Parts List Sanity Check

[spamtastic]

Hey all. I'm putting together a new build, mostly to use as a virtualization workstation to run a variety of VMs on.

I plan on running Rocky Linux on it (after the Red Hat/CentOS disaster), provided a non-RC version is released by the time I get my build together, and using the KVM/libvirt stack to run the VMs.

Here is my planned parts list so far:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 3.7 GHz 12-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 50.5 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Gigabyte X570 AORUS XTREME EATX AM4 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory
Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive
Case: Thermaltake Core X9 ATX Desktop Case
Power Supply: Corsair HX Platinum 1000 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply

I plan on utilizing PCI passthrough for some of my VMs, but the GPU slot in the above list is notable by its absence; this is because of the massive shortages at the moment making it difficult to get any accurate price info.

My main questions about this build are:
1. Will this cooler/case combo have enough airflow and cooling potential to run the CPU at a decent temperature? I know a few people who have similar parts and they report a "yes", but gathering more feedback can't hurt.
2. Is the RAM I've selected appropriate? RAM is probably the component I've done the least research into -- I know I'll probably need ~32GB, but if there are any specific brands or models which would have better compatibility or performance I'd love to know.
3. What kind of GPU would be best for this build? Answers that are intended for during and after the GPU shortage are welcome, just please specify which yours is.
4. If anyone has any other notes or concerns about this build, please post a reply letting me know what you think. I appreciate all of your (constructive!) feedback.

 

[EarthDog]

Welcome! Looks to be a beast!


1. Yep!
2. Looks good. I'd go ddr4 3600 cl14 for that extra 1% though!
3. Depends... if it's just to put a desktop image up, any potato should do. If you're gaming, that's a different story.
4. Even if you get a RTX 3090/6900xt, a quality 850W unit is plenty. 1000W is way overkill, especially if you're running a low end gpu. At that point 650W is plenty.

 

[spamtastic]

2. Looks good. I'd go ddr4 3600 cl14 for that extra 1% though!

The AMD site lists 3200 as the max RAM speed that the 5900X supports (https://www.amd.com/en/products/cpu/amd-ryzen-9-5900x). Would running 3600 be any better? Or worse? Or exactly the same? I have no idea.

I probably need to bone up on RAM a bit more before I make a final purchase decision.

4. Even if you get a RTX 3090/6900xt, a quality 850W unit is plenty. 1000W is way overkill, especially if you're running a low end gpu. At that point 650W is plenty.

The extra wattage is because I'll need to run two GPUs in parallel for PCI passthrough into a VM, since there are no integrated graphics on the CPU. So I think 1000W is appropriate, especially considering how reasonably priced this model is for the specs.

 

[EarthDog]

It's amd's sweetspot for memory speed. Performance difference varies from nothing to a few percent. For your uses, a bit more bandwidth couldn't hurt, imagine.

Ahhh, 2 GPUs... OK...makes more sense now.

 

[spamtastic]

It's amd's sweetspot for memory speed. Performance difference varies from nothing to a few percent. For your uses, a bit more bandwidth couldn't hurt, imagine.

Sorry, which speed is the "AMD sweet spot", 3200 or 3600? (Looking at various sources online, I'm guessing you meant 3600 - but I have no idea why 3200 would be listed as the max for the processor if this is the case... Do you know?)

I'm looking at "G.SKILL Trident Z Neo Series 32GB", which is 3600MHz with a CAS of 14 cycles, and looks to be generally well respected with good reviews and fits nicely inside my budget. I'll do a little more digging, but I think I'll probably go with this model.

 

[EarthDog]

Yes.. 3600 is the sweet spot.

3200 is the the max specification. 3600 is considered overclocking/over the max specification (of the IMC on the CPU).

That kit sounds like a good choice.