I’m thinking to assemble a PC with Gigabyte Motherboard, Intel Core I3 Processor, 4GB Ram, 500GB HDD, 1PCI Gigabit LAN Card to install Router OS on it for my WISP or I should use RB1100 AHX2 ? what system will give me the best performance? PC based router or Routerboard itself? If I consider for PC based, it has much more high configuration than Routerboard. I want to install PPPoE Server, Hotspot Server, DHCP Server on the single router with radius server.
Any new generation cpu is faster than RB1100 AHX2. RB1100 has some other advantages like:
-smaller
-low power consumption
-ROS lvl 6
-maybe more silent
etc
For the price that you are going to pay for the x86 hardware, you should look at the CCR routers. Going with the CCR 1016-12G gives you access up to 16GB memory, 16 cores, 64-bit. The PC hardware will be limited to 4GB (RouterOS x86 is 32-bit)
depnd “how load/pps”/“what kind of application/environment?” questions asnwers.
i wish suggest in case if present top-notch SOHO stuff not suits you(200k pps ? bit more?), like 951g/ui, fat versions of 2011 and etc - pick something like CCR1009 or better CCR1016.
but personally i was dreaming about things like quad-core Tile-CPU -driven CCR/RB-router, with fully-passive massive Al-made cooler(like used in one of Taiwanese SOHO expensive brand of “soapbox” routers), single-power input by external PSU(like used in notebooks and monitors, ie standard cylindric jack one side and short cloverleaf cord on other side), five 1G-Base copper ether port, one Gb soldered memory and 256Mb onboard flash. also mSD card slot would be welcome.
its quite possible, such CPU exists aswell as other components, and slightly downclocked(800Mhz ? or 900 if radiator really serious) it can run fine in inclosures, like RB2011 was used to be sold sometimes with.
dreaming is what we’re got, until(if?) virtually non-existent, but long-time awaited RB850gx2 finally hit market.
anyway for RB1100 price, CCR1009 would be FAR better deal, IMO. and even better CCR1016 not so dramatically more expensive as much as it faster and better designed. but i should admit that they both noisy almost untolerable for SOHO environment. incomparable more annoyingly to decently-built rounter on mITX x86 motherboard with silent PSU(preferably with jack for external power supply, like on some Asrock or Zotac boards, for example). so unless you assemble such router/setup(regardless/whatever you pick in result), both RB1100 and CCR’s - not a option, unless you doing that for work/production/living, rather than personal/social use.