Recommend a home server?

garyc

garyc

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It is finally time to replace my HPE N40L Microserver, which has given excellent service. I see that the current gen 10 version of this is typically costing R7.6k (with 8GB ECC RAM). Another interesting server is the PowerEdge T30 which typically costs R8.1k (8GB, 1TB).

I would like to ask the members here who are closer to these matters if there are any other options out there that I might have missed. Also, how is the quality of the HPE vs. Dell servers these days? I use Dell laptops and workstations and there has been a change in quality over time, so just wondering.

The server does not need a lot of processing power. I will only be running some containers, with no virtualization.
 
see if you can get an HP micro GEN 8, and add a xeon CPU.
 
My set up:
HP Micro server GEN 8
16GB , ECC , DDR3
Intel Xeon E3-1265 V2
8TB drive
480, SSD for docker and VM's
 
Why do you need to replace your N40L? Mine is still going strong and doing exactly as I ask it to do.

Do your requirements now exceed its capabilities?

What server you need depends largely on what you want to do with it. I think a Gen10 HP server or Dell T30 won't be much of an upgrade over the N40L.
 
I just use cheap celeron g3930 and cheap board with 8gb and drives plugged in. As cpu has 10bit hardware encoding it hardly uses any cpu usage for plex.

Motherboard + cpu+ ram R800. Case was R400 and psu R300.
 
Don't mean to derail, but whats the best bang for buck CPU replacement for the Gen8? I'd like to throw some more live image processing at it (tensorflow)
 
xrapidx said:
Don't mean to derail, but whats the best bang for buck CPU replacement for the Gen8? I'd like to throw some more live image processing at it (tensorflow)
Click to expand...

Intel® Xeon® Processor E3-1265L v2 (8M Cache, 2.50 GHz) - Product Specifications | Intel

Intel® Xeon® Processor E3-1265L v2 (8M Cache, 2.50 GHz) quick reference with specifications, features, and technologies.
ark.intel.com ark.intel.com

Only has 45watt TDP, so not too bad.

ark.intel.com

Intel® Xeon® Processor E3 v2 Family Product Specifications

Intel® Xeon® Processor E3 v2 Family product listing with links to detailed product features and specifications.
ark.intel.com ark.intel.com

As per list this is only one with on-board graphics in the this line up of xeon cpu's family.
 
newby_investor said:
Why do you need to replace your N40L? Mine is still going strong and doing exactly as I ask it to do.

Do your requirements now exceed its capabilities?

What server you need depends largely on what you want to do with it. I think a Gen10 HP server or Dell T30 won't be much of an upgrade over the N40L.
Click to expand...
My main concern is the 2TB limit on the hard drives. There is a possibility that this can be overcome by running GPT non-boot drives on Linux. Looking across some forums it looks like there are mixed results for this. Some have found that it works well, while others have stability problems.
 
Gtx Gaming said:

Intel® Xeon® Processor E3-1265L v2 (8M Cache, 2.50 GHz) - Product Specifications | Intel

Intel® Xeon® Processor E3-1265L v2 (8M Cache, 2.50 GHz) quick reference with specifications, features, and technologies.
ark.intel.com ark.intel.com

Only has 45watt TDP, so not too bad.

ark.intel.com

Intel® Xeon® Processor E3 v2 Family Product Specifications

Intel® Xeon® Processor E3 v2 Family product listing with links to detailed product features and specifications.
ark.intel.com ark.intel.com

As per list this is only one with on-board graphics in the this line up of xeon cpu's family.
Click to expand...

Discontinued - are they still available - or would I have to find one second hand?
 
Nqindi said:
Synology. Pricey but worth it.
Click to expand...
Have been looking into this as well. If the Synology can replace my main server functions with the add-in software then this option will be cost effective.
 
garyc said:
My main concern is the 2TB limit on the hard drives. There is a possibility that this can be overcome by running GPT non-boot drives on Linux. Looking across some forums it looks like there are mixed results for this. Some have found that it works well, while others have stability problems.
Click to expand...
I ignored that part of the spec sheet. I have 4x4TB drives in mine in a RAIDZ1 configuration. It works just fine... Granted I'm not booting from these, I don't know whether that makes a difference.
 
garyc said:
Have been looking into this as well. If the Synology can replace my main server functions with the add-in software then this option will be cost effective.
Click to expand...
What functions are you seeking to replace? I love my Synology but they tend to be underpowered for what you pay. So if you are planning of running VMs and stuff I wouldn't recommend them. I have the DS418 and I use mine for Plex/Emby, recording security camera footage, torrenting, nzbget, and general backups for everything digital that I have.
 
xrapidx said:
Don't mean to derail, but whats the best bang for buck CPU replacement for the Gen8? I'd like to throw some more live image processing at it (tensorflow)
Click to expand...
Maybe pick up a cheap second hand ryzen chip? Most have pretty low TDP while offering pretty good performance and the extra cores for a server are always good. Check if it fits and worth the cost ofc.
 
Are servers for a home server really nessesary?

Could build a Ryzen 6/8 core box for cheap.
 
Rickster said:
Are servers for a home server really nessesary?

Could build a Ryzen 6/8 core box for cheap.
Click to expand...
You could do. But proper server hardware has some advantages.

These microservers are very nicely put together, low power and quiet. And they just keep on working for years.
 
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