Cheap mini mac or equivilient for storage server

[Theory5]

Hey, lately I have been itching to do SOMETHING with computers, but living in the dorms I only have my laptop and I don't want to mess with it because I need it for school work. So I decided to look into building a storage server so I can access my external HDD's from anywhere. I heard a mini mac is around 7 inches square, which would be perfect for my dorm. All I need to do is set it up as a storage server, put OSXvnc on it, and put VNC on my laptop, and I should be able to access my external hard drives from almost anywhere (yea I know I need to open ports and stuff ,I was just abbreviating). I looked up the specs and while I would love a mini mac running the latest hardware, the old 2005 G4 mini mac would do fine. running panther or leopard

Unfortunately due to the fact that I am in college, and not working, means that I have little money. So every time I try to bid on a mini mac on ebay, I cant go over $60 dollars or so.

Does anybody else have a space saving alternative or know where I can get a cheap small computer or mac for $60-$70?

[alexander]

Linux Desktop ~ $400

AMD Breeze 3440 :: Desktops :: ZaReason, Inc. ~ $400

VIA ARTiGO Pico-ITX Builder Kit ~ $300

 

just 3 examples of fanless linux systems with at least 4 usb ports that you can use as a storage server for a lot cheaper, quite a bit more securely, quite a bit more openly, they will act as ok desktops for most things too, perhaps even a media server... or you could build an actual media box for $1k, with something like 2-3T probably, maybe even more.

 

or you could get a nas enclosure for a couple of hundred bucks, looks really cool and for your budget (of a mac mini) you can throw in 4 1.5T drives and get 3T redundant out of it...

Really cool looking enclosure:

Amazon.com: 4 Bay Nas Amd Pro. Raid: Electronics http://www.amazon.com/Bay-Nas-Amd-Pro-Raid/dp/B001JR3MIA/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1271097901&sr=1-5

 

and 4 1.5T drives:

Newegg.com - Seagate Barracuda ST315005N4A1AS-RK 1.5TB 5900 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Retail

[Theory5]

Those are still a bit pricey. But while browsing around I found that embedded systems and some specialty comps are pretty cheap and tiny. Unfortunately most are still out of my price range :-/

[alexander]

the via artigo kit is like $259... you were talking about getting a mac mini, need i remind you...

[freeztar]

I'm with Alex on this one. No need to spend $$ on a Mac solution for a storage server that you don't really plan to use in any other way.

 

Have you considered a shuttle? Like this...

 

Micro Center - Shuttle Computer Group Shuttle Computer SA76G2 Black Barebone, AMD 760G SB710 Chipset, Support Socket AM2 and AM3, , DDR2 (Max 8GB), 250W Power Supply

 

In any case, I don't see how it would be possible to have something like this new for under about $300. Perhaps you could get something a little cheaper used on ebay though.

 

Edit: Oh, and of course, you'll probably want to use Linux :(

[Theory5]

browsing around I found a small embedded system that should work great. im bidding on it here

[alexander]

yes, those (embedded systems) will serve you much better and more economically then a mac mini....

Oh, and of course, you'll probably want to use Linux

definitely, he'll definitely want to use linux, it will do samba shares on a super slender os that actually can be decently secured, and so thus, natted out to the world...

[freeztar]

browsing around I found a small embedded system that should work great. im bidding on it here

 

Work great? Maybe...

 

It's a 200Mhz x86 with 128MB RAM. :Exclamati It's got Slackware though, so...maybe.

[alexander]

i dunno i like the logicsupply one, its a via C7 processor with a gig of ram, you can throw in some storage into it and use it as an actual and decently fast fanless desktop, and if you want to spend say $450, you can get it with an SSD ($260 barebones, $45 1 gb ram, $140 32gb SSD, he did say he is connecting it to external drives...)

[freeztar]

Personally, I would find a way to make some extra space in the room and build a micro-ATX from scratch. Since you don't need a screen or peripherals, you could build a great little machine for about $200. It could have a lot more capability than any of the other options discussed.

[alexander]

freezy, i think every machine i have proposed is a micro atx box :shrug:

[freeztar]

freezy, i think every machine i have proposed is a micro atx box :shrug:

 

Well, the last post you made was to LogicSupply, which specializes in micro-ITX boards.

 

Now that I've looked back at your posts more carefully, that Zareason AMD box looks pretty sweet. :shrug:

[alexander]

i know and its cheap, which is always a great combination :shrug:

 

also that nas is pretty crazy, it looks cool, and does raid 1, 10, 5 and 6 on those 4 bays, which is pretty spiffy too...

[smith001]

Hi,

 

Jessica the moronic SEO slave here from Kolkata. As I have seen your comments above & I must say that you had shared a lot of information here because the Mac Mini is, at once, a radical change in direction for Apple Computer Inc. and the quintessential Macintosh.

 

More than two decades ago, the original designers of the Macintosh envisioned a $500 appliance computer that exemplified simplicity. The Mac Mini is just that, at exactly that price. Mac OS X has lost some of the software elegance and consistency of the original system, but the Mac Mini is still the finest example of those principles on the market today.

 

As the lowest-cost personal computer ever sold by Apple, the Mini also represents a big change in Apple's business model. We discussed this concept at length two years ago in our iCheap pages, and it was the core of a raging debate back in 1997 over the termination of Mac OS licensing.

 

When Steve Jobs killed licensing, it propped up Apple's profitability, but Mac OS market share slid into decline. The first iMac - a wildly-successful, modestly-priced appliance computer for the Internet age - helped save the company.

 

Now we have a new Apple appliance for a new decade of personal computing, one of declining costs and margins symbolized by IBM's sale of its PC business to China. The Mac Mini, built in Taiwan to Apple's specifications, has the potential to boost Apple's business again, just as the iMac did in the 1990's. The market (and Apple's future development of the Mini) will decide.

 

The Mini, like the iMac, represents a radical re-packaging of technology, rather than the revolution in technology of the original Macintosh. Yet, this sort of repackaging can change the market dramatically, if hordes of people buy it, or if a "killer application" transforms it, the way VisiCalc transformed the Apple II and iTunes transformed music distribution.

 

Thanks

Jessica

[alexander]

The Mac Mini is just that, at exactly that price.

uhh, where? the cheapest mini is $600 before taxes...

Mac OS X has lost some of the software elegance and consistency of the original system

I actually highly disagree, they finally did what OS designers ought to do, they have a fairly stable, fairly secure OS, that is finally consistent and in tune with the latest OS and UI designs (well apple pretty much defines elegant UI...), as opposed to the quickly antiquated OS 9 that stopped being original quite a while back, like os 7ish...

but Mac OS market share slid into decline

I have no clue where you are getting your figures, of anything since OS X, Mac OS made a massive rebound in the OS market... only increased by the utter failure of Windows Vista.

 

The Mini, like the iMac, represents a radical re-packaging of technology

You are starting to sound like a mac mini brochure... it represents nothing, apple was not the first to come up with the concept, like "spaces", like "webkit", like a lot of things recently. Ipad hardware aside...

[freeztar]

I recently installed a Seagate Blackarmor 110 NAS on a client's system and I was quite impressed with it.

 

It has built in DHCP and was recognized by all comps I installed the software on, providing full-system backup on the fly. It also acts as a print server and has the front plate option of a USB2 port that provides "one-touch" backup of any thumb-drive placed in it.

 

The coolest features though will not be realized by my client, who only wants it for server storage and backup. This unit also acts as a media server and connects to iTunes. All computers connected can share in the wealth and there is even the ability for the sysop to enable remote access. In other words, it is really cool! :rolleyes: At $190, it's a bit pricey for my own needs, but I could see it being a staple in a small network (less than 10 comps) configured to take advantage of it. :phones:

 

A big letdown is that the supplied software is Acronis-based, it will not work out of the box with Linux. But, for those familiar with Linux, this should not be a problem. ;)

[alexander]

I still want that 4-bay nas.... soooo perdy.... though honestly i'd rather build one myself...