Then why are we making a fuss about ESX on ESX?

64-bit VMs are going to be a requirement for test environments in the near future as new OSes are requiring 64-bit.

vDR is 64-bit only so it can't be run in a virtualized ESX environment either.

-MattG

It really stinks that 64-bit VMs don't work as that limits what I can do in a cheap ESX on Workstation lab. When you start talking about having to get "cheap" boxes to run ESX for a lab, it starts to add up when you add in NICs and memory. As well as you tend to have a tougher time getting ESX to run on cheaper HW.

That being said this deal really makes me want to give it a try:
http://www.serversplus.com/product.asp?s=SVHEW-VIRTBUN2

$800 US for 2 x ML-115 G5's with an FT compatible Opteron, a Linksys 8-port VLAN compatible switch, and ESXi 4.0 on USB keys.

The caveat for me at least is that they are UK based and it would cost an additional $300 to have this shipped stateside.

PC Connection has the ML-115 G5 with the same CPU but less memory for $550 each. Still kind of expensive compared to the other deal.

Can anyone recommend a go to place to find old ESX compatible HW for cheap?

I've visited the ESX Whitebox sites and have never really seen a consensus MOBO/CPU combo that is cheap, has alot of memory slots, and is fully ESX compat. Someone needs to figure out what the perfect combo is and assemble and sells these to ESX geek community. I think these would be pretty popular.

-MattG