XEON Purchasing / Power consumption question

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manxam

Active Member
Jul 25, 2015
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I'm one of those people that buys thrice, thinks once. I have so much wasted gear sitting on the shelf and I've promised myself that I'll be smarter going forward. With that in mind, I'm hoping that STH can help me:

I have a bunch of Dell v610s, 410s, 710s all sitting on the shelf unused.
I have ONE 710 that is actually USED running 2012 R2 data center for all of my day-to-day homelab stuff which actually doesn't require much in the way of ram or processing. BUT.. I always like to have too much rather than too little just in case.

Currently the server has 2x X5570 processors in it and uses... ~20% CPU at max. These are 95TDP processors and I pay $0.08 / KwH (Canadian) for electricity. Would I actually be saving any money over the next few years by buying 2x L5640 processors @ $225 CDN. I know that these processors use less than 1/2 the TDP but, considering my current processors are basically unladen, will I actually be seeing the benefit to warrant the outlay of $225?

That brings me on to my second question which is a file server that runs a single X5640 processor NappIT installation. Should I be replacing it with an L5630? They're dirt cheap at about $50 shipped to my door or should I just leave it as is as well?

Thanks for reading and for any advice.

If anyone in the Calgary area needs random goodies for cheap let me know :)
 

xnoodle

Active Member
Jan 4, 2011
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On the first.. would take you ages to recoup a $225 outlay. Assuming you save 50W, that comes out to 438 kWh/year, which is $35 CDN.

On the second.. what's your upgrade time table? Assuming 20 W saved, that's 21$/year.
 

RobertFontaine

Active Member
Dec 17, 2015
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Winterpeg, Canuckistan
I'm in Winnipeg and I also appear to buy at least 3 times before I actually figure out what I want. The trick is to buy at a very good price and sell it as soon as you figure out you don't need it rather than letting it pile up. The crap you can sell/buy on flea-bay is almost unimaginable. If you don't let the depreciation bite you then generally you only lose the price of the shipping and occasionally you break even.
 

Fritz

Well-Known Member
Apr 6, 2015
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I just "upgraded" 2 X5570's with 2 L5630's. The total cost $26 so I figure payback will be quick since my FreeNAS box runs 24/7.
 
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manxam

Active Member
Jul 25, 2015
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Thanks to all who responded. I just needed another voice of reason as the little guy on my shoulder kept screaming "C'mon, just do it already" :)