We're looking to buy a few servers. We only want one initially but its likely we'll need another 5 or 6 shortly after we've done some testing.

I was looking at the Dell 1550 1U rackmount server it has:

1GHz Pentium III w/ 256K cache
512MB SDRAM
9GB Ultra3 SCSI 10,000RPM HD
24X CDROM
Dual On-Board NICs
Mouse/Keyboard/No Monitor

It costs $3,079.

This sounds a tad expensive to me. Can anyone recommend some cost-effective places where we can buy a server around that spec? I know web host companies in the past have posted their recommendations for places to buy hardware, but a brief search of the archives didnt yield any satisifactory results.

Thanks in advance.

Do you care if you build the server yourself (i.e. buy the parts and assemble them together)? You will save a lot of money if you built your own server. I shoudl say the above will cost you around $1200-$1800 using all brand-name parts.

Motherboard:
- Tyan Thunder LE (S2510) with onboard dual channel SCSI3/U160 SCSI controller and dual NIC for around $3-425 (shipped).
- Supermicro 370DL3 with onboard single channel SCSI3/U160 and one (?) NIC for around $450 (shipped)

These motherboards are capable of having two FPCGA CPUs and up to 4GB of memory.

Memory:
- buy 2x256 or 1x512 PC133. Will cost you anywhere between $100-$175 per 256MB module (shipped). So total for memory about $200-$350.

CPU:
- P3 1GHz 133FSB, OEM is about $225 (shipped).
- low profile Thermaltake Golden Orb (about $20 shipped).

HD:
- IBM Ultra160 9.1GB, around $175 (shipped)

CDROM/FD
- cheap, less than $75 for sure

No need keyboard, no need mouse (why would you? :) )

So total so far: at most $1275.

So... the rest you can buy for a good 1U cases. Supermicro makes some good rackmount case. you can get SC811 for around $320 (for SCSI enclosure) or even higher end like 6010H, 6010L, etc for around $600-$700 (wow...). Or you can buy 2U case for better cooling and redundant power supply for around $300-$450.

As I said, it can be done for less than $1800.

Where do you find these prices: I got all these prices at www.pricewatch.com. But note: don't always go to the cheapest place as they might not be the best to deal with (and sometimes they charge ridiculous shipping charges).

cheers,
:beer:

I wouldn't recommend building your own server, unless you have a lot of patience, time, and are willing to put it together and take it apart a few times. Let someone else do it that preferably offers a warranty, but of course that is just my humble opinion.

Compunite Computers, Inc. (http://www.compunite.com) should be able to build 1U systems for you per your specs for less than $2k each.

Mark Vockler
Aletia Hosting

I can speak highly of the Dell servers.

The 1550 uses a ServerWorks chipset, the same as in a 2550 we just put in service. The thing is an absolute screamer. Something to keep in mind when comparing value is that the 1550 (as well as the 2550) has *three* separate PCI buses as well as interleaved memory. This is no toy. It's a 1U server with two internal 64-bit PCI slots, as well as three 1" SCA hot-swap bays.

You get what you pay for. The build quality on these Dells is very good. We're switching over to them pretty much exclusively.

(By the way... pay attention to the default selections when you price your Dell. I've had that 1550 down to $1500 in basic trim when removing froo-froo like the $800 service contract. And WHATEVER you do, don't buy the memory from Dell. Get the machine with the minimum and buy the rest from Crucial (they ship with Micron memory; Crucial is the mail-order arm of Micron.)

I have to second that Travis, Dells 1550 servers are pretty good. I can build a server in no time but I refuse to when it comes to services customers sites that they use for business. You get what you pay for and if you want to run arround troubleshooting stupid problems and having your clients screaming and destroying your business then build your own. Not to say that you can't build a very stable server but these guys do it everyday. That's what they do, build and archetect a server. Having a powerful server isn't just putting couple of hardware together and then turning them on. It's making sure that EVERY component in it is well optimized together. Other features may also include trouble shooting tools that the server will come with etc. Price your servers well but I'll say have one built for you or just pay the mainstream servers like Dell, Compaq and some others. That's all they do, just don't buy everything from them like Memory.

Ben

I was just checking out Penguin Computing (http://penguincomputing.com), they have servers starting for well under 2k, I might have been missing something as I haven't had the time to really look it over. Anyway, they look like they might be an option for you and if anyone knows anything more i'm sure that'd be useful.

Some sources for servers are

http://www.racksaver.com/
http://www.aproimage.com/
http://www.interpromicro.com/
http://www.pogolinux.com/
http://www.penguincomputing.com/
http://www.compunite.com/

or maybe
http://www.linuxonline.org/vendors/systems.html

http://www.micronux.com

http://www.computercom.com

Fast turn around, good prices, and they are knowledgeable.

I can also comment on Dell equipment. That is all we run and I have to admit that they are great! (hardware, price, tech support, etc.)

It's hard to compare them to others.