Ryzen 3900+ workstation, up to 5k budget

[Wolrajh]

Hi there,

 

A few months ago I was looking for a threadripper based workstation, but I put that on hold as the new gen was about to be revealed.

While the next TR gen is yet to make an appearance, and while the 2990wx clearly is still on top for VFX simulation and rendering, I've decided the much cheaper 3950x should be an overall better choice - I expect it to beat its direct TR counterpart, the 2950x, even if we loose ram count in the process.

 

Anyway, I'm now looking for a workstation based on ryzen 3000 and x570, with 64gb ram, a 2080ti, and an emphasis on storage speed and size. I will probably delay getting dedicated PCIe4 drives until they became more mainstream or something but in the meantime I'll still need one med M2 for the OSes and apps ( planning on running dual boot windows and linux ), one large M2 for my FX caches, and one last large drive for everything else from games to movies to work files ( scenes, textures, etc ).

 

Budget can go up to 5k.

 

As for aesthetics, I mostly don't care ; I'd even prefer a non TG case to keep all that light away as there are big chances the rig will be quite close to my bed. Consequently noise is also a small concern. Despite being in part deaf, it's still a bother when an airplane attemps takeoffs and landings next to little sleeping you, know what I mean ?

 

Without further ado here is a first draft nicely provided by user Firewrath9 in the cpu section of the forum :

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor  (€225.89 @ Alternate)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master - MasterLiquid ML240R RGB 66.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  (€0.00)
Motherboard: MSI - MEG X570 ACE ATX AM4 Motherboard  (€400.90 @ LDLC)
Memory: G.Skill - Sniper X 64 GB (4 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory  (€392.90 @ LDLC)
Storage: Crucial - MX500 500 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  (€69.99 @ Amazon France)
Storage: Corsair - MP510 960 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  (€139.99 @ Amazon France)
Storage: Corsair - MP510 960 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  (€139.99 @ Amazon France)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce RTX 2080 Ti 11 GB FTW3 ULTRA HYBRID GAMING Video Card  (€1466.90 @ TopAchat)
Case: Fractal Design - Define R6 USB-C ATX Mid Tower Case  (€139.99 @ Amazon France)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Platinum 750 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  (€122.95 @ Amazon France)
Total: €3099.50
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-07-11 02:10 CEST+0200

 

 

 

A few things of note :

 

CPU : 3600 is a placeholder - if I find myself with a full system I'm happy with, I could very well grab a 3600 now and upgrade to 3950x this fall or winter. I'm growing tired of my DDR3 powered 4790k which is basically not enough anymore...

 

Cooling solution : MSI is running a commercial op where they give you that specific cooler for buying any of their x570 product. Hence the 0 cost on the cooler

 

Mobo : I'm not specifically sticking to MSI. I'm just using that free cooler opportunity to help me navigate the x570 tide.

However, I was also leaning toward the Prestige Creation. PCPP will go all red flags because it's e-atx and there is only 2 M2 slots, but the R6 is supposed to be e-atx compatible, and the Creation comes with an m2 expander card that should enable support for up to 4 M2 drives if I understand correctly. Or I could just use only two M2 drives anyway. At any rate, I'm still taking advices on the motherboard ( with various limitations like aorus extreme not being sold here yet apparently )

 

Storage : I'm a bit conflicted. Three M2s ( because we can )? Two M2 and one sata ? NAS somewhere ( I don't currently own one ) ? Bigger capacity M2s ?

 

RAM : While those sticks aren't very expensive I think they have bad latency. For about double the price I can get https://fr.pcpartpicker.com/product/gwL7YJ/gskill-trident-z-64gb-4-x-16gb-ddr4-3600-memory-f4-3600c17q-64gtzkw, or for almost triple, the 3733mhz https://fr.pcpartpicker.com/product/b3w7YJ/corsair-vengeance-lpx-64gb-4-x-16gb-ddr4-3733-memory-cmk64gx4m4k3733c17

With everyone apparently content enough with DDR3600, is there any real benefits to 3733 ?

 

Okay I think this is it for now. Cheers and thanks for reading !

[brob]

Edit: The cooler should be the Dark Rock Pro 4. The NH-D15 has issues with taller memory modules like the Trident Z.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 3600X 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor  (€281.99 @ Alternate) 
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler  (€89.90 @ Amazon France) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte - X570 AORUS ULTRA ATX AM4 Motherboard  (€358.90 @ LDLC) 
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z 64 GB (4 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory  (€667.30 @ LDLC) 
Storage: Corsair - MP600 Force Series Gen4 1 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  (€286.89 @ TopAchat) 
Storage: Corsair - MP600 Force Series Gen4 2 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  (€487.70 @ Amazon France) 
Storage: Samsung - 860 Evo 4 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (€706.89 @ TopAchat) 
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce RTX 2080 Ti 11 GB Black Video Card  (€1092.40 @ Amazon France) 
Case: Fractal Design - Define R6 USB-C ATX Mid Tower Case  (€165.71 @ Amazon France) 
Power Supply: Corsair - RMx (2018) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  (€124.90 @ Corsair) 
Total: €4262.58
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-07-11 02:33 CEST+0200

[LienusLateTips]

46 minutes ago, brob said:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 3600X 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor  (€281.99 @ Alternate) 
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler  (€89.90 @ Amazon France) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte - X570 AORUS ULTRA ATX AM4 Motherboard  (€358.90 @ LDLC) 
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z 64 GB (4 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory  (€667.30 @ LDLC) 
Storage: Corsair - MP600 Force Series Gen4 1 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  (€286.89 @ TopAchat) 
Storage: Corsair - MP600 Force Series Gen4 2 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  (€487.70 @ Amazon France) 
Storage: Samsung - 860 Evo 4 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (€706.89 @ TopAchat) 
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce RTX 2080 Ti 11 GB Black Video Card  (€1092.40 @ Amazon France) 
Case: Fractal Design - Define R6 USB-C ATX Mid Tower Case  (€165.71 @ Amazon France) 
Power Supply: Corsair - RMx (2018) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  (€124.90 @ Corsair) 
Total: €4262.58
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-07-11 02:33 CEST+0200

https://fr.pcpartpicker.com/product/wmJkcf/bitfenix-whisper-m-750w-80-gold-certified-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-bp-wg750umag-7fm

 

Better PSU option, as it has multi rail, over the RMx's single rail.

[brob]

1 hour ago, LienusLateTips said:

Better PSU option, as it has multi rail, over the RMx's single rail.

That is not an advantage in my opinion. 

https://www.jonnyguru.com/blog/2018/05/08/corsair-rm750x-2018-750w-power-supply/6/

https://www.jonnyguru.com/blog/2017/01/23/bitfenix-whisper-m-750w-power-supply/6/

[Wolrajh]

6 hours ago, brob said:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 3600X 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor  (€281.99 @ Alternate) 
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler  (€89.90 @ Amazon France) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte - X570 AORUS ULTRA ATX AM4 Motherboard  (€358.90 @ LDLC) 
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z 64 GB (4 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory  (€667.30 @ LDLC) 
Storage: Corsair - MP600 Force Series Gen4 1 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  (€286.89 @ TopAchat) 
Storage: Corsair - MP600 Force Series Gen4 2 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  (€487.70 @ Amazon France) 
Storage: Samsung - 860 Evo 4 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (€706.89 @ TopAchat) 
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce RTX 2080 Ti 11 GB Black Video Card  (€1092.40 @ Amazon France) 
Case: Fractal Design - Define R6 USB-C ATX Mid Tower Case  (€165.71 @ Amazon France) 
Power Supply: Corsair - RMx (2018) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  (€124.90 @ Corsair) 
Total: €4262.58
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-07-11 02:33 CEST+0200

Thanks. May I ask for the reasonning behind the motherboard ? With so many choices available it's hard to navigate those waters...

Same for the GPU, any specific reasons to grab that one ( I can at least say it's cheaper than most counterparts ) ?

 

Awesome addition of gen4 ssds, thanks for that!

 

6 hours ago, LienusLateTips said:

https://fr.pcpartpicker.com/product/wmJkcf/bitfenix-whisper-m-750w-80-gold-certified-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-bp-wg750umag-7fm

 

Better PSU option, as it has multi rail, over the RMx's single rail.

Heh, this clearly eludes me. The only constant I can see is 750w, it's a good start

[brob]

4 hours ago, Wolrajh said:

Thanks. May I ask for the reasonning behind the motherboard ? With so many choices available it's hard to navigate those waters...

Same for the GPU, any specific reasons to grab that one ( I can at least say it's cheaper than most counterparts ) ?

The motherboard suggestion is based on my personal preference for the brand, its slightly lower cost with a similar feature set to the Ace but with what I consider slightly better USB port configuration..

 

The gpu choice was mostly based on cost. But also wanted something without rgb. There is a bit of performance drop as the stock clocks are a bit lower. It's a matter of opinion but I doubt the difference would be noticeable.

[Wolrajh]

27 minutes ago, brob said:

The motherboard suggestion is based on my personal preference for the brand, its slightly lower cost with a similar feature set to the Ace but with what I consider slightly better USB port configuration..

 

The gpu choice was mostly based on cost. But also wanted something without rgb. There is a bit of performance drop as the stock clocks are a bit lower. It's a matter of opinion but I doubt the difference would be noticeable.

I see ! I'll have to check how many usb I need. There are indeed a bit more slots on the Aorus.

Any thoughts on the AIO cooler master masterliquid ml240R ? Not that I WANT it but since it's free with the MSI I was thinking it may tip the scales in favor of the Ace. I mean it's RGB, yuck, but if it's free...

 

As for the GPU I'm not too limited by money anyway. The evga ultra Hybrid looks like a good solution but maybe it got downsides ?

[brob]

I'm not a big fan of aio unless one wishes to push overclocking and/or one wants to improve the interior presentation (air towers block a fair bit of the motherboard). Then NH-D15 and Dark Rock Pro 4 have zero risk of a leak and generally better noise levels at lower loads. Performance data is a bit tricky as there is no comparative data using a modern cpu. The data that exists is based on 4-core cpu and generally suggests that the NH-D15 and Dark Rock Pro 4 do as good or better cooling at generally lower noise levels.

 

The ML240R RGB has mediocre user reviews. I generally like to see 80% or more of user reviews above 3 stars.

 

The downsides of a hybrid gpu are pretty much the same as cpu aio. The model you are considering seems to be louder than many other GTX 2080 Ti gpu, https://www.techpowerup.com/review/evga-geforce-rtx-2080-ti-ftw3-ultra/37.html. It does offer much better than average gpu temps.

 

BTW, my suggested configuration contains an error. The cooler should be the Dark Rock Pro 4. The NH-D15 has issues with taller memory modules like the Trident Z.

[Wolrajh]

Some solid points indeed.  I've never jumped the gun and have always used Noctua based air cooling myself. It's good you mention the issue with memory modules as, as far as I can remember, I always had issues with Noctua cpu coolers blocking one slot of RAM, which is obviously annoying as heck.

 

As for the GPU I'm probably over-overthinking it... Indeed I read that the pump on the Ultra Hybrid seems to be quite noisy and people have been put off by it. I'd rather not deal with that so I'll just keep reading reviews to find the right one. But maybe I'm just hurting myself ; I could probably just grab one and be happy with it

 

edit : oh, case fans! I guess I could go with case fans? probably a couple https://fr.pcpartpicker.com/product/znPfrH/noctua-case-fan-nfa15pwm

[brob]

You should find the stock case fans quite adequate. If not, it is quite easy to add fans at any time.

[Wolrajh]

10 hours ago, brob said:

BTW, my suggested configuration contains an error. The cooler should be the Dark Rock Pro 4. The NH-D15 has issues with taller memory modules like the Trident Z.

Did a bit of looking around and I wonder.

DRP4 has better base clearance ( 40 mm ) than D15 ( 32mm ) BUT apparently the Noctua has way more room to move the fans up and ultimately get more clearance ( as long as it fits in the case, 185mm max according to Fractal Design website ).

This has been discussed some time ago here notably :

 

In short both should work ( I found at least two other occurences of people claiming the Trident Z indeed fit naturally under the DRP4 ) with Noctua requiring a little bit of tweaking which, thankfully, seems to be an easy enough task. Maybe I'll actually stick with Noctua here...

[Wolrajh]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor  (€225.89 @ Alternate)
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-D15 SE-AM4 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler  (€89.90 @ Amazon France)
Motherboard: MSI - MEG X570 ACE ATX AM4 Motherboard  (€400.90 @ LDLC)
Memory: G.Skill - Trident Z 64 GB (4 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory  (€667.30 @ LDLC)
Storage: Corsair - MP600 Force Series Gen4 1 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  (€254.70 @ Amazon France)
Storage: Samsung - 860 Evo 2 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  (€312.23 @ Amazon France)
Storage: Corsair - MP600 Force Series Gen4 2 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  (€487.70 @ Amazon France)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce RTX 2080 Ti 11 GB GAMING X TRIO Video Card  (€1209.98 @ Cdiscount)
Case: Fractal Design - Define R6 USB-C ATX Mid Tower Case  (€139.99 @ Amazon France)
Power Supply: Corsair - RMx (2018) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  (€128.90 @ LDLC)
Case Fan: Noctua - NF-A15 PWM 140 mm Fan  (€21.90 @ Amazon France)
Case Fan: Noctua - NF-A15 PWM 140 mm Fan  (€21.90 @ Amazon France)
Total: €3961.29
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-07-12 03:43 CEST+0200

 

I cut costs on the Samsung Evo as I'm not a big data hoarder anyway, so I can safely drop from 4TB to 2 and cut price in half ; also went for a M2 version since I will have 3 available slots.

After much reviewing, the 2080ti gaming X trio should fit both my bill and my needs. The FTW3 I was considering earlier actually is rare in my country and as such is too expensive. Too bad, it was a bit noisy but featured some nice temp. Trio is quieter but hotter too.

Also put case fans as an option for now.

 

So I went ahead and started ordering. There was only one model of that ram left in stock so I decided it was maybe a good idea to just get it now instead of risking being stuck with arguably lower quality sticks ( or worst, physically bigger... shivers ). So I just grabbed everything from LDLC : motherboard ( after reviewing my options Meg Ace just feels like the right one ), PSU, and RAM.

 

I still have a bit of time to decide about the main cooler as I order the rest.

No idea if I'll need some additionnal cables, I'll go on the assumption that it should be ok.

 

I'll stay open to suggestions though, I haven't locked everything yet ^^

 

Thanks

[brob]

Noctua does a bit better with cooling. Just doesn't look very good.

 

The ideal would be to find a Corsair Vengeance LPX kit. You might check with your local online merchants, sometimes they have parts that are not listed on pcpartpicker.

 

Build looks okay.

[Wolrajh]

9 minutes ago, brob said:

The ideal would be to find a Corsair Vengeance LPX kit. You might check with your local online merchants, sometimes they have parts that are not listed on pcpartpicker.

Actually, they do ; but I think at 760euros it's a bit expensive with a meh latency (18). Hence a slight bias toward the Trident.

There was also Vengeance LPX 3733 but with a pricetag close to 1000euros it would just have teared through my budget

[brob]

11 hours ago, Wolrajh said:

Actually, they do ; but I think at 760euros it's a bit expensive with a meh latency (18). Hence a slight bias toward the Trident.

There was also Vengeance LPX 3733 but with a pricetag close to 1000euros it would just have teared through my budget

Ouch!