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Looking to build a home lab for certifications

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  • Certification
  • Build
  • Systems
  • Servers
Last response: in Systems
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October 14, 2014 5:38:14 AM

Im wanting to build a VM server. I would like to stick with intel so I can run XenServer, XenDeskp 7.5, NetScaler VPX, windows 2012, etc. Something that can support a minimum of 32gigs of ram. Any suggestions on how I can do this on a limited budget? I would greatly appreciate any suggestions.

More about : build home lab certifications

October 14, 2014 5:45:34 AM

A Xeon will be my first choice. Some HDDs for storage and backup, and a SSD for OS and apps is much appreciated. You won't need a dedicated GPU, you should get Xeon E3 xxx5/6/7 as they have integrated graphics. Almost all $75+ MoBos support 32GB memory. You can cheap out on case, and get a basic 430W EVGA PSU to keep the build in budget. But w/o knowing an approx budget, I can't really be more specific.
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October 14, 2014 6:46:33 AM

FishH2o,

It would help to know a budget, but my suggestion to have the best cost / performance, expandability, and reliability is to buy a good, used Dell Precision. My favorite is the T7500 and many wer sold with a pair of the excellent Xeon x5680's- 3.33 / 3.6 six core processors- still in the running today as a fast CPU. These are fast, reliable, and very close to servers in every way. These are often sold with 24 or 48GB RAM. Add a used LSI Logic and a 512GB SSD plus large mech'l storage drives and with a reasonable graphics card, this kind of system can do about anything. For example:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DELL-PRECISION-T7500-2x-3-33GHz...

> a completed listing for a T7500 with 2X X5680 CPU's, 12 GB RAM for $1,069. This would benefit from more RAM, new, larger drives and a good graphics card, but could probably get going as is and be gradually enhanced to have a really fast, solid, system for perhaps $2,000.

Another tactic for an inexpensive server simply would be to buy a used server with a pair of Xeon CPU's of a reasonable speed. These systems usually can accommodate a lot of RAM- even old Dell Poweredge can use 192GB- and there is a of course a lot of room for drives, they use ECC error correcting RAM and there are always good RAID controllers with fast transfer rates and automatic backup and restore. I've read to allow for 15-25GB per VM. If you have such a server, you can also attach one or more fast systems as nodes in case you're doing 3D modeling, custom algorithmic, calculation-intensive stuff, or etc. requiring high clock speeds and fast graphics. Servers are usually not valuable when sold as they've been running a long time continuously, and not understood by many PC users (I know too little myself), but they are also deigned to do this and are usually carefully maintained. A couple of weeks ago I was given a Poweredge 2600 with dual 2.1 Xeons with 32GB RAM, 2X 35GB and 3X 76GB 10K drives on a PERC controller with Server 2003 and a 24-port hub and Wifi router out of an architectural office that was closing- it would've been simply thrown away. To learn about servers, I'm thinking of giving Linux, VM, and servers a try before it moves on to a good home.

Here;s an example of a more modern server with good potential:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DELL-POWEREDGE-R710-SERVER-2x-X...

> completed listing for a Poweredge R710 with 2X Xeon X5677, 48 GB RAM, 2X 146GB drives for $600. Note that this does not include the OS. If you go in the server direction, look for servers using DDR3 rather than DDR2 RAM which is more expensive and runs very hot.


Cheers,

BambiBoom

HP z420 (2014) > Xeon E5-1620 quad core @ 3.6 / 3.8GHz > 24GB DDR3 ECC 1600 RAM > Quadro 4000 (2GB)> Samsung 840 SSD 250GB /Western Digital Black WD1003FZEX 1TB> M-Audio 192 sound card > AE3000 USB WiFi > HP 2711X, 27" 1920 X 1080 > Windows 7 Ultimate 64 >[Passmark system rating = 3923, CPU= 9223/ 2D= 839 / 3D=2048]

Dell Precision T5400 (2008) > 2X Xeon X5460 quad core @3.16GHz > 16GB DDR2 ECC 667> Quadro FX 4800 (1.5GB) > WD RE4 500GB / Seagate Barracuda 500GB > M-Audio 2496 Sound Card / Linksys 600N WiFi > Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit > [Passmark system rating = 1859, CPU = 8528 / 2D= 512 / 3D=1097]

Dell Precision 390 (2005) Xeon x3230 quad core @ 2.67GHz > 6 GB DDR2 ECC 667 > Firepro V4900 (1GB)> 2X WD 320GB > Windows 7 Profession 64-bit [Passmark system rating = 1431, CPU = 3642 / 2D= 433 / 3D=1346]

2D, 3D CAD, Image Processing, Rendering, Text > Architecture, industrial design, graphic design, written projects
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October 14, 2014 6:52:08 AM

I would like to stay as much under 700$ as possible times are tough right now.
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October 14, 2014 7:33:48 AM

Based on LGA1155 socket, this build will be fine for your task:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1245 V2 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($268.36 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B75 Pro3-M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($62.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.00 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.98 @ OutletPC)
Case: Azza CSAZ-206 ATX Mid Tower Case ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($24.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($13.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $691.27
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-14 10:33 EDT-0400

I'm not too updated with pre-builts, so you can take bambiboom's help there if you don't wish to build one.
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