>> 2. can I still get any 1855 blades from dell? > > unlikely actually http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/DELL-PowerEdge-1855-10-Blades-Dual-2-8-GHz-2x73-Gig_W0QQitemZ140045960192QQihZ004QQcategoryZ51226QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD2VQQcmdZViewItem