Computersight -

A Server is basically a PC that is designed to run fast and efficiently, without flashy graphics etc. They are used for running networks, websites, games, etc. A Game Server is designed for users to connect to, and to store user data, etc.

The components needed are:

1. Case
2. Motherboard
3. Processor
4. Memory (RAM)
5. Hard Drive
6. Optical Drive
7. Operating System

Step One: Getting the Parts

I chose
Dabs
for this step, as I’d used them before, but there are plenty of good websites out there.

You want to find a cheap, but good, piece of equipment for each part. What I did was look for parts that matched the specs I needed, and had a 4 or 5 star rating.

Here is what I got:

• Dabsvalue Case: £20
  Fits all mainboards up to 244mm.
  400w power supply included.
• MSI Motherboard: £32
  Fits two DDRII simms, up to 2 GB in each RAM slot. (Up to 4 GB total)
  Socket AM2.
  Supports AMD Athlon 64 X2
  Supports 64-bit processors.
• AMD Processor: £48
  Socket AM2.
  64-bit.
  2.2 ghz (“3800+”)
  Dual core
• Corsair Memory: £52
  2 simms, DDRII
  Each simm 1 GB in size (2 GB in total)
• Hard Drive: £28
  160 GB
  7,200 RPM
• DVD-Rom / CD-RW combo drive: £15
  I actually salvaged this from an old PC, but the same drive was £15 on the net.

Step Two: Putting It Together

Firstly, make sure you anti-static yourself. (Touch a metal objects that is connected to the ground, and un-painted. Or, wear an anti-static bracelet, probably best.) This is important as any static shocks can harm the components.

Open up the case. You’ll find many screws with your case or motherboard. Screw the spacers into the case, lined up with the holes in the motherboard. Make sure the motherboard does not touch the case, and screw it in place on the spacers. Plug in any case wires, such as power buttons, into the places as described in the motherboard’s manual.

Now Take your processor. Smear on some heat-transfer paste (around £2.50), and line it up with the pins on the white square of the motherboard, making sure the arrow in one corner is lined up with the arrow on the motherboard. Making sure it is perfectly aligned, lower the lever (if it is AM2) to stick it in place. Your CPU may be different; I am writing this from using a socket AM2 processor. Read the instructions supplied with your CPU. Place the heat sink on top, and clip it in place. Connect the fan wires to the motherboard.

Connect the thick grey cable to the motherboard. Now screw the hard drive in to one of the small bays, and connect the thick grey cable, and one of the white power cables. Place the optical drive into the case, and screw it in place. Again, connect a white power cable and the thick grey cable.

Now the memory… Make sure the notch is lined up, and place it in to one of the slots. Don’t force it. Push it down gently and the white clips will close on it. Do the same for any additional sticks if you have them.

Now turn it on and pray it works.

Step Three: the Operating System

You want a cheap, but effective, operating system.

I chose Linux as it has many free distributions. I then chose Ubuntu, for some reason. I went with Xubuntu, because I needed a visual system, that was low on resources. Download it, install it on the server, and run it.

Setting up the network should be straight forward, or you can check the OS’s website for guides.

All done!

In the end, here’s the specs:

• AMD Athlon 64-bit dual core, 2.2ghz 3800+
• 2 GB memory
• 160 GB hard disk drive, 7,200 RPM
• DVD-R/CD-RW drive
• 400w PSU
• Xubuntu Linux

Total cost: £197.50 -
Not bad for a server of these specs.

Upgrading

Oh, we’re not done yet! As your game makes money, here’s some things to upgrade:

• RAM: 2 GB -> 4 GB
• Hard Drive: 160GB 7,200 RPM -> 80GB 15,000 RPM