Home "server" CPU choice. Threads VS Cores

[crlogic]

I have the opportunity to upgrade my home server from i7-8700 to i7-9700 for free and I'm wondering if it's even worth my time to swap them.
It's just a Windows 10 Pro system that I use as a basic file share, Minecraft server host and maybe some other things in the future like Plex

I'd be gaining a little clock speed and cache but really it comes down to 6 core 12 thread vs 8 core 8 thread, will the 9th gen be faster?

So for my use case, what's your guys opinion? I'll put a poll but comments with insight would be awesome too

Down the line if I upgrade my personal rig its 10700K will probably end up in the server too anyway

 

[Toothless]

No point in changing unless your use case requires it. For what you listed either chip would work but if you're switching down the road anyway, no reason to change.

 

[Shrek]

I'd do it, but because I like messing with technology.

 

[crlogic]

I'd do it, but because I like messing with technology.

So do I, so it would be a fun adventure! I like to undervolt as well and the 8700 wasn't a very good bin, so this gives me another chance at the lottery too. But if the 9700 is no faster in the end then it is a little silly

 

[Toothless]

So do I, so it would be a fun adventure! I like to undervolt as well and the 8700 wasn't a very good bin, so this gives me another chance at the lottery too. But if the 9700 is no faster in the end then it is a little silly

MC server is single thread for the most part. You're one generation newer with no use for extra threads. Even if you run four vanilla servers you'll be ram limited before the CPU sweats.

Source: I have two vanilla and three modded servers for friends.

 

[Arco]

MC server is single thread for the most part. You're one generation newer with no use for extra threads. Even if you run four vanilla servers you'll be ram limited before the CPU sweats.

Source: I have two vanilla and three modded servers for friends.

Yeah. Our modded MC server eats 48GB at a little bit higher than normal load.
Luckily we don't have any others MC servers other than an Space Engineers one that is much less played.
Honestly a vanilla server with like 6 people can be ran on pretty much anything. As long as it has 16GB of ram.

 

[Vya Domus]

The 9700 will be faster.

 

[Toothless]

Yeah. Our modded MC server eats 48GB at a little bit higher than normal load.
Luckily we don't have any others MC servers other than an Space Engineers one that is much less played.
Honestly a vanilla server with like 6 people can be ran on pretty much anything. As long as it has 16GB of ram.

I've had four servers up at once with around 64GB used. Server runs 128GB and octo channel so the only issue comes down to core clocks. I've been tempted to turn my 5950x into a game server server.. server.. thingy since I did get 128GB to work but that's more power to the bill.

 

[Arco]

I've had four servers up at once with around 64GB used. Server runs 128GB and octo channel so the only issue comes down to core clocks. I've been tempted to turn my 5950x into a game server server.. server.. thingy since I did get 128GB to work but that's more power to the bill.

Mhm, we run my 7950X because the single core is so important that 64GB is a lesser bottleneck. (Heavy mod moment)

Once I get a new 9950X3d or whatever it will be called I'm making a "proper" server rig with 128GB ~4800MHz ram and undervolting/ecoing it.

 

[Toothless]

Mhm, we run my 7950X because the single core is so important that 64GB is a lesser bottleneck. (Heavy mod moment)

Once I get a new 9950X3d or whatever it will be called I'm making a "proper" server rig with 128GB ~4800MHz ram and undervolting/ecoing it.

I have a dual 2698v4 since I was going multipurpose like file backups, BOINC (when it's cold out) and other things. Sure I could use the 3900x but certain things are limiting that.

 

[DaemonForce]

I have the opportunity to upgrade my home server from i7-8700 to i7-9700 for free and I'm wondering if it's even worth my time to swap them.
It's just a Windows 10 Pro system that I use as a basic file share, Minecraft server host and maybe some other things in the future like Plex

It's up to you. Either case is well within reason on a desktop purposed as a light duty server.
A single game host sounds wonderful for such a generation of hardware even if it's just block game.
When I chose a server, I wanted to retire my Pentium 4, Phenom II X4 and FX-8370. Repurposed a light duty desktop, gave it Server Core and tossed two giganto multi-TB HDDs at it with an SFP for direct workstation attachment.
Threads? Cores? I chose neither. All that matters to me is 24/7 availability and the ability to allow general user access.

If you're doing VMs, PiHole, Plex and a bunch of other stuff of that nature, you most certainly need nested virtualization technologies, which I don't need or use. You've had this technology since before the first generations of the i7. The performance you have with block game depends on the server software which is typically single threaded so single core speed would be the most driving factor influencing that decision.

Looks good to me. My 3600 would be a great candidate.

Use of multiple adapters, good memory and enhanced storage also play a part. Especially when any of it is misbehaving repeatedly.
If you use any HDDs that are starting to go south, there may be random performance hits, so that's a tell. Bad config files might also still be a thing.
This game was created in an era where I could switch back and forth between my high school era Pentium 4 Prescott and a Phenom II X4 so I'm sure it's fine.

 

[Lew Zealand]

FWIW, I did a lot of research for *non-server* desktop performance when getting an upgrade from my i5-8400 with the 2 CPUs you're comparing here and found the i7-9700 to be the better performer after reading and watching a lot of reviews. Buuut it wasn't a huge difference. Also fair warning if your i7-8700 is a good sample and runs relatively cool and low power, my 9700 is the opposite of a golden sample (a brown sample) and uses more power and runs hotter than I would have preferred, even when restricting to the i5-8400's clocks and cores. It dukes it out with one of my two Ryzen 5 1600AFs for being my brownest CPU sample. You hopefully will be luckier.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Free is good. So if you don't need to spend money to upgrade the motherboard, RAM or PSU to support the 9700, then why not?

 

[crlogic]

Well folks I did a BIOS update and dropped the CPU in. Ran Cinebench to do some validation and I am getting some very strange behaviour, clocks and voltages are all over the place, and as such it is performing worse than the 8700.

I'm going to dig in to it more tonight, reset the BIOS, wipe ThrottleStop config etc to see if anything is interfering with stock behaviour

Motherboard is an Asus Prime B360M-A

FWIW, I did a lot of research for *non-server* desktop performance when getting an upgrade from my i5-8400 with the 2 CPUs you're comparing here and found the i7-9700 to be the better performer after reading and watching a lot of reviews. Buuut it wasn't a huge difference. Also fair warning if your i7-8700 is a good sample and runs relatively cool and low power, my 9700 is the opposite of a golden sample (a brown sample) and uses more power and runs hotter than I would have preferred, even when restricting to the i5-8400's clocks and cores. It dukes it out with one of my two Ryzen 5 1600AFs for being my brownest CPU sample. You hopefully will be luckier.

My 8700 was an ok sample I think. I undervolted it to -0.050mV which is pretty standard but didn't try for any more. Temps were ok but it was under an OEM acer cooler that I saved from eWaste so that's not very representative. Excited to dial in the 9700 if I can get it running right. So far it looks like the 8700 idles 1-2W lower though

 

[pavle]

I voted for i7 9700. You get 8 real cores, never mind the hype about threading with 8700, so it's faster and with both being 65W parts it's a pretty sweet upgrade.
Here's a comparison from CPU world.

Edit: I'm sorry - didn't read the whole topic before posting - I'm sorry to see that you've been having problems with i7 9700; if they continue, just put i7 8700 back in and have peace.

 

[Bill_Bright]

I am getting some very strange behaviour, clocks and voltages are all over the place, and as such it is performing worse than the 8700.

Maybe you just discovered why it was free.

 

[crlogic]

Maybe you just dicovered why it was free.

A great point, but it's actually a from workstation that was retired a week ago that came in to work and we're going to repurpose. Asked my boss if I could trade him CPUs, so it *should* be good. It came out of an identical Asus Prime B360M-A too

 

[Bill_Bright]

Well, if it was working before it was retired, then yeah, seems it should work.

 

[dgianstefani]

For free it's an obvious choice, the i7 9700 will run cooler due to soldered TIM and provide slightly more performance.

CPUs without HT don't have the associated security holes either, so patches to mitigate those holes don't slow them down.

 

[A Computer Guy]

I have the opportunity to upgrade my home server from i7-8700 to i7-9700 for free and I'm wondering if it's even worth my time to swap them.
It's just a Windows 10 Pro system that I use as a basic file share, Minecraft server host and maybe some other things in the future like Plex

I'd be gaining a little clock speed and cache but really it comes down to 6 core 12 thread vs 8 core 8 thread, will the 9th gen be faster?

So for my use case, what's your guys opinion? I'll put a poll but comments with insight would be awesome too

Down the line if I upgrade my personal rig its 10700K will probably end up in the server too anyway

More threads are more useful. I'd keep the threads but still get the free CPU to sell for cash.

For free it's an obvious choice, the i7 9700 will run cooler due to soldered TIM and provide slightly more performance.

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CPUs without HT don't have the associated security holes either, so patches to mitigate those holes don't slow them down.

Good points. This has changed my mind.