More help with home server upgrade...

["Paul Gale" <groups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Can someone give me a hand speccing up my new server? It=92s going to
be ru=
nning W2K3 R2, Exchange server all the other bits n bobs + 1 TB RAID 5
file=
store in hot swap backplane. I currently have a dual 1Gb PIII machine whic=
h is OK but I=92ve never trusted the reliability of compatibility of it
and=
the chipset etc. So probably want to go for a modern board and CPU.

The CPU fan needs to be reasonably quiet and power consumption as low as
pr=
actical (what with all the HDD=92s in there!!!). Hence I was thinking Core
=
2 Duo on a desktop mainboard (no ECC ram). Should I really be looking at
so=
mething else? I think Xeons are too expensive???

This is the list so far but needs a bit of work. I=92ve settled for the
Com=
pucase rack and Chenbro SATA backplane, WD RE2 HDD=92s (because they got
su=
ch good reviews =96 performance, heat, noise wise) x5 for the RAID 5 array
=
and 2 x mirrored 160Gb WD RE drives for the O/S.

Mainboard     Asus P5WDG2-WS Extreme i975X, S775, PCI-E (x16), DDR2 800,
SA=
TA I / II, SATA RAID, ATX 	scan	1	 =A3147.39 	 =A3147.39=20
CPU	         Core 2 Duo E6300	dabs	1	 =A3106.36 	 =A3106.36=20
RAM             1Gb Crucial 1GB (2x512MB) DDR2 PC2-5300C5 Dual Channel Kit
=
Overclockers	1	 =A359.95 	 =A359.95=20
PSU              Existing 20 Pin PSU?				 =A3-=20=20=20
Rack case	Compucase S411 4U	Dabs	1	 =A369.41 	 =A369.41=20
SATA backplane	Chenbro SK335 SATA Hot Swap Mobile Rack 5 Drive	Xcase	2	
=A3=
109.00 	 =A3218.00=20
CPU cooler	Zalman CNPS9500-AT Aero Flower (Socket 775) CPU Cooler
(HS-020-Z=
A)	Overclockers	1	 =A328.95 	 =A328.95=20
SATA RAID card	AMCC 3Ware 9590SE-8ML SATA II Hardware RAID Controller Kit
8=
-port	scan	1	 =A3319.99 	 =A3319.99=20
HDD 500Gb	Western Digital Caviar RE2 500GB 5000YS SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM
=
(HD-102-WD)	dabs	3	 =A3140.50 	 =A3421.50=20
HDD 160Gb	Western Digital Caviar RE 160GB 1600YD SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM
(=
HD-105-WD)	Dabs	2	 =A339.02 	 =A378.04

Any server builders out there care to comment on this approach or anyone
re=
commend anything else (mainly CPU / m/b wise)???

I=92d really appreciate your thoughts as I=92m starting to go round in
circ=
les now!

Many thanks,


Paul.





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