Minimum power setup to go in Server case

[Santilli]

I think the dual xeon girl got mad at me when I was discussing replacing her with a system from Merc, or buying CT's MB;-(

OS went south, when the PCI 3 Ware cards' bios failed.

Two vertex Turbos appear fine, and work in the beast.

She's blue screening all the time, and one of those little bars that hold tension on a chipset has come loose. I kind of figure it's a major motherboard component, or one of the cpus.

12 years is pretty good life out of the system, and, it's time to replace, or get more sensible.

All this machine does is pretty much sandbox duty. It downloads from questionable sources, anything questionable. It then scans the item with AVAST, or later Eset, and it's moved off the machine quickly, to another machine.

I'm looking for something with gigabyte Cat 6, and the connection is between 120 Mbps
and 50 Mbps.

The most I've ever seen speed wise, was 6 MB/s through the program.

I'm currently using an old Panasonic laptop for this. It's limited to about 20 MB/s
transfer speeds.

I would like a motherboard with a bunch of SATA ports that actually work, gigabyte ethernet, maybe two ports, and open to any kind of cpu.

The heaviest cpu task is going to be the anti-virus software, and, once in awhile, playing DVD or Blurays.

I would like to keep the power requirements down, and the component costs reasonable.

Things that work from the old box:

Seasonic 500 watt power supply, floppy, IDE DVD player.

Video card, but it's AGP, and I have another PCI E card, and it's big.

The server case I like, which was designed for an extended ATX motherboard.

Suggestions?

 

[BingBangBop]

Perhaps I'm missing something but I do not see why you are even replacing the machine. If you need sandbox duty, simply install a copy of VMWare on your current Intel i7 machine and run a virtual machine for that purpose. It is totally capable of everything you say you need out of a replacement for this server and the price is right i.e. free.

 

[CougTek]

Don't listen to him Greg. He doesn't know you, but I do. Now here's what you want us to tell you :

Why waste an enclosure capable of hosting an EATX motherboard by not putting an EATX motherboard into it? Why not opt for the Asus Z8PE-D12X? You have the two gigabit network cards you want and plenty of storage. There's an IDE port for your precious vintage DVD drive and two PCI-X slots to plug your aging SCSI controller cards from another era. Very stable board and since there's an integrated graphic chip, no need to buy a new graphic card to replace your AGP oldie. It's a budget solution for you! Your obsolete floppy disk? Come on Greg! It's more than time to kiss it goodbye.

For the CPU, there's plenty of choice. A single quad-core Xeon E5603 operating at 1.86GHz will only rip ~200$ from your wallet. Or you could get two six-core Xeon E5645 at 2.4GHz and free yourself from ~1150$. Your choice. Either way, it will be a snappy sandbox.

You'll also be able to let your imagination loose on RAM since you can populate up to 12 DDR3 slots if you wish so.

The best news in all this? The board is a scant 430$! Go Greg, you know you want to!

 

[Santilli]

BBB:
The problem I've had is always getting the files from the virtual machine to the regular machine. Usually driver issues. On the otherhand, this would be the first time I wouldn't be using an archaic, or just old, like 2003 Server, install on the virtual box. Might work.

Cougtek=The spending demon :evil:

I actually had myself sold on your gigabyte motherboard. The problem is cheap i7's are an oxymoron, and, low power use as well.

Thank you for the suggestion, but I stopped reading when I got to the word:
"Asus"

 

[Bozo]

My internet connection is through a virtual machine. I have a folder shared out on the virtual machine that all downloads go to. Then I mapped to that folder from the host OS. Moving files between the two OSs is smooth as silk.
When the virtual machine is not running and I am sure it is 'clean', I copy it's folder to another location. That way if the virtual machine ever gets polluted, I just copy it back.
The virtual machine is running MS Security Essentials and COMODO, with checks by Malwarebytes and Spybot.
I am using VMWare Player 4 for the virtual machine.

 

[Mercutio]

I'm still at a bit of loss as to the actual definition of "server case."

But since this is Santilli's thread I'll put forward that decommissioned quad core Opterons or Core2-based Xeons or even (if you feel inclined to be exotic) Itanium systems are ridiculously cheap and readily available out in the world. If it's more important that there are several cores than that any of them be blindingly fast, as might be the case with virtual server of most sorts, that's really not an unappealing option.

 

[Santilli]

http://www.rackmountmart.com/html/srCase.htm

My case is essentially the SC1006

or this one:
http://www.coolerguys.com/840556068044.html

I'm looking for an excellent motherboard chipset, and gigabyte, lots of SATA ports, and a low powered cpu, that doesn't take a lot of power.

 

[CougTek]

I'm looking for an excellent motherboard chipset, and gigabyte, lots of SATA ports, and a low powered cpu, that doesn't take a lot of power.

Tyan S5512WGM2NR

• Accepts LGA1155 E3-series Xeon
• LSI RAID SAS controller with 8x 6Gbps ports
• 2 SATA 6Gbps ports from Intel C204 chipset
• 4 SATA 3Gbps ports from Intel C204 chipset
• 2 gigabit LAN ports (Intel 82574L)
• Up to 32GB of DDR3 RAM
• Integrated Aspeed AST2150 graphic (max 1600x1200)
• ATX form factor

You can put a Xeon E3-1260L into it (4 cores/8 threads/45W max TDP) and you have everything you wish for.


The motherboard cost ~330$-350$. The Xeon is around 300$. There's also the option of using a lower power (max 20W TDP) Xeon E3-1220L at 190$ if you don't want more than a dual-core processor.

 

[Santilli]

The more I work with it, the more I realize I don't really have or need anything much out side my ancient Panasonic laptop for this stuff.

With the new Nazi laws, btjunkie going down, and I'm pretty sure the decline of torrents, I don't see much reason to invest in another box that eats more power.

Panasonic transfers data at 30 MB/sec on my intranet. That's enough, and, even with the server motherboard, there still doesn't seem to be much difference. Windows fastest file transfer was around 60 MB/sec.

Heck, onboard drive to drive transfers aren't much faster.

Has anyone noticed if Windows 7 ultimate is better at file transfer rates then XP 3, and, if so, on what hardware?

 

[Mercutio]

Torrents are still around. They're just less open and more specialized in their content. There are also Newsgroups full of awesome stuff.

But you're right that you are not a person who needs some monster Xeon rig.

 

[Santilli]

Thanks for reminding me. I sold, or trashed all my SCSI drives. I think I have a LSI
320-1 raid card I need to ebay.

 

[CougTek]

Oh well, I tried. Don't blame me if you end up with some money on the side that you don't know what to do with.

 

[Santilli]

Thanks for the lookout;-)

I still have the case and power supply. Not to mention the ATI video card rocks, for an AGP card.

Guess I better pull and ebay them as well. Anybody else noticed that ebay has tacked 10%
on the TOTAL sale price, including shipping, handling fees, etc, on top of the 4% they are pulling on Paypal?

Someone needs to figure a way to break this monopoly...

 

[Santilli]

CT:
Home office is a deduction in U.S., as I'm sure you are aware. It gets into the category of spend money on computer, or pay in money in tax, you have your choice.
This has always been my motivating factor. However, since doing folding @ home, and new roommate, plus cold spell, the PG&E bill has gone from 40.00 to a non-corrected nearly 200 dollars.

Pacific Gas and Electric, our state wide electric company monopoly, has a green rate plan. That means unless you live like a Mexican farm worker in a slum, with no heat, your electric bill will get into the premium rate categories, resulting in a geometric increase in charging, compared to a linear electric rate use.

It seems that the old heating solutions used in these apartments are not green, in other words they work well, but, use a LOT of electricity. I also suspect that the apartment building owners have wired stuff onto that circuit, so they get you to pay for their stuff.

The only major appliances I can think of the refrig, and the dishwasher , and electric stove. Can't do much about the stove or refrig, but, I wonder what it costs to run a dishwasher for it's full cycle?

 

[Bozo]

http://www.rackmountmart.com/html/srCase.htm

My case is essentially the SC1006

or this one:
http://www.coolerguys.com/840556068044.html

I'm looking for an excellent motherboard chipset, and gigabyte, lots of SATA ports, and a low powered cpu, that doesn't take a lot of power.

They can also double up as end tables.

 

[Santilli]

No s;hit;-)

I'm sitting here, thinking about what to do with all this old tech stuff. a 45 pound server case is cool, if for no other reason then air flow;-)

I was thinking of trying a minimum build but, to be real, a modern laptop would do what I need this for.

I would want to take advantage of the latest technology on the motherboard, with a minimal cpu, maybe onboard video, a server motherboard, with 20 W cpu would be nice.

Problem is finding that combination cheap.

I was looking at an i5 2430 or something Lenovo laptop for 700 bucks at Costco, with a 750 GB drive. It was an ideapad, but, it would do what I need for this machines functions, and, be a mobile laptop far faster then my Panasonic is.

Still, why spend any money at all?
Instead of the R2D2 server case, I now have a big laptop on the floor, giving me room space back. Tomorrow I'll figure out what I can ebay, and go from there.

 

[CougTek]

I would want to take advantage of the latest technology on the motherboard, with a minimal cpu, maybe onboard video, a server motherboard, with 20 W cpu would be nice.

Problem is finding that combination cheap.

"Latest technology+server" and "cheap" is an oxymoron. Those terms do not belong in the same sentence, unless you put "not" in front of "cheap". I've found you a modern server motherboard and a 20W Xeon CPU in a previous post of this thread, but cheap they aren't.

Cheap and latest tech is possible if you drop the server-oriented requirement. A board like an MSI PH61A-P35 has most modern technologies (HDMI/DVI, USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gbps), reasonable expansion options (except for RAM) and it only cost 80$. Sure, it's MSI and not Asus or Intel, but you won't find that much at that price from Asus, Intel, GigaByte, Supermicro or Tyan. MSI is still above ECS, Biostar and Jetway in my book.

 

[Santilli]

CT:

The only legacy item I have is the 4000N Laserjet, that may, or may not work through the hub/switch Cat 6 setup.

Other then that, I have no use for PCI.
The only things on the PCI bus on my server were cards to support SATA drives, since the Supermicro board didn't support SATA.

That and a Gigabyte ethernet card.

This does not have to be anything server. It does need a couple, or more, Gig/ethernet connections. It would be nice to be able to use it for internet browsing, and limited video playback. That's ALL it really needs to do, other then bring in, store files, run anti-virus software, and have minimal power consumption.

Modern is good. One step behind cutting edge, or two, is better.

 

[Bozo]

How about one of these

 

[Santilli]

Found one of the power problems in the house. I have a cute, old, forced air heater that works great to heat my room. Problem is it just used 100 Kwh in less then a half hour, heating my room.

Considering the bill is for about 1200 Kwh, that little session IS most of the problem.

Haven't checked the Beast and company for power draw yet. Need to find a heater that is a bit more cost effective.

 

[sdbardwick]

Found one of the power problems in the house. I have a cute, old, forced air heater that works great to heat my room. Problem is it just used 100 Kwh in less then a half hour, heating my room.

I don't think you have a 200,000 Watt heater. More likely use is around .5 to .8 kWh for a half-hour session.

 

[Santilli]

You are correct. I made a mistake. Retesting now.

About 1.3 Kwh an hour.

 

[ddrueding]

Electric resistance heaters are all 99.99% Efficient at heating. This is also the efficiency of a computer or lightbulb at heating. The problem is that no electric resistive source of heat is very efficient. You need to go gas or heat pump or insulate to bring your bill down considerably.

 

[Santilli]

gas is the only option.

Considering one of these propane units:

http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Heater-Single-Tank-Top-Propane/dp/B00005LEXJ/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

 

[Bozo]

gas is the only option.

Considering one of these propane units:

http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Heater-Single-Tank-Top-Propane/dp/B00005LEXJ/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

The description says outdoor only.

 

[Santilli]

Yes, I noticed that. Always the problem with propane. Once it starts, it may or may not smell.

Only one I used was the jet engine type, and, they do smell.

 

[BingBangBop]

Electric resistance heaters are all 99.99% Efficient at heating. The problem is that no electric resistive source of heat is very efficient.

To me, these statements are in direct opposition.

 

[ddrueding]

Actually, the problem is carbon monoxide. Odorless and colorless, you won't know anything is wrong until you pass out, and then die a bit later on.

In order to vent well enough to prevent it, you'd be letting in enough air to make the heating irrelevant in the first place.

 

[ddrueding]

To me, these statements are in direct opposition.

99.99% of the electricity you put into it is converted directly to heat. Close enough to perfect that you are at a 1:1 ratio of electricity in and heat out. Heat pumps don't create heat, they move it from one place to another. As such, you can get 3 or 4 times the heat out that you put in as electricity, making them effectively 300-400% efficient.

Gas isn't that efficient, but gas is cheap enough for us in CA not to care.

 

[BingBangBop]

The smell is one problem, but more to the point will be excessive CO from the combustion process makes them unsafe for indoor usage. At the very minimum, if you are planning on burning something inside for heat you may wish to invest in some CO detector/fire alarms.

 

[Handruin]

gas is the only option.

Considering one of these propane units:

http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Heater-Single-Tank-Top-Propane/dp/B00005LEXJ/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Keep in mind that the propane fuel source market somewhat follows that of the oil as a fuel source. If you want a more-stable price for a fuel source, do you have natural gas as an option? That will offer you a more consistent price.

 

[Santilli]

No natural gas in this apartment. Electric stoves.

 

[Handruin]

No natural gas in this apartment. Electric stoves.

How about alternates such as a pellet stove, wood stove, geothermal, or even photovoltaic/solar + electric heat? My house currently uses a mix between oil and electric heat. We added electric to our second floor since it originally had no heat upstairs. Each room has its own thermostat and we tend to only heat the rooms as needed.

 

[Bozo]

I still think a virtual machine is best...

While searching for ways to move Windows 7 to different hardware, I went to a site that looked promising. After a couple of minutes, all the tabs I had open in Chrome disappeared. Then they started to flash on and off. I restarted the browser and got the same tabs flashing.
I restarted the virtual OS and found the the Malwreabytes icon was missing from the desktop and MS essentials was missing from the task bar. The desktop icons started to flash on and off.
I shut down the virtual OS and deleted it from the drive it was installed on. Then I copied a clean copy of the virtual OS back to the drive and restarted.
It's been fine ever since.
A virtual OS is the only way to surf the 'net.

 

[Mercutio]

A virtual OS is the only way to surf the 'net.

If you hit the right rootkit, it doesn't matter how many layers of VM there are.

Your mistake was probably browsing the web without some combination of ad blocking and javascript sandboxing. Chrome has its own system for updating its PDF reading and Flash components, so at least you were spared that, but things like Spybot's immunizations, Adblock, an ad-blocking Hosts file and Noscript are incredibly useful to almost everyone who uses Windows.

In theory a corporate network should have some kind of proxy or filtering appliance doing the same thing for client computers, but that doesn't mean anyone has bothered to set it up for your site.

Of course, I've actually seen dumbasses on OSX get owned by Javascript exploits mere moments after bragging about how awesome and secure their Macs are. Nobody is really completely safe, ever.

 

[Bozo]

Actually, this is on my home system.

The virtual OS is running MalwareBytes, MS Security Essentials, MS Firewall, COMODO, and Spybot.

I didn't think it was possible for a rootkit to penetrate the host system.

At least this time it was easy to fix. :-D

 

[Mercutio]

The whole point of rootkits is that they penetrate everything. And most of the time they work regardless of other security measures.

Neither MBAM nor Spybot do anything about real-time protection, though I've found that many people don't bother with the immunizations that actually make it so useful. MSE helps somewhat, but in my experience it has a higher miss rate (and impact on system resources) than Avast.

... I have nothing to say about Comodo except that in my experience the Windows Firewall works just as well as third party products.

 

[BingBangBop]

The 2.0 beta of Spybot has real-time protection but it is very very painfully slow. When I mean slow, it is 10-15 seconds to scan each file executed. It'll drive you crazy.

 

[CougTek]

I still think a virtual machine is best...

Of course it is, but Santilli doesn't do VM.

 

[LunarMist]

Best is also not to hang out at malware-infected sites. I never get a malwawre, or if I did it was gone quickly.