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So, I'm finally getting ready to put my dinosaur PentiumIII server to rest. It exceeded my expectations for a media/minecraft server, but I have recently come into possession of an HP Proliant DL160 G5 server. This one, like my current server, was also given to me for free
There's only one problem: it's in a 1U enclosure, and as such it is much too loud for my townhouse. In this build log I'm basically keeping the CPUs and RAM, and replacing everything else. Here's what I have now:
2x Xeon E5405 2.0Ghz, 12MB L2, 4C/4T
8x2GB DDR2 FB-DIMM ECC Ram
320GB SATA (Boot drive)
3x1TB WD Green drives (will be RAID5)
HP SmartArray P400 SAS RAID
First things first, I got a new PSU. Picked up an Antec Neo 620W for $50 this past week, just arrived today.
Should have enough juice to power everything just fine.
The HP mobo won't work unless every one of these little fans is plugged in with their special connectors, so I went ahead and bought a new one. Got a SuperMicro X7DA3 off ebay for a reasonable price. That should be here next week, so we'll see how it works out. This EATX mobo actually requires 24-pin, 8-pin, and a 4-pin power connector. I was able to find a molex to EPS 4-pin on monoprice for a couple bucks, looks like it will work.
That's all I have so far. I have had this server for about a month, just now getting into this rebuild. A couple concerns I have starting out:
The mobo. I will have to wait and see how well this works out with my PSU. I have heard that Xeons like these can have problems if the board is powered from multiple 12v rails, so I made sure to get a PSU with a single 12v rail. Still, this isn't exactly a server PSU, so hopefully it works ok.
The heatsinks. The current ones are small, solid copper weights that rely on a shroud and 1U fans which spin at something like 15k RPM. Other than these it is near impossible to find affordable 771 socket coolers. Thermalright does make a 771 bolt-thru kit that looks like it could work with something like the hyper 212+, and I already have one of those lying around. If I have to hack a couple hypers to fit in a 4U case, I'm alright with that.
The RAID card. Not sure how well this HP P400 will work in a different mobo. If it presents a problem I can go with a Perc 5/i or 3Ware card for pretty cheap.
If anyone would like to enlighten me on those areas I would appreciate it. The new server will run Fedora/Amahi just like the last one, and will be used for media streaming and minecraft primarily. I will have a look into hosting more games for myself and my friends as well. At some point I would also like to look into virtualizing Untangle on it. I currently have UT running on an old Athlon, but feel this is a tremendous waste of power.
Will update log as I get parts. Also this project needs a name! Build Name: Metamorphosis

There's only one problem: it's in a 1U enclosure, and as such it is much too loud for my townhouse. In this build log I'm basically keeping the CPUs and RAM, and replacing everything else. Here's what I have now:


2x Xeon E5405 2.0Ghz, 12MB L2, 4C/4T
8x2GB DDR2 FB-DIMM ECC Ram
320GB SATA (Boot drive)
3x1TB WD Green drives (will be RAID5)
HP SmartArray P400 SAS RAID
First things first, I got a new PSU. Picked up an Antec Neo 620W for $50 this past week, just arrived today.

Should have enough juice to power everything just fine.
The HP mobo won't work unless every one of these little fans is plugged in with their special connectors, so I went ahead and bought a new one. Got a SuperMicro X7DA3 off ebay for a reasonable price. That should be here next week, so we'll see how it works out. This EATX mobo actually requires 24-pin, 8-pin, and a 4-pin power connector. I was able to find a molex to EPS 4-pin on monoprice for a couple bucks, looks like it will work.

That's all I have so far. I have had this server for about a month, just now getting into this rebuild. A couple concerns I have starting out:
The mobo. I will have to wait and see how well this works out with my PSU. I have heard that Xeons like these can have problems if the board is powered from multiple 12v rails, so I made sure to get a PSU with a single 12v rail. Still, this isn't exactly a server PSU, so hopefully it works ok.
The heatsinks. The current ones are small, solid copper weights that rely on a shroud and 1U fans which spin at something like 15k RPM. Other than these it is near impossible to find affordable 771 socket coolers. Thermalright does make a 771 bolt-thru kit that looks like it could work with something like the hyper 212+, and I already have one of those lying around. If I have to hack a couple hypers to fit in a 4U case, I'm alright with that.
The RAID card. Not sure how well this HP P400 will work in a different mobo. If it presents a problem I can go with a Perc 5/i or 3Ware card for pretty cheap.
If anyone would like to enlighten me on those areas I would appreciate it. The new server will run Fedora/Amahi just like the last one, and will be used for media streaming and minecraft primarily. I will have a look into hosting more games for myself and my friends as well. At some point I would also like to look into virtualizing Untangle on it. I currently have UT running on an old Athlon, but feel this is a tremendous waste of power.
Will update log as I get parts. Also this project needs a name! Build Name: Metamorphosis