CPUs for a Server

[fleebow8]

Hello,
My business sells cloud storage. We might build a server instead of buying one so that we can customize it. I need to know an appropriate CPU for this server in the range of about $100-150, maybe a bit more. Should I use a CPU specifically for servers (AMD Opteron, Intel Xeon, Intel Atom) or would a normal CPU work (like something for a desktop computer)? If a normal CPU would work what CPU do you think I should choose? If you think I should use a CPU just for servers which one would you suggest?
Thanks!

 

[giantbucket]

intel i3. the cool thing about i3 (and Pentium G and Xeon) is that they do support ECC ram and are on the QVL for most server and workstation boards. none of the i5 or i7 support ECC ram and they're not always on the QVL for server/ws mobos.

if you buy the proper server/ws board, you can start with the i3 and proper ecc ram, and if your monitoring is showing that it's being run at 100% too much, you can then justify swapping it out and dropping in a quad-core/eight-thread E3-1230v3 or higher. then use the i3 for a home pc / game pc.

i use an i3-4350 for our office (14 people) server.

 

[Alabalcho]

How is your service called? So I make sure I run miles away from it...

It all depends on your Server OS. It should have some monitoring tools where you can see which part of the server (RAM, CPU, disk subsystem, network subsystem) is loaded, and make your decisions around it.

 

[fleebow8]

How is your service called? So I make sure I run miles away from it...

It all depends on your Server OS. It should have some monitoring tools where you can see which part of the server (RAM, CPU, disk subsystem, network subsystem) is loaded, and make your decisions around it.

I will be running Debian.

 

[fleebow8]

intel i3. the cool thing about i3 (and Pentium G and Xeon) is that they do support ECC ram and are on the QVL for most server and workstation boards. none of the i5 or i7 support ECC ram and they're not always on the QVL for server/ws mobos.

if you buy the proper server/ws board, you can start with the i3 and proper ecc ram, and if your monitoring is showing that it's being run at 100% too much, you can then justify swapping it out and dropping in a quad-core/eight-thread E3-1230v3 or higher. then use the i3 for a home pc / game pc.

i use an i3-4350 for our office (14 people) server.

Do you think the i3 will be able to handle all the people to be using this service? Because right now you are only using it for an office server. I just want to make sure that it will be able to handle the load. Maybe should I use a Pentinum G?

 

[giantbucket]

[
Do you think the i3 will be able to handle all the people to be using this service? Because right now you are only using it for an office server. I just want to make sure that it will be able to handle the load. Maybe should I use a Pentinum G?

that's what monitoring is for - numbers, not speculation. if you're not able to justify a Xeon up front, then presumably the business isn't large or demanding enough at this point anyways. more than likely the rest of your hardware would be the same whether you go i3 or Xeon, so you'd only really be saving $120 or so.

what is your current hardware? how is the load on that? what amount of growth do you anticipate in the next 3-5 years? it would be good to know where you're at currently so that you implement the right new hardware without either cheaping out or blowing your wad unnecessarily.

 

[fleebow8]

[
Do you think the i3 will be able to handle all the people to be using this service? Because right now you are only using it for an office server. I just want to make sure that it will be able to handle the load. Maybe should I use a Pentinum G?

that's what monitoring is for - numbers, not speculation. if you're not able to justify a Xeon up front, then presumably the business isn't large or demanding enough at this point anyways. more than likely the rest of your hardware would be the same whether you go i3 or Xeon, so you'd only really be saving $120 or so.

what is your current hardware? how is the load on that? what amount of growth do you anticipate in the next 3-5 years? it would be good to know where you're at currently so that you implement the right new hardware without either cheaping out or blowing your wad unnecessarily.

Oh sorry! I forgot to mention that we are a startup. Currently we have no server... Also right now I am just trying to get a sense if building a server will be cheaper than buying one. Again, sorry about forgetting to mention about not having a server!

 

[giantbucket]

it might be cheaper to build than buy, and you'd probably have less lock-in than with a premade one from dell or ibm or whoever. but then you'd have to be the one to configure it all.

pricing one out isn't hard - the right mobo, cpu, ram, drives, and os. our office setup came to around $2k, but $800 of that is the OS itself.

maybe start with what your clients will see as a service, and work backwards through the OS you'll need and then to the hardware that it requires. in my case, we had a server already running so i had a feel for what i'd need to replace it with, and in our case an i3 was sufficient.

 

[fleebow8]

it might be cheaper to build than buy, and you'd probably have less lock-in than with a premade one from dell or ibm or whoever. but then you'd have to be the one to configure it all.

pricing one out isn't hard - the right mobo, cpu, ram, drives, and os. our office setup came to around $2k, but $800 of that is the OS itself.

maybe start with what your clients will see as a service, and work backwards through the OS you'll need and then to the hardware that it requires. in my case, we had a server already running so i had a feel for what i'd need to replace it with, and in our case an i3 was sufficient.

So an i3 should work for me? Or should I do a Pentinum G?

 

[giantbucket]

you can swap them around since they're all LGA1150, so you COULD start off with a Pentium G and if during use the cores are pegged at 100% way too often, then you can probably justify the swap to a Xeon E3-123_v3 (i'd skip over the i3 if that is the case). since you have no prior info to go by, you gotta take some risks. financially, a G is a cheap "give it a try" as long as you can swap over to the Xeon within a day or two.

but once you price out the whole system, you might realize that - in the grand scheme of things - the cost to use an E3 over a G is really minor. when you look at JUST the processor price, it's a big diff, but once a whole system is accounted for it might be chump change.

 

[fleebow8]

you can swap them around since they're all LGA1150, so you COULD start off with a Pentium G and if during use the cores are pegged at 100% way too often, then you can probably justify the swap to a Xeon E3-123_v3 (i'd skip over the i3 if that is the case). since you have no prior info to go by, you gotta take some risks. financially, a G is a cheap "give it a try" as long as you can swap over to the Xeon within a day or two.

but once you price out the whole system, you might realize that - in the grand scheme of things - the cost to use an E3 over a G is really minor. when you look at JUST the processor price, it's a big diff, but once a whole system is accounted for it might be chump change.

Thanks so much for your help and your time! I really appreciate it!

 

[Alabalcho]

@fleebow8i,

You said you are a startup. you are entering a market with big players, have no business plan, yet the most important question for you is whether to go with i3 or Xeon. And you are going to anonymous public forum with technical questions on which your future business will hang on.

Do yourself and your friends a favour - burn investor's money on something you do understand,