Choose Processor Type
Intel
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Best for large databases.
Tests with SAP and Oracle Calling Circle benchmark show that the latest Intel Xeon processors have an edge over the latest AMD Opteron processors if you are planning to run transactional databases on your server.
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The choice for virtualized servers.
Servers with very high VM counts will run about 20% faster with Intel processors than with comparable AMD processors. Intel and AMD are about even when it comes to situations where a virtualized server has a small amount of very intensive VMs.
AMD
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Excels in data mining applications.
The 12- and 16-core AMD Opteron processors have more physical processor cores than its Intel Xeon counterpart and costs less. The extra cores give AMD processors a 20% performance boost over Intel for data mining applications.
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Best value for HPC.
Although AMD only has a slight performance edge over Intel processors for HPC (high-performance computing), AMD processors are also less expensive than their Intel counterparts.
Source: AnandTech.com's comparison of AMD Opteron 6174 with Intel Xeon 5670.
