If you’ve got to ask, are you sure you want to host yourself?
I asked about this on ya ages ago (previous life) about how come you cant just set up your own server, rather than pay for hosting.
The answers were all similar, you can, but the security and set up is a nightmare.
Since then, Ive done lots of playing, with web design, and hosting…not myself (though ive used a virtual host set up, localhost to test php applications) and ive tried 5 different major hosts…all good. Definatly, for a fiver or so, better than hosting yourself!
I wouldnt host a serious site on my own connection, because of setting up hardware security and software security, It will get compromised (particularly as your asking opinions on second hand £30 servers off ebay!) I mean this helpfully, not derogatory!
Try it to play with, on a non serious site, one that contains no personal or financial info or database, as i never did, so youre more commited to trying it than i was! One final thing though….the nail in the coffin for me trying it was, I didnt realise, until i got hosting, and ftp’d up a few sites…how long it took..BECAUSE even though your connection is broadband, and 2, upto 8 meg etc, the “UPLOAD” is severely limited, to a few “K” per second. You need a business connection, or specialist package to upload quickly, and its not ftp to a server in your case…an “upload” is your “download” speed to your viewers!
you will be serving up, about 250K best, compared to your 2 meg download speed!!!

I use Apache.

http://www.apache.org/