title: PHP high server cpu load with Wordpress on a dedicated server
body: <p>I'm runing two blogs on a dedicated servers, one with 500 unique visitors per day and the other one with 18.000 unique visitors per day, in the cPanel I see the PHP is going up to 99% of CPU load and I have tried many things but nothing solves the load.</p>
  
  <p>The server turns slow with 250 people online, with 500 start the db connection problems and of course the site turns too slowwwwwwwwwww.</p>
  
  <p>I've also tried to deactivate all plugins but seems any of them is the problem.</p>
  
  <p>These are the server specs:</p>
  
  <pre><code>CPU: AMD Athlon™ II X4 - 4x 2.3 GHz 4 Cores
  Memory: 8GB Memory DDR3 ECC
  Disk Controller: RAID 1 Software
  First Hard Drive: 1000GB SATA Drive (7200 RPM)
  Second Hard Drive: 1000GB SATA Drive (7200 RPM)
  Uplink/Port Speed: 100 Mbps Uplink Port
  Public Bandwidth: Unmetered 100Mbps
  Operating System: Cent OS 6.2 64 bit
  Control Panel Software: cPanel/WHM
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>[PHP] httpd.conf:</p>
  
  <pre><code>StartServers 5
  MinimumSpareServers 5
  MinimumSpareServers 10
  ServerLimit 256
  MaxClients 256
  MaxRequestsPerChild 10000
  KeepAlive Off
  Timeout 60
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Wordpress Plugins:</p>
  
  <pre><code>Akismet
  AZIndex
  BackWPup
  BulletProof Security
  Category Templates Two
  Contact Form 7
  Easy FancyBox
  leenk.me
  qTranslate
  Really Simple CAPTCHA
  Search Everything
  SI CAPTCHA Anti-Spam
  Stealth Update
  Verve Meta Boxes
  W3 Total Cache
  WordPress File Monitor Plus
  WP-PostRatings
  WP Total Hacks
  </code></pre>