Hi guys,
Please forgive me if this is the wrong forum to post in - it seemed difficult to know exactly where I should post, as it covers a few areas.
My Tranquil PC T7-HSG which I have had for nearly six years is definitely coming towards the end of its life - initially it was hard drive failure, but now USB and ethernet sockets are starting to behave erratically, so I think it's time I looked for something new.
My needs are not massive - it needs to be able to run Logitech Media Server (to support my Squeezeboxes), provide backup for a Win 7 desktop and Snow Leopard MacBook, and run PitBoss games of Civ 4.
I had been using WHS v1, and had been very happy with it, but obviously that now gets no support at all from MS, in terms of security updates etc.
I realise that active support for WHS 2011 has pretty much ceased, but it does seem that there are security updates at least, so if I can, I'm minded to go down the WHS2011 route, as it still seems a lot more cost effective than the new Essentials, and I really don't fancy Windows 8 if I can avoid it.
It seems there are very few machines around today that will do what I want (perhaps unsurprisingly), at least at a reasonable price. I'm tempted by the Lacie 5big Office, which seems to cover the bases, and has plenty of room for expansion, and there are a few places still selling it? But would I be better off building my own? I'm after a small-ish form factor, and low noise and energy consumption are very important to me.
Can anyone give me any helpful suggestions?
Thanks very much.