SQL Server Hardware Poll: AMD or Intel?

When it comes to a thirst for processing power, SQL Server has few equals. Although Microsoft's published hardware requirements for SQL Server 2008 Enterprise (64-bit) x64 suggest an Intel Xeon or Pentium IV processor (both with with EM64T support) or an AMD Athlon 64 or Opteron processor running at 1.4 GHz, many DBAs running more intensive database tasks may decide to ante up to even more powerful server CPU hardware. If you're running SQL Server databases that are bumping up against the maximum capacity specifications for SQL Server, chances are good that you're running some fairly robust hardware.

SQL Server 2008 introduced even better support for advanced server hardware features, including the ability to hot-add additional CPUs and additional RAM without the need for a server restart. (See Michael Otey's "Top 20 SQL Server 2008 Enterprise Edition–Only Features" article for more details.)

So we want to hear from you: How much SQL Server hardware is enough? And do you prefer AMD or Intel CPUs powering your server hardware? Let us know what you think by taking advantage of our poll (below), or add a blog comment at the end of this article.