High single threaded performance build - for game servers

[xBlizzDevious]

Hello!

 

I'm wanting to replace my old gaming PC (that I use mostly for running game servers) with a newer, smaller and higher performance machine.

 

The old machine's main specs:

i7 950 OCed to 3.84GHz

12GB Corsair Vengeance 1600MHz CL9

Sapphire Radeon HD 6970

 

And I run FTB or AT Launcher (heavily modded Minecraft), Space Engineers, Cube World and occasionally the odd other game servers on it. At the moment, my friends also use it as a gaming computer when they come to my house.

 

 

I'm aiming for a PC that will perform better in single threaded applications (like the above) but I don't want it to be too slow overall.

I want it to be as small as possible so that I can sit it on my desk and it not be in the way - however, I want to be able to overclock it to 4.5GHz-ish.

I don't intend to have a graphics card in it - though I may decide on adding one at some point so the option to would be beneficial.

There's not really a budget, but under £600 is good, under £800 probably at the most.

 

I'm kinda torn between saving as much as I can and grabbing a G3258 or getting the best I can without going over the top and getting a 4690K. I'm open to other ideas, but these seem most likely - remember that it's single threaded performance and good overclocking that I'm aiming for.

I need 16GB of RAM at least and need to be able to fit as good a CPU cooler as I can into the case. On to the case - I don't really care though plain, boring and sleek is good - and in black. I have - and like - a 900D, an original NZXT Phantom in black and a Fractal Design Define R4 in black.

As for everything else, I have no idea. I kinda want to go ITX though mATX would do.

 

What do you guys suggest as a build for me then?

[ReadyToGame]

I don't get why you wouldn't go for an all out build, all out builds run FTB and ATLauncher just as well. I watch a few streamers who play with computers that are quite beefy and they run Skyfactory 2 even with shaders, so that's 132+ mods running at once and they get insane performance. I really don't see why you'd want to cheap out? Can you explain why you'd do that? If you went big then you'd be able to eventually expand into many other games like LoL, WoW, CS:GO, DOTA 2, Payday, Payday 2, BF3/4, GTA V, etc, etc. Why cheap out now and then if you ever wanted to expand in the future, you'd have to pay even more money.

[Raudi_]

TO give you an idea my sysetm runs 1.7.10 Mod Pack 200+ mods with shaders and a server running at the same time with no issues 60+ FPS

[Atmos]

To be honest, getting a G32, even with a better gpu than your old rig will be a downstep. Its a bargain chip made for those who absolutely cannot get anything more than a few hundred dollars for a build. Yes it does extremely well for its bit, but it has VERY little overall power. If you want a good single threaded cpu you can look at something like the 3690K. Or you can save yourself a great deal of money and get a 8320 w/ a good cooler. It has slightly less single threaded performance but it has much more overall performance in applications that can levy its cores.

[emachado99]

I don't get why you wouldn't go for an all out build, all out builds run FTB and ATLauncher just as well. I watch a few streamers who play with computers that are quite beefy and they run Skyfactory 2 even with shaders, so that's 132+ mods running at once and they get insane performance. I really don't see why you'd want to cheap out? Can you explain why you'd do that? If you went big then you'd be able to eventually expand into many other games like LoL, WoW, CS:GO, DOTA 2, Payday, Payday 2, BF3/4, GTA V, etc, etc. Why cheap out now and then if you ever wanted to expand in the future, you'd have to pay even more money.

He is using this as a game server, not his main machine.

 

Never mind, your right

 

I obviously didn't read it properly.

[xBlizzDevious]

He is using this as a game server, not his main machine.

 

Never mind, your right

 

I obviously didn't read it properly.

 

 

No, you read it right. I'm NOT using this as a main machine. I have a 3930K, three-way crossfire BEAST for that. I intend for this to be switched on and used as and when my friends and I are playing games together; just a small little box with a whole boatload of CPU power sitting on the corner of my desk is the intention.

 

To clarify:

This is not a gaming machine.

I don't need a GPU (though the ability to add one later is a bonus)

This will be used to run CLI/non-GUI servers for a number of games that I play.

[ReadyToGame]

No, you read it right. I'm NOT using this as a main machine. I have a 3930K, three-way crossfire BEAST for that. I intend for this to be switched on and used as and when my friends and I are playing games together; just a small little box with a whole boatload of CPU power sitting on the corner of my desk is the intention.

 

To clarify:

This is not a gaming machine.

I don't need a GPU (though the ability to add one later is a bonus)

This will be used to run CLI/non-GUI servers for a number of games that I play.

Ah, I understand now. I can't help you then. I don't know shat about building servers, haha.

[Atmos]

No, you read it right. I'm NOT using this as a main machine. I have a 3930K, three-way crossfire BEAST for that. I intend for this to be switched on and used as and when my friends and I are playing games together; just a small little box with a whole boatload of CPU power sitting on the corner of my desk is the intention.

 

To clarify:

This is not a gaming machine.

I don't need a GPU (though the ability to add one later is a bonus)

This will be used to run CLI/non-GUI servers for a number of games that I play.

 

Then do NOT get a g32. this will not stand up with other solutions for a server box. A good option would be picking up something like a e3 1231v3. Has the single core performance comparable to a 4690K, but has hyperthreading enabled for much greater multitasking and performance. You can sometimes find a good sale and get them for as low as 190-200$

 

Other than that, for a server i cant really recommend anything less powerful, or you'll start to deal with severe bottlenecking on large payloads.

[xBlizzDevious]

Then do NOT get a g32. this will not stand up with other solutions for a server box. A good option would be picking up something like a e3 1231v3. Has the single core performance comparable to a 4690K, but has hyperthreading enabled for much greater multitasking and performance. You can sometimes find a good sale and get them for as low as 190-200$

 

Other than that, for a server i cant really recommend anything less powerful, or you'll start to deal with severe bottlenecking on large payloads.

 

I don't intend to run anything major. The i7 950 that I've got runs pretty much everything I throw at it just fine - I just want "epicly" to be added there instead of "just fine". Hyperthreading isn't going to benefit me much in Minecraft, Space Engineers, or many other game servers at all, as far as I'm aware. Perhaps if I'm running 5 of them at the same time, it might, but the most it'll normally be is two.

 

Is it really worth getting the Xeon over a desktop part? And is the HT also worth it? If I can get them for basically the same price, then sure. Though does a Xeon 1271/1276 or whatever overclock as well as a 4690K/4790K?

 

 

 

 

Ah, I understand now. I can't help you then. I don't know shat about building servers, haha.

 

That's alright. It's not a server in the normal sense of the word, I guess, but it's still a server in that it will run a service for other devices to connect to.

[emachado99]

No, you read it right. I'm NOT using this as a main machine. I have a 3930K, three-way crossfire BEAST for that. I intend for this to be switched on and used as and when my friends and I are playing games together; just a small little box with a whole boatload of CPU power sitting on the corner of my desk is the intention.

 

To clarify:

This is not a gaming machine.

I don't need a GPU (though the ability to add one later is a bonus)This will be used to run CLI/non-GUI servers for a number of games that I play.

Omg I feel like an idiot

[emachado99]

Alright so I came up with a build that is under the £600 budget Seems pretty good to me, and will suit your needs fine. Feel free to change anything, add anything etc.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor (£49.04 @ Ebuyer)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£25.44 @ Aria PC)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£107.50 @ Ebuyer)

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£108.49 @ Ebuyer)

Storage: Crucial MX100 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£149.98 @ Amazon UK)

Case: Fractal Design Define Mini MicroATX Mini Tower Case (£56.98 @ Amazon UK)

Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply (£31.19 @ Novatech)

Total: £528.62

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-15 03:30 GMT+0000

[Atmos]

I don't intend to run anything major. The i7 950 that I've got runs pretty much everything I throw at it just fine - I just want "epicly" to be added there instead of "just fine". Hyperthreading isn't going to benefit me much in Minecraft, Space Engineers, or many other game servers at all, as far as I'm aware. Perhaps if I'm running 5 of them at the same time, it might, but the most it'll normally be is two.

 

Is it really worth getting the Xeon over a desktop part? And is the HT also worth it? If I can get them for basically the same price, then sure. Though does a Xeon 1271/1276 or whatever overclock as well as a 4690K/4790K?

 

 

 

That Xeon in specific works in many standard LGA 1150 sockets, and costs no more than a mid range i5, while providing the horsepower of an i7. No Xeons in general do not overclock, though for their price you would be extremely hard pressed to get a processor of same price to their performance level with only an overclock. Being a server/workstation cpu it doesnt have a built in graphics core either, so you'll have to keep that in mind. And i do understand where your coming from, running a server generaly doesnt use more than a couple cores, but thats out of necessity, not design. In a couple of years we're going to start to see games and servers which have typically been single or dual core performers draw on more cores for greater performance, and when that times does come the g32 will be a relic of times past, not being able to compete with things even like the 6300.

 

And once again, going from an i7 950 to a g32 isnt really an upgrade what so ever. Yes you're getting >> slightly << better single core performance, but your getting way way less overall compute power, and for running game server today that can already levy more than a dual core (which is all the g32 has) its going to bottleneck you greatly.

[xBlizzDevious]

Alright so I came up with a build that is under the £600 budget Seems pretty good to me, and will suit your needs fine. Feel free to change anything, add anything etc.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor (£49.04 @ Ebuyer)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£25.44 @ Aria PC)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£107.50 @ Ebuyer)

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£108.49 @ Ebuyer)

Storage: Crucial MX100 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£149.98 @ Amazon UK)

Case: Fractal Design Define Mini MicroATX Mini Tower Case (£56.98 @ Amazon UK)

Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply (£31.19 @ Novatech)

Total: £528.62

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-15 03:30 GMT+0000

 

That looks like a pretty good build. I actually spent some of last night and today looking over possible solutions on PC Part Picker myself and what I came up with this (http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/user/xBlizzDevious/saved/424G3C) but it's a little more than I'd really like to spend. Looks quite awesome though. Haha!

 

That Xeon in specific works in many standard LGA 1150 sockets, and costs no more than a mid range i5, while providing the horsepower of an i7. No Xeons in general do not overclock, though for their price you would be extremely hard pressed to get a processor of same price to their performance level with only an overclock. Being a server/workstation cpu it doesnt have a built in graphics core either, so you'll have to keep that in mind. And i do understand where your coming from, running a server generaly doesnt use more than a couple cores, but thats out of necessity, not design. In a couple of years we're going to start to see games and servers which have typically been single or dual core performers draw on more cores for greater performance, and when that times does come the g32 will be a relic of times past, not being able to compete with things even like the 6300.

 

And once again, going from an i7 950 to a g32 isnt really an upgrade what so ever. Yes you're getting >> slightly << better single core performance, but your getting way way less overall compute power, and for running game server today that can already levy more than a dual core (which is all the g32 has) its going to bottleneck you greatly.

 

I see. I'd like the ability to overclock as well as an iGPU so that I don't need to get a separate GPU (for now). I'm pretty sure you can OC Xeons, but I guess not as well and/or easily as the K parts. As for the G3258 being a downgrade, yeah, I guess you're right. The 4690K is probably on a par with the 950, too. I'm pretty much thinking that it may just be a complete waste of money for now. So much for my crazy plans, eh?

 

Thanks for the help guys.

[brob]

I was playing around with the idea of a very small build. I'm a little unsure of the external psu. I tried to locate a Seasonic SSA-1201-19, but was unable to find a source in the UK. Also not sure how good an oc one can do on passive cooling.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor  (£49.04 @ Ebuyer)
Motherboard: Asus H81T/CSM Thin Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard  (£60.48 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Kingston Impact Black Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  (£117.25 @ More Computers)
Storage: Seagate  1TB 2.5" 5400RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive  (£65.40 @ Aria PC)
Other: Silverstone SST-PT13B - SST-PT13B Petit Thin-Mini-ITX Chassis - Black (£40.00)
Other: SilverStone Argon Series AR04 - processor cooler (£29.00)
Other: 120w Universal Laptop Notebook power supply AC adapter  (£18.00)
Total: £379.17
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-15 16:24 GMT+0000

[xBlizzDevious]

I've had a bit of a change of plan. I'm not really sure what I want to do, but with some other ideas I had in motion going to pot, I'm thinking that this may be a better idea again. However, a few things to change.

 

I'm wanting ATX or mATX and not ITX anymore.

I'll probably get a 4790K rather than a Xeon or a less powerful CPU.

I'm not needing a case as I have a spare one.

 

I'm wanting silence primarily (the spare case is a Define R4) but I also want to be able to overclock, so a very good CPU cooler is preferable.

I don't know what motherboard to get, but as long as it can OC a 4790K well and has at least two PCIe 8x (or more) slots, I don't really care.

For rear IO, it needs at least two USB2 and any number of USB3 - HDMI and DisplayPort for video - one or more Intel Gigabit LAN.

I wouldn't mind an M.2 slot, but that's only so that I have less cables in the case.

 

 

So...

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£244.94 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: Unknown (H100i?)

Motherboard: Unknown
Memory: Kingston Savage 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  (£113.20 @ CCL Computers)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (£161.94 @ Aria PC) OR M.2 drive of 480-512GB

Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (already owned)
Power Supply: Unknown (probably Corsair RM series though would like something a little cheaper)

[xBlizzDevious]

Ok. Done a bit more looking things up. This is what I've come up with:

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/user/xBlizzDevious/saved/424G3C

I'll have a RAID card (Highpoint RocketRAID 2720SGL) and four Seagate Barracuda 4TBs installed (possibly up to eight of them when I run out of space).

No GPU to start with, but spare power on the PSU to accommodate one should I add it later on.

I may add another 16GB of RAM if I need it (which I may well do) later on.

I'm not sure which M.2 SSD I would want to go with with that as I have no idea of the specifications and which ones use mSATA and which ones use PCIe because the standard makes NO sense whatsoever. Which SSD would you guys say I should use (in the 480-512GB range)?

 

Anything you guys things I should change there? Thanks.

[brob]

Ok. Done a bit more looking things up. This is what I've come up with:

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/user/xBlizzDevious/saved/424G3C

I'll have a RAID card (Highpoint RocketRAID 2720SGL) and four Seagate Barracuda 4TBs installed (possibly up to eight of them when I run out of space).

No GPU to start with, but spare power on the PSU to accommodate one should I add it later on.

I may add another 16GB of RAM if I need it (which I may well do) later on.

I'm not sure which M.2 SSD I would want to go with with that as I have no idea of the specifications and which ones use mSATA and which ones use PCIe because the standard makes NO sense whatsoever. Which SSD would you guys say I should use (in the 480-512GB range)?

 

Anything you guys things I should change there? Thanks.

 

Check to see if MSI has an M.2 ssd QVL for the motherboard.

 

I would suggest a different psu. SeaSonic SS-620GM2 would be a good choice.

[xBlizzDevious]

Check to see if MSI has an M.2 ssd QVL for the motherboard.

 

I would suggest a different psu. SeaSonic SS-620GM2 would be a good choice.

 

Cool, I'll check that out if it's available.

 

Why on earth would you not recommend a Corsair power supply? I understand that Seasonic make most of Corsair's PSUs and so you're just adding a middle-man, but I like Corsair - for many reasons. And the one you've linked is only 80+ Bronze; the RM650W is Gold.

[brob]

Cool, I'll check that out if it's available.

 

Why on earth would you not recommend a Corsair power supply? I understand that Seasonic make most of Corsair's PSUs and so you're just adding a middle-man, but I like Corsair - for many reasons. And the one you've linked is only 80+ Bronze; the RM650W is Gold.

 

Seasonic no longer make most of the Corsair psu. The RM series is simply not as good as its competition. The RM650 is built by CWT and has gotten some far from good reviews.

 

80+ ratings certify electrical efficiency. They do not indicate the quality of psu components, design, or power delivery. But if you really want an 80+ Gold unit you might consider XFX P1-650B-BEFX or EVGA 220-G2-0750-XR.

[xBlizzDevious]

Seasonic no longer make most of the Corsair psu. The RM series is simply not as good as its competition. The RM650 is built by CWT and has gotten some far from good reviews.

 

80+ ratings certify electrical efficiency. They do not indicate the quality of psu components, design, or power delivery. But if you really want an 80+ Gold unit you might consider XFX P1-650B-BEFX or EVGA 220-G2-0750-XR.

 

I personally use and have recommended to a number of friends Corsair PSUs and everyone is perfectly happy with them. I've got an XFX PSU in my main rig and I've had it die on me once - though it got RMAd quickly.

 

In fact, I think you've got to be the only person I've ever heard NOT recommend Corsair PSUs.

 

Having said that - I have just been searching Google and it does seem that the RM series (in particular) from Corsair is a worse quality PSU than the others you have mentioned. Though the AXi series seems to come out pretty much at the top for all of the tests I found. I think I might go with that Seasonic as it does seem to be a suitable substitute.

 

PS: I understand that the 80+ system doesn't show quality of products entirely, but it does point towards better quality to some degree.

 

PPS: Thanks for your infomation. I'll certainly keep that in mind for the future.

[xBlizzDevious]

Would the following be the direct descendant of the one you suggested?

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/seasonic-power-supply-ss750am2

 

I'm asking as the 10 SATA connectors would suit me better as I'll need 9 of them. I could use adaptors but that gets ugly, and I think I've only got two, so it'd be cheaper just buying the better PSU.

[brob]

Would the following be the direct descendant of the one you suggested?

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/seasonic-power-supply-ss750am2

 

I'm asking as the 10 SATA connectors would suit me better as I'll need 9 of them. I could use adaptors but that gets ugly, and I think I've only got two, so it'd be cheaper just buying the better PSU.

 

I am having trouble figuring out how 10 SATA power connectors can be used.

 

Yes, the links psu is in the same family, only higher capacity. But if you are going to look at 750W psu check out the slightly more expensive EVGA 220-G2-0750-XR. I believe it has 3x3 SATA power cables and is a better psu.

[xBlizzDevious]

I am having trouble figuring out how 10 SATA power connectors can be used.

 

Yes, the links psu is in the same family, only higher capacity. But if you are going to look at 750W psu check out the slightly more expensive EVGA 220-G2-0750-XR. I believe it has 3x3 SATA power cables and is a better psu.

 

I have a RAID card and four 4TB drives at the moment but they're pretty much full - so I aim to add in somewhere around two to four more drives soon enough. Plus the OS SSD, of course.

 

The finish on that PSU is amazing... And yes, it's got three cables with three SATA connectors on each. Nicely braided and all-black, too. Thanks for the recommendation.

 

EDIT: Oh, and I doubt I'll need 750W, it's just to get the number of connectors I need.

[xBlizzDevious]

Just to let you know, I ordered all of the parts and built this PC. It's been running great for the past week or two!

 

Ignore the costs and such as I didn't buy half the stuff recently and instead took them from the computers it is replacing.

 

Full (final) specs:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£259.59 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  (£84.99 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-Gaming 3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  (£92.36 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  (£101.91 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Storage: Seagate Desktop HDD 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive  (£109.98 @ Novatech)
Storage: Seagate Desktop HDD 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive  (£109.98 @ Novatech)
Storage: Seagate Desktop HDD 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive  (£109.98 @ Novatech)
Storage: Seagate Desktop HDD 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive  (£109.98 @ Novatech)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 6970 2GB Video Card
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case  (£72.48 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  (£90.11 @ Amazon UK)
Other: HighPoint RocketRAID 2720SGL (Purchased For £140.00)
Total: £1281.36
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-11 17:33 GMT+0000