• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

AMD or Intel for server

H

huskerpat

Limp Gawd
Joined
Nov 28, 2006
Messages
207
I'm going to upgrading my server at home in the next couple of weeks and am not sure which way to go. Primary use is file server plus media streaming. I run Mezzmo on it for DLNA streaming. OS will either be WHS 2011 or Windows server 2012. Is there enough performance improvement in transcoding video with an Intel i5 to justify spending an extra $50-100 on the processor?

The cpu's I've been looking at are:
AMD A6-3650 (4 cores)
AMD FX-6100 (6 cores)
Intel Core i5-3350P (4 cores)
 
Do you already have a separate video card? The last two CPUs you listed do not have onboard video capability.

With that said, I would drop the FX-6100 considering how much power it uses.

EDIT: Actually, just drop the Core i5-3550P and go with the Core i5 3470 since the 3470 comes with onboard video and is only $4 more:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0087EVHVW/?tag=extension-kb-20
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
On board video isn't really a big deal. I have a 8500gt I drop in when I need to connect to a monitor.
 
I'd still recommend the Core i5 3470 as it has fairly low power consumption compared to the other AMD CPUs.
 
Ok, thanks. that's kind of the way I was leaning, but the cost of AMD chips is rather enticing.
 
The i5 3470 has a TDP of 77w, versus the AMD chip @ 95w. That's a 18w diference at full load. Assuming the worst possible scenario of full load 24x7 @ $0.15/kwh (a good guess at the national average), you're looking at a max of $23.65 a year difference. That figure drops significantly as you factor in idle time.

If the AMD processor will get the job done for a significantly reduced price, go for it. If you can get the Intel at a price point that makes sense, go for that instead. Work out your TCO (total cost of ownership) and not just the upfront cost.
 
k1114 said:
The i5 3470 has a TDP of 77w, versus the AMD chip @ 95w. That's a 18w diference at full load. Assuming the worst possible scenario of full load 24x7 @ $0.15/kwh (a good guess at the national average), you're looking at a max of $23.65 a year difference. That figure drops significantly as you factor in idle time.
Click to expand...

TDP doesn't mean total power usage. it simply means the max amount of heat it can handle, not the max power usage of the CPU. While the idle power difference between the Core i5 3470 and FX-6300 is virtually the same, there's a pretty big difference at full load:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/fx-8350-8320-6300-4300_8.html#sect0
 
Danny Bui said:
TDP doesn't mean total power usage. it simply means the max amount of heat it can handle, not the max power usage of the CPU. While the idle power difference between the Core i5 3470 and FX-6300 is virtually the same, there's a pretty big difference at full load:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/fx-8350-8320-6300-4300_8.html#sect0
Click to expand...

That's a whopping 43W of difference between the FX-6300 and the i5-3470 in terms of full-load total system power consumption. The OP was considering an FX-6100, which is based on the older Zambezi core. That CPU, though not listed in that chart, would have made the system consume nearly 200W at full load (based on the 204W a system with its slightly higher-clocked sibling FX-6200).
 
If it helps, the current processor is an Intel Pentium E2220 Allendale 2.4GHz. I'm leaning toward the cheaper AMD setup as this budget affects a pc upgrade I'll be doing at the same time.
 
How well has that E2200 performed for you?

If you're going to go AMD, at least get the Vishera AMD CPUs as they use less power while offering more performance. So in other words, go for the Vishera AMD FX-6300 as that'll be the better bang for the buck AMD CPU. The Vishera FX-4300 is only $10 cheaper than the FX-6300 and thus isn't worth getting:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009O7YORK/?tag=extension-kb-20
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
the e2200 has been fine. I'm starting to think I may just wait on the server and throw that cash at my desktop upgrade. It's the server or a new video card. New video card might just win out.
 
I ended up finding a used q6700 and bought another 2 TB WD green drive. I installed server 2012 because I could. Still sorting it out. I hadn't ever messed with it before. It's a little different.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top