Criticise Server Build

Just re-read your OP and seen this
I will be using the two 5.25 slots
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If you require 2x5.25 slots, then the Prodigy wont be much use to you.
A little over budget but better meets your requirements.

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1 x Gigabyte Z77M-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £86.99
1 x Xigmatek Gigas Micro ATX Cube Case - Black £86.99
1 x Corsair Enthusiast Series TX550M High Performance 550W '80 Plus Bronze' Modular Power Supply (CP-9020001-UK) £59.99
1 x GeIL Black Dragon 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (GD38GB1600C11DC) £23.99
Total : £272.05 (includes shipping : £11.75).

 
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Rather than using the Xeon-E1230 I was thinking of using an I5 3570k instead since they are a similar price and the integrated graphics would be slightly better for Media Streaming function.

I know the Lower End Xeons are just identical to the I5 and I7's with things like IGPU disabled in order to run at lower temps and on less power ( so better for running 24/7).

So what do people think 3570k or E-1230.

James
 
kitkat9933 said:
Rather than using the Xeon-E1230 I was thinking of using an I5 3570k instead since they are a similar price and the integrated graphics would be slightly better for Media Streaming function.

I know the Lower End Xeons are just identical to the I5 and I7's with things like IGPU disabled in order to run at lower temps and on less power ( so better for running 24/7).

So what do people think 3570k or E-1230.

James
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Do you plan on using virtualisation?

I have a 1230 because it supports vt-d, where as the sandybridge 'k' series' didn't (unsure about ivy)
 
Can't you push the budget to a real server? You could get an ML110 G7 and enjoy proper server spec hardware.
 
Yeh I am planning on running a couple of VM servers on it . My orignal I7 series chips seem to work fine for running Virtual's, so are you saying there is issues with them?
 
kitkat9933 said:
Yeh I am planning on running a couple of VM servers on it . My orignal I7 series chips seem to work fine for running Virtual's, so are you saying there is issues with them?
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I've looked into this for my own server build. if you want to run Hyper-V server or ESXI you would want to have support for VT-d (http://www.intel.com/technology/itj/2006/v10i3/2-io/7-conclusion.htm). None of the i5/i7 K processors have this support I believe.

You would also want to make sure the Mb supports a Xeon processor.
 
Just a quick comment on VT-d -- for those not "in the know", it's not an essential requirement for virtualisation. It provides the ability to pass through certain hardware components to a VM (most commonly used to pass through a RAID controller to a VM), so it may be handy to have, but if you are never going to use that functionality, then you don't need a CPU that supports VT-d.

Having said that, I'm running an ML110 G7 with a Xeon E3-1220 in it, and it idles at 30W, which is £24 per year @ 9.09p per kWh. So not exactly going to break the bank in terms of power consumption!
 
By the way, I agree with the above comments, for the money you are looking at spending, just buy an ML110 G7 -- it is a fantastic bit of kit.
 
VT-x is required for virtulisation, VT-d is for IO passthrough so you can pass control of a device natively to a virtual machine (i.e. a raid controller to a virtual file server).

The E3-1230v1 / v2 is a great processor at a fantastic price point. I am not following UK pricing but where I am they are priced between i5 and i7 and have hyperthreading so 4 cores, 8 threads for less than an i7. They also support ECC ram on a board also supporting it (C202/204/206). These boards do not support i5 / i7 processors.

The Intel i3 or below, i5-K or i7-K do not support VT-d.

The ML110 G7 is a good shout especially if you have no concerns about going for third party ram (Kingston for example) as HP tends to charge through the nose for 'branded' upgrades as do the other brands.

If you feel you need VT-d then you might want to check the consumer chipsets support it. For Sandy Bridge, only the Q67 and Z67 did. I have not checked the Ivy chipsets as I tend to build on server boards now.

RB
 
Im not sure if I will need VT-d, because even though I will be running a few different server services through VM, none are particular intensive and I don't think really need native support for devices.

And for the latest Ivy-bridge in the same price band, I would get a much more powerful processor than I could with the E-1230.
 
kitkat9933 said:
Im not sure if I will need VT-d, because even though I will be running a few different server services through VM, none are particular intensive and I don't think really need native support for devices.

And for the latest Ivy-bridge in the same price band, I would get a much more powerful processor than I could with the E-1230.
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Depends how you define the price bands I guess.

If you want to compare like for like price wise then the E3-1245v2 is faster than the i7-3770K and around US$50 cheaper. The E3-1240v2 is even cheaper and faster as it does not have the integrated chipset. There is no Ivy i7 cheaper than the E3-1230v2 and whats more the next closest i7 is more expensive than the next closest E3v2.

Have a look at the passmark charts here.

If you want to get an i7 then there is nothing wrong with that at all but don't do it because you are under the impression that they are cheaper and faster than comparable E3s.

RB
 
kitkat9933 said:
And for the latest Ivy-bridge in the same price band, I would get a much more powerful processor than I could with the E-1230.
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In virtualization, CPU performance is the least of your worries, especially with modern processors (once you've passed a certain threshold, obviously -- you won't get very far on an Atom for instance). Better to spend money on RAM and fast storage.

Another nice little benefit of the ML110 G7 is that you can download the HP version of the ESXi ISO with all the drivers and agents built-in. Plus you get free ILO. It's a very slick package. Unfortunately you can't get cash back on the E3-1220 at the moment.
 
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