Hardware Options are also something to consider when choosing a dedicated server. You’ll need to pick a processor that’s up to the task, the amount of memory you wish installed, firewall options, and the size of the hard drive.
The BasicPath and BusinessPath dedicated servers have 2 RAM slots, use DDR SDRAM DIMMs, and can hold a maximum of 2 GB RAM. The AdvancedPath and UltraPath servers have 6 RAM slots, use Registered ECC DDR RAM, and can hold a maximum of 6 GB of RAM.RAM memory increases the download speed.For a high traffic website atleast 2GB RAM is required.
Please note that Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003, Standard Editions are only able to use 4 GB of RAM, while Windows Server 2003, Web Edition is only able to use 2 GB.
The overall speed of a dedicated server is affected by several things, but most notably the clock speed of the processor and the speed and size of the instruction/data bus. The clock speed is the rate at which the processor processes information and this is measured in millions of cycles per second (MHz) in older computers and billions of cycles per second (GHz) in newer computers. The way that this information gets to the processor is via the instruction/data bus. The instruction/data bus is the pathway for data communications between the computer's processor and the various components in the computer and is analogous to the buses that run in the city. The bigger the bus, the more people that it can carry. The faster the bus travels, the faster you get to where you want to go. Similarly, the computer's bus has a certain size or width called the data path which is measured in bits. The speed of the bus is also measured in MHz just like the processor. The larger the bus width and/or the faster the bus speed, the more data that can travel on it in a given amount of time.
In addition, there is a thing called the cache that affects the speed of a dedicated server. Before we go into detail on how the cache affects processor performance, lets see how a cache speeds up a web browser.The disk cache is used to store the most recently accessed information from the computer's hard drive. In addition, it also includes information adjacent to the accessed information that is likely to be accessed. This reduces the time that it takes to read and/or write information to the hard drive.
The speed at which a processor executes instructions depends on the cache memory. This cache memory simply remembers instructions and information that the processor has executed or accessed previously. There are two levels of cache memory and these are referred to by their location and degree of accessibility to the processor. The Level 1 cache (referred to as L1 or primary cache) is located on the same chip as the processor. This close proximity to the processor makes the L1 cache very fast. The Level 2 cache (referred to as L2 or secondary cache) is a separate chip on the computer's motherboard. Although it takes longer for the processor to retrieve information from the L2 cache than the L1 cache, the L2 cache is much faster than the computer's main (RAM) memory. The next time the processor needs to execute an instruction or load information that it has previously used, the memory cache supplies the data. If the information is not found in the L2 cache, the processor moves on to the computer's RAM memory.
Celeron
The Celeron is a processor designed for the lower-end computer market. It has some of the characteristics of the higher-end Pentium class processors, but there are two big differences. First, the original Celeron processor used the older 66 MHz data bus. This 66 MHz bus model is still being manufactured today, but there is also a 100 MHz model. The second major difference is in the secondary or Level 2 cache (L2 cache). The first two Celeron processors (266 MHz and 300 MHz) did not contain any secondary or Level 2 cache (L2 cache). The 333 MHz Celeron and later versions contain a 128K L2 cache. Since the Celeron uses the older bus standard and has eliminated the L2 cache, it is cheaper to produce and thus cheaper for computer manufacturers to incorporate in their low-end computers. Also, since the L2 cache is not present in the Celeron, it uses the computer's main RAM memory exclusively to execute instructions. Depending on what you are using the computer for, this may or may not matter to you.
The Celeron processor also runs at a lower frequency and has a lower operating temperature when compared to the other Pentium processors. Since it runs at a lower temperature, it requires a smaller heat sink (used to cool the processor). If a company decided to boost the performance of this processor by increasing the voltage (called overclocking), it would no doubt overheat down the road.The cost of dedicated server which is using celeron processor is less than any other server.
Pentium 4
The Pentium 4 is Intel's latest and most powerful processor, with speeds in excess of 3.0 GHz. There are speed improvements for Internet applications that use streaming media (sound and video), 3D graphics enhancements for games and design applications, image processing including digital photography, digital video and content creation, speech recognition, engineering and scientific applications, and multitasking applications.
This new processor is twice the size of a Pentium III, containing 42 million transistors, and is based on a new micro-architecture called NetBurst. The last time Intel introduced a new micro-architecture was in 1996 with the Pentium Pro. Other enhancements to the Pentium 4 based on this new architecture include 144 new multimedia instructions, better performance for multimedia applications (graphics and sound), dual channel RDRAM memory, 400 MHz system bus, Streaming SIMD Extensions 2 (SSE2), a new advanced Level 1 cache technology (Execution Trace Cache), and a new Hyper Pipelined Technology.
Xeon
The Intel Xeon is directed at the high-end computer user and incorporates a larger and faster L2 cache and a new Slot 2 design. The Xeon has a 400 MHz bus and a 512 KB L2 cache. The Xeon MP has an additional 12 KB L1 cache (trace cache) and a new L3 cache. This third level cache is located in the processor and is used to provide a larger and faster data path to the computer's memory to reduce memory latency and increase throughput.
Itanium
The Itanium is a processor designed for high-end business use (CAD/CAM designing, large databases, security transactions, etc.). It has a 64-bit architecture which requires software written specifically for it (ex. Windows XP 64-Bit Edition). There are currently two types of Itanium processors available, the original Itanium (733 MHz and 800 MHz models) and the Itanium 2 (900 Mhz and 2.0 GHz models). The Itanium includes an integrated Level 3 cache (L3) which was first introduced in the Intel Xeon MP processor.
For a dedicated server atleast 2Ghz clock speed processors are required.You can choose either
pentium or celeron.Celeron processors are cheaper than pentium processors.For very high traffic
site Intel Xeon MP processor is the best option.
Importance Of High Memory Ram For A Dedicated Server
The Ram memory is much faster than hard disk memory.To reduce the download time of your site
you have to select high memory RAm.Atleast 512MB Ram memory is required.For high traffic sites
2GB memory is required.
