DavidZemon
New Member
- Joined
- Mar 30, 2019
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- Location
- St. Louis
By "Realistic" I mean we're not going to go 64-core EPYC with 1 TB of Intel Optane storage or some junk. But, at the same time, the $1,500-$2,000 range (USD) should buy some insane hardware by yesterday's standards.
Use case: backend software development.
This entails compiling large C/C++ applications, developing in Java-based IDEs (read: CPU-, disk-, and RAM-intensive), and standard apps like Chrome, various terminal apps, etc.
Three monitors will be connected, one of which is 4k and the other two are 1440p. No 3D processing power is required, but all display outputs should be digital (no VGA allowed).
This will run Ubuntu, upgraded every 6 months to the latest version.
Budget: $1,500-$2,000 seems reasonable, but nothing is going to get approved until the next fiscal year anyway, so exact numbers aren't very important. Prices will change over the next three months, and budget may grow or shrink.
Existing equipment: I have all peripherals, a 2TB 3.5" spinning disk drive for nightly backups, and nothing else. Current work computer is a pre-built Dell and will be given to another employee if I manage to get this approved. Looking to buy case, PSU, motherboard, RAM, CPU, SSD, and a GPU.
Overclocking: no need. Squeezing out an extra 2-5% performance isn't worth the hassle.
So, the fun part: the CPU. I think the Ryzen 9 3950x is the obvious answer here. Honestly, the 3700x I recently installed in my home machine is fantastic and would be ample... but I have some leverage right now at my job and it sure would be fun to plop a 3950x in there. Builds still take 4m30s with my 3700x at home... so it's not like the extra core count of a 3900x or 3950x would be completely wasted
I think DDR4 3600 RAM will be the sweet point for me. Prices seem to increase incrementally up to 3600, and then sky rocket after that. Please let me know if my 2 minutes of perusing prices lead me to an incorrect conclusion.
I'll be installing 32 GB in 2 x 16 GB format, allowing expansion to 64 GB if the need ever arises.
I had a productive SSD discussion over here. Looks like 1 TB of the Corsair MP600 will do nicely (for anyone who actually bothers to go read that thread: yes I need 1 TB, not 512 GB... I double checked tonight and I'm even closer to the limit on my current 512 than I thought).
Motherboards have always been a tricky thing for me. I've never understood how to research those... so I took a gander and found the MSI MPG X570 GAMING PLUS. This seems like a no-frills (okay... less frills) motherboard with adequate VRM cooling to support what will surely be a very power-hungry CPU. Out-of-the-box support for Ryzen 3xxx will be nice too, though I already went through the ordeal of upgrading the BIOS on a brand new B450 at home, so it's not like the ritual is unknown to me. If someone can suggest a B450 motherboard that is significantly cheaper (let's say $150 or less) and you can convince me that either the VRMs are adequately cooled or don't need to be, then I'd happily give up PCIe 4. Then I'd swap out the MP600 for a 970 EVO and shave a few more dollars off.
The more USB ports, the better. I have a LOT of equipment that gets plugged in.
No PCI(e) slots are required, other than one for a GPU. I do not have any internal cards that need to be installed. I bring this up because, if you can find me a suitable mATX or ITX or other small-form-factor solution, I'm ALL FOR IT!
Power supply: something quiet, something efficient.... quality/reliability is certainly key here. 500W ought to be ample, right? Seasonic has a nice offering with the FOCUS series SSR-550FM.
GPU: This I'm having a lot of trouble with. It seems crazy to spend $100 on a graphics card purely to run 3 monitors, but that was about the best I could find: an XFX Radeon RX 560 2 GB. But I've also heard AMD drivers for Linux have improved tremendously since I last used them in '07-'09, and not having to worry about upgrading GPU drivers with every new kernel would be kind of nice.
Case: MUST have front-facing USB 3 type A ports, prefer a simplistic no-nonsense case, quieter the better, no need for 5.25" bays. This PC is mounted in one of those baskets that hangs from the underside of a desk, which is why top-facing ports are an absolute deal breaker. Power button and USB ports MUST be front facing. I don't care one way or another if it has a glass side panel.
The tried and true Corsair Carbide Series 200R seems like an almost perfect fit here - I just wish someone made the same case, but without the 5.25" bays in front.
CPU Cooler: Dark Rock 4 seems like a solid choice. I like Be Quiet's stuff, and the Dark Rock 4 seems like as good as it gets while still fitting inside the standard 160mm. According to Be Quiet's website, the Dark Rock TF (I have this in my home PC, because it only has 158mm of space) actually has MORE cooling capacity than the DR4, but I have to imagine that is only because of the dual-fan setup, not because of an inherently better/bigger cooler, right? The prices aren't too different, and the TF would open up a few more case options, so if anyone can prove that the TF really is as good or better than the DR4, I'd swap to it in a heartbeat. On the other hand, if someone can recommend a good case with room for the Dark Rock Pro 4, I'd be willing to go that route. I have a feeling that keeping the 3950x cool and quiet will be difficult, and the name of this game is GO BIG.
I've never done watercooling, but if I did my research correctly, I don't want to watercool this rig anyway. I'd have to go with a beefy 360mm radiator or larger to significantly improve on the DR4, and that would be a huge step up in cost and a step down in reliability.
For the sake of noise and sufficient airflow, I think it would be wise to install two intake fans and one exhaust (I like the idea of keeping positive pressure in the case, with a front dust filter), with all fans being Be Quiet brand.
Whew! This took forever to write up. All my parts are in a NewEgg wishlist: https://secure.newegg.com/Wishlist/SharedWishlistDetail?ID=DzmVo3sQk56TW1Y8+JKXpg==
I've included the 3900x as a placeholder until the 3950x is released.
Reminder: this won't be purchased until January 1 at the earliest (next fiscal year), so don't bother with "you should get the ___ on ___.com because it's $10 cheaper."
And finally, thank you for reviewing my build! I've been building PCs for many years, but never published a full build list for review before, so I'm anxious to hear what the Internet has to say about this.
Cheers,
David
Use case: backend software development.
This entails compiling large C/C++ applications, developing in Java-based IDEs (read: CPU-, disk-, and RAM-intensive), and standard apps like Chrome, various terminal apps, etc.
Three monitors will be connected, one of which is 4k and the other two are 1440p. No 3D processing power is required, but all display outputs should be digital (no VGA allowed).
This will run Ubuntu, upgraded every 6 months to the latest version.
Budget: $1,500-$2,000 seems reasonable, but nothing is going to get approved until the next fiscal year anyway, so exact numbers aren't very important. Prices will change over the next three months, and budget may grow or shrink.
Existing equipment: I have all peripherals, a 2TB 3.5" spinning disk drive for nightly backups, and nothing else. Current work computer is a pre-built Dell and will be given to another employee if I manage to get this approved. Looking to buy case, PSU, motherboard, RAM, CPU, SSD, and a GPU.
Overclocking: no need. Squeezing out an extra 2-5% performance isn't worth the hassle.
So, the fun part: the CPU. I think the Ryzen 9 3950x is the obvious answer here. Honestly, the 3700x I recently installed in my home machine is fantastic and would be ample... but I have some leverage right now at my job and it sure would be fun to plop a 3950x in there. Builds still take 4m30s with my 3700x at home... so it's not like the extra core count of a 3900x or 3950x would be completely wasted
I think DDR4 3600 RAM will be the sweet point for me. Prices seem to increase incrementally up to 3600, and then sky rocket after that. Please let me know if my 2 minutes of perusing prices lead me to an incorrect conclusion.
I'll be installing 32 GB in 2 x 16 GB format, allowing expansion to 64 GB if the need ever arises.
I had a productive SSD discussion over here. Looks like 1 TB of the Corsair MP600 will do nicely (for anyone who actually bothers to go read that thread: yes I need 1 TB, not 512 GB... I double checked tonight and I'm even closer to the limit on my current 512 than I thought).
Motherboards have always been a tricky thing for me. I've never understood how to research those... so I took a gander and found the MSI MPG X570 GAMING PLUS. This seems like a no-frills (okay... less frills) motherboard with adequate VRM cooling to support what will surely be a very power-hungry CPU. Out-of-the-box support for Ryzen 3xxx will be nice too, though I already went through the ordeal of upgrading the BIOS on a brand new B450 at home, so it's not like the ritual is unknown to me. If someone can suggest a B450 motherboard that is significantly cheaper (let's say $150 or less) and you can convince me that either the VRMs are adequately cooled or don't need to be, then I'd happily give up PCIe 4. Then I'd swap out the MP600 for a 970 EVO and shave a few more dollars off.
The more USB ports, the better. I have a LOT of equipment that gets plugged in.
No PCI(e) slots are required, other than one for a GPU. I do not have any internal cards that need to be installed. I bring this up because, if you can find me a suitable mATX or ITX or other small-form-factor solution, I'm ALL FOR IT!
Power supply: something quiet, something efficient.... quality/reliability is certainly key here. 500W ought to be ample, right? Seasonic has a nice offering with the FOCUS series SSR-550FM.
GPU: This I'm having a lot of trouble with. It seems crazy to spend $100 on a graphics card purely to run 3 monitors, but that was about the best I could find: an XFX Radeon RX 560 2 GB. But I've also heard AMD drivers for Linux have improved tremendously since I last used them in '07-'09, and not having to worry about upgrading GPU drivers with every new kernel would be kind of nice.
Case: MUST have front-facing USB 3 type A ports, prefer a simplistic no-nonsense case, quieter the better, no need for 5.25" bays. This PC is mounted in one of those baskets that hangs from the underside of a desk, which is why top-facing ports are an absolute deal breaker. Power button and USB ports MUST be front facing. I don't care one way or another if it has a glass side panel.
The tried and true Corsair Carbide Series 200R seems like an almost perfect fit here - I just wish someone made the same case, but without the 5.25" bays in front.
CPU Cooler: Dark Rock 4 seems like a solid choice. I like Be Quiet's stuff, and the Dark Rock 4 seems like as good as it gets while still fitting inside the standard 160mm. According to Be Quiet's website, the Dark Rock TF (I have this in my home PC, because it only has 158mm of space) actually has MORE cooling capacity than the DR4, but I have to imagine that is only because of the dual-fan setup, not because of an inherently better/bigger cooler, right? The prices aren't too different, and the TF would open up a few more case options, so if anyone can prove that the TF really is as good or better than the DR4, I'd swap to it in a heartbeat. On the other hand, if someone can recommend a good case with room for the Dark Rock Pro 4, I'd be willing to go that route. I have a feeling that keeping the 3950x cool and quiet will be difficult, and the name of this game is GO BIG.
I've never done watercooling, but if I did my research correctly, I don't want to watercool this rig anyway. I'd have to go with a beefy 360mm radiator or larger to significantly improve on the DR4, and that would be a huge step up in cost and a step down in reliability.
For the sake of noise and sufficient airflow, I think it would be wise to install two intake fans and one exhaust (I like the idea of keeping positive pressure in the case, with a front dust filter), with all fans being Be Quiet brand.
Whew! This took forever to write up. All my parts are in a NewEgg wishlist: https://secure.newegg.com/Wishlist/SharedWishlistDetail?ID=DzmVo3sQk56TW1Y8+JKXpg==
I've included the 3900x as a placeholder until the 3950x is released.
Reminder: this won't be purchased until January 1 at the earliest (next fiscal year), so don't bother with "you should get the ___ on ___.com because it's $10 cheaper."
And finally, thank you for reviewing my build! I've been building PCs for many years, but never published a full build list for review before, so I'm anxious to hear what the Internet has to say about this.
Cheers,
David