[dba-SQLServer] Powerful servers are not rocket science

John,

To get more detail, can you give us the details on where you got the 
case, motherboard, memory, and cpu?

By the end of the year, I need to build out a similar machine.


Robert

At 08:44 AM 10/15/2010, you wrote:
>Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2010 09:44:35 -0400
>From: jwcolby <jwcolby at colbyconsulting.com>
>Subject: [dba-SQLServer] Powerful servers are not rocket science and
>         pretty  darned cheap
>To: Discussion concerning MS SQL Server
>         <dba-sqlserver at databaseadvisors.com>
>Message-ID: <4CB85AC3.9080804 at colbyconsulting.com>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
>ROTFL.
>
>When I started this client / business (Aug 2004 according to my 
>billing records) I built two
>servers.  At that time the Athlon was king and what I could afford 
>was the 3.8 GHz.
>
>So they were single core machines, 4 gigs ram, running Windows 2003 
>X32 and SQL Server X32.
>
>You may believe me when I say I wasn't processing *anything* very quickly.
>
>I paid (borrowed) about $5000 out of my own pocket to build these 
>two machines in order to get the
>business.
>
>Over the years I just upgraded those servers, dual cores, new 
>motherboard, 8 gigs ram, then 16 gigs
>ram, then quad core etc.
>
>I am now building a brand new server, pretty much from the ground 
>up.  This time the client is
>paying for the upgrade.
>
>The only thing I am bringing over from the last server is my Areca 
>16 port raid controller and the
>terabyte drives that hold all of the databases and business files.
>
>The new server is a dual socket board for the new AMD Opteron 6000 
>series processor.  I selected the
>8 core chips because the 2 GHz version is dirt cheap (275 each 
>ATM).  I would LOVE to have the 12
>core version of the chip but the price for the entry level 12 core 
>is $750 each and I just couldn't
>justify it (to myself).
>
>The point really is that this is not rocket science and it is pretty 
>darned cheap.
>
>450 Motherboard
>275 CPU x 1
>250 8 gig DIMM x 1
>
>So $1000 for an 8 core machine with 8 gigs of memory.  The 
>motherboard has two CPU sockets so you
>can drop in another CPU.  And it has SIXTEEN DIMM sockets so you can 
>drop in up to 128 GIGS of
>memory if you can afford it.
>
>450 Motherboard
>550 CPU X 2
>2000 8 gig DIMM X 8
>
>So right around $3K for a 16 core machine with 64 GIGS of 
>memory.  This is the configuration I am
>aiming for.  You have to admit that is a pretty reasonable price for 
>the foundation, and the nice
>part is that you can get in cheap and add more memory and another 
>core as you get the money.
>
>The biggest problem I had was finding a reasonably priced chassis 
>for the motherboard.  These
>motherboards are a "server size" and won't physically fit in the 
>average tower.
>
>What I am hoping is that the AMD Bulldozer, which is due out in 
>2011, will allow me to do a cheap
>processor upgrade down the road.  Rumor has it that they will build 
>chips with 16 cores, so in a few
>years (after the dust settles and prices drop) I could double my 
>core count again if I need to.
>
>I have to tell you, just moving from a quad core to an 8 core makes 
>a world of difference.  SQL
>Server expects to "own" the machine but if you are a poor hillbilly 
>in North Carolina your server
>has to do more.  With the quad core I assigned 2 cores to SQL Server 
>and two to the OS.  SQL Server
>would max out the two cores it was assigned, which indicates it 
>needs more horsepower.
>
>With 8 cores, SQL Server gets 6 cores now, and there are times when 
>it uses all 6 cores, though I
>have never seen it max all 6 out.  This is a strong indicator that 
>with my current config, six cores
>is enough.  However I will be dropping in more memory, which may 
>remove a bottleneck and allow SQL
>Server to use the processors more efficiently, potentially maxing them out.
>
>If and when I drop in the other CPU, SQL Server could get as many as 
>14 cores.  I am really
>beginning to doubt that my jobs require that but for an additional 
>$275 for the CPU, it is nice to
>know I can go there if I need to.
>
>John W. Colby
>www.ColbyConsulting.com