I am in the process of building a server setup with a DB server and some web servers for the web tier. We have a DB server. One option is to get a good web server, Xeon processor, 24GB of memory, RAID1. It costs around $2500. We'd need probably another one for backup, but can be cheaper. Another option is to buy 4 cheaper desktops that have very fast procesors, 4-8 G of RAM, no RAID, but find some little device that can route traffic to them, so if one fails the other 3 are still up and running.
Suppose rack space is NOT an issue, any thoughts about which setup is better? May be easier to maintain just the 1 web server, and also I don't know if such "little device" for routing traffic exists (I know I can build this myself using Click or something like that, but that's more complexity).
Thanks.
Best Answer
Okay, there's a reason that server grade equipment exists, and hasn't yet been universally replaced by cheap commodity desktops.
And, no, it isn't just FUD or short-sightedness on the parts of IT professionals the world over.
Can you use the desktops? Sure, but you will never get better than desktop performance out of them. And this isn't just referring to CPU speeds & amounts of RAM. Good server hardware is built like the proverbial "brick you know what", and is designed to keep working under conditions that the average desktop machine won't sustain.
That being said, there are times when a desktop is okay, and the best case for that is when you absolutely cannot obtain server hardware. But if you're spending money already, you'll get better long-term performance from hardware designed for the task.
FWIW, if you need to economize, you should still get server grade hardware. Entry-level servers can be purchased at very reasonable prices, and would still be a step up from low cost desktop machines.