How To Decide Between A 1u Rack Server And A Tower Server

By Author: Michael Buckley
Total Articles: 6
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Choosing between a 1U rack server and a tower server is all about asking yourself whether you are sure of exactly what you want in a server, or whether you think you might or might not need something more in the future. This difference in possible usage scenarios is particularly emphasized when you consider whether you might need a 1U custom server instead of a regular 1U rack server.

Simply put, a 1U rack server is perfect if you are sure of your exact needs. If you are able to list down right now how many servers you need, what kind of processing power and speed each server should have, the total amount of storage you require, the type of graphics card each server should have, and whether or not you will require DVD drives and input ports, then you should definitely go with a 1U rack server or, better yet, a 1U custom server.

If, however, you know roughly what your current server requirements are, but you foresee a possible extension of those needs in the future, then you should play it safe and purchase a tower server instead.

The difference lies mostly in the size and shape of a 1U rack server as compared ...
... to that of a tower server. As the name suggests, a tower server looks somewhat like a miniaturized tower, and it resembles nothing so much as the part of a regular desktop computer that contains the processor, hard drive, etc. A 1U rack server or 1U custom server, on the other hand, resembles a flat box about an inch and a half in height, and is much flatter and more compact than a tower server.

Because the 1U rack server is so compact, it has very little room for spare components. This means that if you were to decide in the future that you needed additional hard drive space on your network, you would find it very difficult to install another hard drive in your 1U rack server or 1U custom server. If you had a tower server, on the other hand, you would have plenty of space to install an additional hard drive or even a few additional hard drives.

Of course, the downside to having that much extra space is that a tower server takes up much more space than a 1U rack server, and unlike the 1U rack server, you would be hard-pressed to find a storage solution that would allow you to stack tower servers. With a 1U rack server or a 1U custom server, however, you would be able to place it in a space not much taller than an inch and a half, thus allowing for a number of 1U rack servers to be stacked in the same rack, resulting in significant space savings.

Ultimately, whether you choose to purchase a 1U rack server or a tower server depends on whether you know exactly what you want right now, whether you foresee the need for expandability, and whether you suffer from space constraints.

Author Bio

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