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Tips for selecting a CPU for a moderately sized ESXi host

Tips for selecting a CPU for a moderately sized ESXi host

H
Hagnarock
Senior Member
434
01-03-2022, 09:47 AM
#1
I’m retiring and swapping out some outdated equipment at work. One of these machines is an older ESXi server.
Rather than paying the excessive fees Dell imposes for even a basic server, I’m opting to construct my own.
This machine will host approximately 6 to 8 virtual machines, but only one carries a significant workload. The others are negligible in comparison to the single heavy one.
The one under consideration will run MS SQL Server 2022. It will manage a database for an application with roughly 100 users in total, and likely between 30 to 50 concurrent users at any moment. Most transactions consist of minor updates to straightforward text and numeric fields throughout the day. Thus…a moderate volume of small reads and writes. The most demanding task the database faces is typically sorting data, since some tables include extensive historical information.
I expect this VM will be allocated 8 vCPUs and 32GB of RAM.
I’m trying to figure out which CPU to choose. My goal is to ensure it doesn’t become a bottleneck.
My current CPU needs to meet Dell’s requirement of 16 cores for Windows VMs.
I’m considering the Ryzen 9 7950X. Although this isn’t a server-grade CPU, I haven’t encountered any issues in the past where I lacked ECC memory or used a Xeon instead of an i7 or similar. I’ve experienced storage failures, so I’m aiming for enterprise-level reliability. I’ll install an Areca trimode RAID card with four NVMe drives across two RAID 1 arrays. I also believe the higher IOPS offered by NVMe will better support my database-driven application than a more powerful CPU would.
However, I need a reality check on this assumption. Does Xeon, Threadripper, or EPYC offer any practical edge over the Ryzen 9 for my specific scenario—something I’m not fully aware of? I’m open to being convinced to choose higher-end CPUs if there’s a tangible benefit and I can secure the necessary budget approval. Before making a decision, I’d like to consult some experts here to see if these server CPUs will actually deliver meaningful advantages before committing to increased costs.
Edit: I should note, in case it matters, that I’m planning to move from ESXi to Hyper-V due to significant licensing cost hikes for VMware.
H
Hagnarock
01-03-2022, 09:47 AM #1

I’m retiring and swapping out some outdated equipment at work. One of these machines is an older ESXi server.
Rather than paying the excessive fees Dell imposes for even a basic server, I’m opting to construct my own.
This machine will host approximately 6 to 8 virtual machines, but only one carries a significant workload. The others are negligible in comparison to the single heavy one.
The one under consideration will run MS SQL Server 2022. It will manage a database for an application with roughly 100 users in total, and likely between 30 to 50 concurrent users at any moment. Most transactions consist of minor updates to straightforward text and numeric fields throughout the day. Thus…a moderate volume of small reads and writes. The most demanding task the database faces is typically sorting data, since some tables include extensive historical information.
I expect this VM will be allocated 8 vCPUs and 32GB of RAM.
I’m trying to figure out which CPU to choose. My goal is to ensure it doesn’t become a bottleneck.
My current CPU needs to meet Dell’s requirement of 16 cores for Windows VMs.
I’m considering the Ryzen 9 7950X. Although this isn’t a server-grade CPU, I haven’t encountered any issues in the past where I lacked ECC memory or used a Xeon instead of an i7 or similar. I’ve experienced storage failures, so I’m aiming for enterprise-level reliability. I’ll install an Areca trimode RAID card with four NVMe drives across two RAID 1 arrays. I also believe the higher IOPS offered by NVMe will better support my database-driven application than a more powerful CPU would.
However, I need a reality check on this assumption. Does Xeon, Threadripper, or EPYC offer any practical edge over the Ryzen 9 for my specific scenario—something I’m not fully aware of? I’m open to being convinced to choose higher-end CPUs if there’s a tangible benefit and I can secure the necessary budget approval. Before making a decision, I’d like to consult some experts here to see if these server CPUs will actually deliver meaningful advantages before committing to increased costs.
Edit: I should note, in case it matters, that I’m planning to move from ESXi to Hyper-V due to significant licensing cost hikes for VMware.

P
PinkSky_xoxo
Member
64
01-03-2022, 11:19 AM
#2
The main benefits of Xeon, Epyc, etc... are the additional PCIe lanes and RAM channels. What networking solution are you employing for the server? How much memory capacity do you require? Is this intended for a high availability setup? You might find a SuperMicro server with Epyc 8000 or 9000 models suitable. Also keep in mind that Hyper-V becomes more affordable if you avoid using the Hyper-V version of vCenter. It seems you could still obtain ESXi Essentials.
P
PinkSky_xoxo
01-03-2022, 11:19 AM #2

The main benefits of Xeon, Epyc, etc... are the additional PCIe lanes and RAM channels. What networking solution are you employing for the server? How much memory capacity do you require? Is this intended for a high availability setup? You might find a SuperMicro server with Epyc 8000 or 9000 models suitable. Also keep in mind that Hyper-V becomes more affordable if you avoid using the Hyper-V version of vCenter. It seems you could still obtain ESXi Essentials.