CPU Choice for Server

[Peter Meloncelli]

I am upgrading my server at the moment and along with upgrading the case and power supply I will upgrade the processor and motherboard. The server has 8 drives and is used for files, owncloud and media.

The question I face is whether to go for an AMD FX8320 or the Intel i5 3570K. The overall price works out about $60-$100 more for the intel solution depending on motherboard choice.

Performance and heat seems a little better on the Intel but is it worth the extra cash.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

How about something a little more directed for server work? The Intel® Xeon® E3-1240V2. With a server board or even one of the "7" series boards that has support for this processor you can have a good little home server. http://ark.intel.com/products/65730/Intel-Xeon-Processor-E3-1240-v2-8M-Cache-3_40-GHz

 

[Peter Meloncelli]

Thanks IntelEnthusiast,

My preference is to stick to the mainstream chipsets. My local computer store installs my Chip and Cooling system free of charge so I am keen to stick to mainstream chips as they don't stock the server chips. I also like supporting my local store as I dont want to see them go away.

 

[JimF_35]

What are you using the server for?

Sounds like a file server. If so then you need to worry about up time not speed. If would look for a CPU that you can under volt and keep cool along with a case that has good ventilation. So, I would probably go with the AMD FX8320.

Also the PSU is very important in a server. You will need an 80+ Platinum and if possible one that has redundant fail over so that if one transformer fails the second one kicks in to prevent down time.

http://www.directron.com/redundant.html

As for the MoBo you will need something that will support your drives and RAID 1+0 or what ever raid you are running. For servers I have always been a Super Micro fan but I do not believe they support AMD processors so you will need one that does.

Now.

If your server is more than a file server like it is running SQL Server or hosting Exchange Server or any kind of hosting service, then you will want to go with performance. You will want a CPU that can support Hyper Threading and the more cores the better. So when you say cloud are you running an Virtual Machines on the server. If so then you will want the faster CPU.

Hope this helps, I can't really answer the question unless I know what you are doing with it.

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

How about a board like the Asus P8Z77-V LX? http://usa.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8Z77V_LX/#CPUS

or

The ASRock Z77 Extreme4 http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z77%20Extreme4/index.us.asp?cat=CPU

for the board and if you dont want to pick up an Intel® Xeon® e3-1240v2 you might take a look at the Intel® Core™ i5-3350P

 

[Peter Meloncelli]

What are you using the server for?

Sounds like a file server. If so then you need to worry about up time not speed. If would look for a CPU that you can under volt and keep cool along with a case that has good ventilation. So, I would probably go with the AMD FX8320.

Also the PSU is very important in a server. You will need an 80+ Platinum and if possible one that has redundant fail over so that if one transformer fails the second one kicks in to prevent down time.

http://www.directron.com/redundant.html

As for the MoBo you will need something that will support your drives and RAID 1+0 or what ever raid you are running. For servers I have always been a Super Micro fan but I do not believe they support AMD processors so you will need one that does.

Now.

If your server is more than a file server like it is running SQL Server or hosting Exchange Server or any kind of hosting service, then you will want to go with performance. You will want a CPU that can support Hyper Threading and the more cores the better. So when you say cloud are you running an Virtual Machines on the server. If so then you will want the faster CPU.

Hope this helps, I can't really answer the question unless I know what you are doing with it.

Owncloud is similar to dropbox except that it hosts all files on my computer rather than somebody elses. It runs SQL so it makes sense that performance is critcal.

IntelEnthusiast- I was planning on getting the Asus if I went down the intel line, great for the price. Thanks for the suggestion on the i5-3350P, it looks exactly what I am looking for

 

[saint19]

I would agree with IntelEnthusiast, for your requirements is better a server CPU that a "normal" CPU. I would suggest you the E3-1245 V2. Now, if you still insist in the Ivy family, I suggest you move on to the i7-3770 non K edition that's more cheap but performs very good.

Another options would be the Opteron line on AMD that's dedicated for servers too, but I don't know if your local store have it in stock.

 

[JimF_35]

How about a board like the Asus P8Z77-V LX? http://usa.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8Z77V_LX/#CPUS

or

The ASRock Z77 Extreme4 http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z77%20Extreme4/index.us.asp?cat=CPU

for the board and if you dont want to pick up an Intel® Xeon® e3-1240v2 you might take a look at the Intel® Core™ i5-3350P

Yes I love the ASrock and it has Huge amount of Hard Drive support.

 

[JimF_35]

If you are using SQL Server then performance is a must. Go Intel all the way. Also, you will want more RAM then usual. I recommend

http://www.crucial.com/store/listmodule/DDR3/list.html

but make sure your CPU and Mother Board support these. ASRocks are partial to the make and modal of RAM you put in. Make sure it is on their acceptable RAM list.

http://www.asrock.com/mb/memory.asp?Model=Z77%20Extreme4

Good luck and have fun.

 

[saint19]

If the server is for SQL or Oracle database DON'T USE normal RAM. For that you NEED ECC memory, don't take the risk.

 

[MU_Engineer]

I am upgrading my server at the moment and along with upgrading the case and power supply I will upgrade the processor and motherboard. The server has 8 drives and is used for files, owncloud and media.

The question I face is whether to go for an AMD FX8320 or the Intel i5 3570K. The overall price works out about $60-$100 more for the intel solution depending on motherboard choice.

Performance and heat seems a little better on the Intel but is it worth the extra cash.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Go with a real server processor on a real server board. Desktop boards are generally not built to the same level of reliability expectations as a server board. Trust me, I know- been there, done that, now all I run is server stuff. AMD desktop CPUs will support error-correcting RAM but Intel desktop CPUs are crippled to not support ECC at all. (That's why the Xeon 12xx units exist- they are Core i* units with ECC not turned off...for an extra few shekels.) I'd look for an Opteron 43xx unit on a single socket AMD C32 setup if I were you. It would provide plenty of stability and performance while not breaking the bank. Intel's CPUs are nice but unless you absolutely need that last 10% of single-threaded or per-socket performance, AMD is a much better buy. A file/cloud/web server isn't CPU-limited, it's likely hard drive and/or network limited.

 

[Peter Meloncelli]

Thanks for the advice.
How about getting the xeon E3-1230V2 with Intel Executive Series Desktop Board DQ77MK w/ DDR3 1600. It fits nicely with my budget and the performance seems good. The desktop boards fit better with my budget than the server boards and I can use the RAM from my old build. ECC is probably overkill for a home system.

 

[GhislainG]

Thanks for the advice.
How about getting the xeon E3-1230V2 with Intel Executive Series Desktop Board DQ77MK w/ DDR3 1600. It fits nicely with my budget and the performance seems good. The desktop boards fit better with my budget than the server boards and I can use the RAM from my old build. ECC is probably overkill for a home system.

I had to make a similar decision and I ordered a QD77MK, an i7-3770 (it was less expensive than a Xeon E3-1245 V2 and I don't want to add a GPU to that server) and 32GB of DDR3 1600. I'll assemble it next week when I get the parts.

What drove my decision is cost and the fact that I've been running a desktop system as a server (Q6600, Gigabyte EP45-UD3P and 16GB of memory) 24x7 with no issues for the last 3 years. It gets rebooted only when patching Windows Server 2008.

 

[Peter Meloncelli]

Intel Xeon E3-1230 V2 is only $240 so for me it is much more suitably priced than an i7. The motherboard was the only concern. Getting something at a low price is a challenge in the server space. The only other one ASUS P8Z77-V LX is $135, which is listed as compatible.

 

[GhislainG]

I chose the QD77MK because I wanted a motherboard that's fully compatible with ESXi and Windows Server 2012 Hyper-V. I bought the i7-3770 from Newegg.ca for $280 and the E3-1245 V2 was $297 from another site. Both processors include HD 4000 which is fine for a server and I don't have to buy a low-power GPU. Your requirements may obviously be different, but I made sure the motherboard would allow passthrough.

 

[Peter Meloncelli]

Ok so here is what my final build will look like.
Processor: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V2 $240
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA $130
Cooler: Noctura NH-D14 (This is for intel i5/i7 but assume it will still fit Xeon)
Power Supply: CoolerMaster Silent 620W
Existing GPU: Asus Nvidia GT640 Silent
Existing RAM: 8Gb DDR3 1600
Case: Fractal Design XL R2
OS: Ubuntu 12.10 xfce edition 64Bit

Let me know what you think. For me it was a balance between cost, performance and the need to avoid adding extra cards (eg audio).

 

[GhislainG]

That's a good build for your requirements. Enjoy!

 

[Peter Meloncelli]

Excellent, will order the parts today and hopefully get them in a week or so.
Never put a CPU in a motherboard before so it will be a learning experience I am sure

 

[GhislainG]

Installing a CPU is easy if you line it up correctly. Just make sure you don't touch the CPU contacts or the pins on the socket. http://www.intel.com/support/processors/sb/CS-032258.htm

 

[Peter Meloncelli]

Just talked to my local computer store and they can get the Xeon in for me and if I get the motherboard from them and the cooler they will put it all together for free.
The question is the motherboard as they dont have the ASrock, but I can get the
ASUS P8Z77-V LX LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Is this a compromise or will it do just as good a job?

 

[GhislainG]

It's a good motherboard and it will fit in your full ATX case.

 

[Peter Meloncelli]

Thanks heaps for all your help, I look forward to the build.