[time-nuts] Selecting server hardware (newbie question)

[Allen Coates]

I am trying to select a host machine for a dedicated NTP server.  I have 
several spare PCs to hand, with processor speeds around 500 MHz - all my 
budget will allow for the moment.

Initial experiments have been with Fedora core 4 and the "standard issue" NTP 
daemon.     I set the PCs up as a group of peers, and using ntpq -p, observed 
each one, as seen by the others.

Two of the machines seem to run "sweeter" than the others, but I don't know 
how to go on, and objectively compare their performance or suitability as a 
server.

Can anyone help? 

Many thanks

Allen C