what must i choose

[fernando1596]

Hi guys i want to install win server 2016 standard and i must select the pc, i already have two option Z240 and Z440 what must i choose for that one? 

thank you

[DGroves]

neither system is designed or certified for any server OS, as such you are on your own in regards to drivers and troubleshooting

i will also point out that the z240 is a low spec system that is more closely related to a consumer system than what most people consider a true workstation, and while the z440 is what most people would  consider a true workstation it's still not a server so keep this in mind if you still want to load a server OS on a system that was not made for this type of OS

a server will have hot swap drive bays ECC ram, dual hot swap power supplies and replaceable parts without powering down the system and is designed to run 24/7 for years without much down time and remote management tools built into the motherboards hardware

i personally would not try the z240, and even the z440 is not something i would use in a production environment,  the z640 might be better suited but again i personally don't recommend it

if your just wishing to learn a server OS, then any computer will do as a basic learning tool

[BambiBoomZ]

Fernando1596,

The choice of a system for Server 2016 is dependent on the use.  If this is to be a server connected to several nodes for development, as the files storage and backup, or in a content creation environment are different specifications.

Budget is another consideration as it may be preferable to go back one generation for a better specification , for example, having two E5-2680 v2 10-cores, 64GB of RAM, and competent SAS RAID card on a z620 or z820 may be preferable- and comparable in cost to a single 12-core z440 with 32GB and so on.  The best server specification, in my view, is one that is expandable. I had a z620 that started as a single E5-1620 with 8GB of RAM and ended with 2X E5-2690 (about $100 each today) 2.9/3.8GHz 8-cores with 64GB of ECC registered and with a good LSI RAID card that would made a reliable server with decent performance. I'd suggest one with the potential for dual processors, as many processor cores, a strong compute GPU, and at least 64GB of memory or the ability to raise it to that amount. There are advantages if the system has dual LAN.

Of course, in a commercial environment, it may be necessary to have the systems under warranty and the system  must be new, and in that case, if there are z440's available under warranty,

The spec equations are endless without a target use and idea of the ultimate configuration- the expandability required.  I think the z240 is under the minimum specification for expandability.

BambiBoomZ