all smaller and could easily fit on a small table next to my desk.
My use case is to serve as my Plex server and as a NAS for general files. I direct stream in house and don't have a 4K TV. I do share the server with a friend or two and do externally access a bit myself. I'm really looking at maybe 2 transcodes max at a time. I do run a small VM for my PiHole server, but that's not much of a load.
I think I'll stay with Windows as my OS; my workflows are all built around this (backups, hoarding Linux ISOs, PiHole, etc). I'll consolidate down to 2x10-14TB drive. I'm thinking of using Stablebit to balance and duplicate the more important files. I have a good backup regiment (2x portable drives switched weekly for critical data, 1x portable drive updated quartly or so for less critical data). Having all the disks I have in RAID doesn't help with the power, noise, expense and I don't need high availability.
Not counting disks I'd ideally like to be in the $500-$600 range as that's what I estimate the power savings to be at over 5 years. The new disk cost I'll look to recoup somewhat in selling the old gear.
I've narrowed it down to a couple of options really (ignoring boot and storage disks for easy comparison):
HP Microserver Gen10
The biggest con with either of those builds is no IPMI so I looked into almost the exact same build with it:
DIY - IPMI
I'd love to hear some thoughts on the plan. I think right now I'm leaning towards the DIY no IPMI route, but I'm not fully decided. I could also entertain other ideas in a smallish (small mid tower or smaller) and low power (50-75W idle) form factor around the $500 mark.
My issues with the server first and foremost are power, heat, space. I've got 8x3.5 7,200RPM drives, a pair of L5630s, and 8x4GB DDR3 sticks. The server will typically idle between 170-190W and with about 25-50% load will hit 200-220W. 100% load will get it to 300W. With the power is also obviously the noise, I use a script to downplay the fans but the server sits in my office and is still the loudest thing by far. I also have a small 4 post rack in the office which is a bit unsightly and would be nice to get rid of; my switch, router, UPS are all smaller and could easily fit on a small table next to my desk.
My use case is to serve as my Plex server and as a NAS for general files. I direct stream in house and don't have a 4K TV. I do share the server with a friend or two and do externally access a bit myself. I'm really looking at maybe 2 transcodes max at a time. I do run a small VM for my PiHole server, but that's not much of a load.
I think I'll stay with Windows as my OS; my workflows are all built around this (backups, hoarding Linux ISOs, PiHole, etc). I'll consolidate down to 2x10-14TB drive. I'm thinking of using Stablebit to balance and duplicate the more important files. I have a good backup regiment (2x portable drives switched weekly for critical data, 1x portable drive updated quartly or so for less critical data). Having all the disks I have in RAID doesn't help with the power, noise, expense and I don't need high availability.
Not counting disks I'd ideally like to be in the $500-$600 range as that's what I estimate the power savings to be at over 5 years. The new disk cost I'll look to recoup somewhat in selling the old gear.
I've narrowed it down to a couple of options really (ignoring boot and storage disks for easy comparison):
HP Microserver Gen10
- AMD x3421 Processor (5k Passmark)
- 16GB DDR4 ECC Unregistered
- 4x3.5 Bays
- About $450
- Intel i3-8100 (8k Passmark)
- Asrock H370M (Dual 1GB NICs)
- 16GB DDR4 Non ECC
- InWin MS04 (4x3.5 Bays)
- About $435
The biggest con with either of those builds is no IPMI so I looked into almost the exact same build with it:
DIY - IPMI
- Intel i3-8100 (8k Passmark)
- Supermicro X11SCL-IF (Dual 1GB NICs, IPMI)
- 16GB DDR4 ECC
- Supermicro 721TQ-250B (4x3.5 Bays)
- About $675
I'd love to hear some thoughts on the plan. I think right now I'm leaning towards the DIY no IPMI route, but I'm not fully decided. I could also entertain other ideas in a smallish (small mid tower or smaller) and low power (50-75W idle) form factor around the $500 mark.