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Geek Culture / Using Windows Server 2008 R2 As A Daily Use OS

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That Guy John
15
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Joined: 30th Apr 2010
Location: United States
Posted: 16th May 2012 21:50
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As some of you other dreamspark members may know, we are provided with a free license for Windows Server.

I am currently on NewEgg selecting parts for my new build for a "Super Budget Build" with room for future upgrades.

Current Parts in my cart:

MSI 760GM-P21
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB
Rosewill FBM-01 Dual Fans MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case

Re-Using Parts:
AMD Athlon II 64 2.7GHz
Some random 500W PSU (I don't feel like opening my case at the moment)
Radeon HD 4550
WD 300Gig for OS and programs(Once again I don't feel like cracking open my case at the moment)
WD 1T for data ("")

My questions for ya'll at the moment are:

What are your experiences with using Using Windows Server 2008 R2 As A Daily Use OS?

Are there any problems you see with my chosen hardware?

Keep in mind, my chosen hardware is to just get the system up and running, future proofing for moderate upgrades to eventually have a decent workstation for game development and maybe some light to moderate game play. One piece at a time.

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SageTech
20
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Joined: 3rd Dec 2004
Location: Orlando, Florida
Posted: 16th May 2012 23:14
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It really doesn't make sense to run server 2008 on your main PC - there's a reason its a server OS, its not inherently better then windows 7, it just handles server roles that the consumer windows version can't (Active Directory, DNS, File Services, etc.). You could of course disable all of these roles and a few of the other services that 2008 R2 runs but by then what would be the point?

I think if you want to dabble with Server 2008 for development purposes you'd be better off beefing up your memory and running it in a Virtual Machine. I currently have 16Gigs, and at the moment am running 2 Guest OS's, with 4GB allocated to each - Everything is running like it were 3 actual computers in front of me, with no noticeable lag.
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bitJericho
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Joined: 9th Oct 2002
Location: United States
Posted: 17th May 2012 00:08 Edited at: 17th May 2012 00:08
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Might I recommend windows 8 instead? It's free, stable (in my experience as my primary OS), and it's good until at least the end of the year.

darkBIT TGC Torrent Tracker / File Server - AGK Chat: #agk : irc.devhat.net
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That Guy John
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Posted: 17th May 2012 05:16
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The only reason I want to use Windows Server is because I have a license for it. I don't really have any particular interest in it. For now it would save me 99 bucks on ordering another copy of Win 7.

I have thought about using Win 8 on the new build, but I haven't really looked into it much. Still a viable option though.

Annnd.. SOB.. the mobo I had in my cart just sold out today..

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SageTech
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Location: Orlando, Florida
Posted: 17th May 2012 06:05
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Ah, I see, the cheap factor

You could indeed use server 2008 then - its just that you will run into quirks you wouldn't if you were using windows7. I'm sure there are guides on the internet on all the tweaks to get it running more like a consumer OS, and how to cut out all the server functions. I suppose you will have the advantage of slightly more stability - it is made to handle business critical tasks after all.

One more thing to consider though is drivers - given that most graphics cards are for home users/gamers, they might not all have a drivers specific for server 2008.
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That Guy John
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Posted: 17th May 2012 06:36
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I hadn't thought about driver compatibility... I may just go with Win 8, just save the potential headaches. Hopefully there wont be any issues with Win 8.

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charger bandit
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Location: Slovenia
Posted: 17th May 2012 07:16 Edited at: 17th May 2012 07:16
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Nah Windows 8 is still kinda useless for normal people like us. Theres barely and drivers for Win8 anyways. Drivers are the same for Win7 and Server 2008 I believe.


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Indicium
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Posted: 17th May 2012 12:22
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Quote: "Nah Windows 8 is still kinda useless for normal people like us. Theres barely and drivers for Win8 anyways."


What? All the windows 7 drivers run on windows 8.

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Van B
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Joined: 8th Oct 2002
Location: Sunnyvale
Posted: 18th May 2012 17:57
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The only real benefit in using Server 2008, would be if you wanted to have lots of virtual machines, say a Linux VM, WindowsXP VM, etc etc - not really a good idea for game development or 3D graphics really.

Why not just save your leftovers, and make a server as well, then use it for Minecraft, file storage, maybe even video rendering - whatever floats your goat - it's just not a good OS for daily use, doesn't mean it's useless .

Health, Ammo, and bacon and eggs!
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Diggsey
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Posted: 18th May 2012 23:59
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Quote: "whatever floats your goat"



[b]
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SageTech
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Location: Orlando, Florida
Posted: 19th May 2012 09:22
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Quote: "The only real benefit in using Server 2008, would be if you wanted to have lots of virtual machines"


Vmware or VirtualBox works just as well on any consumer OS. Just saying Of course it has been a while since I messed with hyper-v, maybe its gotten better since then.
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