Hey everyone! We're in the market for a new server and are deciding between HPE and Dell. Our current gear is getting outdated, with an old HP server running on 2x E5-2620v2 processors, 160GB RAM mostly used up, and filled with a mix of 300GB and 600GB SAS disks. We need something that will last for the next 5-7 years as our company continues to grow. Our VMs include a domain controller, SQL server, SAP Business One, a few service VMs, a PBX system, and a small RDS setup. We've got a design department with an 8TB NAS that's only 70% full, so we're not drowning in duplicate files.
For our new setup, we're considering a single 16-core CPU like the Intel 4514Y and starting with 256GB of RAM. The storage options are tricky; everyone is recommending SSDs in RAID1 for the hypervisor, along with 15K SAS disks. However, we've also asked about full SSD setups, and the quotes have been surprisingly high.
We've received offers for SAS SSDs and NVMe Gen4 high-performance mixed-use drives, but there are concerns about durability and performance over time. One person advised us to go with read-intensive SSDs since they're cheaper and if issues arise, we could rely on warranties. What are your thoughts?
3 Answers
You should absolutely consider going full SSD for your setup. Read-intensive SSDs are a solid choice, especially if most of your data is static. I've seen these drives last for years without major wear. Plus, don’t forget to take advantage of tools like Live Optics to gauge your current resource usage—it can really help in making an informed decision.
I'd definitely recommend going with NVMe over SAS SSDs these days. It's becoming the standard, and you're likely to get better pricing and performance. Plus, with current market trends, there are plenty of NVMe options available that can handle your workloads without breaking the bank.
Yeah, NVMe just makes sense given the future-proofing you mentioned. SAS is kind of becoming outdated for small setups like yours.
If price is a concern, maybe broaden your search beyond just HPE and Dell. There are other manufacturers like ASUS or Supermicro that can offer competitive pricing and decent performance for the number of servers you're looking at. It could save you a lot of hassle.
Definitely! Monitoring can help you avoid over-provisioning or underestimating your needs.