Warning: This is a very tech-heavy post. Those of you who don't care about hardware may want to skip this post :)

As part of the planning for replacing deeproot (the firewall server FUMBBL uses), I spent some time assembling lists of components for a few different options I have been considering. I have three separate component lists: One for a single-server replacement without any consideration for virtualization and two virtual host machines that are also intended to replace fungus (the web server) a bit further down the line. I put together two VM hosts to see the difference between two different Intel platforms. The more basic one is a Z170A based system (Socket 1151, 8 threads) while the other one is a X99A based system (Socket 2011-v3, 12 threads). The latter has support for more memory and has more "PCI-e lanes" (used for expansion cards and drives etc). You'll note that none of the lists are Xeon based (which is Intel's traditional server platform). While Xeon platforms have some nice features (primarily support for ECC RAM), they're significantly more expensive in terms of the components needed, draws more power and is slower on single-threaded loads. I have to admit, though, that I'm not very well informed on the various Xeon CPUs so I could be somewhat mistaken. For example, the Xeon E5-1650v3 that's equivalent to the 6800k is roughly 10% slower and costs on the order of $160 more.

These lists I have put together, which by no means are final in any way:

Common components, price included in totals below
System Drives: 2x Samsung 850 pro 128GB
NIC: 4x Intel Gigabit CT
Chassi: Existing 19" rack chassi, zero additional cost
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L12

Simple firewall build, roughly $950
CPU: i3-7300 (Socket 1151)
MoBo: MSI Z170A PC MATE
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 2x4GB DDR4
PSU: Corsair RM550x

Basic Virtualization host, roughly $2000
CPU: i7-7700k (Socket 1151)
MoBo: MSI Z170A PC MATE
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 2x16GB DDR4
Data Drives: 2x Samsung 850 Pro 512GB
PSU: Corsair RM750x

Powerful VM Host, roughly $2500
CPU: i7-6800k
MoBo: MSI X99A SLI Plus
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 4x16GB DDR4
Data Drives: 2x Samsung 850 Pro 512GB
PSU: Corsair RM750x

A couple of comments on some of the components:
- The simple firewall build is vastly overpowered for the intended purpose. The CPU is way overkill for firewall duties, and even an Intel Atom could do well as a firewall. However, I connect to it using a VPN (OpenVPN specifically) from my dev machine, and expect to have at least close to gigabit speeds through the encrypted tunnel. A Celeron or Pentium (for example the G4560 would likely be fine as well if I needed to scale down). Also, dropping down to 4GB RAM would also be an option to cut costs. Doing both of these would probably cut on the order of $150 on the total cost for that particular option.
- Power supplies. The PSUs are all overkill on purpose. none of the systems would draw anywhere near the max capacity of the PSUs selected. The reason I've picked those particular models is that I have high faith in the RM series by Corsair. The reason they're overspecced is that the power supply fan doesn't even run on workloads below 50%, meaning they'd run completely passive for the servers. This is a good thing (I like to have the servers quiet as they're located in my home).
- Drives. I insist on having redundancy on all servers I run (thus the 2x of everything). The Samsung Pro series are relatively cheap and I perceive them as reliable.
- CPU cooler. This is a pretty high-end cooler, especially for a machine like the simple firewall build. Noctua are clearly among the top tier of cooler manufacturers and probably make the best fans on the market (for consumer grade, near silent fans). Servers tend to use fans from Delta, which have absolutely crazy airflow capabilities but run very very loud (and consume lots of power). As an anectdote, I've played around with a HP-DL380G5 machine, where the fans run at 16k RPM and consume 15W of power at full speed. These 60mm fans, however, have the same airflow as Noctua's 140mm fans.

If any of you have experience with hardware, specifically for server workloads and/or virtualization, feel free to comment with suggestions or ideas on what you'd change. Mind you, the prices you have access to are not likely to be the same as the ones I have to pay.