use server as a pc

After a quick google, reading the specs on it, there will be more noise than a PC Im guessing. It looks like its an end of life product too, which is why its so cheap Im guessing?

Before buying what could be someone else's junk, my advice is google the specs of the server and then the hardware manufacturers driver availability for the O/S you plan to use.

Id base that as the foundation of my decision. You could just buy a 1TB USB drive to backup too. Forza Milan!
 
If you want to run Windows Server on it, you'll probably run into issues getting regular programs to run. You can install most of the things from a standard Windows install and use it like a normal PC, but (if I remember right) you can't run any web browser other than IE (and it might be an older version too).

I'm sure you could install a Linux distro on it and use that, but I'm not sure if you could run Windows 7/8.
 
It's a dual CPU board. I'd be doing a lot of research on if any OS besides server OS can run on in a dual CPU environment. Might be a serious waste of time if any of then don't.
 
Ummmm...

For a beginner, I wouldn't recommend it. I do use a server as a desktop machine, I would use this machine, but I'd also likely use a server os.

You're going to have huge trouble getting windows seven to run on that machine (there is likely no windows seven drivers for the backplane that connects the hdd to the main board.

I shouldn't worry too much about noise, a server is generally deafening when first turned on then they calm down when they realise that they aren't that hot. (But they will get noisy quickly if they get hot)

The exception to that would be an older server that just turns fans on!

That said...
This is a g1, the latest model is g7, so it might be noisy...

Also this is not ready to just plug in, this is a blade so you'd also need the blade chassis to put the blade into.

If you find a cheap blade chassis this could be a great way to start a small server farm, (at fifty bucks each it won't be hugely expensive to fill an 8 blade enclosure)
But then you still have other things to do, (like configure the blade switch)

The long and the short of it is...
Can you use a server as a desktop machine? -yes.
Should you...? -depends on experience and what you're willing to put up with
Can you run a desktop os? -probably not
Is $50 for this a good deal -yes (I believe so)
Will $50 get you a working machine that is ready to go? -no
 
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