I've been asked to evaluate a 9-year-old Dell R430 server equipped with a 6-core, 12-thread CPU and 48GB of RAM. It's currently running ESXi 6.5 and Windows Server 2016, supporting two Domain Controllers, one Remote Desktop Server, and a SQL Server. The business owners were told this setup can run Windows Server 2025, but I'm skeptical given the existing slow performance complaints. I'm trying to wrap my head around how anyone could recommend this path for a server that's already showing signs of struggle. We have 12 users in total: 7 local to the SQL database, 2 remote, and 3 traveling. I'm open to any thoughts or insights on this—TIA!
1 Answer
Who suggested to the business owners that this would work? Honestly, it could function, but expect it to be painfully slow! The age of the R430 makes it a ticking time bomb for issues. Are they just being cheap about upgrades?
It's funny because we recommended new infrastructure months ago, but they didn't want to spend the money. Now they're stuck with this old R430 that's owed them nothing after 9 years. It's amusing to see a new player come in promising the world—it’s likely they'll be in for a rough ride for at least 6-12 months before realizing their mistake.