Home server advice

[plumb]

Purpose is to host game servers for friends and family but still have the potential to act as file/media storage. Future proof for at least 4 years. Would like to keep it under $600

What I'm thinking of getting:
CPU Intel Xeon E3-1230 V2 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor $224.99
Motherboard Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard
$70.24
Memory G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
$149.99
Storage Corsair Force LS 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
$74.99
Video Card PowerColor Radeon HD 5450 1GB Video Card
$29.99


Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Geoff]

First, is there a reason you are going with a Xeon over a Core i5/i7? The motherboard you listed says it's compatible with the i3/i5/i7 CPU's, not specifically Xeons, and the Xeon you chose is an outdated model.

For a file server, a 120GB SSD is not going to be enough, you should add a few TB's of mechanical storage.

I don't see the need for a video card if it's just going to act as a file/media server, get a Core i5 and use the integrated video.

 

[plumb]

Reason for the xeon is for the hyperthreading and more energy efficient. I intend for it to run 24/7. Or should i just get an i7? It will mostly be for hosting game servers. The hard drive is just for starters, I'll get more when I need to use it as file storage when my NAS runs out.

 

[Geoff]

Reason for the xeon is for the hyperthreading and more energy efficient. I intend for it to run 24/7. Or should i just get an i7? It will mostly be for hosting game servers. The hard drive is just for starters, I'll get more when I need to use it as file storage when my NAS runs out.

The Core i7 has hyper-threading as well, I would personally go with that if you're going to go with a consumer level motherboard, RAM, and storage anyways. If power is a concern, an i5 should be more than adequate, but I would definitely get rid of the dedicated video card. Can you afford at least a 1-2TB drive right now? I would use the 120GB SSD as the boot drive, and then start storing data on the other drive.