[Pc_Support] Re: server build -- _never_ use desktop mainboards in servers

[Bryan J. Smith]

On Wed, 2006-06-07 at 20:21 -0700, Thomas wrote:
> Well, work wanted me to watch the budget and this wasn't a server, so I
> picked at Furia Value Workstation...
> http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=M&Product_Code=90383
> I'd have to check, but I think I bought it before Brian posted his
> thoughts on the AM2 Socket based motherboards which look really good.

Socket-939 and Socket-AM2 (new 940) aren't different in performance,
except Socket-AM2 is the future, more flexible and you're going to
quickly be paying a premium for older Socket-939 solutions by year's
end.

Just FYI, in case I haven't mentioned it before (not directed at
anyone) ...

Socket-AM2 (940) is designed for _desktops_.
Socket-F (LGA-1207) is designed for _servers_.

*NEVER* run a desktop mainboard for a server -- *NEVER*.  Non-graphics
I/O can be 10-20x _slower_ -- which _kills_ as server.

For a (dated, but still good) set of fundamentals in an article, see my
2004 November Sys Admin article here:  
  "Dissecting PC Server Performance"  
  http://www.samag.com/documents/sam0411b/  

Now Socket-F isn't out yet, so Socket-940 (not the new AM2, but the
original Socket-940) was designed for _servers_.  Or for uniprocessor
servers, there are low-cost Socket-939 Opterons and mainboards designed
with 8x the non-graphics I/O for servers.

I wrote about several of these, as well as Intel options, here:  
http://thebs413.blogspot.com/2005/12/budget-uniprocessor-pc-servers-wip.html

If you're paying under $200 for a mainboard, it was _never_ designed for
server use.  You need PCI-X or newer PCIe x8 communication/storage slots
-- along with higher-end NICs on-board (or _real_ GbEs added via PCI-X
or PCIe slots).

I snapped off some shots of _real_ server hardware at LinuxWorld in
April:  
http://thebs413.blogspot.com/2006/04/server-hardware-at-linuxworld.html  

There's a reason why desktop hardware is cheaper -- it _sucks_ at server
I/O.  Heck, for just about 25% more, you can assemble a server that is
3x faster because it's not an I/O nightmare like 99% of desktops.

Just in case anyone wasn't aware that Socket-AM2 is _not_ designed for
servers.  ;->


-- 
Bryan J. Smith        Professional, technical annoyance
mailto:b.j.smith at ieee.org  http://thebs413.blogspot.com
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