Need point in right direction for beefy server

[EDiT]

Since you guys are the pros, I thought I'd bounce this off you all for a nudge in the right direction. I am building a home lab server that I would like to get 2GB of RAM in for AD, Exchange, and other functions. I don't need to OC or be fastest system on the block, but the RAM is critical. I have been running AMD in PCs for years for cost reasons, but always come home to Intel for home servers for stability reasons. Due to prices, I really think I need a board with 4 slots so I can use 4x512 sticks, and I like the processor price on AMDs right now. My questions are:

Does AMD have a viable MB that can handle 2GB RAM and run stable?
Does Intel?
Are there any motherboards I should stay away from for stability reasons?
Do any of the above boards have 4 RAM slots? (I can research this if you can help with some board suggestions)

Basically I need to build an affordable 2GB box, hopefully 2GHz or faster, that I can run nonstop for a long time.

Thanks in advance for any advice or for pointing me in the right direction for information.

<EDIT> Cost is an important factor, but I am willing to pay slightly higher for better stability.

 

[beatle]

Do you need SMP? Several Intel boards support up to 4GB of ram w/4 slots. Abit IS7/IC7 come to mind (I'm an Abit guy). Both should be stable if you have good ram. Crucial would be a good pick.

 

[EDiT]

If you mean HyperThreading, I don't know enough to know if I would benefit from it. I will be running 2003 Server, Exchange, and VMWare, so I don't know if that would help.

If you mean true dual CPU, I don't have the $$ to spend on XEON, so no.

How critical do you think the RAM will be? I saw pricewatch had 1GB kits for ~120, so I was hoping to get away with that stuff, even if it may not be super-fast. Crucail still wants ~$100 per 512.

 

[beatle]

I was asking if you needed/wanted a true dual cpu. Hyperthreading will be nice for multithreaded services like AD and Exchange.

RAM is pretty darn important. Many motherboards have been picky about ram, especially if you are populating all of the dimm slots. That said, if this is just a home server, why do you need all of that memory? A gig or even 512 megs should suffice for a home's small user base. My backup server/firewall is the duallie in my sig with only 256 megs of ram, which about half is used.

 

[EDiT]

Originally posted by: beatle
I was asking if you needed/wanted a true dual cpu. Hyperthreading will be nice for multithreaded services like AD and Exchange.

RAM is pretty darn important. Many motherboards have been picky about ram, especially if you are populating all of the dimm slots. That said, if this is just a home server, why do you need all of that memory? A gig or even 512 megs should suffice for a home's small user base. My backup server/firewall is the duallie in my sig with only 256 megs of ram, which about half is used.

LOL, this machine will be running a LOT of services. Probably AD, exchange 2k3, outlook web access 2k3, Cisco Unity Voicemail, and VMWare sessions with linux, and two with win2k. I am trying to set up a lab to play with, so I want to get the most out of the machine. Since most of the processes will be background services with little use, proc should not be a concern except during bootup.

My current is a dual 800, but I don't really need the dual as much as the ram upgrade. If I could get 2GB in the current, I may consider keeping it for this purpose.

BTW, thanks for all the feedback. Anyone else have thoughts about if those mobos would be the way to go? Anyone gotten 2GB ram running in them? If so, what kind of ram did you go with? I'll start researching them tonight. Guess I'll swing by the HD forum to look for Intel proc deals.