In follow up to my previous post about buying a server off Ebay, I mentioned I bought some hard drives from Newegg.com and some additional memory from Crucial.com. Well, my server arrived earlier this week and I installed the additional items I ordered into the server and then immediately tested them.

I typically do this first thing with any new system (server or desktop) because I want to make sure all the components are ok before I invest time in installing, using and relying on them. Additionally, if there are problems, I can return the item during the usual 30 day return period.

It didn’t take but about 2 hours to test 2 hard drives and run a memory test, all available in one convenient location through the afore mentioned Ultimate Boot CD. In this case, everything tested well and the server is ready to roll. Typically, this should always be the result, but sometimes you do get defective items.

For those interested, here are the specs on the “new” server:

• Dell PowerEdge 750 (1U rack-mount with rails)
• P4 - 2.8 GHz
• 3 GB DDR400 ECC RAM
• 2 - 500 GB SATA hard drives
• Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition

The cost of both the server (which came with the OS and rails) plus the additional hard drives and memory came out to just over $900 (the cost of OS alone can run you $700)! Considering we have spent more on new desktops in the past, this is a great deal for a test server environment.