Note: Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Introduction
Xserve is Apple's long-discontinued line of servers, powered by the Mac OS X Server operating system. After Xserve was discontinued, OS X Server slowly became just an app. In 2019 Apple introduced a new rackmount Mac Pro, which can also be used as a rackmount server. But the price is not something I can justify spending for fun. The other thing is that with ARM Mac releases coming soon, the x86-64 based Mac Pro will be obsolete in few years. It may not make sense to spend a lot of money on a Mac Pro at this point in time. On the other hand, the old Xserve is already very cheap, with similar performance and price to the contemporaneous Dell PowerEdge R610. Unlike the 2009 Mac Pro, which for some reason still costs a lot now. For this reason as a Mac homelab or for desktop use, the last generation Xserve can be considered a good choice. The following are the main specs of the last Xserve.
Xserve 3,1 (Xserve 2009)
- CPU: 2x Intel Xeon E/X/W5500 series
- RAM: 12x DDR3 REG ECC (Up to 192GB)
- HDD: 3x SAS/SATA
- GFX: nVIDIA GeForce GT120 (MXM-A upgradable)
Xserve in 2020
Here are some concerns when using Xserve in home settings:
As a server
- Too few hard drive bays and SATA hard drive capacity limited to 1TB
As a workstation
- The performance of the 5500 series of processors is seriously outdated
- Severe fan noise
- Weak GPU
Common issues
- No longer supports the latest macOS, if you need to use macOS
This article is about fan noise only.