[TJHUB]

I'm currently running an old computer as a server in my basement.  It runs 24/7 and is primarily used to run Logitech Media Server (LMS) and backups.  The computer's fans are tired and it runs Windows XP very slowly.  I either need to upgrade the RAM to 1GB for about $35, or build something new.

I was looking at a mini-ITX Intel board with an Atom dual-core processor.  The board, new case, and RAM would run about $140.  I don't know if this would be a good solution for what I need or not.  I want to spend as little as possible on this.

Thoughts?

[chip]

I sent you a PM.

[WGH]

I'm selling 2 GB (4 - 512MB 184-pin DIMM) DDR PC3200 CL=3 Unbuffered NON-ECC DDR400 2.6V from a computer I just retired.
Price is $15 per pair (1GB), $30 for all 4 DIMMs plus shipping. Check the Crucial site first to see if it will work with your motherboard.
http://www.crucial.com/store/partspecs.aspx?IMODULE=CT6464Z40B

2GB is the sweet spot for XP.



$140 seems a little optimistic, I just built a music server a few months ago and it cost me much more:

11-163-174 HTPC CASE SILVERSTONE| ML03B R $59.99
13-153-221 MB JETWAY|JNF96FL-525-LF D525 ICH8M $149.99
LOGIC POWER SUPPLY FOR JETWAY MOTHERBOARD CHIP COMBO $36.42
20-148-160 MEM 2Gx2|CRUC CT2KIT25664AA800 $47.99
20-227-737 SSD 60G|OCZ VTX3-25SAT3-60G $99.99
27-106-276 DVD ROM LITE-ON|iHDS118-04 18X $17.99
32-116-986 MS WIN 7 HOME SP1 64BIT 1PK - OEM $99.99
   
Wayne

[Doublej]

As stated, a copy of Windows 7 will cost around $100 so unless you want to go to Linux it will be nearly impossible build something for less than $250.

Since you want to spend as little as possible I'd reinstall Windows XP on it and the machine should speed up tremendously. Slowing down over time is a well known feature of Windows XP.

A fan replacement should be under $10 from EBay. You should be able to pick up one GB of  RAM from Ebay for under $20.

So for $30 and a few hours of labor you should be good until your hard drive dies.

[TJHUB]

Thanks for the feedback.  One thing I should have been more clear about is that I already have a CDROM drive, 1tb HD, and I was intending to use WinXP again.  I know my number is pretty close.

That said, $30 seems like a better investment amount for me than the $140.  I was curious to see if anyone thought a Atom processor wasn't worth it for how I'm using the computer, and I was wondering about power usage. 

I have a drive image of the original install, so putting a "fresh" copy of WinXP is easy.  I just didn't want to invest any more dollars in a computer that should have died years ago.  The main board is actually PC133 compatible.  I don't know how old it is for certain, but it's got to be 7-8 years?  It would be my luck to buy the RAM and have the thing die on me.

For the record, this main board is only compatible with up to PC2100.  The manual clearly states that PC2700 and PC3200 are not compatible.   

[Thump553]

My layman's opinion is that you could probably get by with a memory upgrade (and replace the fans, they are cheap).  I think LMS has pretty small hardware requirements.  Odds are the worst problem you will encounter is a real long time to rescan and rebuild your database when you add new music.

BTW my experience has been LMS puts next to no strain on the computer-are you sure you need a special server for it versus just having it run in the background on your main computer (that's what I do)?

[TJHUB]

My layman's opinion is that you could probably get by with a memory upgrade (and replace the fans, they are cheap).  I think LMS has pretty small hardware requirements.  Odds are the worst problem you will encounter is a real long time to rescan and rebuild your database when you add new music.

BTW my experience has been LMS puts next to no strain on the computer-are you sure you need a special server for it versus just having it run in the background on your main computer (that's what I do)?

I only use my main PC to rip music any more.  It's a very nice machine, but it too is aging.  I think it's going on 4 years old.  I like not having it running all of the time, and I use it to store all of my music (large FLAC library including hi-rez), and I like having the server machine running 24/7 in my basement running LMS and storing my backups.  For this reason alone, I like having both computers. 

I also use the server machine for my PS3 for digital pictures and home movies.  It's just nice having the thing running down there ready to be accessed at any time. 

[WGH]

When my ASUS socket 939 board died it was almost exactly 7 years old and some capacitors failed, one day it was working fine, the next day it wouldn't boot. The ASUS board was made at the end of the the great capacitor plague, before investing in ram take a close look at the motherboard caps to see if they are leaking. I have had 2 motherboards fail this way, an Abit and an ASUS. Here is a link with photos so you know what to look for:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague

[TJHUB]

You inspired me to take a look at the board.  Every cap looks brand new.  Thanks for the tip.

I also found that the board's manual is dated June, 2003.  This thing is older than I thought. 

[firedog]

If you are going to run an ATOM Board, think about making a fanless server

[TJHUB]

If you are going to run an ATOM Board, think about making a fanless server

The only thing that concerns me about a fanless computer is the extra heat killing hard drives. 

[firedog]

The only thing that concerns me about a fanless computer is the extra heat killing hard drives.

Take a look at the computeraudiophile.com CAPS server  and some other places for fanless atom servers. You can definitely do it. Just have to choose the right parts and your HD won't be killed.

[Bob in St. Louis]

I've been thinking about something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856173020

Good thread, great timing.

Bob

[WGH]

I paired a small SSD hard drive with a JetWay JNF96FL-525-LF Intel Atom D525 (1.8GHz, Dual-Core) Mini ITX Motherboard/CPU Combo. Putting Windows 7 on the SSD makes it a lot faster than you would think, it boots quicker than my i7 rig.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813153221&Tpk=13-153-221



One concern regarding these fanless mini ITX motherboards is storage connections. The Jetway has only 2 SATA and 1 PATA. On my setup the SSD hard drive and DVD use the 2 SATA connections so only the 1 PATA is left for an older IDE hard drive, but my setup is different that what the OP wants to build which is more of a server.

I always like reusing old parts but finding a motherboard that can natively run more than 2 PATA devices is impossible although newegg has SATA to IDE adapters for $10.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812270236

[lcrim]

I replaced the older laptop w/ a broken LCD that was running LMS and a pair of storage drives w/ a refurb. netbook from newegg for $169.  It runs XP Home Edition SP3, has 3 USB 2.0 ports, a 100Mb ethernet card, uses the older Atom 270 (1.6 GHZ) processor w/ i Gig RAM.  Installed Ultra VNC on it for remote control.  It has the 2 storage drives and a cheap HP laser printer in its USB ports.  Runs like a f'ing train.  Never caused a bit of trouble.
I don't believe you need more resources than that admittedly low end pc. I have to do my ripping from my personal laptop and the output from dbpoeramp goes to the storage drive.  I plug in and turn on the backup drive and copy the delta over about once every few weeks then put the backup drive in my car's trunk.  Learned the hard way to keep things simple.
Larry

[wushuliu]

I actually am selling a bunch of parts on other forums:

AMD Phenom II 565 Black Edition Dual Core
Biostar A770E AM2+ Motherboard
8 GB Corsair DDR2 Ram
Radeon X1650 Video Card
Antec Earthwatt 80plus Certified 430w PSU

all for under your budget.

I will also say that the low power PC is not a good investment for Windows based music playback - or at least, it's more complicated than just low power everything: the best playback software for Windows are using more and more memory and cpu processing. I don't see this changing. Atoms are already *very* outdated performance-wise. Also I think the benefit of a low-wattage PC is questionable if the quality of the power is unknown, the SMPS switching noise is still going to be there. Better to have something like the Earthwatt which had some of the lowest ripple and tightest specs measured.

Linux-based servers are perfect for atom-based PCs, however.

[JEaton]

The only thing that concerns me about a fanless computer is the extra heat killing hard drives.

If the thing lives in the basement, don't worry about fanless. My home file server has seven hard drives and five fans and is still less noisy than the furnace, the washer or the dryer in the basement.

On the other hand, if it's in your listening room, fanless is much better. It's also possible to use a passive (fanless) heatsink on an Atom or AMD E-350 CPU, and then use a single large, low RPM case fan, which will be virtually inaudible. For a desktop computer it can get a little pricey trying to create a totally silent system, with very large CPU heatsink, damped case, and fanless power supply. But for a small HTPC with a lower power CPU and one SSD or hard drive, it's easy.

[WGH]

I actually am selling a bunch of parts on other forums:

AMD Phenom II 565 Black Edition Dual Core
Biostar A770E AM2+ Motherboard
8 GB Corsair DDR2 Ram
Radeon X1650 Video Card
Antec Earthwatt 80plus Certified 430w PSU

all for under your budget.

It's a screaming deal, go for it TJHUB.
And if you are going to re-install XP you can sell 6GB of the ram to recoup some of your expenses.

[TJHUB]

What about power consumption?  Isn't a machine like that going use a lot of juice running 24/7?  I was thinking I should consider something low power.  The computer is really just a file server and running LMS. 

[lcrim]

wushuliu:
The pc is for Logitech Media Server.  LMS doesn't use the Windows OS for much of anything.  The Touch is an Alsa based computer.  The data is sent to it by ethernet.  The overhead is quite low and is mostly file handling.  Appropriate technology. 
There may be some Windows based music playback programs that require more processing power and/or memory but this isn't it. 
TJ's concern about power consumption is a real concern,  Switch mode power supply noise is not a real big concern when remote location of the server and ethernet communications are factored in.
Larry