I was wondering about what it would cost to buy an inexpensive server class quad-core system. The requirements were to have a relatively energy efficient server class (Xeon, Opteron) quad-core processor combined with a barebones server with at least 4 hot-swap sata bays.

I’ve been liking barebone servers more recently. Sure they’re still a little more expensive than purchasing parts separately but when it comes to a 1U or 2U the convenience and security that comes with knowing all the parts are going to work together is often worth the price. I have a couple of projects where these servers might be needed but some of the architectural details still need to be resolved and as such a couple of models might work well given the different contraints.