Many companies are seeing the benefit of owning their own servers. Some are looking for small business servers to run as the central hub for their virtual machines or to host and manage their website. However, recent trends in the computing space have made many top-of-the-line enterprise servers prohibitively expensive.
Fortunately, you do not need the newest and shiniest server to maintain your small business. There are several business servers available for less than $20,000. Some enterprises may need the extra power offered by these high-end servers, but for most small businesses, the servers on this list will offer the power and flexibility they need, while also offering plenty of room for growth and expansion.
Please note that the prices and products in this list may not be available. Many of our small business servers sell out quickly, so browse our full list of complete servers to see what we have on offer.
Dell PowerEdge R620 1U Rack Server with Intel Xeon E5-2609 2.4GHz CPU and 32GB RAM - $409
Starting at the lower end of server prices, this 1U Dell rack server offers excellent power and speed without breaking the bank. In fact, one of the best ways to save on server costs is to start at the bottom and built your machine to fit your needs.
This Dell PowerEdge R620 uses DDR3 RAM and an Intel E5-2609 CPU to lower costs without sacrificing speed or reliability. Unfortunately, this server does not come with hard drives, though it can handle up to 10 2.5” drives. Additionally, Dell’s compact design makes this 1U rack server a great option for small businesses with limited space.
One thing to note about 1U rack servers is their noise. While the multitude of fans keep the hardware cool, they scream when spinning at full speed. If your small business server needs to live in the main office, consider a 2U or 3U server instead.
1U Supermicro Server with ASRock Rack X470D4U Motherboard, AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6GHz CPU, and 64GB RAM - $1,099
Small businesses looking for a little more speed and power should consider this 1U Supermicro Server. This rack server is an excellent starter server for small businesses, with its 3.6GHz CPU and 64GB ECC UDIMM DDR4 RAM.
Much like the previous server, this is a bare-bones machine, offering the starting point for your server station. This 1U rack server can hold 4 hard drives, so it may not offer the storage capacity many data-driven companies need. However, it is a great machine for automating systems and maintaining inventory. Simply install your hard drives and manage your small business’s machines from this 1U server.
Supermicro 2U Server with 4 Nodes, Dual Intel Xeon E5-2640 v3 CPUs, 128GB RAM, SAS3 RAID, and Dual 10GBe 2028TP-HC1TRs - $1,850
Node servers tend to offer some of the best bang for the buck. These Supermicro 2U rack servers come with 4 nodes, each acting as an independent machine. Each node comes with dual 2640 v3 CPUs and 128GB ECC RAM, so your small business can rip through data quickly and efficiently. However, that is just a starting point for each node. Like any other server we sell, you can upgrade the CPU or RAM in each node to offer greater speed and efficiency.
This 2U rack server can hold up to 24 hard drives, though each space is partitioned for one of the nodes. This means that your small business will want to start with at least four hard drives, one for each node. Later, you can max out the drive capacity to collect and store the data you need.
This Supermicro server also provides data protection with a total of 8 10GBe NICs, two for each node, as well as an LCI CacheVault module providing battery backup in case your system loses power. This may be the best deal on a computer server available online!
DDN Storage Scaler with 84 x 4TB SAS3 Drives and a Custom 2U Server - $3,999
If storage is a concern for your small business, look no further than the DDN StorageScaler. We packed this system with 84 x 4TB SAS3 drives, so your business has 336TB of storage capacity! Unfortunately, the StorageScaler does not operate on its own, so you will need a server to manage storage. Fortunately, this bundle includes a custom 2U rack server.
Simply plug the StorageScaler into your rack server and forget about storage for several years. This system is perfect for small businesses relying on virtual machines, as all files and applications can live in a central location, and all employees can access and edit files from their workstations. Make sure your rack can handle these machines, as the DDN StorageScaler is a 4U device that must stay connected to your rack server.
ASUS RS5500A with AMD EPYC 7713P CPU, 512GB RAM, and 25TB NVMe - $8,750
The ASUS RS5500A 1U rack server is a great small business server. These ASUS servers offer sleek design and powerful components. We are starting these small business servers with AMD EPYC 7713P CPUs, each offering 64 cores and 128 threads, but upgrades are available for companies needing a little more power. These servers also come with 512GB DDR4 ECC RAM, also upgradable.
What makes these 1U rack servers stand out is their dual Samsung PM1735 NVMe drives, offering 25TB at blazing fast speeds. If that is not enough storage for your company, this server holds 12 2.5” hard drives, which are available for upgrades. Another standout feature of the ASUS RS5500A server is its dual hot plug redundant power supplies.
ASUS 1U Server with Dual AMD EPYC 7763 CPUs, 1TB RAM, and 25TB NVMe - $14,500
The final rack server we are highlighting is one of our top-of-the-line enterprise servers, the ASUS 1U rack server with dual CPUs. Each AMD EPYC 7763 CPU offers 64 cores and 128 threads, giving this server 128 cores and 256 threads. They also come with 1TB DDR4 RAM in 16 DIMM slots.
Like the RS5500A above, these servers come with dual Samsung PM1735 NVMe drives, giving your small business 25TB of storage capacity from the start. The server has 12 drive bays available, so if storage becomes an issue down the road, you have plenty of room to grow. We are packing these rack servers with dual 10G NICs, and the server itself has plenty of open slots for future expansions and upgrades.
Conclusion
Small business rack servers may seem like a daunting and expensive investment, but we’ve shown that you can start automating tasks, running virtual machines, or hosting your website for less than $20,000. Servers & More also offers custom builds, so if the six rack servers on this list don’t suit you, check out our full list of complete servers or contact us for an individualized quote.