2:21 PM - What to build
We're finally getting an opportunity to co-locate a server for MidnightBSD. A friend of mine works at a hosting company in Lansing. He's made some arrangements for us to colo a box. However, I'm not sure what to build.
Right now I have some spare parts lying around such as a Core 2 Duo 2.13Ghz processor, Intel DP965LT motherboard, 2.5GB of RAM and a 250 watt power supply. I've also got a video card somewhere. At a minimum, we'd need a case and hard drives. He's concerned about the CPU performance. The current system is mostly idle, but we would have more bandwidth available at the new provider. My motherboard can't handle any quad core newer than the Q6600 (FSB limitations).
My gut feeling is to put money into RAM and disk instead of going for a better CPU. Of course, I also don't know what I'm going to do with this stuff. With new systems at best buy coming with 2-6GB of RAM, it doesn't seem like a lot.
I guess it all depends what services we're moving. For instance, if the Magus database were to go on that box, I think we should consider a faster CPU.