Not sure if this is the proper venue for this question, but I have an old Dell T7500 and want an ideal server for php & mysql with the mysql database alternating between two tables of about 4 million rows each. After some research, I found that ideal MySQL performance requires plenty of RAM. Then a fast hard drive. Then CPU.
I have 32 gb ram, but I didn’t purchase an SSD because the T7500s connect the SSD via a SATA or SAS cable or something, which evidently decreases performance. So I have a standard 1TB hard drive 7200 rpm with 80% of it free. The server is running dual Xeon 5570 cpus. So basically, circa 2009, I have a pretty capable machine (php / mysql-wise). Circa 2015? Not the fastest, of course, but in terms of php / mysql is there anything else I can do without the cost of upgrading my server?
Thanks.