Web server! Duel vs. Single processor?

[sethticlees]

My boss wants a duel proc system for the web server. I’m trying to convince him to go single processor but fast, like an AMD 2200XP on a DDR motherboard.

Anybody know if it’s worth saving the extra 300 bucks or should we just go duely?

Honestly, I don’t know what kind of load a web server produces so IMHO I suspect a kickass single processor will do nicely.
Also, considering the original server was a p200 system, I feel a single proc is well justified.

Please, let me know if I’m going about this all wrong!

I value the duel processor system but really it might be over kill in this situation.


Any ideas?




Seth

 

[Jon]

Depends on what he's serving. If it's basic HTML, it won't matter what you use so long as it has a decent disk subsystem in it. General webhosting doesn't use hardly any CPU power, nor memory.

If he's into databases, CGI, Perl, etc., then you might want to look into something a little more CPU/memory robust.

A good SCSI disk system is going to be the most important thing, however.

 

[sethticlees]

Well I just got the word... they're going with a duel processor!

I'm leaning toward the Tyan motherboard, Thunder K7 w/scsi and MP 2000+ procs.


Thanks for the quick reply Jon!

You were absolutely right.


Seth

 

[64026402]

In my opinion any server would benifit from a dual setup. Even if you don't use the cpus all the way it would smooth out the multiple requests and threads that a server has to deal with.
I use a dual proc server at home and find the increase in speed noticable even though it's not heavy use.

The Thunder is a good board. I hope you like jumpers. SCSI onboard would be good. The access times of a decent SCSI drive should help the server.
The SCSI version is going for $199 refurb at newegg for the 2462.

 

[sethticlees]

The Thunder is a good board. I hope you like jumpers. SCSI onboard would be good. The access times of a decent SCSI drive should help the server.
The SCSI version is going for $199 refurb at newegg for the 2462. [/B]

Yeah, that’s the board I was looking at!

Not sure how I feel about setting lot's of jumpers though. I guess it's not my board so should let it go.

Can anyone suggest a high-end alternative to the Tyan?
Preferably one with BIOS management capabilities!

Thx

 

[Lord Moreira]

the MSI K7 Master
www.msi.com.tw
here
Stable and fast like everything else they make

 

[64026402]

Yeah, that’s the board I was looking at!

Not sure how I feel about setting lot's of jumpers though. I guess it's not my board so should let it go.

Can anyone suggest a high-end alternative to the Tyan?
Preferably one with BIOS management capabilities!

Thx

The Thunder boards are the high end. Tyans are designed for servers so bios frills are not added.
The Master-L Msi board would be nice and more user freindly on the bios. But no SCSI or video or dual Lan. But thats what the slots are for.

 

[Lord Moreira]

i was considering he might do some gamming on it to when his boss wasn't looking

 

[Civic_Addict]

I take you're not even looking into Intel?

You really ought to look into their SWE7500 series boards. Dual channel DDR memory(same tech as RAMBUS only not a wallet robber), onboard RAID (SCSI or IDE variety), dual 10/100 NICs, ATI Rage Graphics, 4 case fan conections onboard.

I just built a dual XEON system on one of these as a test server for Citrix. I gotta tell ya, it can handle loads wonderfully. The only drawback is the price. Though I hear SuperMicro makes a dual XEON board for under $300.

Either route, you'll be happy you went dual. Duals will handle the load much more efficently than a single processor.

 

[Mr B]

I take you're not even looking into Intel?

The only drawback is the price.

'nuff said.

I spent $300 on an MSI K7D Master-L and a pair of XP1600+'s. With a bit of effort, and rear window defogger grid paint, they're running at 12.5 x 140FSB (MP2100+...1750MHz each).

Every other component was "recycled" from the single CPU system it upgraded...RAM, drives, case, etc...

Honestly...how far is $300 going to get you buying intel Xeons, even before you figure in the price of a board to run them on?

(below from pricewatch.com, copied/pasted immediately after posting the above....)

$444 - Xeon 2.6GHz
$249 - Xeon 2.4GHz
$245 - Xeon 2.2GHz
$198 - Xeon 2.0GHz
$153 - Xeon 1.8GHz

 

[SickBoy]

$300 -might- get you a P4 Xeon board. Might.

The general consensus we've come to around here and at 2CPU is that if you've got the cash to blow, and dont care about overclocking, go Intel. If you aren't Donald Trump and want to play around with overclocking a little bit, AMD is the better choice.

 

[Civic_Addict]

$300 -might- get you a P4 Xeon board. Might.

The general consensus we've come to around here and at 2CPU is that if you've got the cash to blow, and dont care about overclocking, go Intel. If you aren't Donald Trump and want to play around with overclocking a little bit, AMD is the better choice.

True. Honestly if you're building a true business server, you aren't going to overclock it anyhow. Stability is a must.

 

[cmcquistion]

Even if you don't overclock it, you have to consider cost. I just built a new file server for my work. Went with a MSI K7D Master and dual XP1800's. It has more power than I'll ever need and didn't cost a lot. I don't overclock it, since it services about 50 users, but even at default speed, it is very fast and is a joy to use. It just doesn't slow down. It is always fast for me and for the users. HUGE improvement over the single P4 server I used before. Just as stable as the P4 system, too. Probably more stable, IMO.

BTW, I use SVC GC68 heatsinks ($6 each) with Panaflo L1A fans on them (24 CFM @ 21 dBA, $7 each) on this system. Almost a silent computer, the SCSI drives are the loudest part of the whole system (using Panaflo L1A's for the intake and exhaust fans, too.) Running at default speed and 1.55 Vcore (this motherboard remains stable at Vcore settings lower than any other board I've ever used.) Temps at full load are 40-45C.

Noise may not be an issue for your server needs of course. It depends on whether you work in the same room as the computer I work in a room with 7 computers, so low-noise is paramount, to me.


Also, if you're upgrading from a P200 system, I wouldn't suggest spending a boatload on XP2200's or higher. Just get a couple cheap XP1600's. You probably won't notice any difference in speed on a server and you'll save money that you can spend next year, when XP2200's come down to $60 You WILL want to invest in a good SCSI system, though. I'd recommend the Adaptec 2100 SCSI RAID card. It runs at 33 MHz, but is compatible with the 66 MHz PCI slots. It's pretty cheap and has upgradable cache (up to 128 MB PC100.) Pair it with a few 15K RPM SCSI drives on RAID 5 and you've got a very fast and very stable disk system.