Two ESXi server builds at $499 and $587
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sippervixx Member |
The first one worked fine and is currently running 5 virtual machines (two Server 2008, 1 Server 2003, Ubuntu 8.04, and TrixBox). The second build is one I\'m doing to support one more VM, but should all work fine as both mobos are the exact same chipset. I will post here as to how well the second box at the bottom performs #################################### 2.5GHz Quad-Core AMD 9850 Phenom X4, 4GB DDR2-800, single 500GB SATA drive, single gig NIC $55 - FoxConn A7VMX-K AMD 780V AM2+ Micro ATX Mobo (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186143&Tpk=A7VMX-K) $160 - AMD X4 Phenom 4x2.5GHz Quad Core (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103249) $ 40 - 4GB DDR2-800 RAM (most the mobo will support) (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122) $ 60 - Promise SATA300 TX4 Storage Card (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816102062) $ 90 - Western Digital RE3 500GB SATA drive (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136294) $ 28 - Intel PRO/1000 NIC (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833106121) $ 18 - Lite-On DVD drive (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106276) $ 8 - Floppy Drive (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16821103203) $ 40 - Apex MiniATX Case with power supply (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811154052) *BIOS needs to be flashed to latest version on the Foxconn mobo to recognize the CPU so ESX will install #################################### 2.5GHz Quad-Core AMD 9850 Phenom X4, 8GB DDR2-1066, single 500GB SATA drive, single gig NIC $ 73 - ASUS M3A78-CM AM2+/AM2 AMD 780V Micro ATX AMD Motherboard (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131330) $160 - AMD X4 Phenom 4x2.5GHz Quad Core (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103249) $110 - 2 Kits of G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 1066 Memory (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231166) $ 60 - Promise SATA300 TX4 Storage Card (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816102062) $ 90 - Western Digital RE3 500GB SATA drive (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136294) $ 28 - Intel PRO/1000 NIC (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833106121) $ 18 - Lite-On DVD drive (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106276) $ 8 - Floppy Drive (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16821103203) $ 40 - Apex MiniATX Case with power supply (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811154052) $587 - Total #################################### |
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| Posts: 4 Country:  Unknown Date: 07-01-2009 01:21 |
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Replys's
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sippervixx Member |
So with alot of work and testing on the second system using the Asus board, we found out you have to use the oldest BIOS ROM version that is only found on the motherboard\'s installation CD. On the CD, it\'s on the root directory and ends with *.ROM, but when you load it on the BIOS via the BIOS flash tool within the BIOS itself, it will show up as Build 0307. If you use any other BIOS, including what Asus calls the \'initial release\' which is 0405, either the install/boot will hand after \'loading vmkernels\' or will not see the Promise Storage controller. As such, the end result is: 1. Bigger System ################################# 2.5GHz Quad-Core AMD 9850 Phenom X4, 8GB DDR2-1066, single 500GB SATA drive, single gig NIC $ 73 - ASUS M3A78-CM AM2+/AM2 AMD 780V Micro ATX AMD Motherboard running 0307 BIOS) (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131330) $160 - AMD X4 Phenom 4x2.5GHz Quad Core (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103249) $110 - 2 Kits of G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 1066 Memory (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231166) $ 60 - Promise SATA300 TX4 Storage Card (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816102062) $ 90 - Western Digital RE3 500GB SATA drive (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136294) $ 28 - Intel PRO/1000 NIC (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833106121) $ 18 - Lite-On DVD drive (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106276) $ 8 - Floppy Drive (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16821103203) $ 40 - Apex MiniATX Case with power supply (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811154052) $587 - Total #################################### |
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Posts: 4 Country: Unknown Date: 10-01-2009 21:09 |
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ToshiMass Member |
Hello, I was planning on duplicating your first computer, priced it and it\'s attractive for a whitebox. Did you have any odd issues with getting that system up and running or did it work right "out of the box". I\'ve built computers in the past but usually get a mobo/cpu combo for starters. I\'ve never put a cpu on a mobo and I\'m a bit nervous about screwing something up. Any advice? Also, do you use the local hard drive for the virtual machine storage? Any help you can offer would be great... Scott |
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Posts: 1 Country: Unknown Date: 11-01-2009 14:57 |
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bender183 Member |
Hello, I just got 2nd mentioned "bigger system" the other day. Well...it turns out that the motherboard (ASUS M3A78-CM) no longer comes with the cd containing the bios you need to downgrade too ie; 0307. It comes with a dvd that contains a bios labeled 1002 in the root dir of the dvd-rom. This .ROM file is not available via the web, trust me I have looked, heh. So this is just a warning to anyone thinking about going with that configuration, either you are going to have to find a buddy with the 0307 .ROM or you are out of luck. With that said...can anyone hook me up with the 0307 ROM for the ASUS M3A78-CM? Or perhaps an iso image of the cdrom that came with the motherboard? This is not piracy since I own the motherboard, and I would really appreciate it if someone could help out. Like mentioned above I get stuck on the kernel loading screen. I\'ll be happy to supply the reciept of my purchase of the motherboard and etc to anyone wishing to help  |
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Posts: 1 Country: Unknown Date: 21-03-2009 07:57 |
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sippervixx Member |
Crap Bender, sorry I haven\'t checked this in forever. Did you ever find the 307 BIOS or do you still need it? PM me your email or ping me at sippervixx@yahoo.com for the 0307 BIOS and I will dig it up. | |
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Posts: 4 Country: Unknown Date: 02-06-2009 03:35 |
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sippervixx Member |
I didn\'t have any issues with ANY of the machines (sans the 0307 BIOS issue on the Asus motherboard). And in fact, the single hard drive has been totally fine, as I\'ve had no issues with ANY VMs and I haven\'t had to bring ANY VM down or the ESXi server since posting this. | |
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Posts: 4 Country: Unknown Date: 02-06-2009 03:36 |
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mrbogus Member |
Hi all, new to the site and was wondering if you found Bios version 307 for the Asus M3A78-CM motherboard. thx |
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Posts: 1 Country: Unknown Date: 15-07-2010 21:28 |
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patrick2011 Member |
Hello I am trying to built two identical boxes to run FT, HA and DRS. Is it working for you. Have you tested FT? If yes, then I will buy 2, the very first system you constructed and that will be my lab for vmware and test cluster. Please advise. Thanks. |
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Posts: 3 Country: Unknown Date: 26-04-2011 10:23 |
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