New SQLServer box for better performance

  • Hi all,

    I have a big budget to upgrade my current sqlserver.  Please someone give me some inputs so that I can buy a better server that can provide a better performance? The upgraded box may handle web server as well. We have e-commerce site.

    My current choice is:

    Dell PowerEdge 6600, 4Xeon Processors, 4Gb of RAM, Storage is configured as RAID1 and RAID5, Redundant Power supplies+fans are included. 500GB of hard drive.  It will be run on Win2k Advance Server since it may support clustering. 

    Thanks for any advices

    Minh Vu

  • Since you have big money, I suggest to get SAN storage for your system. EMC, HP and IBM are the major players. You can get it from DELL too.

  • You'll waste the full benefit of that budget IF you put the Web server on the same machine as the SQL server.  2 memory hogs don't live well in the same pig pen.

  • I'd go with Win 2K3 Server.  And make sure you get SQL Enterprise, so it will take advantage of all that extra RAM.

    So long, and thanks for all the fish,

    Russell Shilling, MCDBA, MCSA 2K3, MCSE 2K3

  • Thanks for all of the inputs.

    Minh Vu

  • As far as SAN and fiber, keep in mind that 2 Gb (Gigabit)/second is equivalent to 200 MB MegaByte) / second. I just had that experience thinking that RAID was slower than fiber. We switched things out back to our 320 MB/second - 4 channel RAID card and got tremendous gains (60 GB backup in <15 minutes vs. 1 h 20 minutes going through fiber) in speed. Fiber has it's place but it's not necessarily meant for speed.

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