looking for a server...

hello everyone,

i am currently planning of getting a server for private use and also for uploading a website onto the internet (which i have planned, but i will not talk much about it, i do not like talking about things which are not complete) but yet there is a big mix of servers on offer though, i am lookign for a server though which does ot use alot of power, has over 1TB of storage, and has a good speed, for up to 150 pounds. i have already done alot of research, and all the kinds of servers i have found which are alright are at least 300 pounds, but yet with abit of research i do know i could make one myself for up to 150 pounds, but yet i have three options...

1) just buy a fully made server for my price range, but yet risk it not being good
2) make my own server for 150 pounds (new case, new motherboard, new hard drive, everything new)
3) option 3 is a strange one, i have a old pc from 2005, all IDE connections, with a old 80GB hard drive, i know that can be turned into a server, but yet it will have a bad memory, bad storage and bad speed, but this is the cheapest option.

if anyone else has any ideas about this please tell me, but yet if you do not, tell me what you think the best option will be for this, i will not have to pay any money for hard drives, due to i have a 1TB SATA hard drive i do not use, and a 80GB IDE hard drive i do not use, and i will use urbantu server edition for the operating system (which is free to download) and i do have an old cd drive to use to install it (and of course i have blank disks), here is the PC case i am planning of getting to install the motherboard into...

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=389866

... i have picked it due to its small size, due to i do not want it to waste alot of room, but yet i am open for better suggestions,

alot of this is just me ranting on, but just tell me what you think is best for me..

with thanks

keylek

well for starters on the case you picked out you are aware that the case is made for the micro sized motherboards right? 6.7" x 6.7" and not small form factor or mid atx

if you are aware of that then i say go for it, however if your looking for a fast server grade pc, i would skip the theatrics and post up in USA currancy what you could post out of pocket for and limit yourself to what performs and ommit the gaming side of things for use in the gaming pc and not the server

in essence, drop the video card for onboard
drop the onboard sata for an add in sata controller
get a board that supports ECC over standard Non ECC designs
go either Intel Core 2 Quad/Xeon socket 771/775 or AMD 940 Opteron platforms
it would also be adviseable to go with a hotswappable psu over a standard psu for longevity and power usage and for guarantee for if it should go it stops the ability of frying your onboard componants

or if interested i also can afford to sell this
EXCELLENT G5 - No scratches, well cared for!
SPECS:

•G5 Dual core 2.0 GHz
•2.0 GB RAM
•250 GB SATA
•DVD-RW/CD-RW

$475.00 + S/H

or

HP Proliant DL360 G4 dual 3.6GHz Xeon, 4GB RAM rack mount server.
Redundant power supplies, iLO, dual NICs, front and rear usb, CD-ROM, 1.44 floppy. NO HARD DRIVES INCLUDED. $375 + S/H

or


Dell Poweredge 2650
Specs:
It has 8 gigs of ram
-4 1gb sticks of ddr pc1600
-2 2gb sticks of ddr pc2100
2 Intel Xeon processors
-2.4 GHz
-400MHz FSB
-512 L2 cache
5 hot-swappable 32gb seagate cheetah hard drives
-15000 RPM
2 power supplies
power cable

$300 + S/H

i am not looking to buy stuff of people who i do not know properly yet (sorry) but yet i am just looking for a server which is small, and is sutable for my needs. it will be something which will be upgraded with time, so i do not need to worry about everything being top of the range for the time being, i also have a motheboard in mind, just something good enough for the job...

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=345809

... as you can read, it is the correct size for the case, meaning the case and motherboard will fit together, the case also comes with its own PSU, like maybe not the best but alright for the time being. i started this topic to see what people thought would be the best idea, personally i think option 2 is the best because i can slowly build it up wth time, but yet i am open to opinions to see what people think is best (i have already done alot of research, but i want to see if people think i should do it diffenently, like from people with experience with servers) i have never had a server before, and most certainly never built one before eiter, but i do know how to build pcs, and through research i have done, they are nearly the same thing.

i am really looking for experience from people with servers, so they can tell me the best options and also other factors like noice, power supply, and just generally, when i build it, how am i meant to add my stuff onto the internet and so on, i have done alot of research about building, but its what will happen when i have built it i need to know...

so no one then knows how to help me?