threadripper Threadripper build for Virtualization, MoBo question

[CaptainHammer]

So I have pretty well narrowed it down to either the ASRock Taichi or the Fatality, as the title says, I am looking to create a machine that I can use as a Home Lab box to play around with different virtualization suites.  I am looking for recommendation on each of the boards, and their pro's and con's.  I am leaning towards the Fatality as it has the 10 Gb port built in, and I wouldnt need to to get a secondary card to support that functionality.  Both support up to 128GB of either ECC or Non-ECC memory, and besides the network port, most other specs seem to be pretty similar.  Audio isnt a huge deal to me, as it is going to be mainly a host machine for VM's so the difference there doesnt weigh into the equation too much in my use case.

 

Right now I am looking at either a Threadripper 1950X or the 2950X for CPU, depending if i can find a decent deal on the 2950x.

 

(also accepting suggestions on video cards to pair with the threadripper, keeping in mind, this is not a designed as a gaming rig, but more a processing rig)

 

Thanks in advance.

[Crunchy Dragon]

If you want integrated 10Gb LAN, then go for it.

 

For video cards(if you're not gaming), some of the lower end Quadros would probably be good options.

[CaptainHammer]

3 minutes ago, Crunchy Dragon said:

If you want integrated 10Gb LAN, then go for it.

 

For video cards(if you're not gaming), some of the lower end Quadros would probably be good options.

Awesome, thanks, do you have any hands on experience with either board? any "gotchas" I would want to be aware of?

[Guest]

Depends on a bunch of things really. Esp what software route you want to go.

I hate telling people to visit other forums, but https://forum.level1techs.com/  is really the best place to ask about Threadripper virtualization. It's like every other post lol.

[Crunchy Dragon]

1 minute ago, CaptainHammer said:

Awesome, thanks, do you have any hands on experience with either board? any "gotchas" I would want to be aware of?

I don't have any hands on experience with any Threadripper boards, but @King Poet should know a lot more than me, being an owner of Threadripper.

[CaptainHammer]

1 minute ago, Crunchy Dragon said:

I don't have any hands on experience with any Threadripper boards, but @King Poet should know a lot more than me, being an owner of Threadripper.

Oh jeepers!  Yeah, thanks!  @King Poet, seeing that you own both the 1950x and 2950x, have you noticed any major differences in terms of performance? 

[Guest]

1 minute ago, CaptainHammer said:

Oh jeepers!  Yeah, thanks!  @King Poet, seeing that you own both the 1950x and 2950x, have you noticed any major differences in terms of performance? 

The real difference maker is Precision Boost Overdrive. I get a similar CB score with only PBO vs. my all core 1950X 4.1 OC.

[CaptainHammer]

@King Poet

First off, sorry to drag you back to this oldish thread, but I am finally about to pull the trigger on my Threadripper Virtualization build, and wanted to do a quick sanity check.

So i have pretty well settled in on the Zenith Extreme Alpha, and the 2950x, but my question to you is this, have you been satisfied with the Enermax LiqTech TR4 II 360?  I have read some pretty negative reviews on it, and just thought I would ask you about your experience with it, I am thinking either just getting a Noctua NH-U14S TR4-SP3 for the time being, then upgrading down the road to either an AiO or custom loop,  

I have been having some issues finding compatibility listed straight out for TR4 sockets on many of the AiO websites descriptions,

 

Thanks,

[CCPSSteve]

10 minutes ago, CaptainHammer said:

@King Poet

First off, sorry to drag you back to this oldish thread, but I am finally about to pull the trigger on my Threadripper Virtualization build, and wanted to do a quick sanity check.

So i have pretty well settled in on the Zenith Extreme Alpha, and the 2950x, but my question to you is this, have you been satisfied with the Enermax LiqTech TR4 II 360?  I have read some pretty negative reviews on it, and just thought I would ask you about your experience with it, I am thinking either just getting a Noctua NH-U14S TR4-SP3 for the time being, then upgrading down the road to either an AiO or custom loop,  

I have been having some issues finding compatibility listed straight out for TR4 sockets on many of the AiO websites descriptions,

 

Thanks,

Welcome to the biggest challenge I had with building in a rackmount case, finding AIO's that actually have a decent sized cold plate for TR4.  The Enermax LiqTech TR4 has such horrible reviews because they suffered from a bad batch of coolant that caused leaking and other issues (looked at getting this one). 

 

I ended up getting the EK-MLC Phoenix kit because it fit in the case perfectly and it was the closest thing to closed loop that I could find at the time without going that route.  My suggestion to you is go straight to custom loop and not waste your money on an AIO for threadripper.  

[Guest]

27 minutes ago, CaptainHammer said:

@King Poet

First off, sorry to drag you back to this oldish thread, but I am finally about to pull the trigger on my Threadripper Virtualization build, and wanted to do a quick sanity check.

So i have pretty well settled in on the Zenith Extreme Alpha, and the 2950x, but my question to you is this, have you been satisfied with the Enermax LiqTech TR4 II 360?  I have read some pretty negative reviews on it, and just thought I would ask you about your experience with it, I am thinking either just getting a Noctua NH-U14S TR4-SP3 for the time being, then upgrading down the road to either an AiO or custom loop,  

I have been having some issues finding compatibility listed straight out for TR4 sockets on many of the AiO websites descriptions,

 

Thanks,

If you won't be OCing, absolutely the Noctua. I have it on a stock 1950X and it is super stable. My LiqTech II seems to have an issue, (this being my 2nd cooler too) so I cannot recommend it at this point. I might switch to an air based cooler for my 2950X.

[CaptainHammer]

1 minute ago, King Poet said:

If you won't be OCing, absolutely the Noctua. I have it on a stock 1950X and it is super stable. My LiqTech II seems to have an issue, (this being my 2nd cooler too) so I cannot recommend it at this point. I might switch to an air based cooler for my 2950X.

bummer man, sorry to hear that, but glad you mentioned it, I will probably avoid Enermax then,   

[CaptainHammer]

2 minutes ago, CCPSSteve said:

Welcome to the biggest challenge I had with building in a rackmount case, finding AIO's that actually have a decent sized cold plate for TR4.  The Enermax LiqTech TR4 has such horrible reviews because they suffered from a bad batch of coolant that caused leaking and other issues (looked at getting this one). 

 

I ended up getting the EK-MLC Phoenix kit because it fit in the case perfectly and it was the closest thing to closed loop that I could find at the time without going that route.  My suggestion to you is go straight to custom loop and not waste your money on an AIO for threadripper.  

thanks, my only hesitation with custom loop is that this will be my first liquid cooling endeavor,  

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, CaptainHammer said:

bummer man, sorry to hear that, but glad you mentioned it, I will probably avoid Enermax then,   

Yeah. Major bummer that Asetek didn't just do a full coverage base kit for other OEMs to make coolers based on.

[CaptainHammer]

@CCPSSteve which core did you opt for?  care to share the temps you see at idle, and under load?

[CCPSSteve]

1 hour ago, CaptainHammer said:

@CCPSSteve which core did you opt for?  care to share the temps you see at idle, and under load?

I went with the 2950x purely because I wanted to be on the newest platform, I don't like buying outdated tech.  I'm not at home right now so I can't turn it on and get temps.

[CaptainHammer]

Just now, CCPSSteve said:

I went with the 2950x purely because I wanted to be on the newest platform, I don't like buying outdated tech.  I'm not at home right now so I can't turn it on and get temps.

gotcha, well, if you remember to do so, i would appreciate the info, and i also meant what radiator core did you go with for the EK setup.  

[CCPSSteve]

1 minute ago, CaptainHammer said:

gotcha, well, if you remember to do so, i would appreciate the info, and i also meant what radiator core did you go with for the EK setup.  

360, it fit right in the case perfectly.