Be Excellent To Each Other

I have convinced work that I want to do an MCSE.

SO I need to get a spare machine at home, that I can build, rebuild, put server OS and such like. Generally play and play.

What sort of PC should I look for, it has to be cheap. I only need a base unit, as I have a screen and keyboard etc..

I'd buy the components myself, then you learn about that, too.
Plus it's cheaper.

You don't need anything steamingly quick, but you might as well get something half-good. Go for an Intel Dual-core CPU, 2 gigs of RAM, £40 mobo, cheapo video-card (an old nVidia one would be a good choice) and a relatively small HDD (no need for a big one really - 50gig is plenty).
Don't forget the DVD drive!

That is a higher spec than my current machine I am still running XP on a pent 4

Go with what Grim... says, but up the RAM. You'll want to put your virtualisation software of choice on there so you can build a couple of images to test out AD replication and the like - AD stuff makes up a lot of the MCSE.

If your office is anything like mine, you probably have half of those bits stuck around in old broken machines and stacked up in cupboards.

I was thinking about that, but then I decided that you can up the RAM in the future.


You could use your current machine as a server and replace it with the bits above.

No we don't acutally fix pcs and I got rid of all my bits when i moved.

So I currently have 1 linux Mint box & 1 HP Pent 4

So I either buy a cheap on for playing woith, or replace my current PC and use that instead

I think that is what I will do.... now to run it past the wife

This gives me a vision of you running past your wife with a server tucked under your arm hoping she doesn't notice.

It'll be cheap, man - let me spec it up quick:

Intel DC 2.5 CPU - £66 http://www.ebuyer.com/product/148715
Abit Mobo - £34 http://www.ebuyer.com/product/144456
2GB RAM - £22 http://www.ebuyer.com/product/131127 (£44 for 4GB, obv)
GeForce 7 128MB - £23 http://www.ebuyer.com/product/129087
160GB HDD - £32 http://www.ebuyer.com/product/128712
DVD RW Drive - £16 http://www.ebuyer.com/product/138748
Case with PSU - £15 http://www.ebuyer.com/product/152189

£208!

That's about it, I think.

[edit]Disclaimer! That's just for example - that RAM might not fit into that MB, for example. If you've got spare pennies, get a better video card and a better MB.
[editedit] Best get a fan for that CPU, or it might run a bit hot - £5 http://www.ebuyer.com/product/108116

My plan is to wait till she goes into labour then sneak it in

My brain really didn't interpret that sentence the right way.

What did you think?

That is quite cheap... infact very cheap

It's not that good a PC, like I said - up your outgoing to £350 and you could get a nice fast processor and a better graphics card.

Grimm..

Is this worth it?

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/147999


How many of you chaps have microsoft certs?

For a cheap desktop, use an old interior door propped up on obsolete computer servers.

I have a desk... it is the IT I want to go under said desk

But it goes on top of it.

Not if you can mount it under the desk..

It's... Alright. About right for the money, but not much of a PC.
Low power use, though.

Why not just set up a virtual server on your current machine? It'd be hella cheaper.

I read it as a novel way to hold up the labour process.

I don't think that CPU has native virtualisation -- something like an E6300 (£50 off eBay) might be a better bet for running a virtualisation software.

What's your insistence on an nvidia graphics card for, Grim...? Any mobo with onboard video and sound is more than good enough for a server machine.

As it happens I was looking at stuff today (at dabs, for convenience rather than price/service) - a £33 mobo, £19 case, £130 CPU (Core 2 Quad), rob the disks out of my NAS, buy some RAM - more than enough machine to transcode-stream to my PS3 and 360 at the same time! (Yes, entirely silly - luckily I got distracted)

Also, I'd never use ebuyer because they were complete cunts when I tried to use their customer service when something failed, years ago. There have been plenty of announcements of improvement since but they really were that bad. Utterly, abysmally, stab myself in the bollocks rather than ever go back no matter the price bad.

@tossrstu - VirtualBox can actually be quicker if you tell it to *not* use hardware virtualisation. It's one of those things, I think, that is really only of benefit with a fancy "type 1" hypervisor thing - absolute bare minimum to the hardware host for a few normal-ish guests. Running a Windows in a Windows, not much benefit.

Thanks for the advice, as you can tell I am a novice at teh server lark, hence I want to learn

I was going for the 'use your current PC as a server and replace it with this one'.

Ah right. Insist away then!

Except of course PC gaming is dead and buried, so it's still a waste of moneyI'mjokingforgod'ssake.

I love PC gaming ...

Only because you don't have an Xbox... yet.

There is that too..

But i go play games on my laptop when i work away

I play games on my DS when I go away, but don't touch it otherwise.

Oh and in some configurations MS SQL server (2000 and 2005) runs like a dog on VM servers something related to hyper threading last time I looked up a reason. Not so sure why I've seen these problems on multi core servers though.

Oh also I had been looking at a NAS to ensure my hours organising and collect music is not lost.any ideas on either a cheap NAS or a better way of backup up data?

I don't have one of those either, i am so 20th Century

You need to sort out your console deficiency before buying a desktop.

Buy 16 PS3s and lay a door over the top of them.

but I actually use desktops for non-gaming too....

Local, independent computer shops will practically give you a P4 spec pc to play with, in my experience.

I will ask my local shop then..