mobilemaniac

Hello Linux Gurus and Computer Hardware wizards,

I'm seeking your expert advice on purchasing a Linux (SUSE) server. My place of work is in the process of buying a server to host a database that is accessible through a website. The guy we contract to administer the database has suggested a Dell PowerEdge 1900 with the following specs:

PowerEdge 1900: Quad Core Intel® Xeon® E5310, 2x4MB Cache, 1.60GHz, 1066MHz FSB
Additional Processor: Quad Core Intel® Xeon® E5310, 2x4MB Cache, 1.60GHz, 1066MHz FSB
Memory: 16GB 667MHz (8x2GB), Dual Ranked Fully Buffered DIMMs
Operating System: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10, SP2, Up To 32 CPU Lic, 3 YR Sub, FI, Media
Primary Controller: SAS5/iR, PCI-Express, Add-In RAID Card
Hard Drive Configuration: Add-in SAS/SATA RAID 1, SAS 5/iR Adapter
Primary Hard Drive: 1TB 7.2K RPM Serial ATA 3Gbps 3.5-in Cabled Hard Drive
2nd Hard Drive: 1TB 7.2K RPM Serial ATA 3Gbps 3.5-in Cabled Hard Drive
Power Cords: Power Cord, 250 volt, C13 to C14, PDU Style, 10 amps, 2 feet / .6 meter
Network Card: Single Embedded Broadcom® NetXtreme II 5708 Gigabit Ethernet NIC
Optional Feature Upgrades for Integrated NIC Ports: LOM NIC is TOE Ready
Removable Disk and Tape Drives: No Internal Tape Drive
CD/DVD Drive: 16X DVD-ROM
Floppy Drive: No Floppy Drive
Keyboard: No Keyboard Option
Mouse: No Mouse Option
Documentation: Electronic Documentation and OpenManage DVD Kit
Hardware Support Services: 3 Year ProSupport for IT and Mission Critical 4HR 7x24 Onsite Pack
Installation Support Services: No Installation Assessment

This system comes out to about $4500. It seems like overkill to me, but I don't know much about Linux servers. The database doesn't get all that much traffic (~40 hits/day) and isn't ginormous. So what do you all think? Do we really need 2 Quad cores and 16 GB of RAM? Your advice is appreciated.

mm