Small server suggestions

Hi,
I am thinking about building a small server, mainly for using it as a Dropbox replacement.

I saw some people using Raspberry Pi or Beaglebone, but I am a bit worried about expandability (i.e. what if in the future I want to make it a bit more beefy?).

Obviously I want something cheap and small.

So, a Beaglebone system would be around $90 but with its limitations.

Alternatives I thought about

Memory: Crucial 2GB (1 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($23.23 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Other: Pentium Bundle @ Microcenter ($106.00)
Total: $174.21

or


Memory: Crucial 2GB (1 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($23.23 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Other: ASRock Q1900-ITX ($75.99)
Total: $144.20

bump for evening folks

So did you get anything?

Supermicro makes a great J1900 ITX board but it might be more then you are looking for http://www.servethehome.com/Server-detail/supermicro-x10sba-review/

It would allow for more future expansion (with 6x SATA, mSATA, mPCIe) and has dual intel NICs (that can be set up for teaming). Not sure if you'd use any of that stuff.

If it's just for file storage, how about an inexpensive pre-configured NAS box?

No. I'm still thinking about what to do. I would to use that Microcenter offer, but I also would like to have a small machine (instead, I saw that the mobo included in the bundle is ATX).

The Supermicro mobo seems a bit expensive.

I also considered a NAS, but they seem quite expensive (or overpriced).

JCLW said:

So did you get anything?

Supermicro makes a great J1900 ITX board but it might be more then you are looking for http://www.servethehome.com/Server-detail/supermicro-x10sba-review/

It would allow for more future expansion (with 6x SATA, mSATA, mPCIe) and has dual intel NICs (that can be set up for teaming). Not sure if you'd use any of that stuff.

Click to expand...

Here's a NAS for $84.

if you have classy access check and see if there is cheap hardware
I got off it a older 2p server for $50 then got a Rack mount case for $40 (but you can get normal)

but a Nas would be good if you only want to put a few HDD in for a file server I prefer full computers