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COMPUTER ADVICE - (need some input and knowledge)

B

BeLikeMiKe716

Member
hi all,
thanks for taking the time to read and help.

I am building a computer that will be specifically used for Microsoft SQL and will be needing a top of the line computer to handle large databases and such.

1. Does Microsoft SQL support quad core? i was going to go dual core but if SQL can be even faster on a quad core then i would like to get this.
2. Which processor would you recommend. I am looking around a budget of 3000 to build this computer and would like it to be blazing fast as well as have no problems. The budget will include only the pc (mobo, proc, mem, hdd, vidcard, case)
3. any other information relating to SQL uses and computer parts that would help

thanks so much everyone.
 
I am not sure about the quad core support, but I know it supports dual core. Also nice thing is using per processor license with dual core doesn't require 2 processor licenses, just 1.

For SQL Server it is recommended you seperate your transaction logs and databases onto seperate drives/RAID configs. And if possible use seperate controllers too. That way if you lose the database drives, you don't lose the transactions applied since your last backup. You can restore the up-to-the minute data from the transaction logs on the unaffected disks.
 
thanks sounds smart...
so i would go for two raptors for the program and OS and a third drive for all the files..
do you mean i should get a raid controller card for the raid0 of raptors?

does anyone have a good setup/system for this?

also need some help in soundproofing a computer... i wanted to go with lian li cases but i heard that the antec 180 and solo are the best in soundproof cases?
 
It's been ages since I read up on database systems but iirc the latest editions of MSSQL and MySQL are all nicely multithreaded. If you're building a proper database server you could do worse than getting a workstation/datacentre type system package from a big name company for the warranty and support cover, if it's that important.
 
im not sure about big companies

i had HORRIBLE support from them the last time i had a computer bought from them

this computer is not really going to be used as a server...
i tihnk its just the access of files uising SQL and also for personal use.
connecting a 30" lcd monitor to this

quadcore supported?

anyone have setup/system suggestions? 3000 budget.. if i get core2 duo would it be better to get 6600 or the higher ones like 6700 and 6800?
 
Originally posted by: BeLikeMiKe716
hi all,
thanks for taking the time to read and help.

I am building a computer that will be specifically used for Microsoft SQL and will be needing a top of the line computer to handle large databases and such.

1. Does Microsoft SQL support quad core? i was going to go dual core but if SQL can be even faster on a quad core then i would like to get this.
2. Which processor would you recommend. I am looking around a budget of 3000 to build this computer and would like it to be blazing fast as well as have no problems. The budget will include only the pc (mobo, proc, mem, hdd, vidcard, case)
3. any other information relating to SQL uses and computer parts that would help

thanks so much everyone.
Click to expand...

1. SQL server supports multiple cores and multiple CPUs - although you have to pay per CPU socket. All versions (including the free version, SQL server express) will make use of as many cores as each CPU has available. Just to clarify, the free version is one CPU socket max, and is limited to less than 1GB of data, and will only use 1 GB of RAM.

When running on multi-core systems, MS SQL has an advantage of MySQL in that it is multi-threaded. If you run a very complex query on MS-SQL, MSSQL will run the query on all the available cores. MySQL will only use 1 core for the query although other cores will remain available for simultaneous queries (e.g. on a web server). In practice, this probably isn't important unless you're datamining massive databases.

3. If you are running big databases, or if you are going to be running lots of updates, then you want some nice fast disks.

If your databases are small, and you have loads of RAM - then they'll just fit in RAM which is fine and very fast. But big ones, hundreds or thousands of MB will need lots of disk accesses. Even more so, if you're constantly updating them. In that case, you should use separate drives for the database and the log file - as both will need writing simultaneously.

In fact, you could consider using RAID 1 for the database drives - improved reliability, and faster reads (not so important for the log files) are potential benefits.

The slower access time of RAID 0, probably makes it less useful - unless your queries require lots and lots of table scans (which is usually a sign that you're doing something wrong).
 
Some of these servers cost more per processor to license. A quad core is not exactly 4 processors. When we purchase Hardware for our servers we ask a consultant to figure this out. There are too many licensing issues involved with sizing equipment for servers. You have to take into account the number of concurrent users and the size of the database. The bandwidth always ends up being more than you can estimate. Things have a tendency to grow exponentially.

In our environment we like to run the database on one box and the SQL or report server on a different box. Sometimes you have an Application layer, a SQL Layer, and a Database Layer.
 
How is this? please keep in mind the things i mentioned about using MS SQL


1 x Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 (2.4 GHz) Dual Core Retail
1 x Zalman CNPS8000 Cooler for Socket-775 / AM2
1 x Asus P5B Deluxe Intel P965 Retail
4 x Kingston HyperX DDR2-800 1 GB
2 x Western Digital Raptor 150GB 10,000 RPM OEM
1 x Western Digital Caviar SE16 400GB 7,200 RPM OEM
1 x Mitsumi 7-in-1 Black Memory Reader / Floppy Drive
1 x Sony AW-Q170AB Black Dual Layer DVD ± RW / CD-RW OEM
1 x XFX GeForce 7600 GS PCIe 256MB Retail
1 x Antec Solo Black Mid-Tower
1 x Seasonic S12 430W Power Supply
1 x Microsoft Windows XP Professional (64-bit) OEM with Vista Upgrade Coupon
 
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