EggXpert

We are thinking about builing a server, but don't have a huge budget to work on. so we are looking for advice on products that newegg.com has to build a server that is not only would it be dependable but would have lots of room to work with since we want to start our own Vbulletin forum.

any advice? all will be accepted and none will be rejected. 

please send all information as we need it..

:)

budget will be discussed privately...

Unless you are trying to run a multi-function site like this one here you could get away with using an older server.  A dual socket Tyan and 1st generation Opteron CPUs (200 series.. you are going to need to shop around for these) paired up with a couple 750GB IDE hard drives in Raid1 should be able to handle any forum. If you know your way around Linux you can save a lot there.

The DDR400 ram will be pretty spendy though 

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I fold for my Grandmothers, my cousin Mike, Uncles Bob and Carl, Aunt Barb, my wife's Grandmother, Aunts Linnea and Alma and Uncle Myrel who all died from Cancer and my dad who has survived

Why not check out ebay for used purpose-built server hardware? I've picked up a tower form factor Dell Poweredge 1400 and a rack mount Poweredge 2550 in the past few months, for $129 and $139 respectively. They both have dual PIII's, one 1.13 GHz and the other 1.4 GHz. The tower came with 1.5 gigs and two 18 gig SCSI disks and the 2550 came with 2 gigs and four 18 gig disks. I stripped out the SCSI disks and put an ATA card in the tower to connect up modern high capacity disks. I'll look at eSATA or connecting to another server via IP over firewire for the rack mount.

 Some may guffaw at such antiquated hardware but it'll "serve" my purpose just fine.

Recently, I've been able to spec out a low budget (<$800) server that fits my needs, however you need to be more specific as to the server's role. Windows network? Unix/Linux? Mac? Storage/RAID? Application Server? For example, if this is a file server where either files and/or databases would be stored, then RAID becomes a much bigger issue so a RAID card, and possibly backplane may add on to your cost. If this is a simple email or web server, RAID may not be a priority thus, reducing your cost.

I wouldn't recommend Dell or any other vendor in terms of low-cost unless expandability options are a priority. If you needed the ability to scale up, then a vendor may fit your needs better, but it sounds like money is your only concern. I can help you, and I'm sure others would be just as willing to help, but specs as "cheap" isn't really painting a picture. Until you specify some intentions, it's difficult to help you attain that low budget server you're looking for.