Question : Problem: Best Micro-ATX Quad Server Spec for running virtual servers ??

Hi All,

I need a portable and powerful server for running virtual servers for my professional work. From my current research I believe a Micro-ATX case will be best with a handle, something like the "Silverstone Sugo SG01B" or "Ultra Microfly". I intend to run Hyper-V on Windows 2008 or Vista Ultimate running on a Quad Q66 processor with 8GB RAM. I have picked up that I should split the HDDs to spread the load. So my current approximate spec is:

MOTHERBOARD:
ASUS : P5E-VM HDMI Intel G35 Micro-ATX (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2
or
Gigabyte: GA-G33M-DS2R Micro ATX (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2
or
??

PROCESSOR
Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 "Energy Efficient SLACR 95W Edition" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - Retail
or
??

RAM(8GB):
Corsair 4GB DDR2 XMS2 Dominator PC2-8500C5 TwinX (2x2GB) Supplied with Airflow Fan (TWIN2X4096-8500C5DF) X 2 = 8GB so 4 X 2GB sticks in total.

CASE:
Apevia X-Qpack II Black Micro ATX 500W No Windows
or
Silverstone Sugo SG01B Evolution Aluminium Micro-ATX Case  Black
or
Thermaltake VF1000BNS Lanbox  Black
or
X- Cube Micro Atx Cube Case, 650 Watt Psu, 120mm Fan, Lcd Black No Window (UltraMicroFly)
I quite like this one since it includes the PSU and looks straight forward with handle etc.
or
??

HDD:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500GB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (ST3500320AS) X 2
I may have a problem in getting 2 5.25" HDDs in  with a CDROM so may have to either use one 1TB HDD or 1 500GB 5.25" HDD and 1 HDD for the 3.5" enclosure (2.5" HDD unit??) which may still be quicker than one drive.
or
??

CDROM:
Pioneer DVR-216DBK 20x DVD±RW SATA Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM
or
??

PSU:
Corsair TX 650W ATX2.2 SLi Compliant PSU
If needed....
or
??

I decided to go for the Intel Mobo since it runs cooler and folks have advised that it will be my best option for my virtual work. I am also trying to do this to a budget so the above hardware will probably work out at about £500.

Any comments really appreciated.

Thanks,

Sam
 

Answer : Problem: Best Micro-ATX Quad Server Spec for running virtual servers ??

>why the Q66 would not be the most suitable CPU

It depends on what is going to run in your virtual servers - if they were given heavy compute tasks that could not be spread out across processors, you may end up having one or two processors pegged at 100% utilization for a while, whereas a faster dual core may finish sooner and free up the resources.  The quad core is a better general purpose cpu, but faster dual cores can be more suitable for heavy computation bound tasks that are not multithreaded.

The G35 chipset is a good choice for the Core2 Duo processors and the Asus model has been well received.