It has 8 GB RAM and it is financial application and we run mysql. We do get high volume transaction in some of the peak time. Also, we use Java to run applications. OS is redhat linux.
Although I do not have this particular model, my experience with this class of Dell machines is that memory shortages are the most common culprits of poor performance. There could be other issues, as well, but I recommend focusing your performance monitoring efforts there first.
Ken
PS- You may have 8GB of memory installed, but the Dell support info suggests that the maximum usable memory for this system is 4GB.
When are you seeing high load? During analytics? What is the configuration of the disk and how large is the database? Can you display more info like a top, mem, or swap.
He may be using one of those software extended memory managers and that might be the problem with his speeds. Those machines were not designed to run 8 gig, but a program makes it where they can and honestly that program does not work well under server environments. It works find for home systems but not for servers.