Should I go with Intel i5-6500 or Xeon E3-1230v2 for my first pfsense router?

mhweb

If I was going to buy an used cheap desktop computer to build a pfsense router for a 1Gbps Internet connection and one or two VPN connections, and I was trying to decide between a device with an Intel i5-6500 or Xeon E3-1230v2 processor, which one should I pick? Considering horsepower and power consumption, which one would do a better job?

They are roughly the same price, around $20 difference.

stephenw10

What sort of VPN?

I would get the i5-6500 though. Newer, more upgradable. Marginally better single thread performance for OpenVPN.

Steve

mhweb

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mhweb

@stephenw10 The VPN is just for remote connection to fetch files and plex.
Thanks,

stephenw10

So OpenVPN remote access? I'd still choose the i5-6500.

mhweb

@stephenw10 Yes, just normal OpenVPN for remote access.
Is there any other VPN that may required more horsepower?

stephenw10

Nope, generally IPSec requires less. OpenVPN is single threaded so you need good single core performance. There's not much in it between these two but just the fact the i5 is newer would make me choose it.

Steve

Optimus Prime

@mhweb I'm also looking at this scenario...repurpose a spare i5-6500 box or build something else. Which did you decide? I have gigabit FiOS and also want to maximize using VPN.