I am looking at getting a cheap machine for my home network for running SQL server and IIS. Main criteria are that it be cheap, small and have enough memory to run Win2K, SQL 2K and IIS (preferably half a gig). It won't be hit too intensively, so a slower processor isn't such a problem (and indeed it may be desirable from the perspective of code optimisation). Above all though, it must be cheap. I don't mind second hand.

Any suggestions? Did I mention it must be cheap?

Maybe a barebones shuttle-based system? Or will that not have enough grunt?

Give it a month or two and I could probably sort you out a 1ghz athlon tower with 512mb RAM and 12-40gb HD in it...

Colin is still selling one in the For Sale section...

The mini-itx ormat aren't going to set your pants on fire in terms of speed (iirc, the most powerful is 1.2Ghz), but they do have the virtue of being smaller than shuttles, quieter than shuttles and being a totally integrated solution (cpu and fansink, vga, sound, and network port(s) on on a titchy board.

Just add psu, ram and hdd.....

I built one a year ago for.....

Any old standard desktop pc will do. I have a home server, running w2k3 and loads of other bits. 512MB with PIII 866 CPU, its online now. have a look round http://octaviars.homeip.net

That's the kind of thing I'm looking for Manny - not high powered, or even necessarily new - just capable of running the software I need.

You ought to be looking at www.ebuyer.com. You should be able to put togther a server for around

How about this brand new PC from e-buyer for