Where to look for used servers?

Where to look for used servers

So maybe your sitting at your desk realizing all these external hard drives aren't cutting it for you, or maybe your tired of sharing resources on your primary computer to have Plex and it's siblings Radarr and Sonarr running at full tilt. Maybe you have something to share with the world and want to get a website hosted, or an FTP site.

There are plenty of reasons for deciding to jump into the world of servers, and the first step for many people making that move is to purchase a used enterprise grade server machine. 

Solid choice, these servers are built to last and you can usually find a great deal on them.....but where do you find them?

A lot of people use ebay or a site that parses ebay like LabGopher.

Labgopher is a great resource to use, and even if you can't find the server you want, you can use it to narrow down your searches at other places by seeing whats common and how powerful it is with the handy 'Passmark column' - though it is only as accurate as what the seller provides and some times it doesn't parse the version level of a cpu accurately.

But we do have some other options...

US Based

TheServerStore

EntraSource

/r/HomelabSales

HomeLabHero

SaveMyServer

TechMikeNY

MetServers

Xbyte

OrangeComputers

ServerMonkey

UnixSurplus

HomeLabTech

Non US Based

BargainHardware - UK

SpareIT - NL

ServerShop24 - DE

ServerHome - NL

This is not a complete list, i didn't include any sites you need to call or request a quote from, and i can't speak to much on any sites that aren't based in the US.

As of writing this, you should expect to spend somewhere around $300-$800 for a solid used enterprise grade machine.

For Dells id recommend starting at a X20 Series, and for HP a Gen8.

Try and stay at or above a passmark score of 10,000 if your budget allows for it, this will allow you to run multiple services without any hiccups.

Pay attention to whether or not the server is a 2.5" or 3.5" configuration.

Do some searching on noise levels, there are usually some videos where people were kind enough to record the boot up and idle sound levels so you can have a good idea of what you are getting into.

Before i wrap this up i will leave one last bit of advice. If this is your first server, you may not have a place to set it up at, and for that i recommend spending another $10-$20 and get the IKEA Lack or as it is more commonly referred to as The Lack Rack.

Thanks!

Jared