Have a Dell 840 Server.... want to use it as a PC - HELP !!!

[Dark Knight]

Evening All

As per the title, wondering if i'm wasting my time looking into this, my PC is even older than my old server so hoping it will be an improvement on that anyway

Anybody here done similar??

My initial concern is the on-board graphics, wondering if a semi descent video card to output to my 1080p monitor via HDMI or even DVI can be added to one of the few slots.

Here's Hoping

 

[neil_g]

To be honest I wouldn't bother looking at the server spec.

What's your computer spec?

 

[Dark Knight]

OLD

 

[Dark Knight]

The 840 is:

• Quadcore 2.13hz
• 4 gig Ram
• 3x 240gb HDD
• DVD Rom
• Dat 72 Dat Drive
• Win 2003 sbs server

I'll just turn on the PC and get the spec... brb

 

[Dark Knight]

PC is

• Pentium D 3.4ghz
• A-Bit SG-95
• 2047 mb Ram
• Geoforce 6200 LE graphics
• Maxtor 149 gb HDD
• Vista Business

 

[Dark Knight]

What do you reckon Neil... any hope of life

Saving up for a new long lens, so not wanting to spend much on PC at all, just want to start editing on a PC again rather than a tiny lappy that I browse the forums on

 

[neil_g]

Lol I take it back.. Like you say though the graphics card is going to be limiting. I think I read the 840 has pci xpress albeit 8x rather than the normal 16x for graphics?

 

[Dark Knight]

Thanks for getting back to me Neil

I'm having great fun at the moment, been one of them days, Had to re-start server in safe mode, Forgot password so not able to look... will be re-installing sbs 2003 on the weekend

 

[Dark Knight]

I'll grab the box and see if there is any more info in there

 

[Dark Knight]

Right... got my 'Getting Started with your System' manual, it says:

Bla.. Bla, Bla.. here we go, The following expansion slots:

• One PCIe x1 (3.3-V)slot
• One PCIe x8 (3.3-V)slot
• One 32-bit, 33-MHz PCI (5-V)slot
• Two 64-bit, 133-MHz PCI-X (3.3-V)slot

Integrated ATI ES1000 SVGA video Controller supporting True Colour Etc... 16MB
Resolutions:

• 640x480
• 800x600
• 1024x768
• 1280x1024
• 1600x1200

 

[Dark Knight]

Been spending a lot of time on google...

Thinking Possibly 8x to 16x adapter - but people getting various results

OR can I/should I change the Motherboard and use the rest of the guts + a new graphics card... Thhis option would certainly eat badly into my 70-200L budget

OR I just put up with the 1600x1200 graphics... would that be as slow as an lame ox ??

 

[Dark Knight]

Ah Haaaaaaa

Been looking all this time for a x8 card - FA about

x1 cards are a plenty - should be fine for Lightroom, PS etc ??

 

[Bambi72]

I just gave away a 512MB PCI-e x8 card via freecycle, bugger....
Coulda sold it for a fiver!

I got more old crap in the loft, not sure about gfx cards though, if I find one I'll pm you and you can have it for free, don't hold yer breath though

 

[Dark Knight]

I just gave away a 512MB PCI-e x8 card via freecycle, bugger....
Coulda sold it for a fiver!

I got more old crap in the loft, not sure about gfx cards though, if I find one I'll pm you and you can have it for free, don't hold yer breath though

Nice one... Cheers Danny

 

[fred974]

Umm..An average server with dual power redundancy will cost on average £24 to run a month....They are very power hungry

 

[neil_g]

holy thread dredge batman..

 

[Dark Knight]

Umm..An average server with dual power redundancy will cost on average £24 to run a month....They are very power hungry

Ouchie !!!! - good Job I put it in a skip

holy thread dredge batman..

You ain't kidding