Atom (330) based FTP/email server. Performance predictions.

[lemonadesoda]

I'm about to set up a little miniserver for FTP and email for not more than 15 people. Occasional use.

Objective: Small, silent, 24/7, low power consumption, can sit in a cupboard with ambient temps no active colling considerations requires. Once set up, consoleless. RDP to server to manage.

Proposed solution:


Anybody got a prediction about performance? It will be more than enough for FTP/email for 15 people, but do you think I could also:

1./ Run OCR software on it (Scan to folder gets auto OCR and PDF'd)

2./ Run a "private" webserver, meaning, some web based pages/tools for the 15 users only. While generally exposed (accessible) from the internet, the content is only interesting to a few and users are predconfigured, ie. no public access beyond the home page.

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PERFORMANCE PREDICTIONS
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Anybody want me to run (simple) benchmark on the system for comparative purposes? Name your benchmark.

[lemonadesoda]

OK, I've commissioned the server and have conducted some initial performance tests. See below:



WOW! Look at this thing.

It has half the clock speed of a P4 Extreme 3.2Ghz, and so single thread applications go about half the speed. (see superpi). However, Cinebench10 shows some really interesting results:

1./ The Atom 330 can nearly keep up with the P4EE on multithreaded tasks.
2./ The performance improvement of HT is much much better on 330 than on P4. We all know how lame HT was on P4, but on 330 and i7 HT really does add value. HT adds about 1.41x speed up on Atom, but only 1.04x on P4EE.

On wPrime, Generic CPU bench and Crystal Mark ALU and FPU, the multicore Atom 330 matches the P4EE on performance.

CONCLUSION 1. All office P4 based systems should be retired, esp. "low demand" LAN servers and fileservers. Replacing them with Atom 330 makes sense due to lower power consumption and lower noise for 24/7.

CONCLUSION 2. Atom 330 is more than enough power for "productivity" computers, like MS office, etc.

Heat observation. While the Atom 330 system draws a lot less power and makes a lot less heat that a P4 system, it still gets quite hot. And guess what? It isnt the CPU but the silly chipset.

Let's hope 330 system builders start using the GSE chipset or nV ION that only requires passive cooling.

[Fitseries3]

you think a atom 270 setup with a large hdd would make for a good dedicated torrent DLer?

[DanTheBanjoman]

It's a file/web/mail server and you run CPU benchmarks?
No offense, but shouldn't you be looking at network throughput? Web/mail won't cause much load so can be ignored. (I'm sure you don't plan to give it much load) As a file server performance becomes interesting.

[Jakl]

Originally Posted by Fitseries3

you think a atom 270 setup with a large hdd would make for a good dedicated torrent DLer?

It should be fine, but probably your bandwidth will go sky rockin high if you have alot of leachers...

[lemonadesoda]

Originally Posted by DanTheBanjoman

It's a file/web/mail server and you run CPU benchmarks?
No offense, but shouldn't you be looking at network throughput? Web/mail won't cause much load so can be ignored. (I'm sure you don't plan to give it much load) As a file server performance becomes interesting.

Dan, Please read OP.

1./ Run OCR software on it (Scan to folder gets auto OCR and PDF'd)

2./ Run a "private" webserver, meaning, some web based pages/tools for the 15 users only. While generally exposed (accessible) from the internet, the content is only interesting to a few and users are predconfigured, ie. no public access beyond the home page.

FYI it is managing a HP 9200c and running HP Digital Sender Software, with embedded workflow ReadIRIS.

Fileserver? Local 1GB LAN. Network throughput test, IMO, moot. Small files, not high demand transaction loading. WAN access? Small files via FTP, max 15-25 users total, not more than 2 or 3 concurrent. Limited by ISP-router at 6Mbit/2Mbit ASDL. Simple file/webs serving BUT major CPU intensive services like OCR and PDF creation. Therefore CPU benchmarks. QED.

DO YOU WANT ME TO RUN ANY SPECIFIC TESTS? Name your benchmark and I will run it. PS. No manual stopwatch stuff. Must be a load-and-go benchmark utility. Happy to conduct network tests if you like... link to your prefered test.