[mythtv-users] Dell dual-quad-core Xeon server for $779

Scott Alfter mythtv at salfter.dyndns.org
Mon Oct 29 19:08:32 UTC 2007


Blammo wrote:
> http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=04&kc=6W300&l=en&oc=bscwfk1&s=bsd
> 
> (Dell PowerEdge SC 1430 in case the link gets broken some how)
> 
> Click bullet #4 in the first box
> Click bullet #5 in the second box
> 
> Viola.. you now have a dual-quad-core Xeon 1.6, with 1GIG of ram,
> 80GIG HD, power supply, case, with no operating system,etc, for $779
> plus shipping.
> 
> very tempted to buy one, strip out the mobo, ram, procs, and put it in
> my server case.
> 
> I don't have the details on the PCI/E/X slots, etc, but that's a lot
> of machine for little $$.

After some digging around, I found the system configuration:

* 2 PCI-E slots (8x mechanical, 4x electrical)
* 2 PCI-X slots
* 1 PCI slot
* onboard ATI ES1000 video (PCI, 2D acceleration...a driver download link
  I ran across suggests that it may be a Radeon 7000 without the 3D bits)
* no audio

Out of the box, one of these would probably make a good backend or non-HD
frontend.  I suspect that since the onboard video is connected by PCI, it's
most likely too slow for HD.  There are PCI-E 1x video cards that could fix that:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161197

The only other question is whether the commonly-used capture cards will work in
a PCI-X slot.  I know that the PCI-X bus will slow down from 133 MHz and 64-bit
to 33 MHz and 32-bit if you put a 3.3V PCI card in a PCI-X slot, but PCI-X
doesn't support 5V PCI.  I have an old Athlon MP dually with 64-bit PCI slots
(66 MHz, not 133 MHz like PCI-X) laying around, but I've not tried putting a
PVR-x50 in it.

  _/_
 / v \ Scott Alfter
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