A total of 6 reviews of this product on Reddit.
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I had read that these connectors for serial port headers are the correct pitch, but I don’t know whether the number of pins or pinout are a match. It’d sure be convenient if they were.
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I might just try ordering a couple ribbon cables, just for laughs. But i don’t now if they are A or B type.
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Alright, after talking with you in the comments, here is my first draft of the build. If you want to change the motherboard and case size, need a dedicated GPU, or other items, that can be discussed.
My first go around I prioritized getting an 8 core CPU that had integrated graphics. This was so you can get a very strong CPU, but since you said the graphics were simple, I’m hoping integrated graphics (iGPU) in the CPU are good enough for the program. A dedicated graphics card (GPU) would provide better graphics performance, but the GPU market is freakin’ crazy right now, with high prices and shortages everywhere. You’re budget of $950 USD is low in the crazy GPU market, so I am hoping you can avoid that market all together.
Type | Item | Price |
---|---|---|
CPU | Intel Core i7-10700 2.9 GHz 8-Core Processor | $309.99 @ Adorama |
CPU Cooler | Scythe FUMA 2 51.17 CFM CPU Cooler | $59.99 @ Amazon |
Motherboard | Asus TUF GAMING B560M-PLUS WIFI Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard | $149.99 @ Amazon |
Memory | Team T-FORCE VULCAN Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory | $71.98 @ Amazon |
Storage | Team MP33 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive | $49.99 @ Amazon |
Storage | Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $55.49 @ Amazon |
Case | Thermaltake Versa H17 MicroATX Mini Tower Case | $49.99 @ Newegg |
Power Supply | SeaSonic CORE GM 500 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply | $62.99 @ Newegg |
Operating System | Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit | $129.98 @ Newegg |
Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts | ||
Total | $940.39 | |
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-07-13 14:42 EDT-0400 |
And also add this COM port header to serial port adapter to the build to get you the serial port. Costs $9 on Amazon, for a total build price of $949.39: https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-1U-Rackmount-LCD-Console/dp/B001Y1F0HW/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=com+header+to+serial+port&qid=1626200554&sr=8-3
CPU: You said the program is CPU intensive, so went with the cheapest, modern, 8 core CPU that had built in integrated graphics.
CPU cooler: To cool the 8 core CPU while it’s doing CPU intensive tasks, I chose a solid, well renown CPU cooler for $60. It’s quiet, and performs well.
Motherboard: You wanted Wifi, at least 4 USB ports, and a serial port. Also had to fit into the budget. To do this, I chose a smaller, well built, micro-ATX motherboard that was cheaper that other full size ATX motherboards. It has built in Wifi, 8 USB ports, and a COM port header (serial port header). The COM port header allows you to attach the serial port adapter I linked to your motherboard to add a serial port connection to the PC.
Memory: 16 GBs of DDR4 RAM at 3200 MHz CL 16 are the base specs for RAM these days. Considering you’re using an older XP machine with less than 4 GBs of RAM, this is a massive upgrade.
Storage: The new SSD form factor and type, M.2 NVMe drives, have now come down in price to cost the same as the older SATA SSDs, so I picked a 500 GB one like you wanted. These M.2 NVMe drives attach directly to the motherboard. For this specific build, do note that the M.2 NVMe drive will only work in the second M.2 slot on the microATX motherboard I picked. Also, 2 TB HDDs were only $10 more than a 1 TB HDD, so I picked a 2 TB HDD.
Case: Since I picked a microATX motherboard, I chose a medium size microATX case. This can be easily changed to a mid-tower ATX case if you want.
Power Supply: Solid quality power supply at a good price, semi-modular too.
Got you Windows 10 Pro, and also found an adapter to allow you to add a serial port to the computer.
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Has anyone seen a pcie bracket for the com port that is rj45 instead of db9? Similar to this, but rj45. https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-1U-Rackmount-LCD-Console/dp/B001Y1F0HW
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Looks like you might be right. I set my server up with enterprise hardware which came with graphics support without the need for a GPU or iGPU. I did some digging into the board and thought that you might be able to achieve everything through the onboard COM header and a serial connection.. I’ve read some advice that this won’t work but I find that difficult to believe. IF you’re technically minded this might be a route you could explore:
https://github.com/ynkjm/ubuntu-serial-install
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SerialConsoleHowto
The unclear part would be how to enable serial connections in the bios without the monitor. It does seem like an easier solution to just buy a cheap GPU though.
If you were to get this working, you could install the OS, and PMS via terminal – i.e. from another computer you’ve connected to the headless server. You could use terminal screen or PuTTY to connect.