Updating my old server.

M.Laz · September 27, 2020

My current server is runs a single E5620 on a Supermicro X8DAL. It also has a fair number of mechanical drives and an older power supply that doesn't have an efficiency rating.
It's main uses are as a backup for my NAS, as a Plex server, to run SoftEther, and to help run programs for data search and sort (though that's limited by the CPU's performance).

My primary motivation for an upgrade (and I use the term loosely) is to lower its power consumption. Performance is my secondary motivation. The main thing I have in mind are some tools to check for duplicate images, but there are other tasks that would be easier to achieve with a bit more power.

The main thing I'm looking for input on here is the mainboard and CPU. The power supply is totally straightforward. Replacing the multiple drives with one or two bigger and more efficient drives is also pretty straightforward.

For the board and CPU, I am trying to hit a $150 budget. I'd like to go with a proper server board to get remote management features. My current thinking is to go with an LGA1150 board and something either Haswell or Broadwell based. I was looking at the E3-12xxL v3 and v4 CPUs. I'm looking at the E3-1265L v4 which has a 35W TDP and is roughly double the performance of my current CPU, but looks like they are going for $120 on ebay. Another option is the E3-1230L v3 which is a more modest 40% performance boost with a 25W TDP and look like they are in the $100 range on ebay right now.

I don't have a board picked out. It looks like $60 may be the low end for one.

Combined, that's all over my target, but not by much and I think a combination of more searches and patience will be able to get me closer.

Another option is to go with a Core CPU. I've only just started looking at this option. Sticking with the same processor generations as the Xeons I'm considering, I'm using the data from Passmark as a starting point. The main issue I see is that none of the Core CPUs near the performance of the 2 Xeons I mentioned are a good bit higher. Another consideration going this route is how to get remote management. I've recently learned about pikvm project. Perhaps there are better options that have similar perf/watt as the Xeons that I haven't found yet.

If I go with a non-server based solution than I'd want that to leave enough room in the budget for the Pi4 and HDMI to CSI bridge to build one.

I haven't mentioned anything AMD based because I haven't looked at anything form Team Red yet. Do they have any low power options that are in the same performance neighborhood as the Xeons I've mentioned above?

mahyar · September 27, 2020

2 minutes ago, M.Laz said:

My current server is runs a single E5620 on a Supermicro X8DAL. It also has a fair number of mechanical drives and an older power supply that doesn't have an efficiency rating.
It's main uses are as a backup for my NAS, as a Plex server, to run SoftEther, and to help run programs for data search and sort (though that's limited by the CPU's performance).

My primary motivation for an upgrade (and I use the term loosely) is to lower its power consumption. Performance is my secondary motivation. The main thing I have in mind are some tools to check for duplicate images, but there are other tasks that would be easier to achieve with a bit more power.

The main thing I'm looking for input on here is the mainboard and CPU. The power supply is totally straightforward. Replacing the multiple drives with one or two bigger and more efficient drives is also pretty straightforward.

For the board and CPU, I am trying to hit a $150 budget. I'd like to go with a proper server board to get remote management features. My current thinking is to go with an LGA1150 board and something either Haswell or Broadwell based. I was looking at the E3-12xxL v3 and v4 CPUs. I'm looking at the E3-1265L v4 which has a 35W TDP and is roughly double the performance of my current CPU, but looks like they are going for $120 on ebay. Another option is the E3-1230L v3 which is a more modest 40% performance boost with a 25W TDP and look like they are in the $100 range on ebay right now.

I don't have a board picked out. It looks like $60 may be the low end for one.

Combined, that's all over my target, but not by much and I think a combination of more searches and patience will be able to get me closer.

Another option is to go with a Core CPU. I've only just started looking at this option. Sticking with the same processor generations as the Xeons I'm considering, I'm using the data from Passmark as a starting point. The main issue I see is that none of the Core CPUs near the performance of the 2 Xeons I mentioned are a good bit higher. Another consideration going this route is how to get remote management. I've recently learned about pikvm project. Perhaps there are better options that have similar perf/watt as the Xeons that I haven't found yet.

If I go with a non-server based solution than I'd want that to leave enough room in the budget for the Pi4 and HDMI to CSI bridge to build one.

I haven't mentioned anything AMD based because I haven't looked at anything form Team Red yet. Do they have any low power options that are in the same performance neighborhood as the Xeons I've mentioned above?