Watch
www.techbargains.com for something like this expired deal:
EXPIRED Dell PowerEdge T310 Server Desktop Computer Intel Xeon 2.4GHz 4GB/250GB $420 Free Ship, Oct. 22 11 AM
Deal Expired: HOT deal! Dell Small Business has the Dell PowerEdge T310 Intel Xeon X3430 2.4GHz Server Desktop Computer for $420.00 after Coupon Code: N2MP0V07LCL2WH (Exp after only 50 uses!). Be sure to choose FREE Next Day Delivery. Tax in most.
Intel
Xeon X3430 @ 2.4GHz; quad core processor; 8 GB L3 Cache
4GB DDR3 RAM; 250GB hard drive;
dual gigabit ethernet; no operating system; 3yr warranty 1. Choose Customize it under PowerEdge T310
2. Scroll down to Primary Hard Drive and choose only 1 250GB hard drive instead of 2 for a savings of $129!
The cpu costs $204 alone retail at Newegg:
Intel Xeon X3430 Lynnfield 2.4GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Server Processor - Retail
Add Windows Home Server for $99 (I bought it for $81) not on sale. Total cost $520. Energy efficient, dual power supply capable, up to 32GB DDR3 RAM, dual gigabit NICs, RAID available. Hot swap or cabled HDD and SSD.
This HP Mediasmart with WHS server costs $525:
CPU Type: Intel Celeron Processor 2.2 Ghz 64-bit
Installed Memory Size: 2GB
Memory Type: DDR2
Hard Drive (Installed): 1TB
Then add 4 x1.5TB to 2TB drives. Backup over gigabit.
The only **real** negative is that WHS is only 32 bit. The 64 bit Windowes Swer4ver 2008 & etc. is way too expensive. So I layered WHS on top of MSFT Hyper-V so that I can run other 64 bit aps while WHS uses small time slices and RAM.