Which CPU for my new potential ESXi Host?

[DJMK4]

Hi all,

I am currently using my HP Microserver NL36 to run ESXi 5.0 for virtualisation which is fine, however, I have been pondering the idea of building another host however this time using components rather than a pre-built machine.

Could anyone recommend a good economical but good CPU when it needs to do work for this? I plan to have around 4-8+ VMs possibly using it, I was thinking something like a Q6600 but wasnt sure if this would be to power thirsty.

Idea's appreciated thanks, I want something with either a good dual core, or quad core, which I can then expand on to use in line with say 16GB or more RAM.

 

[DJMK4]

Forgot to mention that I am trying to keep to a budget, so something thats economical but has the power that I require, and doesnt break the bank.

 

[PistolPete]

I'm running a Intel Core i3-2100t (35 watts TDP) with 24GB RAM.

I have 9 VMs running - 6x Windows Server 2008R2, 1x Windows 7, 1x CentOS & 1x FreeBSD boxes.

 

[DJMK4]

Nice with them running (assuming you have them running at the same time and processing) how much load does it put on that Physical CPU is there much room to play with? or are you at your sort of peak or limit in processing power?

I am maybe looking for something a bit cheaper unfortunately, possibly even looking at the AMD market

 

[ASE001]

I have three ESX servers (most items got from OCuk's clearance section!) and one NAS (an old PC) that provides the datastores (thin provisioned) to the servers via iSCSI.

ESX1
1 Core i3
16Gbytes RAM
1 * 64Gbyte SSD

ESX2
1 AMD Athlon II x3 with the 4th core unlocked
16Gbytes RAM
1 * 16Gbyte SSD

ESX3
1 Phenom II x4
16Gbytes RAM
1 * 128Gbyte SSD

PS. My i3 is a 1156 socket device, you can pick these up quite cheap although socket 1156 motherboards are getting hard to find at low prices!

 

[Armageus]

I was thinking something like a Q6600 but wasnt sure if this would be to power thirsty.

*snip*

which I can then expand on to use in line with say 16GB or more RAM.

Core2Quad will not usually support more than 16gb (either 4x 4Gb DDR2, or 2x 8Gb DDR3 on DDR3 boards)


i5-2400 or similar is likely to be one of the best choices, as it supports all the goodies like VT-d/ VT-x/ Extended Page Tables etc. So you can do crazy things like run 64bit ESXi inside 64Bit ESXi, or do direct hardware passthrough for better RAID card performance e.g. if running a NAS as a VM.

 

[DJMK4]

The quad core AMD's look OK and a bit less pricey than the Intel equivalent, however looking for a lower wattage one.

 

[Armageus]

The quad core AMD's look OK and a bit less pricey than the Intel equivalent, however looking for a lower wattage one.

What budget do you have in mind for CPU+Board?

Used Socket 1366 might be worth a look - 6 ram slots, quad cores and VT Tech on everything. Occasionally a good auction deal crops up on some of the 1366 Xeons as well. e.g. L5520 2.26Ghz Quad for £39.99 atm.

 

[DJMK4]

Not quite sure on the budget, obviously the cheaper the better, looking to spend around £35-£40 on a chip and some cash for a board to go with.

Are there any decent Quad core 35/45w chips for that price?

I like the idea of that Xeon, looks like a good chip, although slightly higher rated, and looks quite hard to find a small board for it.

 

[jamesfreddie]

For about £40 you could grab a cheap 1366 chip either xeon or i7.

But then you would be looking at about £40 again for a board on a dead platform and using a lot of power.

You could try and get a Q9450s etc. But they would be £80 +