Hi everyone,

I just picked up my first second-hand server and I’m looking for some advice from people with more experience.

Specs:

Dell PowerEdge T440

2 × Xeon Platinum 8160 CPUs

256 GB DDR4 2666 MHz RAM (2 × 64 GB + 4 × 32 GB)

2 × 750 W hot-plug PSUs

16 × 2.5" SATA/SAS bays

1 × 400 GB Intel SSD

4 × 600 GB SAS HDDs

H730 RAID controller

I’m currently trying to decide on a GPU. I’ve read that compatibility can be hit-or-miss with this model, so I’d appreciate any input. Ideally, I want something strong without overspending.

I was considering an RTX A2000 12 GB, but second-hand prices are around $750 AUD, whereas cards like the 3060 or 3070 fall in the $250-$500 range.

I do have the white 8 pin GPU PWR plug and in the understanding id probably need to upgrade to 1100 watt power supplies ?

Planned uses:

Hosting two low-traffic domains

Running a few VMs, including some game servers (a mate wants to use one occasionally)

A media storage/hosted drive

Learning and experimenting with VLANs, routing, security cameras, and segmented networks

I’ve also grabbed a few extra external IPs from my ISP so I can play around with different WAN and network setups.

I haven’t settled on an operating system yet, so I’m open to recommendations there too.

Any thoughts, tips, or suggestions would be really appreciated!