We’ve completely retooled our server recommendation. Previously we built an SME server at the $4000 CDN mark that filled most business requirements. We’ve scaled that back to a SOHO server that stretches to the SME segment for backup duties of up to ten clients.

CPU: Intel Celeron Dual Core E1200

To start things off I went with the Celeron Dual Core processor at 1.6 GHz: lots of power for this application.

Motherboard: Asus P5N-MX

The Asus e-7050 motherboard is solid, utilizing the Nforce 610i chipset. Rock solid with cutting edge features like SATAII RAID5, Gigabit LAN, all in a microATX form factor.  It’s not fancy but has everything we need.

RAM: OCZ Platinum XTC Rev 2 PC2-6400

DDR2 RAM pricing is so cheap it’s crazy. Our motherboard supports two DIMM slots so we’re putting in two 1 GB sticks.

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 1 TB

Storage is deftly handled by onboard SATAII that we’ve maxed out with three 1000 GB Seagate hard drives. A SOHO server is primarily about storage after all.  1 TB drives are finally at a great price point.

Optical Drive: Samsung SH-S203S TruDirect

A DVD Rewriter give the option of writing back discs in case of emergency, and it’s cheap enough not to worry about.

Video Card: Onboard

Video is decent, but this is a server after all. No monitor needed on this system as Windows Home Server is designed to be managed remotely.

Chassis: Antec NSK4480

The housing of choice is an Antec NSK4480 case. Very slick design with enough space for our four hard drives and optical drive. Included 380 watt power supply is all we need. Overall a very quiet chassis.  I’d love to find a microATX case that holds four hard drives and is reasonably priced, but until that happens this is our best bet.

Input: Mitsumi basic keyboard and mouse

Input comes via a basic PS/2 keyboard and optical mouse; again this is a server and will not have someone working in front of it, but for the money they’re good to have around.  Disconnect once the server is up and running.

UPS: TrippLite 1000LCD SmartPro

Last but not least is a decent UPS ( uninterruptible power supply ). This model has a nice display, doesn’t take up a lot of space and can run our server for a great price.  Nothing like losing power and seeing open files disappear. Don’t run any mission critical PC without a UPS in place.

Operating System: Microsoft Windows Home Server

Windows Home Server makes this whole thing possible. It’s designed for two things: complete backup of up to ten PCs, plus remote access to your files.

There is lots of room in this configuration to get the price down or change up the operating system: remove a few hard drives, take out the UPS (danger, danger!) or use Ubuntu instead of Windows Home Server.

The $1500 Home System attempts to accommodate the day to day uses of a family. Finances, internet access, word processing and gaming all come into play.

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600

Intel leads the CPU market right now, and the quad core Q6600 processor is just too much of a deal to pass up.

Cooling: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro

Arctic Cooling has consistently impressed me with their high performance and low cost units. I’m tempted by massive towers of copper and aluminum but the price scares me off.

Motherboard: Asus P5N-D Nvidia 750i SLI

This is not the top of the heap Nvidia chipset as the 790i motherboards go for about $320, or more than double of the P5N-D. The 750i chipset gets the job done with PCI-E 2.0 SLI, 1333 MHz bus support, passively cooled and DDR2 support. It’s full featured and a decent overclocker.

RAM: OCZ Platinum XTC Rev 2 PC-6400

DDR2 RAM continues to be dirt cheap, so two 1024 MB DDR2 RAM DIMMs are installed. The OCZ kit has great timings and a solid warranty.

Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F1 HD753LJ 750 GB

Hard drives are another item that gets cheaper by the day: price to storage ratio puts 750 GB at the sweet spot. The HD753LJ has won a ton of awards for it’s performance made possible by its high platter density. I’ve been a big fan of Samsung’s drives since they introduced SATA models and this one is a winner.

Optical Drive: Samsung SH-S203S

The Samsung SH-S203S is a full featured DVD rewriter with Lightscribe.

Removable Storage: Mitsumi FA404M

The Mitsumi reads all flash storage and has a 3.5″ floppy drive built in: I just can’t let go for some reason.

Video: BFG GeForce 8800GT OC

Video is handled well by the Nvidia Geforce 8800GT; best bang for the buck in the middle to high ground. Attached to this is a very nice wide screen 24” Dell LCD monitor; they’re always on sale so watch for the best deal.

Monitor: Samsung SyncMaster 2253BW

Budget allows a 22″ TN panel monitor and that means the SyncMaster 2253BW: exceptional performance and value.

Sound: Creative Sound Blaster X-FI Xtreme Gamer

The Creative X-FI Xtreme Gamer is on the low end of the X-FI line but delivers what we want: perfect sound and full EAX support.

Speakers: Logitech X-540 Digital 5.1

The Creative Sound Blaster X-FI Xtreme Gamer sound card delivers surround sound to our Logitech X-540 5.1 Speakers. This definitely gets the job done, and gives great features.

Input: Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000, Microsoft Comfort Optical Mouse 3000 and Microsoft Media Center Remote and Receiver

Input is handled by two Microsoft products generally available in OEM bundles. This is one of the most personal areas of a PC build, so best to try out as many models and designs as you can at a good shop before making a decision. The Microsoft Media Center remote and IR receiver let you take advantage of Vista’s multimedia GUI from a distance.

Chassis: Antec Sonata III

Wrapping it together is an Antec Sonata III mid tower with a 500 watt power supply. This is a quiet model that combines a good price with high end features.

Operating System: Microsoft Vista Home Premium (64 bit)

Windows Vista Home Premium is the star of the show, with full multimedia capabilities via the GUI, getting everything you need done without paying the crazy premium for Vista Ultimate. To take full advantage of future upgrades get the 64 bit version: all hardware in this build has 64 bit Vista drivers. As well take a look at eBabble’s free software bundle.

UPS: Tripp Lite 1000LCD SmartPro 1000VA

Last but not least is a basic UPS (uninterruptible power supply); nothing like losing power and seeing open files disappear. Don’t run any mission critical PC without a UPS in place. The SmartPro 1000VA is a compact model with USB connectivity and shutdown software for your PC. This will last you a few systems so if you already have one spend the money saved on extra RAM, faster CPU or video card.  Or get yourself a scanner or new printer.

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