The big price changes are in memory and CPU power/dollar. I also came to the realization that I don't need a DVD drive in servers any more. I rarely burn DVDs, and now use a USB Flash drive to load the operating system. DVDs are going the way of floppies.
Here are the components:
GSkill 8GB DDR3 1333 Memory - $42. That's incredibly inexpensive for 8GB. Dell & Apple charge 4x that. My desktop has 8GB or DDR2, and I remember paying well over $100 for it a couple of years ago. Memory is incredibly inexpensive right now.
Two DIMM Slots, LGA 1155, great price, small size. Lots of ports. This is also a great board to get if I decide to turn this in to a HTPC or Hackintosh at a later date. This board is somewhat future-proof if I want to upgrade to a faster CPU.
Why not spend a bit more for 2TB? I have three 2TB drives already which I use for media storage. Seagate makes a fast, reliable, yet inexpensive drive that is perfect as a Operating System drive. This one is silent and runs at 7200RPM. Alternately you could spend another $10 and get a WD Caviar Black with a longer warranty.
For a little server, this CPU is incredible! Rated at 65watts, it rarely consumes that much. Power consumption is especially important if you leave on 7x24. It doesn't have hyperthreading or high-end graphics, but really excels in Linux.
I compiled a few RPMs with make -j2 vs -j4 on a Core i3 and didn't see much difference at all. Hyperthreading is nice as it bumps performance by about 10% , but it's not the same as adding an additional core. Save another $10 and get the G840 if you're ok with giving up 100mhz.
Finding a quality inexpensive case was the biggest challenge of this year's build. This In-Win case has a couple of shortcomings but is still a great value! It has plenty of clearance for the CPU and includes a flex-atx power supply. My only complaint is the nosy fan.
For about $15, I bought a 90mm Noctua case fan that makes the system practically silent. The case is well laid out, and the front DVD cover looks clean and hides the 5.25" DVD slot. When powered up, there is a nice blue light bar.
That's the build, and it's just. $339 or $355 with the Noctua fan. Fedora & CentOS users can see my Smolt Profile here.
