"vCPU distribution by the VMs" best practice to enhance my system CPU lifespan

[Helio Mendonça]

Hi
I have a Proxmox 7.1 server running on a AMD Ryzen 7 1700 CPU (8 cores/16 threads) which gives me a total of 16 CPUs to be used among my current VMs. All 7 VMs have 2 vCPUs assigned and 6 of them present a CPU usage bellow 5%, while one VM have 25% of CPU usage due to several Docker containers running on it.

Now I need to add an additional docker container and I was wondering what should be the best practice to enhance my Ryzen CPU lifespan:
- add it in the VM that is already running my Docker host increasing even more the current 25% CPU usage, or
- create a new VM, with another Docker host and this way distribute the total CPU usage by more CPUs

As you can see I am very far of the 100% of CPU usage and therefore maybe I am being too cautious since Proxmox could deal with all this by itself and distribute the total usage by all available CPUs instead of using heavily just some of them and leave the others with almost nothing to do.

Any tips on this?
Thanks

 

[shrdlicka]

Hi,
I think as long as your CPU isn't overheating, it should be lasting at least 7-10 years. I'm not sure if you want to stay with a CPU this long . I wouldn't worry about the lifespan as long as there is enough cooling .

 

[Helio Mendonça]

Thanks for the reply!
But I wonder if in cases like this, Proxmox will distribute the total usage by all available CPUs instead of using heavily just some of them and leave the others with almost nothing to do (as I wrote in my last post).

 

[Dunuin]

If you don't pin or use numa PVE will distribute all processes over all CPU threads as good as possible.

 

[leesteken]

Your CPU will most likely survive your motherboard, which has more different kind or parts (which are much less tested during fabrication). And you will probably have a hard time replacing the motherboard, as there are few working second hand ones (no new ones are produces in a couple of years) because this happens to almost everybody. I believe you are focusing on the wrong hardware part here, as CPU are known to have a very long lifespan when used within normal parameters for temperature and voltage. No manufacturer requires balancing of work loads (which Proxmox/Linux/Windows do automatically), as far as I know.

 

[Dunuin]

Where you actually should be worried is the life expectation of HDDs and especially SSDs.