Good Cheap Server - HP Proliant Microserver 4 BAY - OWNERS THREAD

scaryprowler said:
Hi all! I'm after some Gen 8 advice please? I've been running with 16GB but the default proc is a bit slow. I dont want to go down the route of adding extra cooling if possible (stick with the 35W) - just something thats going to offer me some bang for buck. I use the system for ESXi (Windows server VMs).

i5 2390t (£50)

i3 3240 (£35)

E3 1220L (seems theres different versions)

Can anyone advise what I'd be best of with please? I'm not much of a hardware guy ;)

Thanks in advance!
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Depends what you're going to be using it for. Some CPUs are better at some tasks than others (like VM hosting).

This is a good read. Covers all bases.
 
scaryprowler said:
Thanks! Looks like the i3-3240 doesnt support VT-D. Meh.

This is a bit of a minefield. Maybe the i5 2390t is best for me (budget).
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Just make sure the TDP is supported although there are some that aren't officially supported but will work just might run a bit hot.

Quartz said:
I upgraded my Microserver with an Intel Xeon E3-1260L. It was expensive..
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I maybe should have held of and got one of them instead. They're available for £82 which is cheaper than what I paid for my E3-1220L! Was the best I could get my hands on at the time though.
 
Interesting...

http://n40l.wikia.com/wiki/Cpu_gen8

(excuse formatting)

Model Clock (GHz) Cores/Threads TDP Comment
Xeon E3-1220LV2 2.3/3.5 2/4 17 PassMark 3701
Xeon E3-1220L 2.2/3.4 2/4 20 PassMark 3563
i3-3220T 2.8 2/4 35 PassMark 3691
i3-3240T 2.9 2/4 35 PassMark 3672
i5-2390T 2.7/3.5 2/4 35 PassMark 4277
Xeon E3-1260L 2.4/3.3 4/8 45 PassMark 6534
Xeon E3-1265L V2 2.5/3.5 4/8 45 PassMark 7733
i3-3210 3.2 2/4 55 PassMark 3973
i3-3240 3.4 2/4 55 PassMark 4286
i3-3250 3.5 2/4 55 PassMark 4417
Xeon E3-1220 V2 3.1/3.5 4/4 69 PassMark 6525
Xeon E3-1230 V2 3.3/3.7 4/8 69 PassMark 8856
Xeon E3-1240 V2 3.4/3.8 4/8 69 PassMark 9266
Xeon E3-1270 V2 3.5/3.9 4/8 69 PassMark 9452

On 'paper' surely the i5-2390T (can be had from between £35 - £50) is the best bang for buck? TDP 35w, VT-d and ECC compatible, to go with my 16GB and not add any additional cooling etc. Right?
 
I have the 2390T with stock memory, temperatures haven't changed and like you said TDP is 35w so no additional cooling. mine boosts to 3.3 GHz as well if needed.
 
Xez said:
I have the 2390T with stock memory, temperatures haven't changed and like you said TDP is 35w so no additional cooling. mine boosts to 3.3 GHz as well if needed.
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Good to know! Thanks!

And thanks to everyone else for their inputs! I'm not sure if it's cos I'm new here and it's maybe it's missing... But there's no thanks button. I would have dished a few out else! Cheers for the steer guys. I'll be on the hunt for a 2390t
 
Ricimer said:
Remember if you require ECC support, then you have to stick to the Xeon options.
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You'll have to pardon my ignorance here, sorry! What do you mean by (ECC) support? I thought with ECC, it either works or it doesn't? I understand ECC does some form of error checking. Are you saying that if theres some sort of bad memory condition, unless I have a Xeon, it wont recover from that and will crash? Its for my home test lab - no critical data or services hosted on it.

I've got 2x8GB of the Kingston Technology ValueRAM DDR3 1333MHz ECC. The present proc is the Intel Celeron G1610T. All components are working well together, just a bit slow under load.

Thanks for flagging this with me Ricimer!
 
For ECC to work with intel, you need support from the processor, the board and the memory. The G8 Microservers require ECC memory for the board to boot, however not all processor options may actually use it. Intel removed ECC support from the specs from a number of the compatible processors.

If you aren't running anything critical then you can probably live without it. It's more important when dealing with critical data and file systems like ZFS/ReFS.

According to Intel ARK the G1610 and G2020 do support ECC, as do all the Xeon options. i3-3220T, i3-3240T, i5-2390T, i3-3210, i3-3240, i3-3250 are listed as not supporting ECC.


It might be that some of these do support ECC correctly, it's just that intel changed ecc support from yes to no for some reason, and it's very difficult to verify.
 
scaryprowler said:
Thank you! Seems there's a "T" variant of that processor that's retains the 35W TDP whilst still giving a nice bump in performance! Cheers :)
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Either a 3220T or 3240T would be a useful upgrade over the standard CPU. I have 3220Ts in both my GEN8s and a 3240T available should I feel like giving one of them a minimal further increase.

Intel may have changed the specs but that doesn't affect chips that were already manufactured and mine seem to support ECC RAM quite happily.
 
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Passmark scores

Celeron G1610T: 2,322
Core i3-3220T: 3,697 (59% more)
Core i3-3240T: 3,668 (58% more)

i.e. a little over half again in performance. Nothing to be sneezed at, but worth putting in perspective in terms of the cost and effort involved.

I feel the i5-3470T (Passmark 4,521 - 95% more than G1610T) is a better speed bump. I don't have one in my Microserver (although I do have one in another box), but other people seem to have used it. It is also 35W TDP.
 
Ricimer said:
For ECC to work with intel, you need support from the processor, the board and the memory. The G8 Microservers require ECC memory for the board to boot, however not all processor options may actually use it. Intel removed ECC support from the specs from a number of the compatible processors.

If you aren't running anything critical then you can probably live without it. It's more important when dealing with critical data and file systems like ZFS/ReFS.

According to Intel ARK the G1610 and G2020 do support ECC, as do all the Xeon options. i3-3220T, i3-3240T, i5-2390T, i3-3210, i3-3240, i3-3250 are listed as not supporting ECC.


It might be that some of these do support ECC correctly, it's just that intel changed ecc support from yes to no for some reason, and it's very difficult to verify.
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Snapshot said:
Either a 3220T or 3240T would be a useful upgrade over the standard CPU. I have 3220Ts in both my GEN8s and a 3240T available should I feel like giving one of them a minimal further increase.

Intel may have changed the specs but that doesn't affect chips that were already manufactured and mine seem to support ECC RAM quite happily.
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rotor said:
Passmark scores

Celeron G1610T: 2,322
Core i3-3220T: 3,697 (59% more)
Core i3-3240T: 3,668 (58% more)

i.e. a little over half again in performance. Nothing to be sneezed at, but worth putting in perspective in terms of the cost and effort involved.

I feel the i5-3470T (Passmark 4,521 - 95% more than G1610T) is a better speed bump. I don't have one in my Microserver (although I do have one in another box), but other people seem to have used it. It is also 35W TDP.
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Thank you all for your inputs! Very informative.

The i5-3470T had previously evaded me!

Thanks all!!!
 
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If I order a used CPU from china will I most definitely be slapped with custom charges? I keep looking but the majority are from China so I dismiss the decent price as I think surely I must have to pay extra, yet I do not actually know as I have never ordered anything a such from overseas. Anyone had to pay out?
 
I got my Xeon from the US via Fleabay from a seller who was used to international sales and import duty etc was automatically included in the price.
 
I've outgrown my N54L now, he CPU is the biggest problem for me, it just can't cope with 1080p Plex transcodes. I was looking at a Gen8 with an i3/Xeon, but ended up buying a Dell R710.
 
rotor said:
Passmark scores

Celeron G1610T: 2,322
Core i3-3220T: 3,697 (59% more)
Core i3-3240T: 3,668 (58% more)

i.e. a little over half again in performance. Nothing to be sneezed at, but worth putting in perspective in terms of the cost and effort involved.

I feel the i5-3470T (Passmark 4,521 - 95% more than G1610T) is a better speed bump. I don't have one in my Microserver (although I do have one in another box), but other people seem to have used it. It is also 35W TDP.
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But may not support ECC RAM which I know the i3-3220T does from personal experience. I've found mixed results on the web as to whether it does or not.
 
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