Got an SCSI Raid Server for Free but there is a catch
Posted by New_Consideration708@reddit | vintagecomputing | View on Reddit | 29 comments
I've got an Server for free from Sperrmüll(bulky waste of electronics, furniture etc for free, that waits for a truck that takes it to recycle center)
This is a Pentium 4 machine with 1gb ram(2×512mb). It has 3×73gb scsi(?) 10k rpm drives and some scsi controllers. It had a 400w psu but im unsure how that would power all the drives on, so i putted it away. Its cool but im not very interested in scsi hardware.
Any use for that? Any resell value on ebay?
Der_Unbequeme@reddit
A 250w PSU is enough, you can connect any ATX PSU.
But the CPU need a Heatsink.
Resell value...nothing, the SCSI controller maybe 30 bucks, and 10 for each drive...maybe.
GGigabiteM@reddit
250W PSU is most definitely not enough for that server, 500W minimum.
Those four SCSI drives alone pull \~60 watts, not accounting for the high inrush current on the 12v rail to get those platters to spin up all at the same time. Some SCSI controllers can do staggered start, but not all of them do it by default.
Those fans are another few amps, plus the motherboard itself is probably another 60 watts.
And No idea what P4 is in there, but with the P4 power connector and the extra supplementary molex power, it consumes an enormous amount of power. Likely well over 100W by itself.
I used to run servers like that decades ago, it wasn't uncommon for them to idle at 300-500 watts. Netburst and high RPM SCSI drives were enormously power hungry. The power supplies were in the 500-800W range to account for peak demand and the high inrush current on startup.
Der_Unbequeme@reddit
each drive need 1A on 12V, yes, you need a PSU with more power if you will connect all of them.
but not for testing
NightmareJoker2@reddit
SCSI controller: 20€ (if it’s a special sought after model, up to 150€, if it’s PCIe SCSI, up to 200€ to the right buyer, but at ~40€ they sell fast. I want one or two, people always snipe me on eBay. PCI-X controllers aren’t special). Motherboard: 30€ SCSI cables: 10-20€ per cable SCSI terminator: 10-15€ ATX computer case: 20-50€ (a new one is 70-80€), if you’ve got one with special nostalgia factor or many drive bays, up to 250€ to the right buyer. The hard drives, depending on age, capacity, and connector type 10-40€
These are typical buy prices to people who want things. Usually specific things (if you are selling anything, know the manufacturer, model number and accurately describe the item, censor serial numbers but not model or part numbers in listing pictures). And must include assurance that the item is fully working/has all the features. These are not sell prices or even earnings for you, especially if you are looking to make a quick buck. These are prices people are willing to pay, including any shipping fees. A commercial or seasoned hobbyist reseller would not pay even half, because of the labor and risks to their own known good hardware involved with testing them so they can reassure their customers of the condition of the item.
x925@reddit
But what if someone puts 'Vintage' on the listing, that automatically makes it $500 right?
Der_Unbequeme@reddit
Every day a fool gets up...
West-Way-All-The-Way@reddit
You are overestimating - 10 to 30 for the controller and this only in case it fits some industrial machinery, 5 for each drive, the rest just trash
SoftRecommendation86@reddit
Note: servers typically stagger spinup of the drives so they don't all start at once. Let's a lower wattage power supply work just fine. I used to have a scsi tower with 8 drives.. thought it was so cool watching each ready light go on.. one at a time.
Entire-Sherbert-2409@reddit
Honestly I would gut the case and use it for a NAS build
DualPerformance@reddit
Is a Pentium IV good for retro gaming? I started project for a retro pc a few months ago, (using only the hardware from my current collection) and is an hibrid build, with a Core 2 Quad Q8400 overclocked, a GTX 1060 3GB and 8GB RAM, I'm tempted to use older parts that I have lying around, I have a Pentium IV HT 3.6 GHz and 8600 GT, wich would be a nice fit for the Pentium, and is compatible with the same board that have the Q8400 installed on it
Critical-Advantage11@reddit
Your current "retro" PC will play basically any game that came out before 2020 on pretty high settings. I retired a very similar PC in 2020
I think XP is supported for that processor so it should be ok for most games back to 99 or so.
If you want the play speed sensitive DOS games you're looking at PII and older
A P4 was the standard for gaming for about 7 years, but they have a pretty wide range for specs
TygerTung@reddit
Although the graphics card is a generation too new.
DualPerformance@reddit
1060 feels like a super new gpu, but the 8600 GT would be very slow for games like gta iv and the shoters of 2007 - 2010
Der_Unbequeme@reddit
i have for retro gaming created:
Pentium IV, 2.53ghz, on an Asrock P4M800, 512mb ram (DDR400), IDE hdd 40gb, 3,5/5,25" FDD, and a Pioneer106 DVD-R/RW drive, CreativeSBPCI128 with a real GAME Port, Windows98seSP3,
or DOS 6.22 with QEMM.
the onboard Via Apollo pro VGA is perfect for all win9x and most of DOS games (include WingCommander III-V),
For DOS i can reduce the CPU speed to 1% (\~160mhz 486) so i can run most of pre 1990 Software.
probably_platypus@reddit
Many SCSI controller BIOS extensions support 'staggered start' of hard drives.
villefilho@reddit
BlueScsi, anyone?
TheOGTachyon@reddit
The SCSI controller might be worth a few bucks. Offer it and the cables on ebay.
Kiwi_eng@reddit
The drive looks like 80-pin SCA while the controller has a 68-pin. Where does the power get added?
Khrispy-minus1@reddit
Those drives plug into a backplane that has additional power connectors. Makes it easy to hot-swap, but hard to find replacement drives (especially now).
Kiwi_eng@reddit
Thanks. Yeah, I was thinking that there is still a demand for these to support certain late '90s workstations. My Sun Ultra 1 and SG O2 uses them.
Khrispy-minus1@reddit
I think resale is going to be possible, but slow and limited, and parts only. There will be users with legacy systems that will need exactly these specific parts, or sometimes a data recovery company will need a working donor hard drive of a particular model and revision, but you'd have to sit on the parts for a while or sell them off for peanuts just to get rid of them. Shipping on the whole thing would be expensive just due to the weight and the case is probably useless unless someone needs that exact backplane for the hard drives to slot into.
Academic-Ad-8908@reddit
10k must be noisy as hell
No-Condition8771@reddit
They're not. If anything they're exciting to hear when you're loading something big (like a game) but that only happens for a little bit. Most of the time they sound like regular HDDs which is to say like mostly nothing.
Computers_and_cats@reddit
Nice machine. It should have resale value especially as a part out situation. Shipping is going to be a nightmare.
TxM_2404@reddit
The GPU looks interesting. What is it? Do the Drives still work?
New_Consideration708@reddit (OP)
it was dusty in there, so i cleaned it. maybe i can try to turn it on. After my reasearch there isnt any GPU there. The first card is an Adaptec SCSI Raid 2120s controller under it is an Adaptec AHA-2940U2W SCSI Controller Card and the last one is a Equinox SST-4/8P Serial I/O Adapter card. I can use the VGA output from mobo
AwkwardSpread@reddit
You should talk :) https://www.reddit.com/r/vintagecomputing/s/RiAcREYti4
Zentralschaden@reddit
The resell value is limited because it is actually heavy and huge. When you max out everything with ram, drives and cpu, then you get some more Euros for it.
Shipping those is really shitty because you ahve to use A LOT of bubble wrap or the plastic front can break.
Baselet@reddit
Not sure why the drives would be a problem for the PSU? 10-15% used by them.