Intel or AMD for Server

[tomontee]

I am interested in building a server system that would run both Linux and Microsoft Server 2008 using VM Ware. Looking for motherboard recommendations and thoughts on Intel vs. AMD. I typically have used Intel on other systems I have built, the but price/performance of AMD looks pretty good.

Tom

 

[dclive]

Dell has great deals all the time on their low-end server lineup, and the big guys (vmware, Microsoft, Linux) all support all the latest Dell hardware well. Adding in server boards tends to work much better, too. You can get a basic pseudo-desktop model for 300, and what most would call a real server for 800 or so to start.

 

[Ayah]

Without a budget, recommendations will be inconsistent and inaccurate.

I could recommend a system like a octo Xeon e7-4870 for example: it'll cost you as much as a mid-high range Benz/BMW.

Or could recommend something that a consumer could afford, like something based on AMD's C32 socket.

 

[Chiropteran]

One benefit of AMD is that as long as the motherboard supports it you can use ECC with just about any AMD build, while Intel can only use ECC with the Xeon line of CPUs.

But honestly, for a server I agree with the above posters- buy from Dell, don't build your own.

 

[tomontee]

Thanks for the advice. I was hoping to get something in the $700 - $800 range. It doesn't need a lot of horsepower as it won't be heavily used - SVN, bugtracking, and Drupal, and Wordpress, mostly for just a few users and for testing.

 

[xSauronx]

Thanks for the advice. I was hoping to get something in the $700 - $800 range. It doesn't need a lot of horsepower as it won't be heavily used - SVN, bugtracking, and Drupal, and Wordpress, mostly for just a few users and for testing.

might be worth signing up for dells outlet coupons if you arent in a hurry. sometimes they have entry level server boxes on sale. cant give many details, its not my kind of item so ive never really paid much attention to the price or specs

 

[themillak]

if you were to buy a server from dell, is there a reason to use their hard drives in the system or are you better off getting the minimum and then putting in some (much less expensive) hard drives later?

 

[dclive]

Your own will work. A while ago Dell got called on insisting on using their drives, and a subsequent PERC firmware update "fixed" that.