What to Run a server with a Dell optiplex 760

[jonah0037]

Hi, I Would like to run a server with a dell optiplex 760 It has Right now a Core 2 Duo E7500
3Gb Ram And windows vista Business. I am wondering if that is will work, it is an old computer, So as i have many of them laying around .

 

[kyzarvs]

Depends what you want it to do?

 

[firefoxx04]

Will work fine. Get rid of vista and install Linux Ubuntu Server 15.10. Youl have a steep learning curve.

 

[kyzarvs]

Will work fine. Get rid of vista and install Linux Ubuntu Server 15.10. Youl have a steep learning curve.

Yes it will install - but it's still worth asking what the OP wants to do with it before saying 'yes'. Want to run a TF2 server with 30 bots? That's gonna struggle. Want transcoding media server? Possibly if not using wifi so not needing loads of compression. Want a file server? No worries. Want a VM host for multiple concurrent VMs of *nix, windows and other O/S? No, not in any way that is useful. These are all jobs my home Debian server delivers, but it needs its 8 cores, 64GB RAM and 6TB RAID.

Plenty of server O/S will install, but very much depends on what you want from it...

 

[jonah0037]

Will work fine. Get rid of vista and install Linux Ubuntu Server 15.10. Youl have a steep learning curve.

Yes it will install - but it's still worth asking what the OP wants to do with it before saying 'yes'. Want to run a TF2 server with 30 bots? That's gonna struggle. Want transcoding media server? Possibly if not using wifi so not needing loads of compression. Want a file server? No worries. Want a VM host for multiple concurrent VMs of *nix, windows and other O/S? No, not in any way that is useful. These are all jobs my home Debian server delivers, but it needs its 8 cores, 64GB RAM and 6TB RAID.

Plenty of server O/S will install, but very much depends on what you want from it...

It's for a teamspeak server and Fsx:SE Server Also should i buy a cheap graphics card to go with it.

 

[bambiboom]

jonah0037,

In my view, the technology is one or two generations behind that which can be effectively and economically upgraded. Upgrading an older system has very similar costs- obsolete CPU's and RAM are surprisingly similar. For the price of the higher performing Core2 Quad there are LGA1366 with far better perofrmance and that are using DDR3-1333 RAM instead of DDR2- 667.

My idea is to sell all the Optiplex 760's and buy one of these:

Dell Precision T7500 Xeon X5667 3.06GHz Quad Core HT 4GB 160GB DVD-RW FX3800 1GB > sold for $200

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Precision-T7500-Xeon-X5667-3-06GHz-Quad-Core-HT-4GB-160GB-DVD-RW-FX3800-1GB-/121817724823?hash=item1c5ce6f797%3Ag%3AxuoAAOSwlV9WS7UE&nma=true&si=wMzpYFm%252FGJDQS2ljqhnMZ8ec%252BsQ%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

The Dell Precision T7500 is server build quality, can use two CPU's up to 6-cores, 192GB of DDR3-1333 ECC registered and has 4 drive bays and an 1100W power supply. The X5677 is a 4-core @ 3.06 /3.46Ghz. with an Average Passmark CPU score of 7046. By adding a CPU / RAM /Fan riser (about $60) you can add a second X5677 (about $60) and the CPU score is 11698. On Passmark, the highest CPU score for an Optiplex 760 is 4602 using a Core2 Quad Q9650. Becuase the Q9650 is the festest Core2 Quad, there is a premium price on them and these appear to average bout $70- they cost more than the X5677.

Then, to the above system, add a 250GB SSD and one to three mechanical drives. The disk system of the T7500 is SATAII 3GB/s so, a PERC H310 RAID controller can convert it to 6GB/s. I added a PERC H310- ($60) to a PRecision T5500 and the disk score improved from 1940 to 2694. The GPU is not critical for a server and for example the Quadro FX 3800 in the system above would be perfect- a very good 2D score. Using the T7500 mentioned at $200:

System:_________________$200
CPU Riser_______________ $60
2nd X5677_______________ $60
48 GB RAM______________ $140
PERC H310______________$60
Samsung 850 Evo 250GB___ $90
2X WD Black 1TB__________$160

_______________________________

_________________TOTAL = $770

You would then have an 8-core / 16 thread @ 3.06 /3.46Ghz, 48GB, 250GB SSD/2TB 6GB/s system.

It's difficult to say what your Optiplex 760's are worth, but it appears they average perhaps about $70 each. So, if you budget is limited, it possible to buy the $200 system as above and add 12GB RAM ($30), the SSD ($90) and one HD (WD Blue 1TB $60) for a total of $350- equal to about 5X Optiplex.

I've had seven used Precisions over the last seven years- still have four and all with perfect reliability.

Cheers,

BambiBoom

Dell Precision T5500 (2011) (Revised) > 2X Xeon X5680 (6 -core @ 3.33 / 3.6GHz), 48GB DDR3 1333 ECC Reg. > Quadro K2200 (4GB ) > PERC H310 / Samsung 840 250GB / WD RE4 Enterprise 1TB > M-Audio 192 sound card > 875W PSU > Windows 7 Professional 64> HP 2711x (27", 1920 X 1080)
[ Passmark system rating = 3844 / CPU = 15047 / 2D= 662 / 3D= 3500 / Mem= 1785 / Disk= 2649] (12.30.15)

Precision T3500 (2011) (Rev 2) Xeon X5677 4-core @ 3.47 / 3.73GHz > 12GB (6X 2GB) DDR3-1333 ECC > Quadro 4000 (2GB) > PERC 6/i +Seagate 146GB and 300GB 15K SAS ST3300657SS + WD Black 500GB > 525W PSU> Windows 7 Professional 64-bit > 2X Dell 19" LCD
[Passmark system rating = 2751, CPU = 7236 / 2D= 658 / 3D=2020 / Mem= 1875 / Disk=1221]

Dell Precision T5400 (2008) > 2X Xeon X5460 quad core @3.16GHz > 16GB DDR2 667 ECC> Quadro FX 4800 (1.5GB) > WD RE4 500GB / Seagate Barracuda 500GB > M-Audio 2496 Sound Card / Linksys WMP600N WiFi > HP 2711X, 27" 1920 X 1080 and Dell 19" LCD > Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit >
[ Passmark system Rating = 1853, CPU = 8626 / 2D= 520 / 3D=1097 Mem= 736, Disk= 901] [Cinebench 11.5 CPU=7.54 OpenGL = 51.89 fps] 10.24.15

Dell Precision 390 (2006) (Revised): Xeon X3230 quad-core @ 2.67GHz > 8 GB DDR2 ECC 667 > Quadro K600 > 2X WD 320GB >Linksys WMP600N WiFi > Dell 24" > 1920 X 1200 > Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
[ Passmark system rating = 1296, CPU = 2953 / 2D= 382 / 3D=862 / Mem= 853 / Disk=569]

 

[HardwareExtreme]

A Dell Optiplex 760 will probably be fine for a server. If you are just using it for Teamspeak and some other lightweight things, it shouldn't be necessary for 48GB or more of ram (Heck, that's bigger than my first hard drive!) and 12 total cores, unless it is for rendering or something along those lines. If you have many connections into it, go a server OS, such as Server 2003 or Server 2008, or a Linux distro like Debian or Ubuntu. You only need like 2GB of ram for most things (I was using Server 2003 on a Celeron 2.4Ghz 1core with 512mb of ram for a file server, no problem whatsoever. I wouldn't know how fast it would be on a Opti 760, however, since I am still running a Pentium D, and am actually looking at a Precision T7500 as a main computer. )


To sum it up:
1. You don't need 500 cores for Teamspeak and other server programs, unless you are a large company and are serving 500 employees.
2. 2 or so Gigabytes of ram is plenty
3. You don't need an excellent graphics card unless you are going to be using that machine regularly
4. Use a server os such as Windows Server 2000-2012 or Linux distros such as Debian if you are having more than 10 or so people connecting.
5. Don't get a ridiculously fast CPU, or anything like Pentium Ds or Pentium Extreme Editions, since all of those produce WAY too much heat. Heat will degrade your hardware
6. Replace the Dell power supply. (Who knows what's in them! They are prone to dying)

In your case (pardon the pun), the 760 will be just fine. Sorry bambiboom, but $770 is unnecessary for what he is doing.