Video Card

The choice of video card will really depend upon what else we decide to use this system for. Whether this system will be used for serious gaming or high-end graphics really determines the appropriate video card. Our main requirement was a 1280x1024 DVI output, good compatibility, and stable drivers.

We like the current NVIDIA offerings when 3D speed is not the most important consideration. We need a stable driver set and prefer the unified driver set because it simplifies upgrades within the same manufacturer without worrying about operating system compatibility issues. For workgroup settings we recommend using a single video card manufacturer for all your systems so you can minimize the number of spare parts you stock and also for the ability to do video card transplants on a whim.

The NVIDIA drivers also do a good job of desktop rotation, which simplifies using our LCD monitors in portrait mode. Most LCD manufacturers provide utilities to do this, but when it is integrated into the driver set, it should be more reliable.

Chaintech GeForce FX 5200 card

For this application we’ll use an NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 128MB card to stay within budget. No one should mistake this card for a 3D powerhouse though; it is among the slowest 3D cards on the market -- fast enough for us, but slow compared to the other NVIDIA and ATI offerings. Most “servers” do with an integrated graphics chip like an ATI Rage XL or less.

Cost: $70 with free t-shirt or hat

Matrix Orbital

Some people think that servers should be boring. Nothing could be further from the truth as many of the most impressive system cases are those of servers. Just take a look at the SGI servers. One feature of the old Onyx and current Origin servers was an LCD screen that provides system status and statistics. To provide this information, we added a Matrix Orbital MX2 to the system. It is also useful for pure server applications where you’re monitor-less.

The Matrix Orbital can easily be programmed to display essential server statistics, including network, CPU, and memory usage; real-time numbers on the free space on the hard drives, as well as temperature and fan monitoring. One great feature of the Matrix Orbital is that it can be used to control three additional case fans. The max current is 1A at 12V, which covers all but the most exotic of fans.

As great as it looks, the Matrix Orbital could be made a lot better. I would have liked to see some USB and firewire connections next to the LCD or a version of the matrix orbital with a built in USB 2.0 card reader. Either way, the Matrix Orbital MX2 is a great way to distinguish your system from the rest of the pack. It is relatively inexpensive when you consider the cumulative costs of all your fans, fan grill, round cables, and “mod” accessories, some of which are not easily visible.

Matrix Orbital - CPU voltage/fan

Voltage monitoring

Cost: $100

Optical Drive

We went with a Pioneer DVR-106 4x DVD±R/RW drive for its reported high compatibility with various media types, good support in terms of regular firmware upgrades, as well as its reasonable price. One nice touch is that the black drive not only has a black front face, but the drive tray itself is also black. Some black drives just have a new faceplate, but the inside tray is the standard beige color.

Cost: $150