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This wiki page gives some tips on choosing a computer to use as a server.
Which parts are important?
Any computer will work as a server. Since it would run 24 hours per day, you probably want a separate computer for it.
Processor speed is not important, unless you have many users or run complex programs (like some Web apps or spam filters). A mail server for several users with simple spam filtering (postscreen, postgrey, SPF policy daemon: no mail content processing) should work with any available CPU.
Graphics cards are not relevant for most servers. It's useful once, to install the system.
Disks are important for data storage. They break: prefer two or more in RAID1. (Use mdraid or btrfs raid1: hardware RAID is unreliable and might need nonfree software. btrfs, while new, possibly buggy and needing recent kernels, has data checksums: won't corrupt data when a write fails.) You need backup too in addition to RAID.
Network connection: usually wired Ethernet.
Desktop, notebook, netbook, or single board computer?
- Desktop PC
They easily support connecting two disks for RAID1. New are cheaper than new notebooks. Need an external UPS: no battery inside.
- Notebooks and netbooks
Netbooks don't have extra bays for hard drives. Notebooks might. RAID usually needs external disks with their own issues (slow, expensive, not in the same box).
Have their own battery, no need for UPS.
- Single board computers
Be careful about choosing a single-board-computer. None will work without proprietary software (as of 15 Dec 2013). Some require proprietary software for very basic things, and so are unusable. Others demand proprietary software for peripheral features like wi-fi. https://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/single-board-computers
Power consumption
"Well, higher power usage means it will
- cost more
- get hotter
- get louder if it has a fan
Depending on the usage of the server, you might be more interested in either power usage when idle or power usage when operating at maximum speed." -- lembas
"I'd recommend enabling the CPU frequency scaling and whatever other power saving you can. 90% of the time a home server isn't doing much, might as well keep it cool. =p
Netbooks make excellent servers, unless you're running something heavy." -- dudeski
Higher power use leads to lower time on battery (of laptop or UPS) during power cuts.
The page on battery life has some suggestions that may be relevant for saving electricity with servers.
