Hi
I plan to buy new server only for virtualization. I have about 800-1000$ for CPU(s)+motherboard.

Could you help me choose what hardware I should buy??

I am using AMD Phenom II x6 and Asus M4A87TD/USB3 motherboard.I am happy with them.But there is a lot of pci slot and usb 3.0 which I don't use.While buying don't buy option that you won't use.First try to select chipset and cpu.I you want I can help you further

For that budget I'd buy a +5 year old server on Ebay, you could probably get a 4 way with 16GB and a couple of 146GB scsi disks

btw I am using normal pc as server there is no problem for personal usage

I have 800-1000$ only for cpu + motherboard. For the rest I have additional money. Moreover, I need a new machine (warranity etc.).

About a cpu - which is better?? AMD or Intel??

AMD price/perfomance ratio is better than intel but the fastest processors come from intel but for a good price.Look benchmarks from here

Moved: This thread is more suitable in <Linux - Virtualization> and has been moved accordingly to help your thread/question get the exposure it deserves.

AMD or Intel, not much (if any) difference in quality between them. I normally get AMD CPUs as they have better price/performance (like ibaydan said )

Unless you look at server hardware, you wont get a AMD CPU+motherboard for anything like $1000. About the most expensive AMD 'desktop' setup would be in the $450-550 range (about $200-275 for a Phenom II X6 CPU, about $225-275 for a 990FX chipset motherboard).

What would be better for virtualization: one intel processor or two amd processors(on 1 motherboard) ?

Why 1 intel vs 2 AMDs?

To run 2 x CPUs from AMD or intel, you would need server hardware (opteron CPUs with AMD, xeon CPUs with intel). AMD currently has more cores with opteron (up to 12 cores) than intel does with xeon (up to 10 cores).

With the server level CPUs, you might just be able to afford a 8 core AMD (Opteron 6136, about $800) or 6 core Intel (Xeon E5649, about $800 again).

You wont need server level hardware to run virtualisation. Normal Intel i5s, i7s and AMD Atlhon X4s/Phenom II X4/X6s would be just as good, and a lot cheaper.

But I want server hardware... Moreover, I heard somewhere that 12-core processor from AMD is much lees powerful than 6-core Intel. Is that true??

I need a server that would run more than 4 instances....And i7 in my desktop is choking when I run 3 instances on it.

Might it have been a good idea to put that in the 1st post then?

With some programs, yes, a 6 core xeon can be faster. But only for some programs, with others the AMD can be faster.

Is that due to not enough RAM, or high CPU and/or I/O requirements?

CPU is lacking, it is fully used all the time.

Today I came across Xeon E3-12XX (1220-1290) family. Are they worth looking into?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...22_.2832_nm.29

If your desktop i7 is running out of CPU, then no, dont even look at the xeon E3-12XX series.

Xeon E3-12XX is uni-processor only (no multi CPU setups), and wont have any more prerformance than desktop i7s.

Ok. I got wrong information from that computer owner. I chcecked it and it shows:
Extended brand string: "Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q8400 @ 2.66GHz"

So I have to renew my question: will be there any significant difference betwen Core 2 Quad and Xeon E3-12XX?? (ECC support in new machine might matter).

Sorry for mistake, but I got misinformed, too.