Hardware advice

S

Syk0t1k

Active Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2012
Messages
30
Reaction score
0
Location
KZN
I need some advice on a PC build, not sure if im posting in the right place...

Firstly i want to build a pc that will be able to run 8 virtual machines simultaneously my assumption would be for say 8 virtual pc's each should have at least 1gb ram so 16gb ram would be sufficient leaving 8 for the main host in the background. Also can you guys reccomend a decent virtual pc programme for this purpose?
Secondly the machine must double as my gaming pc so im thinking, i5 16gb RAM 1/2TB HDD for graphics im still undecided between Nvidia & ATI and the mobo aswell...

Advice is welcomed;)
 
It depends on what those VM's will do.
If they're going to run like Fedora Core servers (with no GUI) that simply idle, then an i5 with 16GB RAM would suffice.
If you want to load testing, then you'll need a decent server machine with a dual Xeon CPU setup instead, with something like ESXI or HyperV.

I'd actually recommend that you rather go for an i7 3770 + 32GB (4x 8GB) RAM instead. On a desktop I like to use VirtualBox.
If you're going to be running Windows 8 and you know the vSphere environment, then you can use that instead.

Could you perhaps tell us more about what your budget is and what you'll be doing with those VM's?
 
Well i want to complete my MS certifications MCSE/MCSA etc but im not willing to fork out 30K+ to attend some money hungry institution so i figured why not re create the training environment and persue the self taught route?? The only way i figured that would be possible is to setup a virtual network for me work with, ideally i will be working with one machine running Server 2012/2008 and the remaining on Win 7 i dont know if this can be possible but thats why im here...

Budget is limited i dont have an exact amount at this point in time... i may have to split component purchases over 2-3 months...
 
You can get away with an i5 and 16GB RAM because you're really only doing low-level stuff like learning how to use Active Directory and those sorts of things. If you feel like you need eight physical cores, though...

AMD FX-8350 @ R2476
MSI 970A-G46 @ R943
TEAM Xtreem Dark DDR3-1600 16GB @ R800
Total: R4219

However, since your needs aren't very high level, the Intel route would be much cheaper:

Intel Core i5 3470 @ R2036
ASRock B75M @ R710
TEAM Xtreem Dark DDR3-1600 16GB @ R800
Total: R3626

The Core i5 will have more or less the same gaming performance but produces less heat and consumes less power. Caveats are that it only has four cores and can't be overclocked and the board won't allow overclocking either - not that you really need to, as gaming performance is high enough as it is.
 
Thanks for the feedback!! lets talk future proof and graphics on the gaming front?? any changes to the above or will that stil lbe sufficient??
 
If you want to run Server editions of Windows, you'll need a server motherboard, otherwise you'll end up without any supported drivers!
Like I bought an Intel Z68DB motherboard and i5 2500k for the colleague of mine and he installed Windows 2008 Server on his machine, only to find out that there are now video/network drivers for his motherboard. So he formatted and installed Windows 7 instead.

You may be able to find drivers for it now, seeing that more than a year has passed since he tried it. I'm not a Microsoft server fundi - so please don't take my response as final!
 
Last edited:
I would recommend virtual box for what you're planning. I recently ran a virtual test setup for our 4GB SBS server and a 2 GB win 2000 server in virtualbox on a 3.1GHz Quad i5 with 8GB RAM. Booting up was a bit slow (but I was using images from real world servers so there was a bit of config and applying settings) but both OS's were OK when up and running. I also have used Windows server 2008 under virtualbox with no driver real driver issues (I think I had to choose the right intel network drivers but that was all.)

Virtualbox also has a few nice features that I haven't tried all of yet but which might help you - Memory ballooning lets you overcommit on physical memory for the VM's. You could also use a single Multi-attach virtual hard drive to run several identical VM's - useful if you are setting up 5 or 6 test clients, trying something out and then rolling back to square one. Just watch the size of the differencing virtual hard drives that are used by virtualbox in certain circumstances as they can get big quite quickly.
 
The server software alone is going to kill your budget - you need 10 CAL's for what you want, then you need individual licences for each OS you run. Before you know it you're close to the R30K you didn't want to spend, without the training.

Might I suggest some sort of volume package with MS, because using hacked software isn't going to give you a true indication of what real-life scenarios are like?

I don't think anything less than an i7 is going to reward your efforts.
 
FlatspinZA said:
The server software alone is going to kill your budget - you need 10 CAL's for what you want, then you need individual licences for each OS you run. Before you know it you're close to the R30K you didn't want to spend, without the training.

Might I suggest some sort of volume package with MS, because using hacked software isn't going to give you a true indication of what real-life scenarios are like?

I don't think anything less than an i7 is going to reward your efforts.
Click to expand...

Evaluation copies are freely available for my exact purpose, disks ship with the books and are also available for DL via microsoft learning portal. I would never purchase full version for this purpose...
 
FlatspinZA said:
The server software alone is going to kill your budget - you need 10 CAL's for what you want, then you need individual licences for each OS you run. Before you know it you're close to the R30K you didn't want to spend, without the training.

Might I suggest some sort of volume package with MS, because using hacked software isn't going to give you a true indication of what real-life scenarios are like?
Click to expand...

The evaluation copies of Server 2008 S2 that textbooks come with nowadays allow you to use any number of client connections seeing as the OS is only valid for a once-off period of 180 days. Evaluation products are actually fantastic for setting up a temporary network that won't be running for longer than six months, and its better than the Linux alternative because there's no licensing fees anyway.
 
Syk0t1k said:
Evaluation copies are freely available for my exact purpose, disks ship with the books and are also available for DL via microsoft learning portal. I would never purchase full version for this purpose...
Click to expand...

Good luck with wrapping your head around all that in 3 months. ;)
 
Hi There,
If money is tight go with the i5 option fron NAG Wesley and use the free software and naturally spend every waking moment studying so you can write and pass the test in 6 months. Once finished you can worry about the gaming environment and the i5 can then be beefed up if needed with a graphic card paid for out of the extra bucks you get as a certified professional.

Regards

Tim
 
Tim the Techxpert said:
Hi There,
If money is tight go with the i5 option fron NAG Wesley and use the free software and naturally spend every waking moment studying so you can write and pass the test in 6 months. Once finished you can worry about the gaming environment and the i5 can then be beefed up if needed with a graphic card paid for out of the extra bucks you get as a certified professional.

Regards

Tim
Click to expand...

I like your thinking!! but thats just board, CPU & RAM, theres still PSU, case, keyboard, mouse, screen etc unless a HD tv could double as a my screen as a temporary measure!!
 
Actually, you'd do just fine with an HD4000 iGPU - it will still run your games, just not at max. You can leave the GPU out until you have enough money.

i7, 16Gb's RAM, 64 bit OS - I'd say use an SSD with Intel's Smart Cache Tech. Use your existing HD TV with the board because you'll have an HD output if you get a decent board.
 
Hi There,
Yes you will need to spend on the PSU but look around for 2nd hand cases even ask at the local PC store they may have one. It doesnt have to look pretty it just needs to work. Yes your TV may double as a screen which would be a good saving.

Regards
Tim
 
On the software side...I would recommend VM Ware Workstation 9, yes you can use Virtual Box but in my opinion VM Ware feels much easier to use and set up. It also has a few more features than VBox.
 
Thanks for all the input guys!! Im i safe to say NAG -Wesley's reccomendation below is my best configuration?? and may i ask where you got your pricing from??

Intel Core i5 3470 @ R2036
ASRock B75M @ R710
TEAM Xtreem Dark DDR3-1600 16GB @ R800
Total: R3626
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X