Opinions please - box vs. bucks

[David Abramowitz]

It all depends. There are gradations within the 620 model. You shold think about the following questions:<ul> How many interactive users do I have? What is the peak load for interactive users? What is my current level of disk use? How volatile is my disk use? What sort of server requirements do I have? Am I running 24x7? Is electricity use a concern?[/list] Currently I have a client using a 620 for interactive processing; fax serving; web serving; Domino serving; etc. They have the maximum memory, and typically run about 25% of CPU. Thay have disk capacity to spare, and could easily add quadruple the present amount. OTOH, I understand that V5R2 will be the last release for the 620. If this is the case, then the machine will be in jeopardy when support for V5R2 expires. Dave

[SoggySand]

We recently acquired a loaded model 620 cheap, but the maintenance contract on it is really steep. In your opinions, do you think the 620 is a stand-out machine and worth the cost of the maintenance contract? Or might it be better for us to get a 270 or a small 820 which have much more reasonable service contracts? Any thoughts are appreciated.

[SoggySand]

Thanks Dave. All excellent points, and just what I am looking for. Any and all thoughts are still appreciated.