I've seen other cheap OpenSolaris configurations. Guess what
they are crap. You want 4G of fast memory. You want ZFS raid.
You want fast video. You want large 1Meg L2 caches. Try not
to compromise. Do it new and set your target prices. My goal
was to keep the box at the 1,000.00 USD mark. Consider the
Monitor/Keyboard/Mouse/Audio Amp/Speakers the extra.
By the way I watch DVD's, compile very large projects, view
video's from my stupid MS video codec type camera, watch any
video format I want through a 1024x1280 projector on my backwall,
and sometimes for fun run benchmarks to try and screw up the
performance. Which both boxes seem to handle quite well with
OpenSolaris. No jerky video, no audio skips. Compare it
to something say really cheap like:
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,2176218,00.asp?kc=ETRSS02129TX1K0000532
Compare the prices and performance details. If you want to
compromise all the more power to you.
Mini-ATX Style motherboard and Case
ECS K8M890M-M motherboard (Athlon 5600+ X2 cpu inc. ) 149.00
4G Patriot DDR2 6400+ (800mhz) memory 189.00
2 Maxtor SATA 500G drives [ 99.00] ea 198.00
1 Seagate 400G PATA drive 89.00
1 Nvidia 7600GS PCI-E 256m vid-mem 99.00
1 Airlink Gig-E (because onboard was only 10/100) 10.00
1 18X Emprex (sony core) 18x DVD-RW 40.00
1 Ultra Fly Micro ATX Case 50.00
1 Antec 430W power supply 80.00
Total 904.00
Notes:
The case manufacture is:
http://www.ultraproducts.com/product_details.php?cPath=13&pPath=439&productID=439
Only two sata ports so you have to use the combination of ATA and SATA for raidz.
You can get 4 3.5 inch hard drives in that case.
Hard to get a pci-e 1x extra sata controller because of the heatsink to close to the
slot. ZFS raidz would be done with two sata's and one PATA.
 |
ECS (EliteGroup) Nforce4EM-A motherboard (Athlon 5600+ cpu included) 149.00
4G Patriot DDR2 6400 (800mhz) memory 189.00
3 Segate SATA 500G drives [ 99.00] ea 297.00
1 Seagate 400G PATA drive 89.00
1 Nvidia 7600GS PCI-E 256m vid-mem 99.00
1 Airlink Gig-E (because onboard was only 10/100) 10.00
1 18X Emprex (sony core) 18x DVD-RW 40.00
1 ARES Case 450W power supply 69.00
1 Thermatake CPU fan 29.00
Total 971.00
Notes:
Has four SATA channels.
 |
All the components where bought at Fry's Electronics http://www.frys.com when
they go on sale. Usally Fry's changes the type of components that goes on
sale on a three or four day schedule. I just waited till they went one sale.
Started running build 68 and up of Solaris Nevada with regular upgrades.
The three 500G segate drives are configured in a zfs raidz configuration
and bonnie or bonnie++ results in ~120Meg/sec writes with 2 and 4Gig test
configurations. Airlink Gig-E ethernet cards are usally crap about 600mbs
with cheap 8 port Airlink 8 port switches. Not complaining the switches
only cost 40.00 and the cards are 10.00. The nvidia card can multiple video
streams even though I don't use it that much for that box. The DVD burner
is lable Emprex but it's really a Sony DVD+R-R drive. Burns a Solaris
Nevada iso image (~3.5G) in five minutes. Room for SATA pci-e expansion boards.
For a 1000.00 system if you include taxes I can't complain much for nearly
a 2TB box running OpenSolaris. In fact I've bought 3 more systems just
about like it, although based on the ECS K8M890M-M motherboard but that
motherboard only had 2 SATA ports opposed to the 4 ports on the above mentioned
system. Even a little cheaper. I run verious LCD monitors from 15inch to 24inch.
Wireless Logitech keyboards and wireless Logtech laser mice. The monitor
and keyboard/mouse combinations can add anywhere from 200.00 to 800.00 roughly.
The 24inch monitors are about 500 to 700. Gateway and Samsung which I
use at 1920x1200. Nice screen real estate on those.
Both are running build Nevada build 72 now. And yes folks my floor is
really green. And my desk is really orange.