Silent Server.....

[b0redom]

Hi All,
Now 2TB drives are here, I'm going to upgrade my home built NAS. Can anyone recommend me something as silent as possible?

Q6600 or Q9xxx based (will also run VmWare)
4x 2TB drives (linux software RAID-5)

Motherboard?
PSU?
Case?
CPU cooler?

Ideally it'll have onboard graphics. It'll be running headless so I don't care what chipset it is. I'm also after a silent UPS.

Cheers....

[shbris]

why a quad core for a server, dual core might be cooler and quieter

[b0redom]

Because it'll be running VMware. More cores = more VMs.

[Tweaker]

For a silent case, NZXT offer really good sound dampening, NZXT Whisper Full Tower Case is what i would get. For cooling, the CPU cooler, one of those crazy heatsinks that dont have a fan, or something like the Arctic Cooling Freezer Xtreme. For the motherboard the Gigabyte GA-EG41MF-S2H on Scan is a good choice. I dont think i have ever used a really silent PSU, my Zalman 1000HP is probably the quietest but it cost a lot, you could use a 450W Be Quiet Dark Power PRO, if they arnt quiet im not sure what is.