Which option is the better choice when everything else is equal:

Option 1 - 32GB E3-1230 v5

Option 2 - 16GB E-2236 Coffee Lake (costing an additional $50)

The websites consist of a WordPress site with a 4 GB database, as well as several image-based sites with a total of 4 GB database and 4 million images. Thank you in advance.

The next system is superior, although it's worth considering if you really need those extra features. How are you currently using your system?
If it serves your purpose well and you don't anticipate an increase in users or accounts, then the more affordable option might be the better choice if saving $600 a year is important to you. Ultimately, the decision should be based on what suits your specific needs.

While the E-2236 is a superior option, the additional $50 may be considered expensive since the CPU is not from the latest generation.
The added cost would be more reasonable if the E3 came with an HDD and the E-2236 with an NVMe. In any case, it is best to make your choice according to your specific needs.

You have given too little information to fully advise. In the post, you wrote that you have a website with 4 GB of database and 4 GB of photos, while asking which processor is preferable. Here I immediately have a question, will the base grow and by how much? If the base is more or less established, then there is no point in improving (optimization will be more important for users). Of course, if you expand the base to, say, 20 Gb, then you may need both more RAM and a processor (E-2236 Coffee Lake wins in this regard by 70%).

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Below are some of our offers and prices:

Intel i7-920. 4x 2.67 GHz/8GB RAM/2*750GB/20TB/1Gbps - $53/month

Intel Corei7-2600/3770. 4x 3.4 GHz/16GB RAM/2*3TB/1Gbps/1IP - $54/month

Intel Corei7-4770 Quadcore. 4x 3.40 GHz/32GB RAM/2*2TB Enterprise/1Gbps Unlim - $54/month

Intel Xeon E3-1246 V3 Quadcore. 4x 3.50 GHz/32GB RAM/2*2TB Enterprise/1Gbps Unlim/1IP - $59/month

Intel Corei7-4770 Quadcore. 4x 3.40 GHz/32GB RAM/2*240GB SSD/1Gbps - $59/month

Intel Xeon E3-1245 Quadcore. 4x 3.30 GHz/16GB ECC RAM/2*3TB/20TB/1Gbps - $59/month

Intel Xeon E3-1245 Quadcore. 4x 3.30 GHz/32GB ECC RAM/2*3TB/1Gbps - $59/month

Intel Corei7-2600/3770. 4x 3.4 GHz/16GB RAM/2*4TB/1Gbps/1IP - $59/month

Intel Corei7-2600/3770. 4x 3.4 GHz/16GB RAM/2*240GB SSD/1Gbps/1IP - $62/month

AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Hexa-Core Zen2/64GB DDR4 RAM/2*512GB NVMe SSD/1Gbps/1IP - $68/month

AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Hexa-Core Zen2/64GB DDR4 RAM/2*2TB SATA Enterprise/1Gbps/1IP - $68/month

Intel Core i7-6700 4x 3.40 GHz/32GB RAM/2*4TB SATA Enterprise/1Gbps/1IP - $68/month ($62 installation fee)

The 32GB E3-1230 v5 option offers double the RAM compared to the 16GB E-2236 Coffee Lake, which can have a significant impact on the performance of the hosting environment. In the context of a WordPress site with a 4 GB database and multiple image-based sites totaling 4 GB in a database along with 4 million images, it's crucial to ensure that there is enough memory to handle concurrent user requests, database operations, and image caching effectively.

The WordPress site with a 4 GB database is relatively moderate in size and can be adequately managed by both options. However, the performance of the image-based sites, especially in terms of image processing, caching, and serving, will benefit from a larger RAM capacity. The 32GB E3-1230 v5 would provide more headroom for these tasks, potentially leading to faster loading times and smoother user experiences, especially during peak traffic periods.

Considering the additional cost of $50 for the 16GB E-2236 Coffee Lake, it's important to evaluate whether the investment in the higher RAM option aligns with the growth trajectory and anticipated traffic patterns of the websites. If the sites are expected to experience increased traffic or if there are plans to expand the image database, having the extra memory may prevent performance bottlenecks and the need for an upgrade in the near future.
While the initial comparison may seem to suggest parity between the options, the specific demands of the websites point towards the potential advantages of the 32GB E3-1230 v5. By taking into account the scalability, performance optimization, and long-term cost considerations, the higher RAM option emerges as a compelling choice for ensuring optimal hosting capabilities for the WordPress and image-based sites.