I'm somewhat new to server hardware, and was wondering if there was any reason to purchase a 19-inch-rack-mountable server as opposed to a standalone (tower) system, or any difference between the two other than form factor.
We're running a small operation, so we will probably never have enough equipment to justify a full rack.
Best Answer
Form factor is the main difference, and it doesn't take too many servers (5 or 6) before you really want rackmounted gear. You can get telco 'relay' racks for ~$100 or so, and if you've got rackmounted servers then all 6 or 10 of them (depending on height) will fit in one rack, taking up about 3sqft of space... whereas if you try and put 6 full towers in a room, you're going to need a lot more space than that.
Other than space, no, there's no good reason to do so - in fact, rack servers can be a poor fit for an office environment because without a rack to put them in they're kind of awkwardly shaped, and their cooling fans aren't aimed toward low noise at ALL so can best be described as 'jet engine-like' upon startup.