Newegg just setup the Windows Home Server product page, and they will be selling the OEM version for $190 starting October 12th. Microsoft will not be selling a retail version of this in stores, so OEM is the only way you can get it besides for buying a pre-built Home Server device. Because it is OEM there is no fancy packaging and it doesn’t include much (if any) paperwork, so don’t be disappointed if all you receive is a CD and serial number when you order it.
There’s also supposed to be a 120-day evaluation version on the horizon, but there has been no news of that yet. Here’s a list of the requirements needed if you decide to roll your own:
- 1.0 GHz Intel Pentium 3 (or equivalent) processor
- 512 MB RAM memory
- 80 GB internal hard drive as primary drive
- 100 Mbit/s wired Ethernet
Extremely positive reviews are already starting to roll in on the Newegg Home Server page from a small handful of people who had been testing the operating system. One comment in particular caught my attention:
I was lucky enough to beta this and it has become indispensible. It is a lot more than just a NAS [Network Attached Storage] box sitting on my network, the silent backup of host PCs is awesome and the simplicity of install and use is somewhat of a shock compared to most MS server products. Apple would have been proud to release something this intuitive! Amazingly for a v1 Microsoft product it has behaved flawlessly from day one and the ability to access all my host PCs and documents from anywhere in the world is something I now consider absolutely essential. I can’t wait for v2.0!
If you don’t feel like building your own then just hold out for one of the many third-party solutions that will be coming from Fujitsu-Siemens, Gateway, HP, Iomega, Lacie and Medion. The most prominently advertised has been the HP MediaSmart computer starting at $599 with 500GB of storage.
So who plans on building their own Home Server, and who’s going to pick up one of the third-party options?
Newegg Windows Home Server
Windows Home Server Website
Source: Windows Connected
I plan to buy a server built on this sometime next year. It will probably be an HP seeing as they appear to have spent the most time with the OS. Besides, their system looks rather sweet. I will however, need more than 500GB of storage. I could go with 1TB, but the system would have to be upgradeable as I am nearing 750 GB of data.
You’re best bet might be to get the HP with the stock 500GB and then upgrade with a larger 750GB drive or something then. I’m sure by the time you get it the 750GB drives will be reasonably priced (and much cheaper than what you have to pay for the extra 500GB for the bigger HP model).
750 GB? Wow, that’s a lot of data there OMD!
Yeah, I’m a junkie with MP3’s and Video.
I expect by the time I can get it, the 750GB drives will be much cheaper. I will need to start doing some research after the beginning of the year. I definitely want to be able to have decent storage upgradeability with whatever server I get. I do not want to have to add NAS.