My Plans for a Home Server - Some Questions

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Kheoinn
Posts: 36
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 7:28 pm

My Plans for a Home Server - Some Questions

Post by Kheoinn » Sat Jan 22, 2005 7:53 pm

I made a post a few weeks ago (Old Thread) about a computer I was planning on building, and in that thread I received a lot of helpful information from you guys. Well, I'm back with a second revision of these plans. I've uploaded the plans onto a website so I don't have to convert all of the links BBCode from the HTML I put it in to keep it organized normally.

My Plans

Not included there is a pair of Bose 3 Companion Speakers, but I don't expect compatability issues with anything, nor do I expect I would need an extra PCI Soundcard, as both motherboards seems to have good enough soundcards for listening to music and I assume they also both have some kind of input for, say, a Keyboard or something. Also, the Spinpoint is a Nidec. I have yet to test it out for whine because I have too old of a system to use it.

This computer will be going in my room, so it must be almost absolutely silent from around 15 ft away. It is also going to serve as a Web/MUD server, as well as my personal PC. It will be a real multitasker, as I will be running a server while playing music, surfing the web, and rendering something in Photoshop, for example.

Now, my main questions are with the Motherboard, the VGA/VGA Cooler, and the Power Supply.

Motherboard: In an attempt to futureproof my system, I chose to go the route of PCIe. However, the problem is that there are very few cheaper PCIe Socket 939 boards out there. I don't expect to need SLI as I am not a heavy gamer, but I do use Photoshop and some Video Editing, so I need a decent graphics card. The Chaintech motherboard is cheaper, but I have not yet seen it in stock, and it does not have Firewire. The Gigabyte seems better, but it is also more expensive. I will probably have a use for Firewire in the future (especially 1394b, which the Gigabyte has), so that is a decent plus there. The Gigabyte board uses the Nforce4 while the Chaintech board uses the Nforce4 Ultra. I'm not sure what the difference is, so I can't really way the tradeoff.

VGA/VGA Cooler: For my purposes, the best Cost to Power ratio is most likely the 6600GT. I have seen a few passively cooled VGAs, and I have also heard stories of loud, whining noises coming from actively cooled VGAs, but I am still a bit frightened by the fact that passively cooled VGAs can run at temperatures like 50C Idle. That seems pretty high to me. I'm willing to pay a little bit extra to get a quiet combination of VGA/VGA Cooler, so what would be the best thing to do for a 6600GT. Until given reason otherwise, I'm assuming I'll want a PCIe VGA.

Power Supply: Apparantly, ATXV2.0 was made with PCIe in mind, and allows for a much more stable system. I'm not sure how much more stable ATXV2.0 would be compared to normal ATX on a system like mine, but to again futureproof the system, I have been looking for a PSU following those specifications. So far, the best I could find was an Antec. I have also seen some Enermax Noisetakers on Newegg. Are those any better/quieter? Is it worth it to sacrifice some quietness for ATXV2.0? With the S12 coming out, should I wait until it gets there, or are there other options right now that I can use?

Thanks to everyone in advance!

Kheoinn
Posts: 36
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 7:28 pm

Post by Kheoinn » Tue Jan 25, 2005 1:20 pm

Doesn't anyone have any advice?

Kheoinn
Posts: 36
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 7:28 pm

Post by Kheoinn » Thu Jan 27, 2005 1:55 pm

No one has any comments? This is a little disappointing...

MikeC
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Post by MikeC » Thu Jan 27, 2005 3:58 pm

Well, maybe you did such a good job of component selection there's nothing more to say? Or maybe you've already picked everyone's brains enuf? :lol: Not to worry, I will wade in with this:

Why do you think you need a 500W PSU? You don't. You'd do fine with a good 300 watter. See the gazillion posts about how much power you really need. Also, the Neopower just is not that quiet... and it looks like the S12 won't be out for a while, despite the reviews starting to come. A S.Tornado RevA3 400 will do fine.

Secondly, forget futureproofing. It'll cost you more $ and the benefits are always dubious. Things change too much too fast with PCs. Buy components that work together well now. Unless you plan to upgrade stuff in six months or less, you'll want a completely new PC. There's always compelling reasons to do so.

Kheoinn
Posts: 36
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 7:28 pm

Post by Kheoinn » Thu Jan 27, 2005 5:06 pm

Thanks for the answers MikeC!

A few more questions for any who can answer:
Since I probably won't be upgrading in the next 6 months, is it worth getting...
PCI Express Motherboard and VGA?
ATX2.0 PSU?

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