Need advice on server spec, switching hosts & want to save $

[sross]

Hi,

Currently paying out the wazoo at rackspace for a dedicated opteron 246 box. Here is my current spec:

Dual AMD Opteron 246
4gb ram
73gb scsi x2 raid1
25gb managed backup 2 week retention
1,000gb bandwidth
cisco pix 501 firewall

Now.. My forum details are nearly 28,000 registered (20 new regs a day), 5-700posts per day, forum discussion and galleries but mostly discussions. My cpu load seems to be around 0.50-1.00-1.50 peak. Site always seems speedy.

I am looking at liquidweb & wiredtree and am undecided. I've been out of the server hardware game for a while and am unsure what a decent spec would be for my size forum. Is a AMD Phenom QUAD Core 9500 comparable to my current dual opteron 246? Maybe even better? The liquidweb "webmaster series" spec I am looking at is:

» Fast Dual Core X2 Processor » 24/7/365 Phone and Helpdesk Support » 24/7/365 Pro-Active Service Monitoring » 100% Network Uptime Guarantee » 30 Minute Hardware Replacement SLA » 3200GB Premium Multi-Homed Bandwidth
(1600in + 1600out)
Price: $319/mon
AMD Phenom QUAD Core 9500
4gb ram
dual 74gb raptor raid1

Grateful for any advice! Thanks

[royo]

It should be ok I suppose. I'm guessing you're an AMD fan, since the Phenom sits pretty low on the cache side. Are you really trying to save cash and get an upgrade? Getting a firewall will cost too, and you might also need some backup space.

[sross]

I had heard a while back vb likes AMD but if Intel is kickin some butt these days I'd have no issues going with that..