HP N36L Microserver - £100

[badass]

Sweet!

Might buy one more as the 8GB RAM limit is killing me...



Splash might be interested in this.

Check out the ML110's instead. They have £110 cashback, can take 16GB RAM and some have a quad core Lynfield CPU.

Or you could do what I did for Vmware. ML330 G6 with 16GB RAM, an E5606 CPU baby and a smartarray P410/512MB BBWC baby!

[DannyM]

Just wondering if anyone could advise, I've followed this thread fairly closely.

I currently have a server in my room under my desk next to the main computer, it supplies media and backup solutions to the numerous devices in the family household, it's an E5200 with 1GB RAM and a copy of win server 2K8 (student dreamspark programme).

I currently use my main rig as a HTPC but that's way too overkill for my needs. I'm thinking about killing two birds with one stone, get this server and then get a GPU card for it and run it as a HTPC/Server, cheap and cheerful and also probably less power consumption then having the server and a separate machine for a HTPC.

I just run XBMC on the HTPC. Do you think it would be a good solution considering the server would already be on 24/7? Any performance impact for the other household devices accessing the server?

[watercooled]

First issue would be the Microserver has NO audio output. Adding a graphics card which supports HDMI audio would solve that but other than that it's just a computer, you can do pretty much what you like with it really. Space is very limited mind, so you'd be restricted to a physically small card. There are no PCIe power connectors on the installed power supply and it couldn't supply enough wattage for a high end card but I don't think such a card would fit in anyway.

[jim]

I think you'd have more luck adapting an HTPC to adopt a server role than the other way round.

[Guy]

I personally cant see it being worthwhile coverting it into a HTPC machine, it was never designed for that sort of use.

Although without having to use any internal space these have had rave reviews about working out the box with the Microservers.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Channel-Exte...m_cr_pr_sims_t

[DannyM]

I don't want to convert it I'd want to use it to server two purposes at once, however I've looked at a Revo or similar (for htpc) and it looks like the £100 back would be enough to sort one out.

Thanks for the input.

[watercooled]

I don't imagine the sound quality would be anything stellar with a £3 USB sound card, I mean it should be passable for system sounds, but for films?

[badass]

I think you'd have more luck adapting an HTPC to adopt a server role than the other way round.

2nded.

I'm a microserver owner and I did consider making it an HTPC/Server briefly, but then decided against it as pretty much everything is against it.
The PCI-e Port can only deliver 25w max
The server is not quiet enough - particularly with more than 1 HDD
No Audio.
It just wasn't designed to be that.

[kopite]

Check out the ML110's instead. They have £110 cashback, can take 16GB RAM and some have a quad core Lynfield CPU.

Or you could do what I did for Vmware. ML330 G6 with 16GB RAM, an E5606 CPU baby and a smartarray P410/512MB BBWC baby!

Hey mate I cant find the cashback offer for the ml110? am I missing something?

Cheers

[badass]

Hey mate I cant find the cashback offer for the ml110? am I missing something?

Cheers

http://www.serversplus.com/ml110_cashback
Looks like it's discontinued now

[kopite]

Bugger hehe.

My main PC went pop this morning so I think this is a good time to get a file server up and running

[kopite]

Got my server but just wondering if I might need more ram in it?

I`m thinking of running debian and using the box as a file server for films, Music etc, as well as backups of my main rig and also download client(probably SABnzbd)

[watercooled]

Probably not, try it first.

[kopite]

Probably not, try it first.

I was looking at getting this http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/mpar...6974D6A5CA7304 Would it fit?

[malfunction]

I was looking at getting this http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/mpar...6974D6A5CA7304 Would it fit?

Yes, though you could get 8GB of normal (non-ECC) RAM for the same money if not slightly less...

[watercooled]

Seriously, I'd try it first - you'll probably struggle to hit 256MB.