I’m building a box for pfSense and need some advice on which CPU to get.
At first I considered a motherboard with a built-in Celeron N3150 (4x1.6 GHz) but then found out that it likely won’t reach much beyond 150-200 Mbit/s with OpenVPN AES256.
Since my connection is currently capable of ~350 Mbit/s and I have the option to upgrade to 1 Gbit/s I would like something to match, ideally even if I later decide to upgrade my connection.
This has made me look in the direction of getting a second hand Xeon with low to moderate power consumption but I could really use some advice here on which specific models to look for.
Alternative suggestions also appreciated, as long as the TDP isn’t too high - electricity is darn expensive where I live.
It’s a quad core at 2.5ghz base with a 3.5ghz boost, at a 45 watt tdp. The problem you might run into with the 1265L v2 is the motherboard selection, especially if you’re trying to find an ITX board (is SFF a requirement or something you’d prefer?).
You can also consider the updated version of the v2, if you’re looking for something with more SFF options, the E3 1265L v3. The cpu prices are higher, but the motherboard selection is a lot more diverse.
Thanks a lot for the suggestion, seems like either of the two would be a good choice in terms of both performance and power consumption.
Oddly enough they seem to go for a staggering 400-500 USD in Europe, at least the ones I could find on eBay.co.uk, so I’ll either have to find one that’s much cheaper or a dealer in the US willing to ship it abroad. Shouldn’t be impossible though and luckily I’m not in a hurry.
I was considering ITX at first because it seemed like the obvious choice and I also have a nice Lian-Li case for ITX lying around, but after I started considering a Xeon I figured that I’ll probably have to live with a large form factor instead which is not really an issue - performance, features etc is more important, I can just stash it in the closet
So far I’ve only bought the NIC, Intel I350-T4 and it comes with both low-profile and full-sized bracket, so all options are open and a case is cheap after all.
If you’re not in a hurry, you can also consider getting cpu’s from chinese ebay sellers. You can usually find cpus for less from china (at least in the states), but with the drawback of a long shipping time.
It’s unfortunate but the used markets in the UK haven’t seemed to produce the same volume of cheap used parts like the markets have in the US. Sux :\
Managed to find a v3 from a US seller, just ordered and paid a total of 228 USD including import tax and fast shipping (~10 days).
That’s a pretty sweet deal, I’m excited!
Did a quick check-up on motherboards before placing the order, seems like the ASUS P9D-I at around 133 USD is a good choice. It’s ITX so I can use the case I already have and it features 2x Intel gigabit.
I’d much rather throw something together myself, though I must admit the one you linked is great value - even considering it would cost me ~530 USD with tax added.
I have never bought a pre-built system and I never will, well, except laptops where I stick strictly with ThinkPads.
What I’ll end up with is around the same price and everything except the CPU will be brand new (okay, used case but that hardly matters…)
I’m excited because what I’ll end up with is overkill for what I need it for, everything is relative. It is quite an outrageous box just for pfSense. I wouldn’t be excited about that sort of performance if I were to build myself a new workstation
That’s cool if you know what you are doing. I like the pragmatic approach.
I’ve been building systems since the turbo XT days… and sometimes it’s better to use a ‘pre built’ system
You’ve certainly been building systems for way longer than I have!
I started out using stuff like the Amstrad CPC128 and a 286 running Windows 3.1 but didn’t get around to building anything until I had turned a teenager. First build featured a 700 MHz Athlon K7 and I believe that must have been in 1999.
I really enjoy building, trying to do it whenever I get the chance!
I’ve built at least 30 over the years, enough to know what I am doing but surely there’s always more to learn.
Not at all, I’m by no means religious.
But with that said power consumption is fairly important as I happen to live in a place where I have to pay ~ 0.43$/kWh o.O
I ordered an E3-1265 v3 about an hour ago but I’m still curious to hear what you would suggest?
True, it’s certainly an issue.
However I happen to have Intel CPUs in all my other systems and there’s nothing I can do about it (except use appropriate software patches or replace my hardware, and the latter isn’t an option at all).
So I’m affected by Meltdown to some extend no matter what and I believe my other systems are more of a concern and risk than a pfSense box - but I might be mistaken.
But if you are aware of meltdown, why would you knowingly buy another one of those chips?
If you have a fleet of VW diesel and then dieselgate happens and all your cars are getting “fixed” and end up with reduced efficiency … and then you go out and buy another VW diesel?
That’s a good question and a valid one… and I can’t really provide you with anything I would consider a truly sensible answer.
But I think that everything considered it won’t really change the overall risk level. It sure does, but not by any significant amount. If I were to worry so much about that issue in particular there’s a whole lot of other stuff I would have to worry even more about. If I get fucked by that I’m fucked anyways.
If I could get an AMD CPU with the same performance / power consumption ratio I’d probably do it.
