Hi all

I'm just starting my studying for my VMWare VCP6-DCV exam and MS Windows Server 2012 MCSA.

I am on the look out for a server for me to setup at home to practice on.

I have been looking on TradeMe however cant find exactly what I need within a reasonable distance.. I have been offered some units from Auckland however when I have looked into postage/courier costs it is looking like it is going to be close to $100 so reaching out to the community here to see if anyone from the Wellington region can help me.

So basically I am looking for tower or rack server that will let me run the above comfortably. I have a budget of up to $250 depending upon the specifications.

So far there have been 2 particular models that keep coming up in my searches that meet my requirements and budget :

Dell Poweredge 2950 (Gen II & III)

HP Proliant DL380 G5

I am open to look at other model however these seem to be the go to machines for what I am needing.

The specifications I am looking for are:

Processor : 2 x Quad Core 2.0GHz+

RAM : 16GB Minimum (32GB+ ideally)

Storage Controller : RAID (0/1/5/10 at least)

HD : At least 4 x 2.5" drive with a total capacity of 500GB+.  (it will only be for software and no storage)

NIC : Dual Gigabit

Based on what I have seen for sale within Auckland, Christchurch, North Shore ( everywhere but Wellington!) the price for something meeting this specification is around $200.. however as I mentioned for me to ship this to me it would add on close to $100.

There are a couple of people currently selling a DL380 G5 in Wellington on TradeMe however one meets all the specs other than the drives (i.e. has none) and the other is lacking in CPU, RAM and HD's.

$100-$120 : 1xDual 2.33GHz, 4GB RAM, No HD's : http://www.trademe.co.nz/computers/servers/servers/auction-1023137788.htm

$250-$300 : 2xQuad 3GHz, 42GB RAM, No HD's : http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=1021926369

These older servers are often being decommissioned in data centres and offices and Wellington has many of these reaching their EOL I am sure.. So I'm hoping someone here will either be directly involved or know someone in their IT dept. and be able to find out if they have anything they are looking to swap for more kudos toward the staff xmas beer fund. Alternatively though, perhaps someone here has a suitable machine of their own that they (or perhaps the wife) would be happy to sell???

All comments and any advice is welcome by the way! :-)

Thank you