Last Updated: 27 July 2008

In this category of servers the main priority is low cost, with reliability as a close second consideration. Price has always been the number one concern of most Malaysian buyers.

While performance is important, we do not consider it a vital part of building a budget server; it is merely something that is considered when price and reliability have been established. This is not to say that performance is ignored because an efficient server will mean better productivity for the users depending on the server. Platform stability is also a priority and in this respect, many of our clients have always settled for servers based on the Intel^® IA-32 architecture. Although AMD's Opteron^TM is a strong contender, the lack of a 64-bit version of Windows Server 2003 is somewhat hampering its acceptance in small business environments.

Monitor, Server Chassis & Power Supply Unit

Monitor: Samsung SyncMaster™ 591S 15" monitor   Chassis: HEC Compucase S411 4U chassis

Power Supply Unit: HEC 460DR 460W EPS/GES 12V PSU
Approximate Retail Price: RM 1,179

Samsung's SyncMaster™ series of monitors are very popular for price conscious buyers. It has a 0.24mm dot pitch flat screen, 1024x768 max resolution, and 2-year manufacturer warranty. All in all, a very good value monitor.

This is a solid workhorse of a case. It is really flexible and can start of as a pedestal chassis which can be later converted into a 4U rackmount chassis. As your organisation's network grows, the casing can be easily reconfigured with new components.2 x 80mm Ball Bearing Fans and 1 x 120mm Ball Bearing Fan ensure adequate cooling for the heat from the CPU's, RAM and hard disc drives. The casing is supplied with a HEC 460DR 460W EPS/GES 12V PSU power supply unit that keeps everything stable for 24x7x365 operations..

Intel® PRO/1000 82547EI Controller

Intel® PRO/100+ 82551QM Controller

Sound Card & Networking

Sound Card: None

Networking: One Intel^® PRO/1000 82547EI Controller and one Intel^® PRO/100+ 82551QM Controller
Approximate Retail Price: Intel^® Entry Server Board SE7210TP1-E mainboard!

A sound card is not required on a server!

We are recommending the Intel^® Entry Server Board SE7210TP1-E onboard Ethernet solution, powered by Intel's own Gigabit and Fast Ethernet controllers. The Gigabit controller runs off the Northbridge's Communication Streaming Architecture (CSA) port and should ensure speedy connection to the corporate Gigabit backbone whereas the Fast Ethernet port should serve well as the gateway to a broadband Internet connection and/or, a wireless network.