I am looking into getting a mini-desktop computer to use as a home server which I could access from anywhere using DynDNS.
I was wondering if yall had any suggestions regarding this.
I have considered primarily 2 computers:
Mac Mini
Dell Inspiron Zino HD
The Dell is certainly the better of the two in terms of costs. For about $400, I could get a dual-core AMD processor, a 250 GB drive, wireless adapter, dvd drive, and 2 GB of memory. I'd probably repartition it and put Linux on it, and run LAMP.
The Mac Mini depends on the model I would get...if I went that route. All models are more expensive than the Dell. The $599 Mac Mini would be roughly equivalent in terms of specs to the Dell Zino HD that I've configured, while the $999 server edition would supercede it quite a bit by offering double the memory, an extra hard drive, and Apple's Mac OS X Server operating system, but at a sacrifice of the optical drive. The optical drive I'm not too worried about, but the price tag definitely is a factor.
If I did the $599 Mac Mini, I'd probably run MAMP, whereas if I did the $999 Mac Mini I'd probably use the server software that comes with Mac OS X Server (which I do have experience with from past jobs).
I'd like to get yall's input on what you think the best option is, or maybe even get ideas from yall based on solutions that you have implemented in your own homes.
I would use the server for the following:
1. backup data from my primary computer
2. use it as a code repository that i can access from anywhere
3. host a website
4. store audio/video media for personal use
Thanks for any input.
