8-way Xeon PIII 700mhz vs. Dual Xeon P4 3.0ghz
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When running a web-based eCommerce system using SQL Server 2000 Enterprise, which platform would you choose from the following 2 choices:
a) 8-way Xeon PIII 700mhz (2mb L2 cache) with 16 gb SDRAM (this is a Netfinity 8500r -> 8 CPUs)
b) Dual Xeon P4 3.0ghz (not MPs) (512kb L2 cache) with 4 gb DDR SDRAM (generic -> 2 CPUs)
Assume HDDs would be the same (SCSI or Fiber / RAID).
1) Is it better to have MORE processors no matter what, or can FEWER higher end processors perform as well?
2) If "a" is better than "b", what changes would be required to bring "b" roughly equal to "a" (budget is important)?
3) With respect to SQL Server, how important is the amount of L2 CPU cache?
Appreciate any and all opinions. Thanks.
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How big is the db? If it's all cached, not sure the extra $$ buy you anything. If you have complex queries, then parallelism with the extra processors might help out. You'd really have to test it and see. I suspect the bigger box will outperform under large load, but at smaller loads, it might not.
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Assume a very large database (millions of orders, thousands of inventory items, 500K customers, etc.). The majority of the queries would be simple (eCommerce with not a lot of complexity - just massive load due to thousands of concurrent connections).
With a large number of simultaneous connections with each running a simple SQL query, would the 8-way system perform better?
I agree that testing would be the ultimate solution, however budget constraints prevent purchasing both systems.
With a limited budget, is it worthwhile to invest in older technology which buys you more processors, more L2 cache and more RAM - but all at slower speeds? If you think that the 2 scenarios are roughly equivalent, it definitely makes sense not to invest in the older technology.
Tough decision when you actually reach for the wallet. (Not mentioned is the expense of SQL Server CPU licensing: purchasing 8 licenses vs. 2 licenses is a big difference.)
I appreciate your opinions. Thanks.
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I've had experience with a quad P3 500mhz out doing a dual P4 2.8ghz. This was mainly due to application and database design though. Some of the queries where horribly over complex. The extra parallelism possible with the quad cpu's helped improve the overall performance of the application by about 40% without any other changes.
I think Steve's suggestion of testing it out is very valid, espicially if budget is important. You should be able to work with your vendor and get a test run on the system, at your site or theirs.
Also, is per processor licensing the best licensing model for you to use?
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