# Intel Avaton vs. Xeon X3430 vs. Other



## stratacast1 (Jan 29, 2018)

Right now I have an old HP Proliant ML110 G6 server with a Xeon X3430, 16GB DDR3 ECC memory, an SSD, and mirrored ZFS pool on 2 HDDs. My server is starting to show its age, as some operations and scenarios push my server to the max and there is very evident slowdowns. So I'm trying to find a good option this year for under $1k that is a bit more modern. I really want to stick with boxes that use DDR3 still, so I can (hopefully) just transplant my memory into the new box and save $$ on avoiding the egregious memory prices. My biggest resource users are Nextcloud, Plex, and my SAMBA share right now, with a handful of other jails which do close to nothing.

If I go with the older Supermicro mITX Avaton C2750 servers I can get a good low-power octacore and be able to reuse my memory, but would it perform any better? There's also older Sandy-Bridge (like the E2620) CPUs for a good price, but the boards seem to be expensive and maybe even underwhelming. 

I also list other, if there's something from AMD or somebody else that has anything good...or if "other means" there's nothing, just sit and wait longer. This server just serves my family and that's it. I'm also trying to take these considerations into mind with the impending performance loss of Meltdown patches...but sadly, I only see Intel having products in the sub-$1k territory.


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## xa0z (Jan 29, 2018)

You can go with a nice Supermicro Mini-Tower for cheap these days.  

Some from $400 - $800 on eBay, you just need to install your own HDDs.


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## Phishfry (Jan 29, 2018)

stratacast1 said:


> f I go with the older Supermicro mITX Avaton C2750 servers I can get a good low-power octacore and be able to reuse my memory, but would it perform any better?


I would consider any C2xxx chip as faulty.
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/02/06/cisco_intel_decline_to_link_product_warning_to_faulty_chip/


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## stratacast1 (Jan 29, 2018)

Thank you for catching that! So...I guess now my only thoughts are, are there any Xeon builds that are worth it, or is there literally nothing worth upgrading to, even with a near 10-year-old machine?


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## Phishfry (Jan 29, 2018)

I don't care for SOC in a server and opted for a Skylake Xeon last year.
I don't regret it and it is new enough to be on the microcode update list meaning it might get patched from the latest debacle..


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## stratacast1 (Jan 29, 2018)

Ehh, I guess my best bet is Broadwell then. If I remember right, the difference is pretty much negligible between it and Skylake...except I can avoid paying for DDR4.
What did you have before that?


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## Phishfry (Jan 29, 2018)

I think the key thing to look for is the microcode update for the Spectre bug.
My Skylake Xeon is 3 firmwares up from the bottom of the list.(Meaning cutoff point for MCU fix)
So maybe 3 chip families below Skylake are getting patched. Rest are SOL.
I am curious where the cutoff will be.

My previous server was 1151 Intel board S1200 with a E3-1220L chip.


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## stratacast1 (Jan 29, 2018)

If yours is third up, then Broadwell SHOULD have a shot at getting patched. It's just 1 gen behind it, and on the same 14nm process like the last 5 or whatever years of Intel products. I'll have to find that list.

Granted, your old chip was a 2C/4T chip, did you see good gains going to Skylake? I see a really cool Power9 CPU for sale from raptorcs (TALOS II)...the CPU itself is about $300, but the board is $2k!!! Ouch. That, and to my understanding FreeBSD has no support for it, and even if it did, it would be Tier II...meh.


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