Min Spec. Webserver

[Amuraivel]

I now have an old IBM thinkpad Celeron 366 running Apache2, PHP5, MySQL, for my personal website. It is just too slow, and cannot really be used for anything exept downloading and surfing, etc. Traffic is minimal just serves photogallery and PHP content management system.

It is also my backup system...

I would like to set up a DIY .mac system to take advatage of all the new things, isync, etc. on OS X.

What is the minimum spec Apple laptop I need to run this? I can't spend alot, but also don't want hardware obsoleted in a year.
I would be upgrading the harddrive in anycase to 60GB in any case.


What would guys suggest?

 

[frankblundt]

does it have to be a laptop? do you really want backup / webserving on a laptop? Laptop drives are not really designed for that kind of thing.
I use a B&W G3 (cheap as chips now) for that (and iTunes), and a Mini for the rest.

 

[Amuraivel]

Laptop seems fine. It has not been a problem on the thinkpad. The drive probably gets less use than my main machine.

I had a desktop AMD XP machine, but I just hate the noise all the time....drives me insane. The ThinkPad is SILENT, exept for the odd drive access. I assume (tell me if I am wrong) that the G3 laptops are quiet when not under load.

 

[frankblundt]

don't know to be honest. the B&W i have is a desktop and it's horrifyingly noisy so i keep it at the other end of the house. The Mini on the other hand, i can only tell is on by looking at the power light (or the screen... ).

 

[localghost]

g3 powerbooks (400, 500 Mhz) are cheap and great machines, but might not be supported by 10.5.

i think the mini would be perfect for your needs - just a couple of €€€ more and a lot more future proof - look for a used/refurbished one w/o bluetooth and airport. old e-mac could be an even cheaper option, but i don't know about their noise level.

 

[frankblundt]

as another option, old iMac G3s, the slot-loading fan-less ones, are quiet (especially if you replace the grinding IBM drive with a nice quiet Seagate), dirt cheap and would probably do for what you want (and they look nice too IMO). But then again i have a special fondness for CHEAP (as if you hadn't guessed )

 

[mrichmon]

What is the minimum spec Apple laptop I need to run this? I can't spend alot, but also don't want hardware obsoleted in a year.
I would be upgrading the harddrive in anycase to 60GB in any case.

What would guys suggest?

Again, if you are not fixed on it being a laptop then a Mac Mini is well suited to this task. I use a Mini at home connected to a couple of external drives to run my web server (using mysql and php for the wiki pages), a cvs server, iTunes player, DVD player and for backing up files.

Alternatively you could go for a cheap G4 iBook. But realistically, anything on the G4 platform will handle the tasks you describe for years to come.

An iBook however will be roughly twice what a Mac Mini is so if you don't need the portability and you are on a budget it would be a good way to go.