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nhiservices
Contributor
Contributor

Recommended Refurb Hardware for home ESXi host?

I'm currently running ESXi 6.1 on a refurbished Dell Optiplex 3010 (i5-3470, 8GB RAM). I usually have 2 guests running permanently:

-VM1 : 4GB RAM - Lubuntu v16 running Home Assistant (home automation) and Mediawiki (for home use)

-VM2 : 4GB RAM - Windows Server 2008 running Blue Iris v5 (NTV/IP camera server), web application server (IIS with 3 personal sites - very low traffic), SQL Server (to support the web sites), File server, Plex media server, Dropbox and Google sync apps.

I'd like to upgrade to something with more RAM (maybe 32GB), mainly because VM2 could use at least 8GB for performance reasons, and also to give some headroom for some development/test VMs for occasional use.

As the Optiplex 3010 is limited to 8GB RAM, I'll have to invest in a new server. Can anyone recommend something suitable in a tower form? A refurb would be ideal - nothing too noisy as it'll be in my office. Budget around £300 but flexible.

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niyijr
Enthusiast
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Hi,

Your budget is quite low even for a refurb at least, if you're looking at a refurb from one of the certified vendors that provide a warranty.

That said, check out the Dell PowerEdge T320. It runs an Intel Xeon E5-2400 Series CPU and can handle a max memory of 192GB. I believe it supports up to ESXi 6.5 U3.

I was able to configure it on ServerMonkey for about $990.00 with the following specs;

  • Dell PowerEdge T320 8-Port Chassis
  • 1.9 GHz Hex-Core Intel Xeon Processor with 15MB Cache -- E5-24203
  • 32GB Memory Upgrade Kit (4x8GB) 2RX4 PC3-12800R
  • PERC H710 512MB Lvl 0-60 PCIE RAID
  • 2TB 7.2K RPM SATA 3.5" Dell Hard Drive x 4 (RAID 5)
  • iDRAC7 Basic Management (Card Only)
  • On-Board Dual Port 1GbE LOM
  • Dell Half-Height SATA DVD-ROM Optical Drive Included
  • (2) Dell 12G 495 Watt PSU
  • No Bezel
  • TekShield 8x5 Support with Replacement for 1 Year
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niyijr
Enthusiast
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Also, it looks like you may be able to upgrade your Optiplex to 16GB memory.

Check out this link - https://www.dell.com/community/Optiplex-Desktops/3010-16GB-ram/td-p/6203290

A number of users seem to be able to run the server with 16GB. In fact, one of the users has a Dell Optiplex 3010 with i5 3470 and 16GB of memory.

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itmv2
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Many thanks for that. If I can pick up something pre-owned for around £40 I think a 16GB upgrade would be a good alternative plan.

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niyijr
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You're welcome. 


@itmv2 wrote:

If I can pick up something pre-owned for around £40


Did you mean to type £400?

 

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nhiservices
Contributor
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Actually no I meant £40 for pre-owned RAM. From a quick look on eBay (UK) I've seen that I can get 2 x 8GB Kingston kvr16n11/8 for around £50, so that could be the most sensible way forward.

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niyijr
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Oh, that makes more sense. You can get a used memory for £40.

I thought you were gonna get a refurb server for £40. Was gonna ask you to hook me up immediately 😁

Glad this is pretty much sorted.

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