Silent Linux Box

[esieens]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt (More info?)

Hello,

I want to build a linux server - as silen as possible but obviously for
a moderate price.

I've looked at mini-itx machines but i ebelieve i could build my own
machine for a lot cheaper.

This machine will really be used as a server - so no media center
functionality needed.

Any recommendations?

Thanks

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt (More info?)

esieens@chez.com wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I want to build a linux server - as silen as possible but obviously
for
> a moderate price.
>
> I've looked at mini-itx machines but i ebelieve i could build my own
> machine for a lot cheaper.
>
> This machine will really be used as a server - so no media center
> functionality needed.
>
> Any recommendations?
>
> Thanks

What do you want from the server? Is it just a file server, a web
server, something else, game server or all of them?

If you want very basic functionallity you could possibly look at an
embedded type of system, such as www.gumstix.org. Of course this thing
would require a lot of time and effort, but would be silent and low
power. The down side is that these may struggle with a some server
tasks, such as game servers.

Another other option would be the mini-itx machine.

Or an Althon XP Mobile underclocked with something like a Zalman flower
cooling it, but this would be very expensive.

You could get an old machine such as a PII, and swap the fan for
something quieter.

The other alternative is to put the computer in a different room, maybe
with a wireless network connection. Wireless network connections do
have more lag than wired ones though.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt (More info?)

esieens@chez.com wrote:

>I want to build a linux server - as silen as possible but obviously
for
>a moderate price.

>Any recommendations?

The reviews and forums at http://www.silentpcreview/ are the
definitive authority on these matters. Do NOT blindly buy
into marketing hype or positive reviews from other sources.
Marketing hype with quiet PC hardware is still on the level
of snake oil, and most computer review labs do not operate
in a quiet enough environment to make accurate assessments
of hardware noise level. Trust the guys at silentPCreview
and no one else!

So, how silent do you really need a server to be? The simple
fact that you probably won't be sitting very close to it
makes the silencing job easier.

I'd recommend going with an older processor to minimize the
cooling requirements, and using one of SPCR's recommended
power supplies to reduce noise. The CPU cooler will depend
upon what CPU you get your hands on. My Pentium III is
fanlessly cooled with a Zalman ZM-80A VGA cooler.

At that point, the loudest component may potentially be the
hard drive. In order to avoid this, a Samsung Spinpoint or
certain models of Seagate are your best bet. Before buying
a drive, ask on SPCR's forums what they think of that
particular model.

With these steps, you can get a computer made in a
straightfoward way with off-the-shelf parts, that's still
pretty quiet and which won't cost significantly more than
using any other quality parts.

Isaac Kuo