Be Excellent To Each Other

Hello. Come in, take off your shoes. Sit down, on the bean bag if you like.

Comfy?

OK.

Currently, my home server is running on a 2008 model Mac Pro (Dual Quad Core Intel Xeon (Harpertown), 8GB of 800mhz DDR2 RAM) that I have borrowed from work. It's awesome and can handle all its tasks with aplomb.

BUT! It's not mine, I don't own it. Theoretically, it could be recalled to work at any time, causing me annoyance. Also, in its cubby hole under my stairs, it runs hot and heats up the cupboard to quite alarming levels. I'm not sure of the exact amount of juice it's drinking, but it's probably more than it needs to when serving my media.

I have decided to use the Mac as my gaming/office machine that is switched firmly off when not in use and replace the server with something a bit more sensible and economical. That's where you lot come in. What should I get?

The server performs these tasks:
- File server (Movies, TV, Pictures, Music and Documents)
- Downloader suite (SABNZB+, SickBeard, Couch Potato)
- Plex Server
- FTP Server
- Minecraft Server - This is what raises it above the standard quiet-box-under-the-stairs level. It needs a core all of its own, at least 1GB of RAM and the process doesn't really sleep when not in use.

I have:
- Case
- PSU
- Hard Drives
- Windows 7 license

What do you reckon? Simple i3 with a lot of RAM? One of them fancy octo-core AMD fellers?

Help me!

(This is my longest post in ages)

A few of the guys here have used various iterations of the HP Microservers over the years and been very happy with them, although the lower-specced ones might not have the RAM and/or CPU grunt you're after.

By all accounts they're quiet, reliable, don't use much power and don't generate much heat.

I was wondering the exact same question the other day. I gave up searching after about 15 minutes because this stuff is tedious.

Well having had a look at the latest HP Microservers (Gen <8>) they appear to be quite expensive and low-specced compared to earlier generations, so not sure what's happened there.....

That said, according to the current PC Pro A-List they're still the top choice for a cheap server for home use or small businesses.

I've considered getting a server myself over the years but I've got a venerable old WD MyBookWorld Pro 2TB that refuses to break and serves perfectly well as a NAS serving up files and shares and performing backup duties, which is pretty much all I'd use a server for anyway....