el-cheapo computers

[Dave Stones]

i have been set the task of building a sort of file server for our little network next year. obviously cost is a major issue here, all we really want is a barebones system with lots and lots of storage (optical drive isn't even really needed here).

is it worth going down the line of el-cheapo components to do this, or would these be likely to burn out under constant access (media streaming over the network 24/7)? would it just be better to buy more "quality" components that have a better shelf life, with a higher outlay but longer-lastingness?

thoughts anyone?

I would get a more quality component, less quality ones always fail quicker for me, SeaGate on the other hand, none of the drives I have had from them have failed yet and there also quite cheap.

Just a thought, I'm not the best here

[Dave Stones]

oh i use maxtor drives, i know enough from past experience to stay away from el-cheapness where hard drives are concerened...

no hitachi deathstars either my laptop runs one and it is very loud when i try to sleep at night, it out-loudnesses the cpu fan... can't be good

i was thinking more for PSU, motherboard, memory... since all it will ever be doing is streaming things, top of the range speed isnt needed so i am looking to cut corners as much as i can

[Bifta]

Originally Posted by Dave Stones

i have been set the task of building a sort of file server for our little network next year. obviously cost is a major issue here, all we really want is a barebones system with lots and lots of storage (optical drive isn't even really needed here).

is it worth going down the line of el-cheapo components to do this, or would these be likely to burn out under constant access (media streaming over the network 24/7)? would it just be better to buy more "quality" components that have a better shelf life, with a higher outlay but longer-lastingness?

thoughts anyone?

Skimp on everything but the drives (don't use cheap maxtors), all the components no matter what the cost only have a 1 years manufacturers warranty and at least if your processor/motherboard or whatever dies you can replaced them and still have all your data.

[ian@huth]

Originally Posted by Bifta

Skimp on everything but the drives (don't use cheap maxtors), all the components no matter what the cost only have a 1 years manufacturers warranty and at least if your processor/motherboard or whatever dies you can replaced them and still have all your data.

A lot of HDDs have a 3 year warranty with some, Seagate for example, moving to 5 year warranties. A warranty doesn't protect your data though, so make sure you do.

[Dave Stones]

and now i feel silly, cos i said i always use maxtors and dont skimp, but maxtors are cheap and nasty... but they have never failed on me

Well I have a Syntax SV266A, excellent support when needed, also have a AMD Duron 1800 and 512 DDR memory plugged into it. The motherboard cost me £20 off Ebuyer, and was easy to install. I would recommend Syntax for cheap motherboards

Not sure about PSU's though, only using the one I got free with my case. Ebuyers cheap memory is good aswell, fast, reliable, no problems.

Any one else got any other companies that are cheap and good?

[altis]

Keep your eyes peeled on eBay and elsewhere for an MSI MS-6347 motherboard. These include on board U160 SCSI but only support Athlon Thunderbirds up to 1.4GHz - so more hunting required. Head over to Scan and get a Fujitsu 15Krpm U160 drive. When it's all together stick Windows 95 OSR2.5 on it - no, that's no joke - it's very small, very fast and very reliable.

This makes an ideal file server - I know, I've done it!

[Dave Stones]

scsi... ima scared... never used that before. is it any harder to use than good old plug 'n' play IDE?

[altis]

It's fantastic, I've been using it for years. In the PC in front of me I only have an LS-120 super-floppy on an IDE interface. Everything else, DVD-RAM, CD burner, Xyratex removable HDD, 2x18GB 15Krpm HDD and 1x73GB 10Krpm HDD are all on SCSI.

The only thing to be wary of is there are basicly 2 different types of SCSI interface (and umpteen different types of connector). Don't mix devices with different types of interface on the same cable and you won't lose performance.

Ultra devices generally use a 68-way ribbon cable. The connectors are 'D' shaped so you can't put them in upside down and you can have up to 15 drives on one cable. Non-ultra devices generally use a 50-way ribbon and you can have up to 7 drives on one cable.

Do you really need a SCSI? Is it JUST streaming media to the internet?

[philip.j.fry]

Originally Posted by Dave Stones

scsi... ima scared... never used that before. is it any harder to use than good old plug 'n' play IDE?

Not really. One idea might be to look on ebay for some older cheaper Sun machines (Sparc stations). You should be able to pick up a few of these quite reasonably, whack in some new bigger drives if needed and then set up Solaris (costs money) or Linux (free), set up Samba or NFS and you're in business

[Dave Stones]

Originally Posted by Electrolyte

Do you really need a SCSI? Is it JUST streaming media to the internet?

i don't *really* need it...

the machine will be used to store all our collective media (umpteen thousand cds and dvds) and then plugged into our network so we can all stream off wahtever we want whenever we want...

i am even looking to make it even more cheapness by dispensing with the monitor and maybe even keyboard and mouse, just borrowing someone's to install OS and requried things, and then just remote-accessing into it to sort things out from my laptop...

my ebuyer playing-around-with-session has come up with the following so far...any suggestions to make it *even cheaper*? (the storage is not a *great* issue at the moment, 200gb will be alright until payday...)

Superflower SF-702T1-BK ATX Case in Black With Side Window No PSU 056708 £13.99 £13.99

Ebuyer AC Power Lead (Kettle Type) Suitable for ATX PSU 020293 £0.99 £0.99

Ebuyer 400 Watt PSU P4 Ready 030288 £8.99 £8.99

Pcchips KT266A SKT A DDR AGP Sound LAN USB 2.0 Retail Box 059335 £12.99 £12.99

AMD DURON 1600 266FSB CPU - OEM 052134 £22.94 £22.94

Ebuyer 256MB DDR266 PC2100 Extra Value RAM 020929 £17.99 £17.99

Coolermaster CP5-6J31C Socket A Upto XP3000 AMD Approved 040758 £4.50 £4.50

Seagate ST3200822A Barracuda 7200.7 Plus 200gb Ultra ATA/100 7200rpm 8mb Cache 059736 £71.48 £71.48

SubTotal: £158.86 VAT: £27.84 Total: £186.70

Ebuyer 256mb DDR266, I have that, and also the PCChipes KT266A WHICH is REALLY the Syntax SV266A. AMD Duron 1600, for a few £ extra you can get the 1800. Oh by the way, if you get that board and a Duron, you need to update the BIOS if you want it to detect the Duron correctly. I had to update my BIOS so it actually said "AMD Duron 1800" not "Unknown CPU 1.8GHZ".

Great motherboard though, memory is good too

[Gareth]

That mobo doesn't have any on-board grafx, so you'll need to add a cheapo card. No need to be extravagent, but you will need one, unless you have an old one lying around collecting dust.