High-end Workstation-Build (Linux)

[cmahn.de]

Hello people of the LTT-Forum,

 

I would appreciate it very much, if someone could tell me, if my build makes sense or if I'm on the wrong track.

I don't have much experience building PCs, but my last PC was partially build by me in 2016 with the help of a friend.

The main reason for upgrading is decreasing the days and weeks of time my computer takes to compute stuff.

I'm coming from an i5-4570 with a GTX 650 Ti BOOST and it clearly doesn't cut it anymore.

 

Budget (including currency): I'd love to stay below 3000 €, but it's not a hard limit.

Country: Gernany - DE

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: 

• Heavy Rendering and Simulations in Blender
• Working with large-scale / high-density 3D-Models and Pointclouds (Surveying-Models, Laserscans, ...)
• Running VMs for development and testing (VirtualBox)
• Light Photo- and Video-Editing (Gimp and Kdenlive)
• I might go into VR soon, so it'll be great if that worked ok.
• I don't care much about games, because they (mostly 2D-games) already work on my current computer.

Other details (existing parts lists, whether any peripherals are needed, what you're upgrading from, when you're going to buy, what resolution and refresh rate you want to play at, etc): 

• As said in the title, I would be running Linux (specifically EndeavourOS). Because of the rolling-release cycle all drivers should already be installed on my current system.
• I would like to transplant the 2 Sata-SSDs, 2 HDDs and 2 DVD-Drives from the old system. (Only 1 SSD, 1 HDD and 2 DVD-Drives need to be connected to Sata and Power. The other HDD and SSD are my old Windows-System and only serve emergency-functionality)
• As for the two Monitors I'm running 1680x1050 and 1920x1080 (both at 60 Hz)
• The system will be running through a KVM Switch (Model: SV231DDVDUA from StarTech)
• I do not care about RGB. It's just a black box that computes.

• I created a Pc-Part-Picker-Configuration, but I have no clue, if it is somehow balanced and if cooling is enough:

PCPartPicker Part List: https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/tjr3LP

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5950X 3.4 GHz 16-Core Processor  (€707.99 @ Mindfactory) 
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S chromax.black 55 CFM CPU Cooler  (€69.90 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5 g Thermal Paste  (€12.98 @ Alternate) 
Motherboard: MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard  (€143.89 @ Alza) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  (€134.85 @ Mindfactory) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  (€134.85 @ Mindfactory) 
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 12 GB GAMING OC Video Card  (€1547.99 @ Mindfactory) 
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  (€59.90 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Power Supply: Corsair RM (2019) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  (€105.89 @ Caseking) 
Total: €2918.24
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-09-01 18:29 CEST+0200

[Master Disaster]

Ditch the 3080 and get a 6800XT instead. In Windows the 3080 is probably the better buy but in Linux, not so much. Nvidia's Linux drivers are a hot mess, if you must get an Nvidia then please read the following, it will save you massive headaches moving forward...

 

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA

 

...Essentially you need to install the Nvidia GPU drivers through Pacman otherwise they'll break every time you get a kernel update, there's an extra kernel parameter you should set to enable Direct Rendering Mode and there's a hook you need to create so Pacman includes the Nvidia drivers when it rebuilds the initramfs after a kernel update.

 

If you swap it out for an AMD then the only thing you need to do is pull the AMD GPU Pro package from Pacman and reboot, OpenCL will just work and updates won't brick it.

[Hairless Monkey]

Here's how I'd change the build.

 

• Beefier cooler for that 5950X.
  • It seems like you'll have it heavily loaded for extended periods, so this will help it run at peak performance.
• X570 chipset board with 2.5Gb ethernet and 2X PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots.
  • It seems like you may be able to take advantage of X570 features over B550 given your workloads.
• Single kit of RAM.
  • Better compatibility. Multiple kits may not work together well, even when identical.
• Add a PCIe 4.0 NVME drive.
  • Your workloads indicate you may benefit from fast storage, and there is still one extra m.2 slot you could populate in the furture.
• Switch out GPU to 6800 XT.
  • Per @Master Disaster's recommendation above, and you may benefit from the increased VRAM.
• A better airflow case that will still support all of your HDDs, SSDs, and Disc drives.
  • Keep things a bit cooler with that mesh front panel.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5950X 3.4 GHz 16-Core Processor  (€707.99 @ Mindfactory) 
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 50.5 CFM CPU Cooler  (€73.86 @ Mindfactory) 
Motherboard: MSI MAG X570 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard  (€225.94 @ Computeruniverse) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 64 GB (4 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  (€268.65 @ Computeruniverse) 
Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  (€174.99 @ Caseking) 
Video Card: Asus Radeon RX 6800 XT 16 GB Video Card  (€1299.00 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Case: Corsair 450D ATX Mid Tower Case  (€113.22 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Power Supply: Corsair RM (2019) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  (€105.89 @ Caseking) 
Total: €2969.54
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-09-01 19:32 CEST+0200

[Labeled]

Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5, I'd say go for better thermal paste, I'd recommend thermal grizzly

 

I disagree and think you'll be fine with a U12S

 

if blender supports cuda, then I disagree with them recommending AMD cards. I workfor a linux SI and we sell a lot of nvidia because they prefer CUDA.

[cmahn.de]

25 minutes ago, Master Disaster said:

Ditch the 3080 and get a 6800XT instead. In Windows the 3080 is probably the better buy but in Linux, not so much. Nvidia's Linux drivers are a hot mess, if you must get an Nvidia then please read the following, it will save you massive headaches moving forward...

 

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/NVIDIA

 

...Essentially you need to install the Nvidia GPU drivers through Pacman otherwise they'll break every time you get a kernel update, there's an extra kernel parameter you should set to enable Direct Rendering Mode and there's a hook you need to create so Pacman includes the Nvidia drivers when it rebuilds the initramfs after a kernel update.

 

If you swap it out for an AMD then the only thing you need to do is pull the AMD GPU Pro package from Pacman and reboot, OpenCL will just work and updates won't brick it.

Thanks for the tip. That even saves me a little bit of money (from 2918,34 € to 2669,25 €):

https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/g3bFRT

[cmahn.de]

2 minutes ago, Labeled said:

Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5, I'd say go for better thermal paste, I'd recommend thermal grizzly

 

I disagree and think you'll be fine with a U12S

 

if blender supports cuda, then I disagree with them recommending AMD cards. I workfor a linux SI and we sell a lot of nvidia because they prefer CUDA.

Yes, Blender can take advantage of CUDA. It even supports the proprietary NVIDIA OptiX-Denoiser

[Hairless Monkey]

4 minutes ago, Labeled said:

I disagree and think you'll be fine with a U12S

The U12S is sufficient, but the Dark Rock Pro 4 is significantly better, and only €4 more, so it's an easy swap.

[cmahn.de]

2 minutes ago, cmahn.de said:

Yes, Blender can take advantage of CUDA. It even supports the proprietary NVIDIA OptiX-Denoiser

Speaking of CUDA. I do have some applications, that require CUDA and are sadly a requirement for university.

[cmahn.de]

19 minutes ago, HairlessMonkeyBoy said:

Here's how I'd change the build.

 

• Beefier cooler for that 5950X.
  • It seems like you'll have it heavily loaded for extended periods, so this will help it run at peak performance.
• X570 chipset board with 2.5Gb ethernet and 2X PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots.
  • It seems like you may be able to take advantage of X570 features over B550 given your workloads.
• Single kit of RAM.
  • Better compatibility. Multiple kits may not work together well, even when identical.
• Add a PCIe 4.0 NVME drive.
  • Your workloads indicate you may benefit from fast storage, and there is still one extra m.2 slot you could populate in the furture.
• Switch out GPU to 6800 XT.
  • Per @Master Disaster's recommendation above, and you may benefit from the increased VRAM.
• A better airflow case that will still support all of your HDDs, SSDs, and Disc drives.
  • Keep things a bit cooler with that mesh front panel.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5950X 3.4 GHz 16-Core Processor  (€707.99 @ Mindfactory) 
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 50.5 CFM CPU Cooler  (€73.86 @ Mindfactory) 
Motherboard: MSI MAG X570 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard  (€225.94 @ Computeruniverse) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 64 GB (4 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  (€268.65 @ Computeruniverse) 
Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  (€174.99 @ Caseking) 
Video Card: Asus Radeon RX 6800 XT 16 GB Video Card  (€1299.00 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Case: Corsair 450D ATX Mid Tower Case  (€113.22 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Power Supply: Corsair RM (2019) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  (€105.89 @ Caseking) 
Total: €2969.54
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-09-01 19:32 CEST+0200

The configuration looks good to me, but I think I need to stick with a NVIDIA graphics card, even though it's more expensive:

 

PCPartPicker Part List: https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/gdHk2V

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5950X 3.4 GHz 16-Core Processor  (€707.99 @ Mindfactory) 
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 50.5 CFM CPU Cooler  (€73.86 @ Mindfactory) 
Thermal Compound: Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut 1 g Thermal Paste  (€7.73 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Motherboard: MSI MAG X570 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard  (€225.94 @ Computeruniverse) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 64 GB (4 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  (€268.65 @ Computeruniverse) 
Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  (€174.99 @ Caseking) 
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 12 GB GAMING OC Video Card  (€1547.99 @ Mindfactory) 
Case: Corsair 450D ATX Mid Tower Case  (€113.22 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Power Supply: Corsair RM (2019) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  (€105.89 @ Caseking) 
Total: €3226.26
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-09-01 20:35 CEST+0200

 

[brob]

Noctua rates the nh-u12s as providing "medium turbo/overclocking headroom". I would suggest something beefier, especially if you are running the cpu at load for extended periods. The NH-U12A or NH-U14S would be my choice.

 

I would recommend a single memory kit. DDR4-3600 CL16 is the sweet spot for 5000 cpu. A 2x32GB kit would allow for a replacement free upgrade should it ever be desired.

 

Consider the be quiet pure base 600 case.

 

I'd suggest a slightly higher capacity PSU.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5950X 3.4 GHz 16-Core Processor  (€707.99 @ Mindfactory) 
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler  (€83.89 @ Alza) 
Motherboard: MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard  (€143.89 @ Alza) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory  (€350.92 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 12 GB GAMING OC Video Card  (€1547.99 @ Mindfactory) 
Case: be quiet! Pure Base 600 ATX Mid Tower Case  (€62.99 @ Mindfactory) 
Power Supply: Corsair RMx (2021) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  (€139.90 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Total: €3037.57
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-09-01 20:32 CEST+0200

 

[Master Disaster]

28 minutes ago, cmahn.de said:

The configuration looks good to me, but I think I need to stick with a NVIDIA graphics card, even though it's more expensive:

 

PCPartPicker Part List: https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/gdHk2V

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5950X 3.4 GHz 16-Core Processor  (€707.99 @ Mindfactory) 
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 50.5 CFM CPU Cooler  (€73.86 @ Mindfactory) 
Thermal Compound: Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut 1 g Thermal Paste  (€7.73 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Motherboard: MSI MAG X570 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard  (€225.94 @ Computeruniverse) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 64 GB (4 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  (€268.65 @ Computeruniverse) 
Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  (€174.99 @ Caseking) 
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 12 GB GAMING OC Video Card  (€1547.99 @ Mindfactory) 
Case: Corsair 450D ATX Mid Tower Case  (€113.22 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Power Supply: Corsair RM (2019) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  (€105.89 @ Caseking) 
Total: €3226.26
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-09-01 20:35 CEST+0200

 

If CUDA is a must then yeah, Nvidia it is. Just read through the wiki page a few times and its not like it won't work at all, it just takes a little maintenance.

[Dr0idGh0sT]

I looked your original parts list and all others made, I took it and made overall better list in my opinion.

Fast RAM, Especially in combination with Ryzen CPU really does affect performance.

https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/zCCfXb

[cmahn.de]

26 minutes ago, brob said:

Noctua rates the nh-u12s as providing "medium turbo/overclocking headroom". I would suggest something beefier, especially if you are running the cpu at load for extended periods. The NH-U12A and NH-U14S would be my choice.

 

I would recommend a single memory kit. DDR4-3600 CL16 is the sweet spot for 5000 cpu. A 2x32GB kit would allow for a replacement free upgrade should it ever be desired.

 

Consiider the be quiet pure base 600 case.

 

I'd suggest a slightly higher capacity PSU.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5950X 3.4 GHz 16-Core Processor  (€707.99 @ Mindfactory) 
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler  (€83.89 @ Alza) 
Motherboard: MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard  (€143.89 @ Alza) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory  (€350.92 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 12 GB GAMING OC Video Card  (€1547.99 @ Mindfactory) 
Case: be quiet! Pure Base 600 ATX Mid Tower Case  (€62.99 @ Mindfactory) 
Power Supply: Corsair RMx (2021) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  (€139.90 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Total: €3037.57
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-09-01 20:32 CEST+0200

 

Thanks for the tip. I have changed the listing accordingly. Do you recommend the base 600 case over the 450d case from corsair?

 

PCPartPicker Part List: https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/rGhRrr

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5950X 3.4 GHz 16-Core Processor  (€707.99 @ Mindfactory) 
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler  (€83.89 @ Alza) 
Thermal Compound: Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut 1 g Thermal Paste  (€7.73 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Motherboard: MSI MAG X570 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard  (€225.94 @ Computeruniverse) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory  (€350.92 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  (€174.99 @ Caseking) 
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 12 GB GAMING OC Video Card  (€1547.99 @ Mindfactory) 
Case: Corsair 450D ATX Mid Tower Case  (€113.22 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Power Supply: Corsair RMx (2021) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  (€139.90 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Total: €3352.57
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-09-01 21:14 CEST+0200

[cmahn.de]

12 minutes ago, Master Disaster said:

If CUDA is a must then yeah, Nvidia it is. Just read through the wiki page a few times and its not like it won't work at all, it just takes a little maintenance.

Ok. I think I can somehow make it work.

[Dr0idGh0sT]

Just now, cmahn.de said:

Thanks for the tip. I have changed the listing accordingly. Do you recommend the base 600 case over the 450d case from corsair?

 

PCPartPicker Part List: https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/rGhRrr

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5950X 3.4 GHz 16-Core Processor  (€707.99 @ Mindfactory) 
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler  (€83.89 @ Alza) 
Thermal Compound: Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut 1 g Thermal Paste  (€7.73 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Motherboard: MSI MAG X570 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard  (€225.94 @ Computeruniverse) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory  (€350.92 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  (€174.99 @ Caseking) 
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 12 GB GAMING OC Video Card  (€1547.99 @ Mindfactory) 
Case: Corsair 450D ATX Mid Tower Case  (€113.22 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Power Supply: Corsair RMx (2021) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  (€139.90 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Total: €3352.57
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-09-01 21:14 CEST+0200

Is there real need for 64GB RAM's? Also, In my opinion 980 Pro isn't worth going over budget for unless you really gonna use that Gen 4 speeds, I would get WD Black SN750 or HP EX920 drive. Did u check my list?

[cmahn.de]

1 minute ago, Dr0idGh0sT said:

Is there real need for 64GB RAM's? Also, In my opinion 980 Pro isn't worth going over budget for unless you really gonna use that Gen 4 speeds, I would get WD Black SN750 or HP EX920 drive. Did u check my list?

Thank you for your suggestions. I looked at your list, but I think it's worth going for 64 GB. I'm currently maxing out my 16 GB of RAM and 16 GB of Swap-Space, so I think the step of 64 GB is better.

However I like the idea of choosing a different nvme-ssd. I don't think there is much speed difference between gen3 and gen4 when rendering, as everything get's loaded into RAM.

When it comes to cases, I don't know, if the original case might be to restricting when it comes to air flow. The Corsair 450D ATX Mid Tower Case does look more open in that regard.

[Dr0idGh0sT]

Just now, cmahn.de said:

Thank you for your suggestions. I looked at your list, but I think it's worth going for 64 GB. I'm currently maxing out my 16 GB of RAM and 16 GB of Swap-Space, so I think the step of 64 GB is better.

However I like the idea of choosing a different nvme-ssd. I don't think there is much speed difference between gen3 and gen4 when rendering, as everything get's loaded into RAM.

When it comes to cases, I don't know, if the original case might be to restricting when it comes to air flow. The Corsair 450D ATX Mid Tower Case does look more open in that regard.

Yeah, RAM really defends on usage. Just don't overspend on some parts and you are good to go, your last build seems decent. 

[brob]

3 hours ago, cmahn.de said:

Thanks for the tip. I have changed the listing accordingly. Do you recommend the base 600 case over the 450d case from corsair?

 

PCPartPicker Part List: https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/rGhRrr

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5950X 3.4 GHz 16-Core Processor  (€707.99 @ Mindfactory) 
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler  (€83.89 @ Alza) 
Thermal Compound: Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut 1 g Thermal Paste  (€7.73 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Motherboard: MSI MAG X570 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard  (€225.94 @ Computeruniverse) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory  (€350.92 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  (€174.99 @ Caseking) 
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 12 GB GAMING OC Video Card  (€1547.99 @ Mindfactory) 
Case: Corsair 450D ATX Mid Tower Case  (€113.22 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Power Supply: Corsair RMx (2021) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  (€139.90 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Total: €3352.57
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-09-01 21:14 CEST+0200

 

My preference would be the bequiet as it should be a bit quieter and doesn't have an easily scratched acrylic window.

 

You should not need the Grizzly thermal compound. Most noctua coolers come with a tube of excellent Noctua thermal compound.