I just picked up a Compaq Proliant 5500 server for $30 good deal or no?

Bryce · May 28, 2009

I Just picked up the Compaq Proliant 5500 server for $30 off of Craigslist today.. 10x 18gb hdds, I think its 1-1.8ghz processor, 1gb RAM. I think I did good finding it XD. I'm going to use it as a web/mail/file/folding server. I just wished I could get it up in my room upstairs tonight to start messing with it, but that thing weighs like 300+lbs

Old Thrashbarg · May 29, 2009

Well, $30 isn't a bad price for something like that, but be aware that there's a rather significant hidden cost... that thing will draw about 250W just sitting and idling. Should be fun to play with, but I wouldn't wanna run it as a full-time server or anything.

Also, it might not be as well specced as you think it is... the 5500 series had PIII Xeons, usually in the 450-500mhz range.

madhatter256 · May 29, 2009

post pictures of it, both outside and inside!

Captain Newbie · May 29, 2009

Not a bad haul, I think, but carefully consider the following—

Old Thrashbarg said:
Well, $30 isn't a bad price for something like that, but be aware that there's a rather significant hidden cost... that thing will draw about 250W just sitting and idling. Should be fun to play with, but I wouldn't wanna run it as a full-time server or anything.

Also, it might not be as well specced as you think it is... the 5500 series had PIII Xeons, usually in the 450-500mhz range.

It's always cool to have server hardware, but there are significant power costs - as mentioned.

Not to mention the damned things are NOISY, especially 1U systems—they are not meant to be in someone's bedroom, for instance, as they are meant for Serious Datacenters™, where humans aren't supposed to be.

There is, of course, the question of "what is it good for"? The power drain's probably too high for a router/firewall.

Bryce · May 29, 2009

4x 550mhz PIII's, 768mb RAM and 10x 18.2ghz SCSI Ultra 3 drives. Comes with floppy and cd drive. The thing is noisy, but nothing I can't live with and I'm already drawing almost 300w from my room alone for my computer needs, so it'll be nothing.

Currently installing Arch Linux on it and going to setup a web/dhcp/dns/mail/file server on it. Here's a picture of it:

http://photos.bryceeason.net/workstation 5_29_09/cp5500.jpg

~(o)-(0)~ · Jun 9, 2009

yo! that thing is cool
Rackmount and everything!
Maybe you can get some slockets and upgrade the cpus, its probably not worth it though.

Nick

Oni · Jun 14, 2009

Bryce said:
I'm already drawing almost 300w from my room alone for my computer needs, so it'll be nothing.

I don't think he meant that in a 'you'll trip circuit breakers' type of thing, but a 'I wouldn't wanna be the one paying your hydro bill' type of thing.

Old Thrashbarg · Jun 16, 2009

but a 'I wouldn't wanna be the one paying your hydro bill' type of thing.

Yep. At the 12c/KWh rate we have around here, a 24/7 server that averages 300W power draw, would cost about $26 a month, $312 a year, by itself. That's pretty expensive for a machine that could in most cases be completely outperformed by an Atom 330.

Lionsault_100 · Jun 16, 2009

lol around here people are giving those away for free, i passed on some sun stuff a few days ago, those proliantservers, last year i would have given for free, i wound up selling them to the gold man (4 for $10)

anyone looks like you found yourself a fun project

I just picked up a Compaq Proliant 5500 server for $30 good deal or no?

Bryce

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~(o)-(0)~

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