1st New Build in 10 years. Research done, need advise and opinions. Please!

[jhl3]

Hi all,

So, it has been a decade since I built a system. I have done a ton of research at this
point: to the point of burnout and confusion, and am ready to seek the advice of the folks
here who have current knowledge and experience.

The rig will be used to crunch data using BOINC: cancer research, climate change, SETI,
video editing, 50mb RAW files in Photoshop, and occasional gaming. I am looking to stay in a
tight budget of $1500-2000 so I'm not looking for bleeding edge: just reliability.

1. I have decided on AMD for the CPU: Threadripper 1950X, unless someone has a better
suggestion. I have read mixed reviews on its ability to overclock. It is used, never overclocked,
and I can get it for about $350.

2. Who makes the most overclocking friendly motherboard? ASUS, MSI, or others?

3. How many RAM slots are required to be occupied? In the past, some boards required Dimms
in pairs.

4. Who makes the most compatable RAM for an overclocked Threadripper?

5. Who makes a good case? $150-200 range or less. I don't care about LED's or aesthetics
all that much so if I can save money here I can apply it elsewhere. Size is not a
consideration as long as the motherboard fits.

6. Who makes a good power supply? Approximately 650-800 watts... Will it need more?

7. Who makes a good CPU cooler? I prefer to stay away from liquid if possible, unless
things have changed significantly.

Noctua 14S has decent reviews for air..
Enermax has OK reviews for liquid..

8. I can also buy two used Nvidia 1060's 6Gb for about $140 each from the same guy that the CPU
is comimg from.
Does that sound decent?

9. What have I "NOT" taken into consideration?

Thank you for any assistance. If you ever make it to Western NC, send me a PM and I'll
meet you at one of our brew houses and buy you a couple of rounds of your favorite beverage.
Best,

J

 

[mackerel]

3, you can use as many as you like, but to maximise performance and bandwidth aim to install 4 at a time.

4, anything with Samsung B-die is likely a safe choice, if not cheapest.

5, too much choice.

6, I like Corsair HXi series, as it can use internal USB connector to relay power stats back. Power wise, depends on how far you intend to try overclocking, and what else is in the system.

7, look for a cooler that is specifically designed for threadripper to ensure you get good coverage as coolers made for smaller CPUs and adapted to fit may not result in optimal cooling. I can't suggest anything specific.

9, what about storage? Typical strategy is to get a big enough SSD for operating system and programs, then some large hard disks for storage. Consider backup plans too.

 

[trents]

Hi all,

So, it has been a decade since I built a system. I have done a ton of research at this
point: to the point of burnout and confusion, and am ready to seek the advice of the folks
here who have current knowledge and experience.

The rig will be used to crunch data using BOINC: cancer research, climate change, SETI,
video editing, 50mb RAW files in Photoshop, and occasional gaming. I am looking to stay in a
tight budget of $1500-2000 so I'm not looking for bleeding edge: just reliability.

1. I have decided on AMD for the CPU: Threadripper 1950X, unless someone has a better
suggestion. I have read mixed reviews on its ability to overclock. It is used, never overclocked,
and I can get it for about $350.

2. Who makes the most overclocking friendly motherboard? ASUS, MSI, or others? Asus and ASRock in that order. STR4

3. How many RAM slots are required to be occupied? In the past, some boards required Dimms Once
in pairs. Check the motherboard manual to determine RAM configuration requirements. Settle on the board first. It may vary.

4. Who makes the most compatable RAM for an overclocked Threadripper? GSKill is the most popular around here. Choosing the RAM can become critical if you want to run higher frequencies, especially if you are using more than 16gb total or more than two sticks. Again, check the board specs for RAM frequency and check the board manufacturer's QVC list as well as customer reviews for the board and for the RAM. Newer AMD CPUs and the motherboards for them can be picky about high speed RAM.

5. Who makes a good case? $150-200 range or less. I don't care about LED's or aesthetics
all that much so if I can save money here I can apply it elsewhere. Size is not a
consideration as long as the motherboard fits. Lots of good options here. Look for plenty of fan mounts and wide enough to accommodate the height of your cooler.

6. Who makes a good power supply? Approximately 650-800 watts... Will it need more? EVGA Super Nova G3. No, not with 2 GTX 1060 GPUs. I would probably go with 7650-800 watts to be sure.

7. Who makes a good CPU cooler? I prefer to stay away from liquid if possible, unless
things have changed significantly.

Noctua 14S has decent reviews for air.. No, go with: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAADY44C6006 You will need every bit of it with a Threadripper overclocked.
Enermax has OK reviews for liquid..

8. I can also buy two used Nvidia 1060's 6Gb for about $140 each from the same guy that the CPU
is comimg from.
Does that sound decent?

9. What have I "NOT" taken into consideration?

Thank you for any assistance. If you ever make it to Western NC, send me a PM and I'll
meet you at one of our brew houses and buy you a couple of rounds of your favorite beverage.
Best,

J

 

[trents]

Yes, Samsung B die RAM to maximize compatibility at higher frequencies such as 3200 mhz. They will be the ones with a CL of 14 at 3200 mhz.

 

[trents]

And despite your reluctance to go with water it is what I would recommend for overclocking a TR. Get an AIO 360 water unit and a case that will accommodate it.

 

[jhl3]

Thank you for all of the replies and helpful information so far.

-mackerel, I have a small SSD for boot and OS. I am moving a 4Tb drive to this build
for overall bulk storage. Great info on pairing RAM.

-trents STR4 for sure. What have you heard in ref to MSI? I am not opposed to ASUS or ASRock
as long as the layout doesn't cause issues with fitment of the CPU cooler, RAM, or Vcards. Also, I've
used ASUS almost exclusively in the past.

I have heard great things about GSKill...Does GSKill make a low profile RAM? I have heard that it
may be necessary on some ASUS boards. Is this fact or fiction?

Thank you for the PSU and cooler recommendations.

Great info on CL for the RAM.

Do you guys think the 1060's are worth the money?

How about the 1950X? Is there a more capable CPU for about the same money?

My reluctance with water is from over ten years ago when EVERYTHING that a person
could buy online leaked. I finally machined my own block out of
copper and solved that problem. I simply don't have access to that equipment anymore
or I would attempt one again if I had a template for the socket attachment.

 

[DaveB]

How about the 1950X? Is there a more capable CPU for about the same money?

Not for the $350 you're paying for it. It is a beast!

 

[jhl3]

Not for the $350 you're paying for it. It is a beast!

Great to hear, especially from a guy with two itel rigs in his sig! I take that as an objective opinion which I like and respect. Also, I have to admit that I have only built one AMD rig in my life.

 

[trents]

Thank you for all of the replies and helpful information so far.

-mackerel, I have a small SSD for boot and OS. I am moving a 4Tb drive to this build
for overall bulk storage. Great info on pairing RAM.

-trents STR4 for sure. What have you heard in ref to MSI? I am not opposed to ASUS or ASRock
as long as the layout doesn't cause issues with fitment of the CPU cooler, RAM, or Vcards. Also, I've
used ASUS almost exclusively in the past. MSI was terrible for overclocking the FX generation of AMD CPUs but supposedly is okay or Ryzen/TR. Nonetheless, I would go with Asus or ASRock as I think they still build better quality boards in general than MSI. As long as you don't go with any wild high finned RAM you will be okay as far as clearance goes. I don't think GSKill makes any high wild stuff.

I have heard great things about GSKill...Does GSKill make a low profile RAM? I have heard that it
may be necessary on some ASUS boards. Is this fact or fiction? See comments above.

Thank you for the PSU and cooler recommendations.

Great info on CL for the RAM.

Do you guys think the 1060's are worth the money? In general, we don't recommend running multiple video cards for gaming. It can give inconsistent results from title to title. We would encourage you to go with one more potent card. There is someone who is offering a GTX 1070 in our classified section if you are interested. You don't have enough posts to have access to the classified section but I can give you his name and you can PM him. A GTX 1080 would be even better. Now is a terrible time to buy GPUs as crypto mining demand has driven prices way up.

How about the 1950X? Is there a more capable CPU for about the same money?

My reluctance with water is from over ten years ago when EVERYTHING that a person
could buy online leaked. I finally machined my own block out of
copper and solved that problem. I simply don't have access to that equipment anymore
or I would attempt one again if I had a template for the socket attachment. I have used several of them in the past several years and never had a leak problem. Many people fear that but I think it is a misplaced fear. Test the unit before installing.

 

[JLK03F150]

I run folding@home and it uses GPU work units for crunching. Do BOINC projects use the GPU as well? If so, a pair of 1060’s may do better than a single 1070 in that capacity.

 

[trents]

I'm not sure what is optimized the best with regard to the software you run but in the benchmarking I have seen the AMD Rx580 8gb generally comes out a little ahead of the GTX 1060 and is a little cheaper. The Rx series uses a CUDA like technology called Vulkan which greatly accelerates some apps, particularly those using DX12.

Here is a basic, no glitz but solid case by a reputable manufacturer for a decent price that will accept a 360 water cooling radiator: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139024

 

[RollingThunder]

Do you guys think the 1060's are worth the money? In general, we don't recommend running multiple video cards for gaming. It can give inconsistent results from title to title. We would encourage you to go with one more potent card. There is someone who is offering a GTX 1070 in our classified section if you are interested. You don't have enough posts to have access to the classified section but I can give you his name and you can PM him. A GTX 1080 would be even better. Now is a terrible time to buy GPUs as crypto mining demand has driven prices way up.

Jim, Harry,

JHL3 has enough posts for the Classifieds so by all means access them to see what's available.

 

[DaveB]

Great to hear, especially from a guy with two itel rigs in his sig! I take that as an objective opinion which I like and respect. Also, I have to admit that I have only built one AMD rig in my life.

I actually built a half dozen Ryzen systems, a mix of ITX, mATX and full ATX. I did have niggling issues with early CPUs, but the last Ryzen 7 1700X I bought in late 2017 ran perfectly with the memory at the XMP setting of 3200 and no issues whatsoever. So I have no problems with AMD's current Ryzen/Threadripper lineup. They are a great value.

 

[trey_w]

Hi all,

So, it has been a decade since I built a system. I have done a ton of research at this
point: to the point of burnout and confusion, and am ready to seek the advice of the folks
here who have current knowledge and experience.

The rig will be used to crunch data using BOINC: cancer research, climate change, SETI,
video editing, 50mb RAW files in Photoshop, and occasional gaming. I am looking to stay in a
tight budget of $1500-2000 so I'm not looking for bleeding edge: just reliability.

1. I have decided on AMD for the CPU: Threadripper 1950X, unless someone has a better
suggestion. I have read mixed reviews on its ability to overclock. It is used, never overclocked,
and I can get it for about $350.

2. Who makes the most overclocking friendly motherboard? ASUS, MSI, or others?

3. How many RAM slots are required to be occupied? In the past, some boards required Dimms
in pairs.

4. Who makes the most compatable RAM for an overclocked Threadripper?

5. Who makes a good case? $150-200 range or less. I don't care about LED's or aesthetics
all that much so if I can save money here I can apply it elsewhere. Size is not a
consideration as long as the motherboard fits.

6. Who makes a good power supply? Approximately 650-800 watts... Will it need more?

7. Who makes a good CPU cooler? I prefer to stay away from liquid if possible, unless
things have changed significantly.

Noctua 14S has decent reviews for air..
Enermax has OK reviews for liquid..

8. I can also buy two used Nvidia 1060's 6Gb for about $140 each from the same guy that the CPU
is comimg from.
Does that sound decent?

9. What have I "NOT" taken into consideration?

Thank you for any assistance. If you ever make it to Western NC, send me a PM and I'll
meet you at one of our brew houses and buy you a couple of rounds of your favorite beverage.
Best,

J

Just built a new one after about 7/8 years. I’m not gaming with it so I have a cheap fanless card but you can look at what I went with for the other components.

RAM was 50% of the cost of my build


ESXi Server, AMD 1950X, ASUS ROG Strix x399, 128GB G Skill Flare X DDR4 2933, 2 x 2TB Samsung EVO 970 M.2 SSD’s, Enermax AOI 280, beQuiet 1200W Platinum PS, Corsair Air 740 Case

 

[Bill_Bright]

I recommend Fractal Design cases and have been using them on most of our builds over the last few years. I have the Design R4 with this computer and love it, and highly recommend the updated version of the R4, the FD Define R6. The classic design will always be in style and look great through years of evolving computer upgrades and rebuilds. It has outstanding cooling options, excellent filtering and the included large fans are among the quietest I have ever (never!) heard. It is lined with excellent sound dampening materials to suppress fan noise (I hate fan noise) and cable management options. No distracting lights that serve no purpose.

3. How many RAM slots are required to be occupied? In the past, some boards required Dimms
in pairs.

I know of no motherboard that ever "required" sticks be installed in pairs. This was if you wanted your RAM to run in "dual channel" mode or not. If yes, you needed matched pairs. But if not, single sticks would still work, just in single channel mode. Initial marketing hype claimed twice the performance in dual-channel but real-world experience proved otherwise. There are some performance gains, but nothing like double. More RAM in single channel proved to offer better performance than less RAM in dual-channel. Still, if buying new, might as well buy in pairs. I recommend 16GB (2 x 8GB) as the "sweetspot". That said, if budget allows, I would probably go 32GB (2 x 16GB or 4 x 8GB) just because finding compatible RAM 2 or 3 years down the road is often a challenge (and more expensive too). 32GB is probably overkill now, but sure will not hurt to have it. Windows will love it and if the OS is happy, your other programs run better.

I like EVGA and Seasonic PSUs. But do NOT decide on your PSU size until after you have selected all your other components.

9. What have I "NOT" taken into consideration?

I don't see an OS listed. It is important to remember that OEM licenses (the most common) or Upgrade licenses that were used to upgrade OEM licenses are NOT, under any circumstances, "legally" transferable to new computers. So, unless you have a "full retail" license (that will not be installed on any other computer), you will need to purchase a new license, or go with Linux.

I recommend SSDs all the way.