windows server 2003 or xp pro for new rig ?

[weebroonieuk]

im awaiting new parts comeing for my main pc which will mainly be used for downloading 24/7 burning dvds/cds although no much for storeing divx xvid mp3's ripped dvds etc basically all my years of collecting are on this and i dont wanna loose anythin , so stability is a must !

is server more reliable for a single cpu and is it more efficient , i.e. does it use less resources but still retain most of the functionality of xp
and is it easy as xp to install apps like burning software downloading software video convertion etc ?

the specs of the pc will be
abit nf7s 2
barton 2500 mobile @ 2.6ghz
ocz platinum 3200 el rev 2
western digital raptor 36g sata as my c drive (system drive)
western digital 40gb idedrive is where my incomplete downloads go till they are downloaded.

then storage drives are ...
hitachi 7k250 ide
maxtor maxline 3 300gb sata

nec 3500 dvd writer
a ****ty gforce something or other my mate loaned me coz i broke my radeon aiw 9800 pro aiw , so im going to wait till the right time to buy a new gfx card

i also have a network card which my broadband comes into (telewest 1.5mbit)
and i connec to my laptop via a network cable comeing from the onboard lan
would i be better with a router ? ( i think il ask that n a new thread elsewhere)

and its all watercooled very well

so thats the system and what it will be used for id like to try server 2003 anyways but if it wont be an improvement then theres no point

[directhex]

server 2003 is omgfast compared to xp, runs almost all the same software, BUT...

unless you sit there using the 180 day trials, will cost you a thousand pounds.

go with what your wallet can afford.

[weebroonieuk]

cost doesnt come into this equation

in what way is it faster and what things do you notice compared to xp ?

[directhex]

faster as in applications load significantly faster, and the same apps are smoother on a much lower spec

things noticed are server type things, or instances where the 2003 behaviour is the opposite of the xp behaviour (mostly related to network shares)

[weebroonieuk]

would my mates old crappy pc benefit from server 2003 ? he has an old celeron 850 and is soon to to have his ram quadroupled to a ........256 MB !!!!

[directhex]

yes, it would. 2003 was pretty damned fast on a p2-350 with 768mb ram

[weebroonieuk]

groovy gonna make up a multi boot dvd with xp and server and longhorn and i have a 6 gig partion on my raptor which i made just for "playing " if i like how server runs i will re install it on my c drive as main os when all my goodies come !
thanks for answering my questions mate !

[directhex]

i sincerely doubt you're a microsoft certified professional, which implies that your longhorn (and by extension, probably the rest) are not legit.

we don't encourage or condone use of illegal or stolen software on hexus, i'd like to think this policy was clear. i'm locking this thread now.

[directhex]

following a lengthy exchange of private messages of little to no interest to anyone, i'm reopening this thread. rules on illegal software remain, but i'll give people a little more benefit of the doubt. this isn't up for discussion or query.

[eldren]

Out of curiosity, how would 2003 compare to 2000?

[directhex]

god knows. i've never used 2000 through choice. probably depends on the type of application being run, much like 2k versus xp, or xp versus xpsp1/2

then again, 2k3 is so very fast at everything compared to xp, it probably beats 2k just as much

[scottyman]

startup & shutdown times (in terms of service loading and shutting down) are greatly improved -

where on my dual 1.2 tualatin with a gig of ram - was taking 20-25 mins to clean and shut down the exchange database - native mode exchange 2003 on win 2003 takes 2-3 mins (with about 4gb worth of mail db)

responsiveness when using terminal services mode (remote admin only - haven't tested for user mode) is much better, and much more usable.

also - telnet support ACTUALLY works as expected - you can do pretty much anything you need in terminal which makes life much safer and easier.

If you're not running as a dedicated server - what's the point in running it as a desktop?
Servers are simply there to provide optimised hosting of client/server applications - if you're running it for games - it's not really worth it.

If you have the machine correctly configured as a server, you're going to be taking a huge performance hit.
If you've got a 2003 server installation set up for "gaming" - i.e. installing direct x, audio, themes etc - then it'll be half as effective as a server, and if you're very lucky - half as effective as a gaming machine.


Tried running Far Cry on my server after a bit of twiddling - complete waste of time. I could get 30fps out of it - but when I can get 50 out of my desktop machine - there's no point in using the server.

I use mine to run dedicated servers for COD:UO and CS:S (not to mention TS and Ventrilo) but there's no point in wasting time and effort building your desktop as a server if you're not going to use if as intended.

If I could find a decent groupware application to host "proper e-mail, ldap, and a sharepoint equivalent" i'd happily install it, and save money on client licenses - but as that money is already down the spout - I'm happy enough with my server as it is.

[Wam7]

It's just as Scottyman is saying. You'll find certain things are better optimised like disk access but as a whole you'll be better off using XP for desktop things like games etc

[starshipwarrior]

What is 2k3 ? server OS ? What does it cost?
What is 2003 ? Cost?

Im guessing its a server OS

[directhex]

windows server 2003. costs start at about 450 quid for server standard with a 5 client license.

[scottyman]

if you keep and eye out on scan's todayonly page - you should see smoe serious microsoft discounts available once every week or two.
that's where I got exchange and server 2003 from for my little home server (it's only a dual 1.2 tualatin) - total cost - about £1200 for software and hardware. about 750 was for both exchange 2003 and server 2003.