Slashdot Mirror
Building Custom Rackmount Systems?
Jobe_br asks: "I've spent the past few days scouring the web, trying to put together a custom 1U system that I don't want to cost a lot (starting out), but that should be quite expandable. The 1U system I've looked at and would most like to emulate is the 1U dual processor AMD system from Einux. I've looked around and can't seem to even get close to what they're able to pack into this 1U system. My price point goal is $700 for the base system (1 Athlon MP 1GHz or more, 128MB DDR SDRAM, 1 10/100 NIC, 1 3.5" IDE drive 10G or more) and I'd like the system to be able to handle another Athlon MP, at least 1GB DDR SDRAM, up to 4 10/100 network ports, and at least 2 3.5" IDE drives. As more hardware becomes necessary, price won't be an issue, but initially, I need to stay within $700! Does the custom building Slashdot crowd have any advice?"
.. because heat can be a problem especially because you're going for Athlons. I recently built a dual P3 933MHz with a Tyan Tiger 200 motherboard in this case, and I had my processors overheat in the datacenter because there was not enough air flow. It was the ISPs fault, but that's whole other story.
I'm sure the Einux does test for heat judging from the non-standard layout of their chassis. Look at all those fans beside the CPUs and the power supply in the center! If it were me, I would go with dual P3s instead of athlons just because the parts are easier to find and possibly cheaper because the parts are more standard.
If you're planning to go for an Athlon no matter what, it might be best to lease it from Einux or a comparable company. You sound like you're expecting money to come in, so your $700 will last about 8 months and by then you should have enough to pay for your lease.