# Entry Level Tower Server Recommendation FreeBSD 9.1



## Itproman (Apr 6, 2013)

Can anyone help me? I've been spending hours (and days) searching through the hardware compatibility lists and searching online, and Ebay to find a used server. How about FreeBSD 9.1 on a Dell? I spotted an 840 with DVDROM etc., but it needs a hard drive. I might instead buy a used HP xw4400 workstation, install PC-BSD 9.1 on that and put FreeBSD and KDE back on my AMD64x2, which is running PC-BSD 9.1 and KDE right now (looks beautiful!). Or, again, take the used server route.

My problems: 

By the time I get a hard drive [which may not be the problem anyway, although the drive was going bad] (was IDE, but can take SATA) for my AMD64X1 - and an Nvidia card (has 128MB onboard ATI), I can buy a used PC for not much more! Getting used HDDs on Ebay is a bit hard as well.

I'm still trying to find the problem with my older AMD64x1 PC. I installed PC-BSD 9.1 on it, rebooted, then got the apparently common 
	
	



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IDE1: 80 pin cable missing
```
 It only takes 40 pin cables!

To save time, who has a tower server running FreeBSD (with GUI), preferably 9.1 just fine?

My intended purpose is to set up one PC with PC-BSD 9.1, a tower server with FreeBSD 9.1 and KDE, then learn UNIX, C and C++, Perl, Python, etc, to learn UNIX Systems Administration and maybe someday become a committer (rather than be committed! Sorry, couldn't resist that!)

Dell Poweredge Tower Servers? Other? Recommendations, please?

Thanks.


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## johnblue (Apr 6, 2013)

Part of the fun of it all is finding out what works and what does not work on your own!

Your only limited by your budget ..


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## wblock@ (Apr 7, 2013)

Later versions of IDE used 80-wire cables on 40-pin connectors.  But it doesn't matter now, avoid IDE.

Why do you think you need a server?  A standard desktop will run FreeBSD fine and do all the things you list.  It will cost less, use less power, and be much quieter.


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## Itproman (Apr 7, 2013)

Yeah, that what I was doing with the amd64 x 2 PC I'm running PC-BSD 9.1 on now. I'll probably grab a used workstation off of Ebay and go from there. Besides, two problems one comes up against with Servers is:


Will it run Freebsd FreeBSD version x.x
How noisy is it?

*I still remember the time some years back I bought this old P3x2 rackmount server off of Ebay. Holy mackerel was it noisy, and on top of that, it kept turning itself on at noon everyday; must've come from the west coast (-3 hours) originally!


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