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In Reply to: building dedicated music server/pc.... posted by Ron on September 23, 2006 at 12:19:02:
ok peoples I would really like to build a dedicated pc or a server. Problem is I have no idea of what parts I would need. Can someone please help with the following questions?
Firstly, this pc/server will be ONLY for listening to music (probably with wired squeezeboxes)1. How does a server differ from a PC? What components are involved in a server?
In commercial applications, say a server for a business, a server would be built to be more robust than a PC or workstation, with a mind toward it's misssion-critical nature. It would be running 24x7, you couldn't afford to have it go down, or if it did, you'd need to be able to repair it quickly. It would also be built with the power to handle the task it performs - a database server for a company of 500 people would be spec'd much higher than say an email server for a company with 25 people. Things like fast disk subsystems, RAID for disk storage, redundant power supplies, might be characteristics of such servers.
At the lower end, there's little if any difference between a server and a PC, except in its role. A server is generally not used interactively for desktop tasks. Very rarely would someone be sitting at a server and running a desktop application.
2. How important is the processor/memory? What is the minimum I should get? I don't know much about how much memory/cpu a PC/server uses but for music only purposes I can't see needing anything exravagant.It's not that important for a dedicated machine to run SlimServer. I'd avoid going too low - many people seem to want a machine that is going to cost pennies to run each year and is going to be whisper quiet. Going with too little processing power may make the SlimServer web and remote interfaces a bit sluggish and make the library scanning slower than expected.
My minimum recommendation would be something like a PIII 733 with 512MB of RAM. If you run Windows as your OS you'll need more processing power than if you run Linux. This spec would make a fast Linux machine, but just a passable Windows one.
3. A pc/server a little more on the quiet side would be nice but I've only built 2 PC's and it's been awhile. If it's complicated building a quiet pc I'll just build a 'normal' one. It will be stored in my basement anyway so we shouldn't be able to hear it regardless.Quiet can sometimes be expensive. Quiet CPU fans - even passive CPU coolers - can be found for all processors, but they're not cheap. Quiet cases, quiet power supplies and quiet fans are also available. You can do some of it yourself by damping cases with sound insulation or taking a Dremel tool to the case for better airflow, but it can be some work. Depends on how important it is to you. Keep in mind that you won't need a keyboard, mouse or monitor on your server, so it can sit anywhere you can give it network access in your home, such as in the basement or even the garage.
The main areas to attack for a quiet PC will be the CPU cooling, the power supply, and cooling for the hard drives. The CPU either by using a relatively low powered CPU, or else by finding a way to cool it efficiently. Quiet power supplies generally are more efficient and/or use lower speed fans. Case and drive cooling can use quiet, low speed fans if your case has good airflow.
4. I'm cheap, I want to get away with as little monies as possible...You could easily find a used computer or components and build a machine (sans disk storage) for under $200.
Follow Ups:
Thanks for the help guys. Got another question or two..1. What would be a good bare-bones motherboard? I obviously don't need video or audio so just a basic motherboard should do me fine right?
2. So the CPU will run just fine without a monitor? Seems weird but I guess my own pc will stay on even if I turn off the monitor. Just seems weird being able to access the CPU without the monitor for some reason...
Anything else you can think of please post! Thanks again for the help...
Assuming you are not a Linux junkie, you will likely, if you are running Windows, on occasion, need to connect a monitor and keyboard directly to the machine to install or troubleshoot something. So you'll need video on the machine and a keyboard, mouse and monitor that you can plug into it as required.For $600 you can get a slim cased Dell (C521 with a 15" flat panel monitor and a 250GB hard drive.
For $430 you can get a fat cased Dell albeit with an older P4 processor and 80 GB hard drive with a (an upgrade to 205GB will cost $80)and a 19" flat panel monitor.
Where are you going to do better than that?
1. What would be a good bare-bones motherboard? I obviously don't need video or audio so just a basic motherboard should do me fine right?Right. If you opt for an older processor like a PIII I don't think it will matter much. For PIII and P4 systems I'd recommend sticking with Intel chipsets for stability. If you choose an AMD CPU then the chipset will have to be non-Intel.
You don't need audio, but if the motherboard has onboard audio, that's fine - you can disable it. Most PC motherboards won't have onboard video, but many motherboards targeted at servers and and some targeted for business desktop compters (the Dell Optiplex line comes to mind) will. You _will_ need video, though, even if you don't run the system with a monitor. Many systems won't boot up without video and you'll need it for the initial setup. If the motherboard doesn't have onboard video, any old video card that fits an available slot should work fine - don't get a video card that has an onboard fan - it's just more noise and something else that can fail.
2. So the CPU will run just fine without a monitor? Seems weird but I guess my own pc will stay on even if I turn off the monitor. Just seems weird being able to access the CPU without the monitor for some reason...If you run Windows you can use a remote desktop emulator such as VNC. If you run Windows XP Professional, in particular, there's a built in remote desktop program. With Linux you can do the same, or you can get by without a graphical interface and just use the shell. Depends on how comfortable you are (or want to become) with Linux.
The only thing you can't do with these programs is access the BIOS setup, since they load after the operating system has loaded. For the initial setup, you can hook it up to a monitor, keyboard and maybe a mouse, then you can sit the system in a corner and only access it remotely.
Anything else you can think of please post! Thanks again for the help...There's a lot of good advice to be had on the SlimDevices forums.
For info about quiet computing, see the Silent PC Review web site and forums.
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