Keep in mind, if you plan on running Vortexbox, you will have to do one of 2 things. You can either go to the server and pop in a disc and have it rip the contents, or you could make it use a network accessible optical drive so you dont have to hit the server room everytime. I have a whole-house server, dual quad core Xeon with 16GB of RAM, but I run alot of virtual machines. Vortexbox runs on one for music, and the other runs Sick Beard and Sabnzbd+ for TV shows. Other than that, I have an Asterisk phone system, web proxy, and web server running on the other VMs. I call it Motherbrain
Things you need for your network.
1) Rack
These either come as wall-mount, which is good for a switch and patch panel, but not much else, as they cant hold a much weight compared to a floor-mount rack. If you plan on going with a pedestal server, this is a good choice, because you can put your server in any room of your house. If you get a floor-mounted rack, the expandability is much greater, but parts of it are less portable. For instance, if you mount your server in the rack, itll probably stay there.
2) Switch
Depending on the size of the house and how much wire you need run, a good 24-port gigabit switch is highly recommended. 24-ports should provide enough connectivity for your whole home.
3) Patch panel
This is where the cables from all of your rooms will lead to. Again, a 24-port patch panel should be sufficient. The back of the patch panel has punch-downs for the network cable. From the patch panel, you run short runs of ethernet to the switch.
3) Rack shelf
This will be the space for your cable modem and router. Its just a simple shelf that attaches to the rack.
4) D-ring cable management
This keeps all of your network cables nice and tidy. You can do without, but I highly suggest it.
5) a UPS
UPSes are a necessity, this helps keep things running in the event of a power outage. They generally give you enough time to safely shut down your equipment so you dont suffer any data loss.