OT - HELP! Need some test report links comparing Athlon MP/Dual Intel PIII in server setup!!!

[OhioDude]

Like the title says. Need them fast. Our managing director asked me to put together a quote to build a server we will be using to populate/maintain/host customer's SQL data warehouses at our location. I did exactly that (my specs will follow) Today the managing director (an absolute know-it-all if I've ever met one) wants to by a Dell refurb PowerEdge 1500 instead because "It's already there. No hassles. No fuss. Plus the tape drive is built in." (Whatever that means...) This guy's management style is a dictatorship. He pays lip service to asking for everybody's opinions and recommendations, then goes ahead and does what he wants to do anyway. The only person he answers to is the CEO who is only here once every other month so basically it's his show.

:|

Anyway...

Here's the specs of two systems:

Dell PowerEdge 1500 Refurb:
1 - 1.4GHz PIII (Will need upgraded to a dualie.)
4 - 128MB SDRAM DIMMS (Will need upgraded to 1GB)
1 - 1.44 MB floppy
3 - 18GB SCSI 10K hard drives
1 - 48X CD-ROM drive
1 - 20GB DDS4 tape drive (no controller or cables)

Price - $2,223.00

My quote:
1 - Asus A7M266D AMD 760MPX Dualie MB - $220.00
2 - AMD Athlon MP 2000 Retailed - $328.00
2 - Kingston KVR266X64C25/512 512MB DDR PC2100 - $234.00
1 - Adaptec 29160 Ultra160 SCSI Controller - $187.00
2 - IBM SCSI 36GB 10K IC35L036UWD210 - $358.00
1 - Exabyte33GB/66GB VXA-1 8MM ULTRA2 LVD tape drive - $618.37
1 - Mitsumi 32x12x40x CD-RW Drive CR-480ATE - $46.00
1 - Sony 1.44MB 3.5 INCH INTERNAL FDD DRIVE - $8.00
1 - LeadTek Geforce2 MX 400 - $43.99
1 - Chieftec Server Chasis DX-01WD-420W 420 watt PS - $68.00

Total - $2111.36

There should be absolutely no doubt in anybody's mind which system will perform better. I need links to published comparisons between similar systems to the ones above that prove that. I will go above this guy's head if I have to.

 

[Fingers]

not exactly comparing to a P3 but I sure hope this will help

 

[dmcowen674]

Nice Fingers,

It's pretty clear, you have the spend the big bucks on 2 pricey Xeon's to gain 17% performance improvement via Hyperthreading to match the value of the MP's. Don't think your Boss will spend the big $$$ on Xeon's.

 

[Wiz]

You should tell him the price of the Dell with everything it will need (2nd cpu & more ram)

Personally I know how MS SQL server runs on Intel mp but I have no other experience.
It does like more cache, so Xeons with big caches realy excel with SQL.

We know how the AMD outperforms on everything but what you should have is some real world experienced testimony about SQL on AMD MP.

 

[Wiz]

It seems from the AnandTech article on Xeon performance where it was compared to the PIII that a single XEON performed better in Database application than did a dual PIII. Here
If a single XEON is more than double the power of a PIII and dual XEON's are only 17% better than dual AMD MP's then dual AMD MP's are at least 80% faster at database applications than dual PIII's.
It's a simplistic comparison, it's inferred, but it should give you enough ammo. Apparently the server applications really like the hyperthreading, and this makes sense in a multithreaded environment like server applications.

 

[OhioDude]

Thanks, Fingers, Dave, and Wiz!

If anybody else knows of any other reviews, bring 'em on!

 

[mechBgon]

I hate to say it, but it might be best to give the guy enough rope to hang himself with No question I'd rather build my own server, regardless. Nice of Dell to fill up all the slots with dinky 128Mb modules, for instance, instead of consolidating it into one 512Mb module so you'd have three slots left for expansion

I do see one benefit with the Dell: presumably it comes with Win2k Server, or do you already have a license waiting?

If you do build the AMD, I would vote for housing it in an Antec SX1240, which comes with the beefy Antec PP412X power supply. It has two hard-drive cages that will take up to three drives each, and each of them has an 80mm fan position blowing cool outside air across the drives. You also get six 5.25" bays, enough for a CD-ROM drive, a 4-disc RAID5 in hot-swap trays (someday) and a tape drive. And the "upper deck" of the case has a 92mm exhaust fan above the PSU to get rid of the heat a RAID5 would be generating. Some good interior shots of an SX1240: link to review EDIT: doh, looks like mikhailtech is no more, try this link: SX1240 at Antec-inc.com Total fan capacity: five 80mm (two exhaust, three intake), one 92mm exhaust, plus the one in the PSU.

I think it might be good to spec Registered ECC just so you have the option to add a third and fourth memory module without sidelining the first two, not to mention the extra data integrity.

I wasn't able to dredge up any direct comparisons between a dual P3-S and a dual AthlonMP, but I agree it would surely have the better performance.

 

[OhioDude]

Thanks mech!

I hate to say it, but it might be best to give the guy enough rope to hang himself with [/b]
I've tried already in other circumstances. He always cuts the rope in time...

As far as the Dell refurbs go, they don't include a Win2K Server license, but I have a licensed copy already.

I will definitely consider your alternate component suggestions.

I am authoring my comparison doc now. We'll see what he has to say about it when it's done.

 

[mechBgon]

Two more random items:

• The Chieftech equivalent of the Antec SX1240 doesn't have the 92mm exhaust-fan position above the PSU for some reason, and the Antec has a 3-year warranty (which they actually honor in my experience).
• Speaking of warranty, if you build your own rig, I believe you get a 3-year warranty on your Asus motherboard and the retail CPUs too. I bet the Dell refurb has a 3-year warranty only if you pay extra. You might hit the warranty angle in your write-up, if it's in your favor.

 

[mechBgon]

Oh, and another thing: backup software! Does the Exabyte in your package come with backup software? If so, that can be a biggie. The Dell apparently is a bare piece of hardware, it's this one from this page, isn't it?

Hmm, looks like it does come with the 3-year warranty, so I guess the best spin on that is that your system does too, although not next-business-day on-site service.