Need to upgrade my CPU - holding me back

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thecoffeeguy

Member
Mar 10, 2016
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Greetings friends.

i have a ESXi box that i build almost a year ago. As I start to push more and more stuff through it, my CPU is turning into a bit of a bottleneck.

here is what I have:

First, i have this mobo:
SUPERMICRO MBD-X10SRL-F

this CPU:
Intel Xeon E5-2603 v3 Haswell 1.6 GHz LGA 2011-3 85W

The CPU has no hyperthreading.

I have 64gb of memory currently, going to 128 here soon.
Working on adding some more storage as well (faster IOP's).


In addition to a new CPU, any recommended coolers? Something that is quiet, moves air and keeps it nice and cool? (Since it is in my office, so would prefer not to sit next to the sound of a jet :). )

Thanks everyone.

TCG
 

Rand__

Well-Known Member
Mar 6, 2014
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Depends on the CPU you want to get (TDP) and the case you use -> 1-5u ;) ?
 

T_Minus

Build. Break. Fix. Repeat
Feb 15, 2015
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My favorite 4U is the Supermicro SNK-P0050AP4.
I use it in my desktop as well as all my 4U chassis, works awesome and is affordable.

For 2U / 3U Dynatron (copper model not cheaper/lower end model) works awesome in 2U, and again is almost silent at/near idle.


Are you interested in ES CPU or only oEM/Retail CPU? Buying used or new only? Budget?

Those will depend on which CPU people suggest.

E5-1650 V3 is a high frequency, lower core CPU not sure if you're wanting that or more core and keep low freq?
 

thecoffeeguy

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Mar 10, 2016
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Say budget is up to $350ish, give or take....if i can do it for a good cost and performance, i can spread my money around for more stuff (switch, storage, memory )

Thanks guys!
 

T_Minus

Build. Break. Fix. Repeat
Feb 15, 2015
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ES or retail/oem only?

You can get a nice ES for that price...retail/oem won't get you up there much...
 

Rand__

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Mar 6, 2014
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And of course the question - many slower cores of few faster ones?;) Whats your intended use?
 

thecoffeeguy

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Mar 10, 2016
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ES or retail/oem only?

You can get a nice ES for that price...retail/oem won't get you up there much...
both are options for me right now. I am open to either as well as increasing my budget if needs be to help out with more power.
 

thecoffeeguy

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Mar 10, 2016
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And of course the question - many slower cores of few faster ones?;) Whats your intended use?
Primary work is lab work (lots of VM's running, mix of SQL, oracle and mysql instances.)

Nothing is very transactional. Purely a test lab (devops mostly)
 

T_Minus

Build. Break. Fix. Repeat
Feb 15, 2015
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Check out the for sale thread by @ShepsCrook on these forums. He has # of ES CPU within your budget that will absolutely blow away the CPU you have now!
 

thecoffeeguy

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Mar 10, 2016
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hmm...those are some sweet CPU's. Was looking to keep something in the 75w-85w range, if possible....never bought a used CPU before.

what type of cooler for a 3U case? something chilly and quiet. :)
 

T_Minus

Build. Break. Fix. Repeat
Feb 15, 2015
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Psssst... look up I answered that question ;)

If you want to look at CPU options: Intel® Xeon® Processor E5 v4 Family Product Specifications

Intel® Xeon® Processor E5-2618L v4 (25M Cache, 2.20 GHz) Product Specifications

There's a handful of lower power options.

Remember though, lower TDP does not mean it will idle lower, and if you're not using CPU cycles 24/7 a higher-end CPU may give you more "oooomph" to finish the job faster, and still idle at very low power.

This is why I'd urge higher frequency CPU, especially if that 2603 has been working.

Look at the E5-1650 V4 high frequency on all cores, but lower total cores available....
This CPU is over 2x as fast *freq* before turbo than your current CPU. It is a low higher total wattage though, so you would need cooling for your heavy-usages, even if they're rare heat builds up fast!

I would look more towards the E5-2683 V3 or V4 that @ShepsCrook has for sale... 12-16 cores 2.xGhz base-clock, etc... and most likely can be had for $450 or less for the CPU, and you'll be ROCKING!!
 

Netwerkz101

Active Member
Dec 27, 2015
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If retail...e5-2620v4 8c/16t @ 2.1GHz base ... 85w .. Noctua 60x25mm PWM fans can handle decently.
 

T_Minus

Build. Break. Fix. Repeat
Feb 15, 2015
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Noctua are great fans but not worth it in a server when other fans will be louder anyway.

That upgrade also, while an upgrade to what he has IMHO isn't enough to warrant the purchase over what he has now though.
 
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MBastian

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Jul 17, 2016
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Wiht a single CPU system and his workload I'd go for more cores first and all-core turbo frequency second. Max frequency is a far far third and base frequency is irrelevant(at least for v2+) anyway. Coming from a 6 core 1.7GHz CPU with no turbo mode even a relatively low clock 14 Core CPU like the E5-4660 aka E5-2660 will give him roughly 40% more speed per core. As already mentioned TDP is not so important. If you want to save power /heat/noise you can always throttle your CPU a bit. (Btw.: I am not sure if there is some equivalent to "cpupower frequency-set" in VMware or Windows?)

Some very informative articles written by William George and Donald Kinghorn over at Puget Systems regarding turbo mode here, here and here.
 
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thecoffeeguy

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Mar 10, 2016
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Very helpful info guys. Really appreciate your feedback. Lots of things to think about for sure. In looking at this, from the information above, and being very CPU illiterate, the pros and cons of a E5-2660 vs the E5-46x series? Obviously, more cores, power etc, but anything else?

thx

EDIT: One more education note for, how can i see what the benefit i am getting from upgrading my current CPU to one of the other's mentioned here? Meaning, items like hypertreadhing (cant believe man does not have that!), cores, power etc...just to get an idea of the difference i will get.

What i mean is, i did not realize when i bought my original CPU (bundle with the mobo) it did not have hyperthreading. I dont want to make the same mistake.

Thx
 
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