So, replaced two older machines that are doing the majority of the downloads with one machine and a virtual machine:
- 4GB: twice the amount of RAM (partly needed for the VM)
- 2* 500GB disks: twice the amount of diskspace (with half the amount of drives)
- C2D@2,1GHz: twice the amount of processor power (loading large newsgroups was getting slow)
And the main reason to do this:
- less then 80W/hour of power used: half the amount of the previous two machines!
for advances in electronics!
Stumbled accross this, 3 years later: current config is using SSD drives (3: 480GB + 120GB + 100GB, could not find another 480GB+ in time).
Also replaced the case with a smaller one and it contains now a 80% effeciency power supply.
Net result? Power usage is now less then 60W/hour!
I will never earn the cost back with the saved power
but what the heck, its FAST in repairing rar's and requires less ventilation and produces less noise.
Edit: Finally have my DVD collection 'online':
Took me a few years of ripping and waiting for HDD's to get big enough.
Result:
To the left is the main computer (temp storage and it runs the virtual machines) it's the smallest case I could find that holds a micro ATX board (from Antec).
To the right of that: 3 QNAP TS-412's and a TS-212 holding a total of 14 3TB drives.
Net storage: 39TB (no I did not use it all yet
)
Result: all my Movies, Music and Series DVD's are now available without leaving the chair I sit in
(a couchpotatos dream
)