Usually when I get a new desktop PC, I'll delegate my home server duties to the PC I'm replacing. 
During my last PC upgrade I'd decided that my existing server system was just fine for what it needs to do, so I saved myself the hassle of doing a reinstall and migration of all the services from the old server. What I didn't expect was that when I got my new system set up, which was configured for speed and silence (see previous post) I realized just how noisy my old server system was.
I've realized that I like a quiet office to work in. I was going to replace my old server with a quiet system. In fact, I figured I'd also choose a low-power system since my server is literally on 24x7x365. Low power and quiet power, are normally features you'd see in something like a home theatre PC. So that's where my Google searches began. In the end I chose a Shuttle SN21-G5 mini PC.
Old (right) vs. New (left)
Now instead of being tucked away between the desk and the wall, I can tuck the server away under the drawer section of this cheap desk.
Here's the total parts list for what I ended up with in my new server:
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| This Shuttle XPC unit is a case that comes with a motherboard, power supply, and CPU cooling system (ICE). It's a very small unit that contains only 2 slots for memory, plus 1 PCI slot and 1 PCI-E 16 slot. See the first picture above for the internal view.
The integrated motherboard has all of the supplementary accessories such as integrated audio, video, LAN, FireWire, and USB ports. Below are a few key features from the Shuttle XPC web site that explain the systems cooling and power saving features. Integrated Cooling Engine (ICE) Module The Integrated Cooling Engine (ICE) uses convection cooling to transfer heat away from the processor and other critical system components. Copper tubing — coated in nickel and filled with distilled water — efficiently channels heat away, providing highly-effective processor and case cooling. Smart Fan Smart Fan incorporates linear control metrics to provide optimal cooling. Under normal conditions, Smart Fan keeps fan speeds low, minimizing acoustic noise. When the load increases, Smart Fan increases fan speeds to provide optimal cooling. Users can customize Shuttle's Smart Fan settings to precisely match their desired temperature and fan speed metrics. |
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Now all of my home PC's are AMD X2 systems. I got the X2 4400+ for my desktop PC several months ago, and now that prices have dropped some more I decided to get one for my new server. |
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| Memory I'd originally picked up 2 x Crucial Rendition 1GB PC3200 DDR400 modules, but I found I just couldn't install the OS successfully. I finally tracked this down to something between the memory and the system. If I had a single 1GB module installed (either one) the OS would install without a problem. If I had both in the system at the same time, it would crash during install. I'd swapped in the 2 modules of memory from my desktop PC and had no problems. I was a bit surprised with this as I'd heard that Crucial memory was a good brand. In the end I had to go purchase a slightly more expensive brand of Samsung PC3200 1GB DDR400, which did the trick. |
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| I wasn't going to do a lot of DVD burning on this system, but I needed a DVD writer with a black faceplate to match the new black mini-system. So I picked up this unit. Nothing special to say here -- it just does the job. |
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| This was going to be a server PC, so a fast and quiet drive was going to be useful. So I got an SATA2 drive with Native Command Queuing (better for multitasking OS's). Seagate has served me well in the past. |
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| My old server PC had an ATI All-In-Wonder 9800Pro in it that provided me with TV tuner capabilities in the old server. What I used to do with this is set it up as a streaming media server that I could remotely control the tuner on from any PC in the house. So I needed a TV tuner card. The original card I bought was a Hauppauge WINTV-PVR unit, which is compatible with Windows Media Center. I thought this was a bonus since some day this server PC might make it's way into my living room as a media center PC. Unfortunately, the way that the Hauppauge card and many cards like it, handle audio isn't compatible with Windows Media Encoder, which expects to use an audio line from your sound card. So no luck here. I returned to the cheaper and Windows Media Encoder compatible option of the ATI TV Wonder PCI card. It may not be Media Center compatible, but it's cheap enough to do the job for me on my server. |
First Impressions
When I first turned the assembled PC on, I got a bit of a shock. The fan on the back of the case was running at full speed... a very audible full speed. I was about to open a can of whup-ass on someone who claimed that this was a silent PC when... silence. It turns out that the system needs to boot up first before the power-saving / quiet fan features kick in. When that happens it is like the server is not even running. You have to double check to make sure it's on.
Migration
It took me about 2 full days to get all the software from my server migrated over to my new server system. I had a bit of a problem with an accidental drop of the CommunityServer database which I had to restore from a backup, but other than that it went well.
"It's So Quiet It Wakes Me Up"
With my previous server, if the power went out when I was sleeping I'd wake up. This wasn't because I heard something when the power went off. It was because I didn't hear something - the server fan. I could be anywhere in the house, and if that server PC powered down, I'd know about it because it was part of the background noise of the house. Once I had the new PC up and running and the old server shut down you can definitely tell the difference. My office makes almost no sound at all when both my gaming/development PC and my server are on.
Silence is golden!
Posted
Nov 19 2006, 09:41 PM
by
Keith Reid