SPCR

Hello!
I new to this forum, very intresting topics!
I planning to build a homeserver for ftp and video. I will be located in a big closet .
I want to use an old IBM desktop with 100W PSU without cover hanging on the wall.

What do you guys recommend? A system 24/7 without problems.

My first option is this:

NF4 board with GBLan
AMD64 +3000
Integrated low power graphics
mAtx
I have 2 PATA disks and 1 Maxtor ext 300GB 5400

How much power does a system like above take?

Is 100W enough if i undervolt or trottle?

I have GF 5200 pcix card, how much does it take in power?

Or is an P4 mobile with a good MB an option?

VIA is not an option for me.

hasseb64 wrote: Is 100W enough if i undervolt or trottle?

I very much doubt it. The problem is not the 100W as such. You might be able to put together a system that does not pull more than 100W. But you said the PSU is old and that has me worried. It probably can't deliver enough current to drive a modern CPU+GPU. Even if the AMD64+GF5200 isn't that bad of a combo a lot has changed in the power requirements of a system since the last time they made desktop systems with 100W PSUs.

Chances are, that old 100W PSU will not have enough current for the spike at boot, and it probably won;t have all the right connectors either. PSUs are cheap, in the big scale of things: Get a new one.

... or you can get a kill-a-watt and test your configuration with a normal 300W PSU to see how high it's running.

hasseb64 wrote: Or is an P4 mobile with a good MB an option?

I'm not an intel specialist, but bychecking this, you have to choose carefully, the "mobile" P4 goes up to 100W.

hasseb64 wrote: VIA is not an option for me.

Is it possible to know why ? (am using that myself)

Also, depending on your use (just serving files), you may eventually be good as well with some appliance like the claxan (cost 200€ here with a 160 GB HDD) [note : I don't have any experience with it]

If this is just a fileserver, P4 is overkill. Even a DVD-quality movie maxes out at 10Mbps, which in term of file-transfer speed is pretty pokey. I've been running a P2-400MHz Linux server for long time with no problems, and not leaving me wanting for any more speed. P2 should help you with your low-power goals.

P1 should be fine, even lower power.

If it is only fileserver you could try clarkconnect.org linux distro.
It can be run on relatively slow computer. Mine was running @ PII266Mhz + 128 mb ram.

If you don't know anything about linux - dont't worry.
That disto has point-and-click very easy instalation. Just boot form cd, clik-click-click and you have fully working server with easy administration via www (just type server adres in your firefox adress window and you'll get access to configuration options).

I don't know ANYTHING about linux and finished setting up server in 15 minutes.

Extra bonus: it is working with big HDDs (>136GB) even if your mobo doesn't have 48bit lba support.

---

I can recomend this hardware (my current server):

compaq deskpro EN 733, bought used, very cheap, very liable
intel815, pIII733Mhz, 256-512MB ram
integrated gfx, 10/100 lan, wake-on-lan
1 fan design with hardware speed control

lm wrote:P1 should be fine, even lower power.

well, depending on the exact machine, of course, but to max out a 10mps connection you need somewhere 200MHz+

Thanks for all advices!

Here is that IBM PSU 100W
DC output:
+5 / 15A
+3,3 / 12A
+5VSB / 2A
+12V / 4,2A
-12 / 0,4A

I want to have an good throttable sytem if i want to go with dedicated gamesevers or if need to build an ordinare gamecomputer.

My advice would be to buy an old Pentium 3 off someone. Then replace the heatsink (All standard socket A heatsinks fit P3s) and power supply (or mod the old one). P3s don't make that much heat (and hence don't use that much power) so it shouldn't be hard to get it quiet.

Get an older HP microATX like the XE 783, clean it thoroughly, change all the fans, and throw a nice, big hard drive in. With a nice big Socket A heatsink, you can run the whole thing with one or two fans at most. Find the coolest video card you can, and you'll also need a NIC more than likely.

we found a P3 500MHz compaq tower in one of our houses a tenant left. might use it in about 10 years time as a server, but probably not worth it by that time due to super advances in networking speeds etc and prices!

Elixer wrote:(All standard socket A heatsinks fit P3s)

Surely not Slot 1 P3s, right?

hasseb64 wrote:+12V / 4,2A

This is very weak..

hasseb64 wrote:
DC output:
+5 / 15A
+3,3 / 12A
+5VSB / 2A
+12V / 4,2A
-12 / 0,4A

Youch. Surely you can find a 250W PSU somewhere for a reasonable price. Your NF4 motherboard is going to demand more than that 12V line can provide. And that PSU will be lucky to have a 20pin ATX connector, much less the 24pin required by an A64 system. Those numbers really put an age to that PSU, where the 5v and 3.3v rails get all the juice. But new MOBOs don't work that way.

I'll repeat that again.
Make yourself a favour - buy a new PSU.

In 24/7 system PSU must be very reliable.
Plus new PSUs are more power efficient which makes your system consuming less power with the same hardware installed.

If you want to save money (we all do) better buy little outdated (p3) HP/compaq/dell computer for cheap and swap PSU.

[beware] some of the compaq desktops [like mine - deskpro en 733] have non-ATX compatible PSUs (smaller) which makes swaping for standard PSU impossible without modding.

Tobias wrote:

lm wrote:P1 should be fine, even lower power.

well, depending on the exact machine, of course, but to max out a 10mps connection you need somewhere 200MHz+

Mine's a Pentium 1 150MHz and delivers about 2.4 Meg a second through a generic 10/100 PCI card. Plenty fast enough.

And it only has 64 Meg ram (used to only have 32!) Uses 50Watts of power and cost me A$10 excluding the 60Gig + 160Gig drives (Debian Linux is great for the stuff.)

Oh, and it's pretty quiet after 2 years tinkering.