2 - 2ghz quad core processors or 2 - 3.0ghz dual core processors

Question

I'm trying to decide which spare server I should use to build a backup file/print server. These are both Dell PE2950 machines that haven't been used in about a year or so. One has 2 2.0 ghz quad core procs, and the other has 2 3.0 ghz dual core procs. None of these are the Nehalem procs since they're 2-3 years old.

Thanks!

If you're going to ask us to compare two CPUs, you really should tell us which two CPUs they are! — David Schwartz, Nov 12 '16 at 21:03

score 3 · Accepted Answer · answered Apr 01 '10 at 16:08

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Unless you're expecting a hell of a lot of load I'd use the 2 x 3Ghz Duals so you can use the 2 x 2Ghz Quads for something that'll need it.

answered Apr 01 '10 at 16:08

Chopper3

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score 3 · Answer 2 · answered Apr 01 '10 at 16:21

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Whichever one you go for, why not make it a virtual machine, so you can migrate it easily, plus be able to use some of the spare horsepower in the future?

answered Apr 01 '10 at 16:21

SqlACID

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I thought about that. Our main file server is a VM, but I need to use all the available storage for this file server, plus I wouldn't want to waste a VMWare license on a host with a single VM. – Apr 01 '10 at 17:36

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Apr 01 '10 at 16:02

I would go for the Quads. You don't typically have lots of computation load on a file/print server, and Quad core cpus tend to perform better in IO intensive situations. That way you can also save the faster CPU's for when you need a server for something more computationally intensive such as a build server.

2 - 2ghz quad core processors or 2 - 3.0ghz dual core processors

3 Answers3