XBox Can Now Be A Mini Rack Mount Server

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XBox Can Now Be A Mini Rack Mount Server

Posted by CowboyNeal on Thursday September 9, 2004 @10:35PM from the computing-on-the-cheap dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The X-Tender Case Mod for Xbox is a complete kit that will allow you convert your Xbox into a mini rack mount server or media center with activity LEDs and expanded space for two internal hard drives. Molded to perfectly integrate with your Xbox, this kit comes with a custom front panel, a 3 activity LED, a custom made hard drive mounting plate to accommodate one or two additional drives, and a custom molded rear panel. Specially designed X-Tender rods are included to internally support the expansion, allowing you to securely reassemble the machine. Additional space on front panel will allow the support of one LCD display on each side of the system, or additional LEDs or cold cathode lights. You can switch between the newly added drives via the buttons at the front."

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Your point? by Ianoo · 2004-09-09 22:56 · Score: 3, Insightful

How long has the XBox hardware remained the same now? When they were released, sure, they were a bargain for 733MHz/64MB, but I can go and buy dirt cheap components and build a 2GHz Celeron with 256MB of RAM and video on the motherboard for the same kind of money. Isn't that better value than this?
1. Re:Your point? by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-09 23:30 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  Let's say you have $150 burning a hole in your pocket. You can go buy an Xbox for $149 and go on home, or you can try to order and build this mythical system you describe (No cheating and taking parts out of old dusty machines you have laying around). The 2GHz Celeron alone will be almost half that, roughly $70. If you can build a fully functional PC with more power than the Xbox for $149 or less, then knock yourself out. The world will beat a path to your door...
2. Re:Your point? by Ianoo · 2004-09-10 00:06 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  Okay then, perhaps not a Celeron. They perform terribly anyway. What about an AMD-based system? This is from newegg.com, who are usually pretty good, or so I've been told (I'm not actually in America, so I don't usually find bargains in dollars):
  
  AMD Duron 1.8GHz: $53
  PCCHIPS M825G V9.2A: $37
  Maxtor 40GB 7200RPM: $48
  V-DATA 184 Pin 128M DDR PC-2700: $22
  SAMSUNG 16X DVD Drive: $25
  Linkworld Case: $13
  
  A grand total of about $200. This isn't much more. People who buy things just because they have money burning a hole in their pocket are fools, considering they could wait another month and buy something about 3 times as powerful.
3. Re:Your point? by identity0 · 2004-09-10 00:09 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  Don't you see!? You can have a Beowulf cluster of this with the Xbox!
4. Re:Your point? by StocDred · 2004-09-10 01:29 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  considering they could wait another month and buy something about 3 times as powerful.
  Or wait another month and buy something 6 times as powerful. Or wait another month and buy something 9 times as powerful. Or wait another month and buy something 12 times as powerful. Or wait another month and buy something 15 times as powerful.
  I think you see where I'm going with this.
5. Re:Your point? by Carnildo · 2004-09-10 09:22 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  I don't know that particular mainboard, but I expect the on-board graphics aren't 3D accelerated. You should probably add another $30-$50 for a GF4 MX or equivalent card.
  
  --
  "They redundantly repeated themselves over and over again incessantly without end ad infinitum" -- ibid.
Cool But by Mr.Dippy · 2004-09-09 23:03 · Score: 4, Insightful

Okay it was cool when people were running linux and what not on this but Jesus Tap Dancing Christ people! Just play the damn games and buy a real computer to do your computer needs.

--

-Dipster
Right, an Xbox in a server rack by DocUi · 2004-09-09 23:15 · Score: 2, Interesting

Frankly, with all the people at home who have their own rack, I'm surprised this hasn't come out earlier. I mean I know there are articles out there about how to build your own, but sheesh. Build a box, with a rack mount case and you'll have twice the power for a pittance more.
How big? by GrassMunk · 2004-09-09 23:36 · Score: 4, Interesting

Isnt the Xbox big enough? This looks like it adds 2 inches to the damn unit, who has that much space? I remember when it came out people were mocking it because it was so big. This just makes it even bigger, i thought it would streamline it a bit, like a case replacement.
1. Re:How big? by ezzzD55J · 2004-09-09 23:59 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Isnt the Xbox big enough? This looks like it adds 2 inches to the damn unit
  From elchuparoashdgajksdasa@earthlink.net Sun Apr 20 21:48:33 2003
  Subject: Gain 3+ Full Inches In Length
Woo Hooo!!!! by Jeremiah+Cornelius · 2004-09-09 23:44 · Score: 2, Funny

Now I can hack my NetBSD sources to run on this thing, and go online with two 250 GBs! I'm gonna' run an IRC host with an open FTP server!
I already have the perfect firewall for this. It's running a port filter on the Dreamcast - in a router-on-a-stick configuration...

--
"Flyin' in just a sweet place,
Never been known to fail..."
A new twist by StevenHenderson · 2004-09-10 00:06 · Score: 4, Funny

Worker 1: Lemme configure this database...hey, why isn't it working?
Worker 2:You forgot to press Up, Down, Up Down, Left, Right...
1. Re:A new twist by karnal · 2004-09-10 00:52 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  Up, Up, Down, Down....
  
  Of course, that's a konami code -- not sure if there are any XBox games that utilize that. Would be neat to have a server (XBox) with a controller that would do something nifty (like warp time?) when that combination is pressed.....
  
  --
  Karnal
Seems like a bogus claim to me by @madeus · 2004-09-10 00:18 · Score: 4, Insightful

"is a complete kit that will allow you convert your Xbox(TM) into a mini rack mount server"

In what way does it allow you to convert one into a 'mini rack mount server'?

There is no rack mounting kit with this that I can see, nor does the mod do anything that would aid in rack mounting an X-Box as far as I can see (I had assumed some kind of side bracket to effectively make it wider, or possibly to allow two to a rack).

Am I missing some element of the kit here, or is it just poor phrasing on their part?
1. Re:Seems like a bogus claim to me by Computerguy5 · 2004-09-10 00:34 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  I wish I had mod points because I was thinking the exact same thing and no one else seems to get it. Goodness, all you have to do is say "rackmount" and the beowulf, toaster computer people come out humping.
  
  I'll ask the parent's question again: how does this turn it into a *rackmount* device? Sure, it allows you to add storage, but that has nothing to do with rackmounting it.
  
  On another note, did it say that it allows you to switch between the hard drives?
  You can switch between the newly added drives via the buttons at the front.
  This implies to me that only one of the drives can be active at any one time. Lame, and practically useless.
Ad for Xenium? by llevity · 2004-09-10 00:49 · Score: 3, Insightful

WTF? Most of the mod chips sold are "completely legal". Most of them can even load any bios you want. They're completely legal because they're not shipped to you with an illegal bios (ie, a hacked version of the MS one that lets you do whatever you want). They allow you to flash any bios you want because they can't ship them with a bios, because then they'd become illegal. For what it's worth, I've not heard many good things about the solderless chips. They work, but they're easy to jar loose, and then you have to open your Xbox again and reseat them. Just solder your chip, it's only 9 wires with most mods.
Not just $150 by CMiYC · 2004-09-10 01:41 · Score: 4, Insightful

XBox -> $150
Modchip -> $50
This Kit -> $50
New Harddrive -> $50
2 USB XBox Adapater -> $40
USB Keyboard -> $20 (no sharing components, right?)
USB Mouse -> $20

So for about $380 you can turn an Xbox into a PC. Not $150. I'm baffled why everyone uses your argument. "You can't build a PC for $150!" Well you still can't if you use a Xbox.