Headshot

Okay, here's the deal. I'm a PC gamer enthusiast with the intentions of running my own cod4 and counter-strike: source servers. I have a pretty beasty computer, and have all of my servers configured and ready for play... But I want to dedicate them to their own computer. I want this to be relatively cheap since I'm only going to be hosting 2 Counter-Strike: Source servers and 3 or 4 Call of Duty 4 servers. But at the same time I want to be able to fileshare quite well at events such as NetWar and Nvision. This is the build I came up with for around $450. Please share opinions as to why it's good or bad, or what I should swap out. Please remember I'm an Intel/Nvidia nut and know very little about AMD. Thanks in advance.

Motherboard
MSI K9A2VM-FD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130174
^I'm wanting to keep it relatively simple as it won't be a gaming machine so no need for graphics card, but want high performance Ram ability.

Processor
AMD Phenom 9650 2.3GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103288
^Note that it will be running 5 or 6 Game servers, along with running filesharing programs and dealing with several Hard Drives.

CPU Cooler
XIGMATEK HDT-S963
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835233001
^Mostly for keeping it cool if I decide to overclock. And if not, it never hurt anything.

Ram
OCZ Reaper HPC 4GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227289
^I know that OCZ is good ram, because that's what I use in my gaming PC and it's absolutely great... dropped the timings on it and 1:1 runs great + 1066 helps for game servers.

Power Supply
Eagle Tech Cool Power ET-PSCP 550 550W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817193018
^Doesn't need to be anything special. I was just going for cheap and hopefully quiet.

Optical Drive
ASUS 20X DVD±R with Lightscribe
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...nd&Order=PRICE
^What is a server if you can't burn data to DVD's? I use one similar to this in my gaming rig and it's not too loud, and always been good to me. Asus FTW.

Hard Drive
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200 rpm
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148274
^1TB for storage, and my current 500GB is going to be replaced with 2 320GB's in Raid 0, with the 500 moving on to hold the OS for the server and the games + patches.

NIC card
(2) Rosewill RC-400-LX 10/ 100/ 1000Mbps
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833166017
^Note again: Cheap. The plan is to run the on-board for my game servers, and use the 2 NIC cards and bridge the connections for better filesharing capabilities. <--- Just a thought. (Does it help)

Tower
Currently in debate between Full and Mid.
Mid- Linkworld 32318-2228U
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811164117
Full- HEC 69R5BB Black Steel
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811121018
^Here it just comes down to more space or easier travel. Opinions???

OS
Most likely XP, unless I can get Unix or Ubuntu server edition to work the way I want it.

Well there you go. All of that of this date is under $600. Should make a really sweet gaming/filesharing computer.

-=By the way, any rep+ appreciated if you like it. Helpful comments receive one from me! thanks=-

__________________

3dmark06: 17282

Anti-Console

error10

For a few bucks more you could get a Q6600 and a nice Intel chipset mobo to match. But you aren't going to OC very far on most sub-$100 boards. Something like this might work if you want to keep it under $100 and with passable onboard video. It should also take the Q6600 to 3.0 or beyond without too much trouble.

Or you can get this cheap overclocking beast and a $15 video card from somewhere.

__________________
The Ice Stone has melted!

I did error10's Windows Challenge and I now am an MCSE: Minesweeper Consultant and Solitaire Expert!

Headshot

Well, to be perfectly honest... I'm not a fan of Foxconn or Gigabyte. And as far as the Q6600 goes, I already have 1 in my gaming rig, and I was manly going for cheaper. But either way, thanks for helping. +1

__________________

3dmark06: 17282

Anti-Console

Maboo

I have to agree with Error10, dump the AMD and get a new Quad CPU for you, and pass the Q6600 to the server.

I have a Q6600 on this mobo http://www.evga.com/products/moreInf...board%20Family

with 2x2GB stick of cheap 800 memory, running windows 2008 server and its solid.

People may argue Intel vs AMD for gaming, but there is no arguing when it comes to server stability and performance.

Maboo

The on-board gigabit nic is plenty. Just be sure your server and your main PC are on a gigabit switch.

error10

I got one of those Rosewill cards when they were a $4.99 shellshocker. It has "Extreme Edition" printed on the box and has a heatsink for the RTL8169 chip.

__________________
The Ice Stone has melted!

I did error10's Windows Challenge and I now am an MCSE: Minesweeper Consultant and Solitaire Expert!

Headshot

Thanks for the advice, but from what I've understood; Running gaming on one NIC, and my filesharing (50 clients+) on another that it would run much smoother as far as the games not lagging out.

__________________

3dmark06: 17282

Anti-Console

Maboo

Not really, a single gigabit interface has plenty of bandwidth. Your bottleneck will be your internet connection speed. As far as FTP traffic vs Gaming traffic, some routers that are tagged "Gaming Routers" allow you to prioritize your gaming packets so they go first. However this doesnt resolve your ISPs bottleneck.