WTB: 3x 1u Servers for ESXi/KVM

Notice: Page may contain affiliate links for which we may earn a small commission through services like Amazon Affiliates or Skimlinks.

eptesicus

Active Member
Jun 25, 2017
151
37
28
35
I'm looking for the best deal on 3x 1u dual CPU servers with a budget of $1500 total for the lot. I'd like to run a number of prod/non-prod VMs in the homelab for learning VMware and/or KVM. I'm a fan of Supermicro and Dell, but I'm having difficulty finding the best deal on a dual CPU system with decent enough CPUs and RAM (48+ GB would be ideal), has rails included, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg for power. Complete systems are idea, but I could source HDDs after the fact if that means getting a better deal on the rest of the system.

Thanks for the help!
 

BLinux

cat lover server enthusiast
Jul 7, 2016
2,669
1,081
113
artofserver.com
i don't have any thing for you, but just to help guide you with your requirements... at $500/server, I think that's going to exclude anything SandyBridge or newer for a dual socket system. That means your best bet is looking for something at the Westmere-EP era. So, like Dell R710 or Supermicro X8 platform.

for example, for about $270, you can do this:

Dell PowerEdge R710 Virtualization Server L5640 2.26GHz 12-CORES 24GB 2x 500GB | eBay

and then use the remaining $230 to buy additional RAM or HDD.

as for the "arm and a leg for power"... I guess that's subjective because I don't know what you consider "an arm and a leg" ... is 150W too much? or are you thinking 300W? or 500W? most dual socket Westmere systems will consume at least 100W, not including HDD and anything else you might add. typical fully built system might be around 130-200W. if you want something that consumes less power, you'd have to move up to SandyBridge and newer, but that likely means you won't be able to stay under $500 per dual socket server.

just some thoughts... good luck with your search.
 

eptesicus

Active Member
Jun 25, 2017
151
37
28
35
Thanks for the input BL. I'll definitely see if I can find something Westmere. I looked at the R710's but am looking more at R610's since they're 1u. Power where I am isn't terrible, but I know older 2950 servers use more power than they're worth, and want to stay away from similar usage.
 

ycp

Member
Jun 22, 2014
229
17
18
I'm looking for the best deal on 3x 1u dual CPU servers with a budget of $1500 total for the lot. I'd like to run a number of prod/non-prod VMs in the homelab for learning VMware and/or KVM. I'm a fan of Supermicro and Dell, but I'm having difficulty finding the best deal on a dual CPU system with decent enough CPUs and RAM (48+ GB would be ideal), has rails included, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg for power. Complete systems are idea, but I could source HDDs after the fact if that means getting a better deal on the rest of the system.

Thanks for the help!

Hey,
Check out natex.us
They have alot of 1u servers with sandy bridge cpus and good amounts of ram for around $450
 

eptesicus

Active Member
Jun 25, 2017
151
37
28
35
So...

I went ahead and bit the bullet on 3x Cisco UCSC-C240-M3S 2U servers. I was able to snag these with 2x E5-2640 6C CPUs and 64GB of RAM. These also come with 16 of those stupid expensive caddies and the mounting rails. At $430 each, plus shipping, I felt like this was the best deal I could find, as for the specs, they're much less expensive than the comparable Dells, HPs, or Supermicros that I was looking at. What'll be great about the UCS servers, is that it's the platform we use at work in our DCs, so it'll be a great learning opportunity for me there. I also went with 2u instead of 1u because of the serviceability and noise factor, but I hear (haha) that the PSUs in these are on the noisier side.

Does anyone have info on what else I may need for these? I think I'll just need SD cards or flash drives to load ESXi on, and maybe hit up monkizzle or someone for some HDDs.