Linux - HardwareThis forum is for Hardware issues.
Having trouble installing a piece of hardware? Want to know if that peripheral is compatible with Linux?
Notices
Welcome to LinuxQuestions.org, a friendly and active Linux Community.
You are currently viewing LQ as a guest. By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics, receive our newsletter, use the advanced search, subscribe to threads and access many other special features. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today!
Note that registered members see fewer ads, and ContentLink is completely disabled once you log in.
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you need to reset your password, click here.
Having a problem logging in? Please visit this page to clear all LQ-related cookies.
Get a virtual cloud desktop with the Linux distro that you want in less than five minutes with Shells! With over 10 pre-installed distros to choose from, the worry-free installation life is here! Whether you are a digital nomad or just looking for flexibility, Shells can put your Linux machine on the device that you want to use.
Exclusive for LQ members, get up to 45% off per month. Click here for more info.
If you are using the server to actually record TV programs, I'd go with the Pentium D. Jump up to the 920, though, as you'll get more bang for the buck. Also, trash the stock cooler and get a heat pipe (Freezer 7 Pro is what I have). You'll get a much cooler & quieter system as a result.
If the system is going to store tv recordings (not generate them), a much lower system is more economical. The major bottle necks are the hard drive system & the network. 1GB networking is cheap and easy (same cabling as 100Mb). Get a couple of matching SATA drives and raid them for better speed. My server is a dual 550Mhz PIII system with 256Mb memory, and 4 hard drives in an LVM on raid (LVM for easy expansion). Hosts my mp3 collection (15k files or ~80G), along with a few DVD quality recordings. I also use it for storing Linux distribution ISO's (5 distros currently), for easy installation when helping users here on LQ. The kicker on it is that it has been running Mandrake 8.2 with only 1 powercycle in the last 3 years (moved my home office). Average load on the system is 0.16. I don't host HTTP or FTP (DSL line, no upload bw), but it has hosted an internal database when I was doing some development.
Pentium 4 are crap compared to AMD Athlon64 processors. I suggest using an AMD Athlon64 X2 3800+ with 1 GB of ECC memory. The motherboards I suggest are Abit A8N-Ultra, ABIT AX8, and EPoX EP-9HEAI because they use passive cooling for the chipset instead of active cooling. Then buy a GeForce6 6200. Next use Highpoint RocketRAID 1520 SATA controller to handle two hard drives. Setup software RAID-1 (mirroring) in Linux. Install Linux on PATA hard drive and use the RAID-1 array for your servers. Spend at least 100 US dollars on a good power supply from Zalman, Enermax, Power and Cooling, and Seasonic.
2 Western Digital Caviar RE WD3200SD 320GB 7200 RPM Serial ATA150
EPoX EP-9HEAI
2 Crucial 512MB DDR-400 ECC Unbuffered
AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+
GeForce6 6200
20 or 40 GB PATA hard drive
Highpoint RocketRAID 1520
Distribution: current is PCLOS (server) and Suse (desktop)
Posts: 102
Original Poster
Rep:
thanks for the feedback, this is a budget server the CPU must be under ~$130 so no X2 option thats too much.
I think i may get that cheap Pentium D dual core its only $130, another question will linux utilize the dual core cpu or is single core more compatiable with linux?
also the pentium D will be louder and run hotter than the sempron, like you said i will probably need to ditch the stock cooler on the pentium so thats more cost added on.
I've had great luck running AMD for 5+ years now. No issues at all. I usually save quite a few bucks this way, and I don't feel I loose performace. It does what I need with cpu cycles to spare.
I've also had great luck with the ASUS MB's. I would guess either configuration would work, so I'd go with the cheapest. Good luck building it.
Linux will fully utilize the dual core, if your application needs require it. In other words, if you are just doing file sharing (HTTP, FTP, NFS, email, etc), then your system will be heavily over powered. If you are doing video capture as well, then it will run better with more processors.
I also recommend Intel over AMD for long term costs. I've had multiple cpu fans die over the years (both stock and higher end), and while the systems overheated, they never had a catestrophic failure requiring replacement cpus. But to each his own.
ride153, a server costing about $1000 is very, very budget minded. If you go the Intel route, you are going to pay more for utility bills.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GrueMaster
Linux will fully utilize the dual core, if your application needs require it. In other words, if you are just doing file sharing (HTTP, FTP, NFS, email, etc), then your system will be heavily over powered. If you are doing video capture as well, then it will run better with more processors.
I also recommend Intel over AMD for long term costs. I've had multiple cpu fans die over the years (both stock and higher end), and while the systems overheated, they never had a catestrophic failure requiring replacement cpus. But to each his own.
I recommend the oppposite. AMD made their processors much better since you used them. They now include automatic shutdown when temperature threshold is reached.
FWIW, if it were my choice, I'd go with the Sempron/Asus combo. Two of the last 3 CPU's I've purchased have been AMD's, and I have been impressed. Just my 2 cents
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing
Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute
content, let us know.