Which Server Hardware Variant is Better?

Hi Netbuilders,

I have come to the conclusion that I have to upgrade my current dedicated server. Now, the question is what is the better solution:

Variant 1:

• HP DL165 G7 with AMD Opteron 6164 HE Chipset
• 2 x Opteron 6164 HE, 24 Cores (2x12)
• 16 GB DDR3-RAM ECC

Price: 199$ a month

Variant 2:

• HP DL120 G7 with Intel Xeon E3-1270 Chipset
• Xeon E3-1270, Quadcore
• 8 GB DDR3-RAM ECC

Price: 99$ a month. Please note that if I am going with Variant 2 then I would rent two servers!

The disk configuration for both variants:

• 2x 1,000 GB SATA II-HDDs, 7,200rpm
• RAID 1

It is not clear for me which hardware to choose (data transfer included in the package is assumed to be sufficient, and the amount of diskspace is not so important/enough in any variant).

I do not want to run out of concurrent webserver connections, and in the past the Apache Configuration was tricky (prefork, initial processes, number of child processes etc). So this is why I am not jumping on Variant 1, because despite the powerful hardware I might encounter Apache (or SQL) concurrent connection issues. This might be easier to handle with 2 smaller servers as in Variant 2. On the other hand I don't know whether the prefork, initial processes, number of child processes etc stuff still matters so much in Apache version 5.

I much appreciate your opinion. Thanks H.

Benchmark for E3-1270: PassMark CPU Lookup

Benchmark for Opteron 6166-HE (closest one available): PassMark CPU Lookup

The AMD barely benchmarks better than the Xeon E3. Maybe 2 E3 servers would be better if you can manage the admin work for both.

I personally like Intel better and they have a lot more market share than AMD: PassMark CPU Benchmarks - AMD vs Intel Market Share

I also prefer Intel. An additional benefit of the two server solution will be that I get two times the free storage capacity of 100 GB per server. The downside is the twofold CPanel licsense cost.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by vectro

Benchmark for E3-1270: PassMark CPU Lookup

Benchmark for Opteron 6166-HE (closest one available): PassMark CPU Lookup

The AMD barely benchmarks better than the Xeon E3. Maybe 2 E3 servers would be better if you can manage the admin work for both.

I personally like Intel better and they have a lot more market share than AMD: PassMark CPU Benchmarks - AMD vs Intel Market Share

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I think depend with your purpose, especially if you have dedicated server with large size, you can customize and use for multiple purpose. Hardware that you use is vary, for example if you want increase the website speed, you must be increase the RAM and bandwidth capacity.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Top Net

I think depend with your purpose, especially if you have dedicated server with large size, you can customize and use for multiple purpose. Hardware that you use is vary, for example if you want increase the website speed, you must be increase the RAM and bandwidth capacity.

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That is really the insightful reply I have been looking for:clap:. I am delighted and I am looking forward to see more of this ...

Just some more thoughts. Before I order a server, I like to ask ahead of time what is the maximum amount of memory the motherboard supports. This makes me aware of my limits in case I decide to upgrade in the future. I also suggest asking your provider if they know how to install PAE kernel or something similar in case you want high amounts of memory installed. Sometimes Linux will not recognize all of the memory without the correct kernel mod.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by vectro

Just some more thoughts. Before I order a server, I like to ask ahead of time what is the maximum amount of memory the motherboard supports. This makes me aware of my limits in case I decide to upgrade in the future. I also suggest asking your provider if they know how to install PAE kernel or something similar in case you want high amounts of memory installed. Sometimes Linux will not recognize all of the memory without the correct kernel mod.

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I am aware of the maximum amount of memory, and when it comes to PAE I will be in touch with you :-) My provider woudn't help I guess. While prices are attractive, there is no service if you have a so called unmanaged server, which is a server you manage on your own.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Habaku

when it comes to PAE I will be in touch with you

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Please do. Though, when it comes to kernel changes, it's best to have someone local at the datacenter take care of it in case unexpected problems need troubleshooting. It's not something I recommend doing via remote access.