Which is a better CPU for hosting websites with IIS (and MySQL+PHP)
I have Windows Server 2012 R2 configured with IIS, MySQL and PHP for hosting basic HTML5/PHP Bootstrap sites and a number of Wordpress sites.
Which CPU is better for this sort of use, and why?
Both are running 16GB DDR3 RAM.
Which CPU is better for this sort of use, and why?
- Intel i7-3615QM @ 2.3GHz
- Intel i5-4570 @ 3.2GHz
Both are running 16GB DDR3 RAM.
Lee W, MVP
It doesn't matter. Neither are server grade. Even then, I would say they are likely roughly even, given that one is an i5 and the other is an i7 but they are only separated by one generation and the i5 has a rougly 40% higher clock speed. Most people would have web servers running as VMs sharing CPU with several other servers. Both would likely have CPUs VERY IDLE most of the time. If you were doing this for sites with lots of traffic, you wouldn't be using desktop grade CPUs.
If you look them up on CPUBenchmark.net, they are very close. The i7 scores SLIGHTLY better. But it's also a laptop CPU. Are you really planning on running web sites long term off a laptop?
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare/Intel-i7-3615QM-vs-Intel-i5-4570/893vs1896
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare/Intel-i7-3615QM-vs-Intel-i5-4570/893vs1896
ASKER
So I'm better off picking the one that has the better storage type (SSD vs HDD) and/or additional hardware features?
The MySQL databases sizes are pretty small.
The traffic on the sites hosted is less than 100 visitors per day for the 12 odd sites hosted and it's sitting on an internet service with a 40Mbps upload speed.
The MySQL databases sizes are pretty small.
The traffic on the sites hosted is less than 100 visitors per day for the 12 odd sites hosted and it's sitting on an internet service with a 40Mbps upload speed.
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Um, are you sure those are the right CPU choices? 3615QM is a mobile processor (QM = Quad-core Mobile):
https://www.intel.in/content/www/in/en/processors/processor-numbers.html
...and the i5 is a completely different architecture altogether. It's like asking whether to use a bike or a car. They might both get you from point A to point B, but that's about as similar as they get.
I don't think I've ever seen Windows Server running on a mobile processor before, and i5 isn't exactly server-grade, either. Chances are that the majority of your resources, including CPU, will be going towards supporting the OS rather than your WAMP stack.
Personally, I wouldn't choose either of those processors and I'd look for a Xeon processor (server-grade processor).
https://www.intel.in/content/www/in/en/processors/processor-numbers-data-center.html
If you're not going down the virtual or cloud path for hosting and doing it with your own physical hardware, then you should plan for the future. Don't try to just handle the 100 visitors a day, because it's complex to upgrade physical server hardware in the future while maintaining uptime (you'd have to take the server offline for a while, which means that your now-busy sites would need to temporarily be hosted on a different server/service to avoid downtime).
And if given the choice, I wouldn't even bother doing this myself. For that low of a load, you'll get far better long-term reliability if you purchase a quality, low-powered VPS solution from a reliable cloud provider (personally, I've used multiple VPS instances on Atlantic.net for a long time with good results). That way, they handle things like hardware failure and replacement costs and upgrades without you experiencing downtime. It's instantly set up, and if your needs grow in the future, it takes a few clicks and a few minutes to boost your available resources, and chances are that you wouldn't see any cost savings on the physical side until 2-3 years into the hosting (at which point you might consider an upgrade anyway).
This link gets you a $15 credit, too: https://cloud.atlantic.net/r/5ynbhi78
https://www.intel.in/content/www/in/en/processors/processor-numbers.html
...and the i5 is a completely different architecture altogether. It's like asking whether to use a bike or a car. They might both get you from point A to point B, but that's about as similar as they get.
I don't think I've ever seen Windows Server running on a mobile processor before, and i5 isn't exactly server-grade, either. Chances are that the majority of your resources, including CPU, will be going towards supporting the OS rather than your WAMP stack.
Personally, I wouldn't choose either of those processors and I'd look for a Xeon processor (server-grade processor).
https://www.intel.in/content/www/in/en/processors/processor-numbers-data-center.html
If you're not going down the virtual or cloud path for hosting and doing it with your own physical hardware, then you should plan for the future. Don't try to just handle the 100 visitors a day, because it's complex to upgrade physical server hardware in the future while maintaining uptime (you'd have to take the server offline for a while, which means that your now-busy sites would need to temporarily be hosted on a different server/service to avoid downtime).
And if given the choice, I wouldn't even bother doing this myself. For that low of a load, you'll get far better long-term reliability if you purchase a quality, low-powered VPS solution from a reliable cloud provider (personally, I've used multiple VPS instances on Atlantic.net for a long time with good results). That way, they handle things like hardware failure and replacement costs and upgrades without you experiencing downtime. It's instantly set up, and if your needs grow in the future, it takes a few clicks and a few minutes to boost your available resources, and chances are that you wouldn't see any cost savings on the physical side until 2-3 years into the hosting (at which point you might consider an upgrade anyway).
This link gets you a $15 credit, too: https://cloud.atlantic.net/r/5ynbhi78
ASKER
Thanks all - I've decided to go with the desktop system rather than the laptop system for hosting these sites. It has better upgradeability and I can utilise the server for some other roles.