C0RR0SIVE
Golden Master
- Messages
- 9,213
- Location
- Lexington, KY
Ok, this is going to be a fairly long post, I will list the three systems I currently have, as well as their functions. My goal is to lower power consumption as much as humanly possible as cheaply as possible. Finally have a job again (fast food, so min wage, yay?), and some things on my network are well aged and in dire need of replacement. PP, and anyone familiar with server grade components, your input would be valuable as well.
Desktop PC: (Only on when in use, primairly used for generic things and occasional gaming when time permits)
Intel Pentium G3258 @ Stock
ECS B85H3-M
4GB DDR3-1333
2x2GB DDR3-1333
eVGA 750Ti
250GB SSD
Transcoding Server: (This thing MUST pack some serious processing power at times, does not run 24/7, does not transcode 24/7, but, it will have to handle transcoding 6x 1080P streams with subtitles at one time which it severely struggles with right now, using PLEX)
AMD A8-3870
Asrock A75 Pro4/MVP
2x4GB DDR3-1600
Integrated Video
ESXi Host Server: (Has multiple instances of PFSense running, as well as a *nix based webserver, and Server 2k8, 24/7 uptime, has minimal load upon it)
AMD Athlon II X2 235e
MSI NF7550-G55
16GB DDR3-1600
Numerous aged 2TB and 4TB disks - all need replaced, already have that thought out.
Intel Quad Gigabit PCIe x4 NIC
Intel 1Gbit PCIe x1 NIC
Adaptec 9650SE-12 PCIe x8 SAS Controller
Integrated Video
My current plans are to buy a new motherboard, some memory, and a new CPU for my desktop PC, and take the board, and CPU in it currently, and place that into my ESXi host, provided that the motherboard will tolerate having a PCIe x4 NIC and PCIe x8 SAS controller, which, AFAIK, it will support that.
I will then retire the Athlon II X2 and its motherboard in my bin full of useful components for future build purposes should the need arise.
So my question is, comparing the G3258 and Athlon II X2 235e, which is better overall in terms of performance and power usage? Granted, the ESXi host will almost always sit at near idle, it only perks up during really heavy network traffic or disk access. Would there be a better CPU suited for this task, keeping in mind, lower power consumption would be desirable.
Next question, back to the personal desktop, I am currently looking at ordering the following for it...
Corsair CX Series 500w PSU (Would there be a better one out there that would be more efficient and fit this built better?)
Cooler Master Elite 110RC
4GB Kingston DDR3-1333 (it's cheap, and I already have another stick of it laying here)
Asrock B85M-ITX
Intel Core i3-4170
I will reuse the SSD, and GPU, and one stick of 4GB memory currently in it. I don't need a powerful pwn them all machine, just looking for a little more... capability overall compared to my G3258 on the desktop since it can choke up at times during heavy network access or when viewing security cameras and trying to game. Should I go with another board/CPU for this one though? Also, my current desktop has 3x monitors on it, if I chose another motherboard, it must be capable of displaying via the 750Ti and the integrated video at the same time like my ECS board does, I know some boards can't do this.
Those are kind of the plans for now, unless someone has more valuable input, and ideas. Please remember, I am working a part time minimum wage job, so I can't just go out and drop $200 on a CPU, especially if I don't NEED the full potential of the processor.
Now, this one is a bit tricky, since it will be later in the year, and things will be subject to change. I also wish to upgrade my transcoding server, right now it struggles if everyone hammers it at one time. Any ideas on a decent motherboard, and CPU (GPU as well if the iGPU on Intel isn't great with TV watching!)for it that can handle the processing load? I would prefer an mATX board in this department if at all possible, but remember, lowest possible power consumption when at idle is preferable... I also NEED the motherboard be capable of powering the system on after power is lost, as right now, the system shuts down via task scheduler, 30 minutes later power is pulled by an external timer then when the timer kicks in, the machine turns on in the morning just before everyone starts waking up.
Desktop PC: (Only on when in use, primairly used for generic things and occasional gaming when time permits)
Intel Pentium G3258 @ Stock
ECS B85H3-M
4GB DDR3-1333
2x2GB DDR3-1333
eVGA 750Ti
250GB SSD
Transcoding Server: (This thing MUST pack some serious processing power at times, does not run 24/7, does not transcode 24/7, but, it will have to handle transcoding 6x 1080P streams with subtitles at one time which it severely struggles with right now, using PLEX)
AMD A8-3870
Asrock A75 Pro4/MVP
2x4GB DDR3-1600
Integrated Video
ESXi Host Server: (Has multiple instances of PFSense running, as well as a *nix based webserver, and Server 2k8, 24/7 uptime, has minimal load upon it)
AMD Athlon II X2 235e
MSI NF7550-G55
16GB DDR3-1600
Numerous aged 2TB and 4TB disks - all need replaced, already have that thought out.
Intel Quad Gigabit PCIe x4 NIC
Intel 1Gbit PCIe x1 NIC
Adaptec 9650SE-12 PCIe x8 SAS Controller
Integrated Video
My current plans are to buy a new motherboard, some memory, and a new CPU for my desktop PC, and take the board, and CPU in it currently, and place that into my ESXi host, provided that the motherboard will tolerate having a PCIe x4 NIC and PCIe x8 SAS controller, which, AFAIK, it will support that.
I will then retire the Athlon II X2 and its motherboard in my bin full of useful components for future build purposes should the need arise.
So my question is, comparing the G3258 and Athlon II X2 235e, which is better overall in terms of performance and power usage? Granted, the ESXi host will almost always sit at near idle, it only perks up during really heavy network traffic or disk access. Would there be a better CPU suited for this task, keeping in mind, lower power consumption would be desirable.
Next question, back to the personal desktop, I am currently looking at ordering the following for it...
Corsair CX Series 500w PSU (Would there be a better one out there that would be more efficient and fit this built better?)
Cooler Master Elite 110RC
4GB Kingston DDR3-1333 (it's cheap, and I already have another stick of it laying here)
Asrock B85M-ITX
Intel Core i3-4170
I will reuse the SSD, and GPU, and one stick of 4GB memory currently in it. I don't need a powerful pwn them all machine, just looking for a little more... capability overall compared to my G3258 on the desktop since it can choke up at times during heavy network access or when viewing security cameras and trying to game. Should I go with another board/CPU for this one though? Also, my current desktop has 3x monitors on it, if I chose another motherboard, it must be capable of displaying via the 750Ti and the integrated video at the same time like my ECS board does, I know some boards can't do this.
Those are kind of the plans for now, unless someone has more valuable input, and ideas. Please remember, I am working a part time minimum wage job, so I can't just go out and drop $200 on a CPU, especially if I don't NEED the full potential of the processor.
Now, this one is a bit tricky, since it will be later in the year, and things will be subject to change. I also wish to upgrade my transcoding server, right now it struggles if everyone hammers it at one time. Any ideas on a decent motherboard, and CPU (GPU as well if the iGPU on Intel isn't great with TV watching!)for it that can handle the processing load? I would prefer an mATX board in this department if at all possible, but remember, lowest possible power consumption when at idle is preferable... I also NEED the motherboard be capable of powering the system on after power is lost, as right now, the system shuts down via task scheduler, 30 minutes later power is pulled by an external timer then when the timer kicks in, the machine turns on in the morning just before everyone starts waking up.