Xeon X5550 vs Six-core Opteron for database server

Posted by gregmac on Server Fault See other posts from Server Fault or by gregmac
Published on 2010-03-11T22:57:06Z Indexed on 2010/03/12 0:37 UTC
Read the original article Hit count: 453

Filed under:

sql-server

|

hardware-selection

|

processor

I'm specing out a database server, and the price works out to be reasonably close between an Intel X5550 Quad-core and an AMD 2425HE (2.1Ghz) Six-core Opteron.

I've been looking for some comparisons between the two, but the only thing useful I've found is an AnandTech Review of the 2435 which compares it to Intel Xeons, but concludes they both have their place.

My load is MS SQL Server 2008, with an OLTP database that has about an equal amount of reading/writing (and it's a reasonably heavy load).

So my question is, what is going to work better in this situation, assuming the drives are the same:

Xeon X5550, with 16GB 1333Mhz RAM (Dell R510)
or an Opteron 2425HE (2.1Ghz) or 2439SE (2.8Ghz) with 16GB of 800Mhz RAM? (Dell 2970)
- Note: the 2439 adds $500, but the overall pricing works out that it's not that much more than the R510. Using the 2425HE, the Dell 2970 server is slightly less than the similarly-equipped R510). If it adds a decent amount of performance, it's worthwhile to go faster.

(single CPU, in both cases).

© Server Fault or respective owner

Related posts about sql-server

SQL SERVER – Beginning SQL Server: One Step at a Time – SQL Server Magazine

as seen on SQL Authority - Search for 'SQL Authority'
I am glad to announce that along with SQLAuthority.com, I will be blogging on the prominent site of SQL Server Magazine. My very first blog post there is already live; read here: Beginning SQL Server: One Step at a Time. My association with SQL Server Magazine has been quite long, I have written nearly… >>> More
How to install SQL Server 2005 Configuration Manager without installing SQL Server Management Studio

as seen on Server Fault - Search for 'Server Fault'
Hi, I need to configure SQL Server aliases on a public-facing production server. To do that, I need to install SQL Server Configuration Manager. I was not able to find a standalone installer for that, so I am having to install SQL Server 2005 Client Components. This approach is not ideal as we don't… >>> More
[MAJ] SQL Server 2005 Express Edition - La version gratuite de SQL Server 2005

as seen on ASP-PHP.net - Search for 'ASP-PHP.net'
Modification technique pour le site de l'article. >>> More
How to create SQL Server Express DB from SQL Server DB

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
I have a SQL Server 2008 DB. I want to extract SOME tables (and associated schema, constraints, indexes, etc) and create a SQL Server Express DB. It isn't a sync of the target, we stomp on it. We ONLY need to do this in the file system (not across the wire). We are not fond of the synchronization… >>> More
sql server 2000 error, error trying to connect to sql server 2005

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
i am connecting to sql server 2000 on a remote computer with a dotnet application, but when i try to open the connection it gives the following error: When connecting to SQL Server 2005, this failure may be caused by the fact that under the default settings SQL Server does not allow remote connections What… >>> More

Related posts about hardware-selection

Hardware selection for Linux machine

as seen on Super User - Search for 'Super User'
Hi, I am building a new box, and planning to install Ubuntu 9-04 or Ubuntu 9-10 on it. I am wary of the hardware selection because in the past I struggled with lack of drivers or driver incompatibility with the network card and video card, etc. The last time I built a Linux box was 2007, and I have… >>> More
How to make booting faster?

as seen on Server Fault - Search for 'Server Fault'
What should be done to make booting faster? Answer in terms of RAM, OS, etc. >>> More
How to make booting faster?

as seen on Super User - Search for 'Super User'
What should be done to make booting faster? Answer in terms of RAM, OS, etc. >>> More
Small web server hardware advice

as seen on Server Fault - Search for 'Server Fault'
We need to build a new web server for our organization. We have around 100 hundred small traffic web sites, so our hardware requirements are not too tough. We run CentOS 6, Varnish+Apache, PHP, MySQL, Typo3 CMS for most of websites. Here's a hardware we want to buy: SuperMicro X9SCA-F-O (we need… >>> More
Xeon X5550 vs Six-core Opteron for database server

as seen on Server Fault - Search for 'Server Fault'
I'm specing out a database server, and the price works out to be reasonably close between an Intel X5550 Quad-core and an AMD 2425HE (2.1Ghz) Six-core Opteron. I've been looking for some comparisons between the two, but the only thing useful I've found is an AnandTech Review of the 2435 which compares… >>> More