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My server has been going on pretty much non-stop for a couple of years now. Each time I sit down at my desk, I am always bathed in the warm air that it spits out, and I wonder if I can save money by using a machine that is more energy efficient?
I have been thinking of replacing the server and backup machine with a more powerful, quieter, and much more energy efficient mini-server that I could stuff in a closet, or somewhere else that is out of the way, so that I can free up some space (and energy).
Of course this means spending money, unless I can find some parts I can cobble together to make something useful..
Wednesday, May 30, 2007 at 15:23:15 (UTC)
I'd really like to use an old laptop as a server. They're often powerful enough, quiet and really good on power consumption. They've even got built-in UPSes.
Trouble is, unless I somehow inherit one for free, even used laptops are really expensive...
Darcy
Thursday, May 31, 2007 at 01:23:34 (UTC)
Good point! I did consider that idea briefly, but I do not know where I can get any cheap laptops. Actually, I might have an idea..
QYV
Friday, June 01, 2007 at 23:36:09 (UTC)
Hmm, how about this one?
http://toronto.craigslist.org/sys/321191291.html
[rubs hands together evilly]
Okay, even if you're not interested in the laptop I'm trying to unload, try this website if you're into Dell laptops:
http://www.dfsdirect.ca/
This is a nice site if you're antsy about buying used from a private buyer. You can pick up an off lease, refurbed Dell laptop reasonably cheap and get a short warranty on it as well.
--- HKL
Grinning Reaper
Saturday, June 02, 2007 at 00:55:17 (UTC)
A few more thoughts:
How about an HTPC? Those things are designed to be compact and quiet. I think you can get passively cooled CPUs as well. Unfortunately they're considered a niche product and are priced as such.
The hospital I'm currently working in uses Thin Clients -- essentially passively cooled small bricks without hard drives running Embedded WinXP. They use flash memory for storage. It should be possible to hack these things and convert them into servers.
---HKL
Grinning Reaper
Saturday, June 02, 2007 at 02:39:47 (UTC)
Heh, nice try, but I was looking at something cheaper than that. Something more along the lines of a really, really cheap system. Or if I wanted to replace both my secondary machine and server, I could go for something compact like a Shuttle.
Of course, I was not looking at spending more than $300 for a backup machine. Still, I would like to get rid of both boxes.
One thing I don't like about the laptop is the lack of easily replaceable parts. That and whether or not Debian will run on it.
QYV