3560freak Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 I will soon be upgrading my N54L Microserver to the Gen8 version. I will be replacing the CPU with either the E3-1220L v2 or the E3-1265L v2, but I wanted to know if I would notice a difference between the two for my needs. Any help from previous owners would be great. My main uses are Plex Media Server (transcoding to 3 Roku devices maximum) PS3netsrv CUPS (print server) SubSonic Zoneminder (not initially but likely will be added in the future) I obviously would like the lower power/lower cost of the E3-1220L v2 but would want to make sure that I am not having to upgrade to the E3-1265L v2 at a later point to do what I need to anyway. Thanks to all who have any suggestions. Quote Link to comment
tdallen Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 Hi - The E3-1220L v2 is a 4427 Passmark chip with 2 cores, hyperthreaded (I didn't even know they had 2 core E3's). the E3-1265L v2 is a 7745 Passmark chip with 4 cores, hyperthreaded. The rule of thumb for Plex transcoding is 2,000 Passmarks per 1080p stream so the E3-1265L v2 is going to be *much* better for your use case. Also, since they will both probably idle at the same power usage, the only time the E3-1265L v2 is going to be drawing more power is when it's cranking transcodes - and that's when you want it to draw whatever power it needs. Quote Link to comment
3560freak Posted August 22, 2017 Author Share Posted August 22, 2017 Thank you for the suggestion. I typically like to go with a bit more than I will need at the present moment, but didn't want to spend any unnecessary $$ if I could avoid it. I know that either way it will be a huge jump from the current N54L, but might as well go big Quote Link to comment
HellDiverUK Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 I upgraded my Gen8 to a 1230LV2 and it worked fine. Well, as fine as that machine ever did... Quote Link to comment
3560freak Posted August 24, 2017 Author Share Posted August 24, 2017 16 hours ago, HellDiverUK said: Well, as fine as that machine ever did... Uh oh, that's not reassuring. I had such great luck with my N54L that I thought that the Gen8 was a no brainer (much better CPU options). What kind of trouble am I looking at when compared to my good experience with the N54L? Quote Link to comment
HellDiverUK Posted August 24, 2017 Share Posted August 24, 2017 I never really liked the Gen8 - the iLO controls everything, and freaks out if you're not running in RAID. That means loud fan noise. The iLO takes AGES to boot, so expect minutes for a cold POST. They're super-picky about RAM. There's really lots of better machines for running unRAID on. The N54L is a much easier to live with machine, the Gen8 is just a pain. The Gen10 Microserver looks like it might be OK, though it is a fairly slow AMD chip again, and apparently uses a Marvell controller for the SATA which may or may not be an issue in unRAID. I'd go for a Lenovo or Dell server, or perhaps a HP ML10 before I'd bother with the Microserver. Quote Link to comment
3560freak Posted August 24, 2017 Author Share Posted August 24, 2017 Well I appreciate the honesty from someone who actually used one. The ease of use and low noise levels of the N54L were a huge benefit to me. If those two factors have changed then maybe I need to sell this Gen8 before dumping any time/money and begin looking elsewhere. Can you recommend something with a similar form factor (doesn't have to be the exact same size, but relatively close would be nice)? Quote Link to comment
mog Posted August 27, 2017 Share Posted August 27, 2017 Hello, I plan to upgrade CPU of my gen 8 too. I'm looking for a quad core processor. Where do you plan to buy it? It will be new or used? Quote Link to comment
3560freak Posted August 31, 2017 Author Share Posted August 31, 2017 On 8/26/2017 at 7:38 PM, mog said: Hello, I plan to upgrade CPU of my gen 8 too. I'm looking for a quad core processor. Where do you plan to buy it? It will be new or used? I do not think it will be easy to find a new Xeon that will fit in this MicroServer. I will be purchasing used from eBay (1265L v2 is what I am currently looking at) Quote Link to comment
mog Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 Hello, I'm wondering if TPD is a realy big deal? I am hesitating between an E3 1265L V2 with 45W TPD or an E3 1270 V2 with 69W TPD. 1270 is more powerfull than 1265L but is 24W higher... So what's the risk to go with the high TPD one ? what i should be aware of? thanks Quote Link to comment
tdallen Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 TDP, or Thermal Design Power, is a standardized measure of the maximum heat your cooling system will need to be able to dissipate. It's also a directional indicator of the maximum power draw. It isn't an exact measure of either one, by the way - typical power draw and heat dissipation needs will be less than TDP, and under extreme stress the actuals for both can be higher than the TDP. So the risk is that the 1270 will draw more power than the 1265L under heavy load and generate more heat which will need to be dissipated by your cooling system. Quote Link to comment
mog Posted September 9, 2017 Share Posted September 9, 2017 On 08/09/2017 at 8:04 PM, tdallen said: TDP, or Thermal Design Power, is a standardized measure of the maximum heat your cooling system will need to be able to dissipate. It's also a directional indicator of the maximum power draw. It isn't an exact measure of either one, by the way - typical power draw and heat dissipation needs will be less than TDP, and under extreme stress the actuals for both can be higher than the TDP. So the risk is that the 1270 will draw more power than the 1265L under heavy load and generate more heat which will need to be dissipated by your cooling system. Ok thank you, i will pick the safe choice, and go with a 1265L. A little change of subject, i want to upgrade RAM to 8Go, i want to rebuy a 4Go but i can't find on the internet what is the exact model to try to rebuy the same. Someone have the info? Thanks Quote Link to comment
jademonkee Posted September 14, 2017 Share Posted September 14, 2017 (edited) On 8/24/2017 at 5:18 PM, 3560freak said: Well I appreciate the honesty from someone who actually used one. The ease of use and low noise levels of the N54L were a huge benefit to me. If those two factors have changed then maybe I need to sell this Gen8 before dumping any time/money and begin looking elsewhere. Can you recommend something with a similar form factor (doesn't have to be the exact same size, but relatively close would be nice)? Not to dig up an old thread, but my HP Microserver gen8 is whisper quiet, even with my upgraded CPU (See sig). In fact, the loudest component is one particular hard drive whirring when spun up. I've also had no problems with the RAM being picky (I don't use HP RAM, but Kingston), nor iLO 'freaking out' about RAID. Note that I do use a SAS card in it, but never had iLO/RAID issues even when I didn't have that card. I bought an iLO pro license, but it was a waste of money - just use 'intelligent provisioning' at boot to update the firmware (note that this doesn't work flawlessly, as it reports that firmware updates are available for some of my components when they're not). Aside from that small issue, it's been a solid performer since the day I bought it. In saying that, the new version is about the same price (at least in the UK), after cashback. I don't know how the CPU performance would compare - especially between a gen8 with an upgraded Xeon vs the on-board AMD of the gen10. But, just to be safe, price up the gen8 with any RAM, SAS, CPU upgrades and make sure you can't get better value elsewhere - especially if you think your needs will surpass 4x 3.5" drives in a few years' time. EDIT: At least as far as PassMark is concerned, the AMD version scores lower even than the Celeron in the gen8, and isn't upgradeable, so I'd stay away from the gen10. https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp[]=3069&cmp[]=2075&cmp[]=1486 AMD Opteron X3216 APU: 2282 Intel Celeron G1610T @ 2.30GHz: 2322 Intel Xeon E3-1265L V2 @ 2.50GHz: 7745 If you're going to be running apps on the server, the quad core provides a useful advantage - especially if Plex needs to transcode something. Edited September 14, 2017 by jademonkee Added PassMark info Quote Link to comment
HellDiverUK Posted September 14, 2017 Share Posted September 14, 2017 (edited) The dual core AMD version is a bit anaemic, the quad core version is much better (also has a faster clock speed). The Gen10's Marvell SATA controller remains questionable in unRAID also. Edited September 14, 2017 by HellDiverUK Quote Link to comment
jademonkee Posted September 16, 2017 Share Posted September 16, 2017 On 9/14/2017 at 1:05 PM, HellDiverUK said: The dual core AMD version is a bit anaemic, the quad core version is much better (also has a faster clock speed). The Gen10's Marvell SATA controller remains questionable in unRAID also. Ah, I didn't realise there was a quad core version of the gen10. Good to know. Quote Link to comment
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