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For a one-man company which is planning to hire a small staff, I'm considering transforming a former small form factor desktop into a server to deliver files through SFTP. As a basis for evaluation, let us estimate that the staff will gradually increase to 5 people.

I have several possible candidate machines, which all have quad-core Intel vPro i5 or i7, Gen2 processors.

I wonder if i5 is enough to ensure a smooth user experience in this context ( — I assume so because better than most processors we can see in small NAS —), or if an i7 is recommended.

Details of the upgraded desktop:

  • SFF computer with Intel i5/i7 (Gen2) quad-core processor
  • professional SATA SSD with MLC NAND (e.g. Intel DC S3500, Samsung 860 PRO, SanDisk Extreme PRO)
  • 8 GB RAM DDR3 10600U
  • CentOS in console mode (or with a lightweight desktop)

Processors of candidates machines:

  • i5-2500 3.3 GHz (max. 3.7 GHz Turbo), 6 MB cache, 4 cores, 4 threads
  • i7-2600 3.4 GHz (max. 3.8 GHz Turbo), 8 MB cache, 4 cores, 8 threads

Detail of requirements:

The purpose is to allow a small staff (max. 5 people) to access to CAD drawings and excel files remotely.

I plan using an SFTP mapping software on the client laptops, so that each user can see the files like if they were on his own computer. The files are transfered through SFTP, behind the scenes.

So basically, the server will act like a NAS, but offer the comfort of a true computer, making easy to connect a screen, keyboard or backup drive. There is no need for remote desktop. All ressource-hungry things (e.g. viewing a CAD drawing) are client-side.

In the past, for a larger team, I have used a true server (e.g. Dell PowerEdge T310 with Xeon X3400, 8GB RAM DDR3 ECC, SAS HDD in mirror, CentOS). But this time, the team is smaller, 1-3 people (max. 5). We want to save space, limit noise, power consumption, and save some money as well.

N.B. I'm aware of VPS servers, but running own server offers more comfort, especially for backups, privacy and additional "local" security in case of a network outage at the ISP. So, running own server is a deliberate choice.

OuzoPower
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    For SFTP? An old **iPhone** would probably be enough CPU and RAM to run a 1-5 person SFTP server. – ceejayoz May 19 '20 at 18:35
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    Yeah, this is delusional.Any low end computer would work - and I mean rasberry pie, not even i3. This is a "heck, CPU is not relaly used" scenario. – TomTom May 19 '20 at 18:55
  • I agree with the sentiment above, but I expect it is hyperbole - sftp does encryption which would likely cripple the transfer speeds on the pi. That said there is order of magnitude performance difference between these boards and even a basic x86 atom board. – davidgo May 19 '20 at 20:04
  • Thanks. I'm sorry if I have annoyed some of you. There can be some latencies when people are working remotely, so I wanted to minimise the one server side, especially if several people are accessing files simultaneously, but I see that the specs are more than necessary. – OuzoPower May 20 '20 at 10:20
  • @OuzoPower Not annoyed. Just making the point that I think you're vastly overestimating the requirements for a small SFTP server. :-) – ceejayoz May 21 '20 at 17:02

1 Answers1

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Both these CPUs are order-of-magnitude faster then you need (the i7-2700k is about 25% then the i5, I don't know if there was an i7-2700). You also havn't specified the model x3400 processor in the server, but it is likely that this is SLOWER then the processor based system you are proposing to purchase.

The thing to be aware of is power consumption. Both of these CPUs had a tdp of 95 watts, and one of Intel's big pushes subsequently was to reduce power consumption - especially at idle. You will probably find it cheaper over the long term due to running costs to purchase a newer system - and get better reliability.

davidgo
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