Microserver Alternatives?

Any opinions on this? Link

Don't know how many drives it can hold though
 
It doesn't have space for hdd (only msata ssd), but the Intel nuc is pretty cool and you get a proper i3 version. Kick the pants off any microserver
 
Nimz said:
As per the title

The new gen HP Proliant seems a bit expensive at R3828 so are there any cheaper options or would it be better to build my own?

Looking for something in the same form factor as it is for a TV room.

Thanks
Click to expand...

A BIT expensive?

That's a BIT of an understatement.

Best solution is probably to build a mini-ITX box yourself. You get more power that way, although those cases don't usually take as many drives as the microserver. That's what I did when my N36L became too slow for Plex and the new retarded prices were announced.

Coolermaster Elite 130 case: 550

ASrock H81M-ITX motherboard: 1000

Core i3 4160: 1700

Thermaltake Litepower 350W: 300

RAM: 4GB DDR3 1666: 570

Total: R 4120

Then spend the rest of your money on hard drives. Only possible downside is that case only takes 3 HDD's which might be an issue for some, in which case look at a more expensive chassis.
 
reactor_sa said:
It doesn't have space for hdd (only msata ssd), but the Intel nuc is pretty cool and you get a proper i3 version. Kick the pants off any microserver
Click to expand...

Okay their support advised that it can fit 3 x 3.5" HDD's and 2 x SSD

So it look quite good
 
TJ99 said:
It's double your budget
Click to expand...

Not if I choose to remove the SSD and overkill GPU

I can buy a cheaper GPU if needed.... SSD isn't needed as the pPC will be on 24/7 so boot times won't matter
 
Nimz said:
Not if I choose to remove the SSD and overkill GPU

I can buy a cheaper GPU if needed.... SSD isn't needed as the pPC will be on 24/7 so boot times won't matter
Click to expand...

Why do you want a GPU at all? I thought this was for media playback & storage only? The Haswell CPU's built-in graphics are more than enough for that.
 
TJ99 said:
Why do you want a GPU at all? I thought this was for media playback & storage only? The Haswell CPU's built-in graphics are more than enough for that.
Click to expand...

Yeah that's the reason for me removing the GPU option.
Just thought I would put a cheap 1 in just incase

Anyway this seems like the best option so far considering the specs
 
Nimz said:
Yeah that's the reason for me removing the GPU option.
Just thought I would put a cheap 1 in just incase

Anyway this seems like the best option so far considering the specs
Click to expand...

The stuff I recommended is faster and cheaper though, plus you get more space. Core i3 > Pentium Dual Core. Looking at the pictures, that Wootware box only has space for 1 hard drive. The Coolermaster Elite can take 3 3.5" drives plus a 2.5". However it's your choice.
 
TJ99 said:
The stuff I recommended is faster and cheaper though, plus you get more space. Core i3 > Pentium Dual Core. Looking at the pictures, that Wootware box only has space for 1 hard drive. The Coolermaster Elite can take 3 3.5" drives plus a 2.5". However it's your choice.
Click to expand...

Thanks will look at both again and decide
 
TJ99 said:
A BIT expensive?

That's a BIT of an understatement.

Best solution is probably to build a mini-ITX box yourself. You get more power that way, although those cases don't usually take as many drives as the microserver. That's what I did when my N36L became too slow for Plex and the new retarded prices were announced.

Coolermaster Elite 130 case: 550

ASrock H81M-ITX motherboard: 1000

Core i3 4160: 1700

Thermaltake Litepower 350W: 300

RAM: 4GB DDR3 1666: 570

Total: R 4120

Then spend the rest of your money on hard drives. Only possible downside is that case only takes 3 HDD's which might be an issue for some, in which case look at a more expensive chassis.
Click to expand...


CoolerMaster RC-130-KKN1 Elite 130 Mini-ITX Desktop Chassis
Incl. VAT: R559.00

ASRock H97M-ITX/ac Intel H97 LGA1150 Mini-ITX Desktop Motherboard - Includes Free Mousepad
Incl. VAT :R1,299.00

Intel BX80646I34160 i3-4160 LGA1150 Socket 22nm Dual Core 3.6GHz Desktop CPU
Incl. VAT: R1,611.00

Thermaltake LitePower 350W 80MM Fan Power Supply - OEM Packaging
Incl. VAT: R258.00


Corsair CMV4GX3M1A1333C9 4GB DDR3-1333
Incl. VAT: R596.00

Grand Total: R4,323.00

Something like this?

Edit: I see most components are cheaper at Takealot
 
Last edited:
Nimz said:
CoolerMaster RC-130-KKN1 Elite 130 Mini-ITX Desktop Chassis
Incl. VAT: R559.00

ASRock H97M-ITX/ac Intel H97 LGA1150 Mini-ITX Desktop Motherboard - Includes Free Mousepad
Incl. VAT :R1,299.00

Intel BX80646I34160 i3-4160 LGA1150 Socket 22nm Dual Core 3.6GHz Desktop CPU
Incl. VAT: R1,611.00

Thermaltake LitePower 350W 80MM Fan Power Supply - OEM Packaging
Incl. VAT: R258.00


Corsair CMV4GX3M1A1333C9 4GB DDR3-1333
Incl. VAT: R596.00

Grand Total: R4,323.00

Something like this?
Click to expand...

Can the box only take a specific type of motherboard?, if not, I'm sure you can get cheaper MB's ?
Think you can get a I3 CPU a little cheaper as well, last time I checked they where +- 1400.
You also don't need more than 2gb ram for a media center PC, I have 2gb ram and my 16gb Avatar MKV plays effortlessly.
 
Lament said:
Can the box only take a specific type of motherboard?, if not, I'm sure you can get cheaper MB's ?
Think you can get a I3 CPU a little cheaper as well, last time I checked they where +- 1400.
You also don't need more than 2gb ram for a media center PC, I have 2gb ram and my 16gb Avatar MKV plays effortlessly.
Click to expand...

Yes, it's a Mini-ITX case so you need a mini-ITX board. The idea is to get to something around the size of a Microserver (this one is deeper but not as tall).
RAM, it really depends - I recommended 4GB as I don't know how many simultaneous streams he will be running and how many of them need to be transcoded.

Arietans said:
http://www.loot.co.za/product/intel-nuc-next-unit-of-computing-dc32171ye-core-i3-mini/mddz-2612-g160
Click to expand...
MUCH slower CPU and zero space for storage.
 
TJ99 said:
MUCH slower CPU and zero space for storage.
Click to expand...

There's an i7 version if you have the money... and storage is entirely up to you, but yes, it's extra. I assume you just meant it's more expensive.
 
Arietans said:
There's an i7 version if you have the money... and storage is entirely up to you, but yes, it's extra. I assume you just meant it's more expensive.
Click to expand...
At the same price, it's slower.

And what do you mean "up to you?" There is no space in the thing so how can it be "up to you"?

It's impossible to put hard drives in a case that is too small for them.
 
TJ99 said:
At the same price, it's slower.
Click to expand...
In other words it's more expensive for the same speed.

And what do you mean "up to you?" There is no space in the thing so how can it be "up to you"?
Click to expand...
There's space for an SSD and there's USB for external storage, so it's up to you.

It's impossible to put hard drives in a case that is too small for them.
Click to expand...
Why would internal be a requirement?
 
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