Building a MicroATX-based server

[imported_Geddeth]

Yet again I am building a specialized machine, and again I turn to the people hanging out at Anandtech for help and guidance. :thumbsup:

So in short, I'm building a server that has to fit into a desktop-sized case, which means MicroATX/FlexATX. Here is my initial setup:

[*]Motherboard: Asus P5BV-M (µATX, 1333Mhz FSB, IGP, 2xLAN, 4xDDR2-800)
[*]CPU: Intel Dual-Core Xeon E3110 3GHz (6MB L2, 65W)
[*]RAM: Corsair Corsair XMS2 DHX 2 x 2 GB (CL4, 4-4-4-12)
[*]Case: Aopen H360B (beware of noisy Flash video!)

The server will be running Debian Testing (possibly the AMD64 port), and do various tasks, including local fileserver, home network router/firewall, web- and databaseserver and small gameserver (BF2/UT3).

The reason for the small form factor is due to physical restraints at the location of the server (which is in my home).

I am particularly looking for low noise, low heat and low cost!

I am looking for advice on how you think it will perform in regards to the above tasks and whether you have experience with the motherboard and case. Or perhaps you know of other, similar boards for low-end servers like this one.

In any case - thanks for reading, looking forward to responses!

Cheers,
Geddeth.

 

[imported_Geddeth]

Ok, so already I'm looking at another motherboard. The Intel DQ35JO looks intriguing, it's only flaw compared to the Asus being 1xLAN instead of two. But it costs half of what the Asus board does, and is built on the Q35 chipset. It's targeted at desktop users, though.

 

[Zap]

My only concern with the Asus board would be the location of the CPU. On some cases the HSF may hit drives.

Whether the board is targeted for servers or desktop probably doesn't matter. What does matter is driver support for your chosen OS, plus features that you really need (such as second LAN, RAID, more RAM slots).

 

[o1die]

Too bad you don't have more room. Dell has the t105 poweredge server starting at $249 for a couple of more hours. I priced one for $310 out the door with opteron 1.8 dual core, 16x sata drive (free upgrade if selected), 2 gigs of pc6400 ecc ddr2, 80 gig sata drive, keyboard, designated carrier, taxes, and optical mouse. No operating system, soundcard, or speakers are included. But it has a one year warranty. The problem with small setups is heat and the cost of replacement if the board goes out.

 

[imported_Geddeth]

Originally posted by: Zap
My only concern with the Asus board would be the location of the CPU. On some cases the HSF may hit drives.

I see your point. Other top mATX boards (P5E-VM/P5B-VM) seem to have layouts similar to ATX boards, but the P5BV does not. The Intel board has the CPU in a sensible location, it seems. I don't have too much experience with cases for mATX boards though, so I don't know if the same physical restrictions apply as with e.g. minitowers.

Originally posted by: Zap
Whether the board is targeted for servers or desktop probably doesn't matter. What does matter is driver support for your chosen OS, plus features that you really need (such as second LAN, RAID, more RAM slots).

Thanks for the heads up. I had not taken driver support into account. But I generally believe Intel chipsets to be supported rather well in Linux (and Debian testing), and have checked that newer kernels do in fact support onboard video chipsets like the GMA3100.

I don't intend to employ software RAID, but the dual LAN would be Nice to Have (tm). However, PCI-E NICs are readily available, it seems.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[imported_Geddeth]

Originally posted by: o1die
Too bad you don't have more room. [...]
The problem with small setups is heat and the cost of replacement if the board goes out.

Thanks, but I am really looking for a small setup. And I agree that heat is a major issue. I am actually also concerned about power consumption, but those two go hand in hand these days I believe.

In fact, I was concidering the low-voltage Xeon "Harpertown" (L54xx) quad-cores, as they have a TDP of only 50W. But alas, the price tag is also an issue, and at twice that of the E3110/E8400 (and presumably less than that in performance increase) I don't think it pays off. (Furthermore, it requires a 771-socket, duh!)

Your points a quite valid though, but I really want to try and do this. I suppose I should be looking closely at the case and PSU.

G.

 

[arameth]

Zap pointed me in what I think is a good direction on a mATX system I'm currently building for a friend of mine.

The ASUS P5E-VM HDMI board, the Apevia X-QPACK2 case (stock 500W PS, but you may want something better), and a Q6600 or Xeon X3350 (equiv of Q9450) seem like great choices. Also I'm putting Crucial Ballistix Tracer in there for some "glowie" effect, if you're into that sort of thing. On paper this looks like a great system in a small form factor case, and as soon as its fully built I'll let everyone know how it performs.

I've totally opened my eyes to mATX...it's come a long way from a few years ago.

Good luck!