I'm planning to build a budget server using an old case and power supply I have lying around. I need a more modern CPU and motherboard, but gaming performance isn't a concern for me. I want to set it up with Unraid or Debian.
Here are some things I'm considering:
- Is AMD a better option than Intel for power efficiency with non-gaming workloads?
- I believe that for my needs, having more cores and better multithreaded performance is more important than single-thread speed.
- Are there any good used options on eBay or elsewhere that I should look for?
- My budget for the CPU, motherboard, and RAM is around $300.
1 Answer
It really depends on your specific use case for the server. If you're leaning towards general-purpose or NAS applications, I’d suggest looking into a used Chinese X99 motherboard with a Xeon processor. They’re generally under budget, offer more cores (like 14 compared to Intel’s 6), and allow for more RAM (up to 64GB). Just keep in mind that these options typically don't come with integrated graphics.
Alternatively, you could consider a Dell Optiplex 7060 model. It has onboard video and should still fit within your budget, although it has fewer cores (about 6) and supports less RAM (32GB). Both options have received solid reviews online, so they might be worth checking out!
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