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I love to assemble my own computers from component parts. I like selecting the components, finding the lowest prices, ordering everything, putting it all together, and then installing Debian on it. When I don’t have the money or the need for another computer, I like just selecting and pricing the components of some imaginary computer that I could but don’t actually intend to build. Then I like to update the prices a month or six months later to see how much more cheaply the same configuration could be had. I like to think through various usage scenarios to find the ultimate/cheapest/best balance small form factor configuration, workstation, tower server, 1U rackmount server, HTPC, etc. I often have a bias towards selecting components with an eye towards noise-reduction: quiet or low temperature operation are often key factors guiding selections. I think if I ever have a working retirement I should open a hole-in-the-wall computer shop with the intention of losing money just building people great custom computers at low prices. I would love it.

Here’s one of those configurations I’ve been mulling over lately.

The Eight Core Tower Server

1. The Motherboard

Intel has a dual-socket motherboard in which each socket supports a quad-core processor. I like to think that I need an eight-core server to replace all my other home servers. Actually, I just like the idea of eight cores at work in a single tower.

The Intel D5400XS Motherboard (Intel Socket J LGA771, P35 Express, Extended ATX, 16GB DDR2, 1600MHz FSB – MPN: BOXD5400XS)



Best price: $607.99 at thenerds.net (as of August 3, 2008).¹

2. The Processors

I wish Intel had the same motherboard with LGA775 sockets as we could buy cheaper Quad core processors. But, we’re stuck with LGA771 sockets, so let’s load ‘em up with Xeons.

Intel Xeon E5410 Quad Core Processor (2.33GHz, 2×6MB, 1333MHz FSB, LGA771 Socket J – MPN: BX80574E5410A)



We need two!



I’m also not thinking about overclocking, so the factory heatsinks/fans will suffice.

Best price: $268.99 each (when you buy 2) i.e., $537.98 at newegg.com (as of August 3, 2008).

3. The RAM

It would be nice, but currently overly costly, to max this motherboard out with 16GB of RAM. Instead, for about 17% of the cost, one can get 50% as much RAM. (16GB G.Skill $1029.99 vs. 8GB Corsair at $173.98)

Corsair XMS2 2GB PC2-6400 DDR2 DIMM (2GBx2 – MPN: TWIN2X40966400C5)



Need two sets of two, i.e., four sticks total.



Best price: $173.98 total for the four sticks at tigerdirect.com (As of August 3, 2008).

4. The Power Supply

We’ll be running eight cores, four sticks of RAM, at least one graphics card, and who knows how many drives. This box is going to need lots of power. Let’s not skimp here.

Antec TruePower Quattro 1000W Power Supply (MPN: TPQ1000)



Best Price: $199.99 at Directron (As of August 3, 2008).

5. The Case

The case to house this monster needs to be roomy. It has to fit an eATX motherboard, and I always look for it to be quiet and have good airflow that will keep it cool. I also like tool-free designs for easy access, and am generally impressed by even the lower-end Antec cases. Here however, I think this case suits the demands:

Cooler Master COSMOS 1000 Black/Silver Tower (ATX/Extended ATX, 12 Bays – MPN: RC1000KSN1GP).

I think it’s being discontinued in favor of the 1100 model, and some have apparently reported some hard drive temperature problems that the company now addresses by including an additional bracket, but this means that the places that still have it in stock are generally selling it at a nice discount compared to the 1100 model, and most people rave about this case.



Best Price: $179.99 at amazon.com (As of August 3, 2008).

6. The Graphics Card(s)

I have never been very interested in having the latest greatest graphics card, as I just don’t use those features. Here, I’m primarily imagining this build as a tower server, but I admit I would probably install Gnome and try out some games just to see how they’d do. Here, I’d probably just pick up whatever the best card is that one can get for $100 or less, with an eye towards finding one that does not have its own fan, but instead uses heat pipes for quieter operation.

Best Price: $100.00 at your favorite site (As of August 3, 2008).

7. The Optical Drive

I’ve also never found that my choice of optical drive matters much to any routine tasks that I perform, so I’d look for a decent optical drive for $25.

Best Price: $25.00 at your favorite site (As of August 3, 2008).

8. The Hard Drives

I tend to buy Seagate hard drives because they are the only manufacturer still offering five year warranties–which was formerly the industry standard. Here I’d get two identical drives in order to use a RAID mirror, because I’ve had too many hard drives fail on me and sometimes my backup scripts aren’t the most reliable. I’d go for the largest capacity drive that can be had for $100 per drive.

Best Price: $200.00 at your favorite site (As of August 3, 2008).

Total approximate cost: $1,755.94 (without keyboard, mouse, or monitor).

1. My best prices almost always are influenced by shipping to my zip code. Use pricegrabber to find your own best deal. [↩]