processor Ryzen Threadripper 2nd Gen for Workstation?

[damelyngdoh]

Hi everybody,

   I'm not much of a hardware guy and I'm building a PC (still planning on the components). I will use the rig primarily for a lot of computing and mathematical models and might even run TensorFlow or other similar resource crunching ML or AI tools and I'll also be running a lot of code to test out algorithms and stuff. I will not use the PC however to run graphics or video related softwares (no Adobe software or rendering software). And since this is not a sponsored project but more of a hobby or personal projects, I do not have an money tree in my backyard. My main focus as of right now is processor.
So here it is: I'm preferring AMD, primarily because of the budget, but should I also look to Intel?

And, currently my eyes are fixed on the Threadripper 2950X or 2920X. Is this a good idea or should I consider something else?

Note: I know I can always upgrade my RAM / Storage, but a processor is something I feel will require a lot of upgrades on other components (especially the motherboard), so I want to get it right. Also, I might at times subject the PC to gaming but I don't want it be the primary goal.

[germgoatz]

If you want the best of Threadripper 2, the 2990WX is probably for you, on the Intel side you would probably want the i9 9980XE, although they both will get real pricey, real quick

[Brooksie359]

If budget is a concern I would look at the 1950x. You can often find the 1950x for a lot less than the 2950x and the performance difference isn't huge. 

[TheGlenlivet]

TR4 socket boards are coming down in price and 'budget' boards are starting to be released.  Also, TR4 supports ECC RAM if that is a concern  

I agree with 1950X for a super budget build.

It really depends on your budget and how many cores your workflow can leverage.

[Emanbaird]

7 minutes ago, damelyngdoh said:

Hi everybody,

   I'm not much of a hardware guy and I'm building a PC (still planning on the components). I will use the rig primarily for a lot of computing and mathematical models and might even run TensorFlow or other similar resource crunching ML or AI tools and I'll also be running a lot of code to test out algorithms and stuff. I will not use the PC however to run graphics or video related softwares (no Adobe software or rendering software). And since this is not a sponsored project but more of a hobby or personal projects, I do not have an money tree in my backyard. My main focus as of right now is processor.
 So here it is: I'm preferring AMD, primarily because of the budget, but should I also look to Intel?

And, currently my eyes are fixed on the Threadripper 2950X or 2920X. Is this a good idea or should I consider something else?
 

As long as the software you are using can utilize as many threads as it can use, the thread rippers are amazing value, especially compared to the equivalent Xeons, also they can definitely game, but they probably won't boost to the advertised clocks for long, and idk how overclocking works on TR's 

 

 

[damelyngdoh]

6 minutes ago, Brooksie359 said:

If budget is a concern I would look at the 1950x. You can often find the 1950x for a lot less than the 2950x and the performance difference isn't huge. 

The 1950X and 2920X have a tolerable price difference in Indian sopping sites. Although 1950X seems to have higher numbers will the fact that it being 1st gen and 2920X being 2nd gen be a concern for me in the long run (by long run I mean say 3 years)

[damelyngdoh]

10 minutes ago, germgoatz said:

If you want the best of Threadripper 2, the 2990WX is probably for you, on the Intel side you would probably want the i9 9980XE, although they both will get real pricey, real quick

The 2990WX is the ultimate from the Threadrippers but its price will devastatingly cripple my options for the remaining components.

[BobVonBob]

If you're going to use TensorFlow you'll also want to make sure you have an Nvidia GPU. There are other deep learning libraries that run on OpenCL, but if you're set on TensorFlow you will need CUDA support.

[damelyngdoh]

8 minutes ago, Emanbaird said:

As long as the software you are using can utilize as many threads as it can use, the thread rippers are amazing value, especially compared to the equivalent Xeons, also they can definitely game, but they probably won't boost to the advertised clocks for long, and idk how overclocking works on TR's 

 

 

I am not going to overclock, I've never overclocked any processor before and this will be a new thing for me, not to say that I will not. But can you elaborate on your statement that "they probably won't boost to the advertised clocks for long".

[damelyngdoh]

3 minutes ago, damelyngdoh said:

The 2990WX is the ultimate from the Threadrippers but its price will devastatingly cripple my options for the remaining components.

Yes. For the GPU part, I am considering the 2080 and if my budget allows then the 2080 Ti. Of course, I'll have to do a little research on whether they will be compatible for the above mentioned purposes.

[NuclearPenske7]

2 minutes ago, damelyngdoh said:

Yes. For the GPU part, I am considering the 2080 and if my budget allows then the 2080 Ti. Of course, I'll have to do a little research on whether they will be compatible for the above mentioned purposes.

Might be worth looking into a Titan Xp depending on the exact applications. It still outperforms the 2080 Ti on average for workstation performance. I use Solidworks so it would be a downgrade for me to switch to a 2080 Ti.

[Brooksie359]

5 hours ago, damelyngdoh said:

The 1950X and 2920X have a tolerable price difference in Indian sopping sites. Although 1950X seems to have higher numbers will the fact that it being 1st gen and 2920X being 2nd gen be a concern for me in the long run (by long run I mean say 3 years)

The 1950x is going to be better than the 2920x in most scenarios. 

[Brooksie359]

4 hours ago, NuclearPenske7 said:

Might be worth looking into a Titan Xp depending on the exact applications. It still outperforms the 2080 Ti on average for workstation performance. I use Solidworks so it would be a downgrade for me to switch to a 2080 Ti.

Completely depends on what you are doing. Also solidworks is hardly a good determination of workstation performance because it often comes down to drivers more than hardware. 

[Brooksie359]

4 hours ago, NuclearPenske7 said:

Might be worth looking into a Titan Xp depending on the exact applications. It still outperforms the 2080 Ti on average for workstation performance. I use Solidworks so it would be a downgrade for me to switch to a 2080 Ti.

Yeah looking it up it seems the titan xp get beat by a very large margin in tensorflow. 

[NuclearPenske7]

13 hours ago, Brooksie359 said:

Completely depends on what you are doing. Also solidworks is hardly a good determination of workstation performance because it often comes down to drivers more than hardware. 

 

12 hours ago, Brooksie359 said:

Yeah looking it up it seems the titan xp get beat by a very large margin in tensorflow. 

That's why I said in my first sentence, depends on the exact applications. Also, my findings were based on a multitude of workstation applications, not just Solidworks. In case you misunderstood, Solidworks is just what I use my workstation for. 

 

[Brooksie359]

1 hour ago, NuclearPenske7 said:

 

That's why I said in my first sentence, depends on the exact applications. Also, my findings were based on a multitude of workstation applications, not just Solidworks. In case you misunderstood, Solidworks is just what I use my workstation for. 

 

That is a pretty small sampling of programs. There are alot of application that the 2080ti beats the titan xp by a large margin that aren't on there.