Xeon with server board or X99

[titan384]

Hello guys, Ive been collecting a lot of money for a workstation build. I had thought of i7 5930k and the usual that goes with it, and a nVidia GTX 980(maybe Ti, im not sure, depends). But after seeing the ultrawide dream setup live build i started to go with a xeon processor E5-2630 v3 with a x99A from msi. Then i realised that E5-2630 is dual cpu compatible.

So this made my head go round. Should i go for a supermicro dual processor motherboard and add the other cpu later when i can afford it or stick with the X99A? If i should go for the dual processor board which one should i get? As i researched earlier i read that some boards do not open up the pcie lanes if only one cpu socket is used.

Thanks in advance.

[mikat]

what are you using the pc for

[royalba94]

I went the dual CPU route. my recommendation for whether that would be a good idea for you depends upon what you will be using it for. So, what will you use it for?

 

some random points to make:

-Xeons have generally lower clock speeds and are pretty much not overclock-able. (BCLK maybe, mine don't like it)

 

-Dual CPU boards come in non-typical sizes. mine is an ASUS Z10PE-D16 WS and is SSI-EEB (basically super-wide ATX) and so you might run into case selection issues. I installed mine in a Corsair 780T after drilling holes for standoffs where needed and it's just fine

 

-you will also need to choose your power supply more carefully if you go the Dual CPU route because not all power supplies have 2 8pin CPU connectors

 

Anyway, let me now what you're thinking of using it for and I'll throw in my 'two cents'

[IreMinMon]

I can't see a scenario where 2 quad-core CPUs would be better than a single 8-core CPU with same architecture and clock speed. Unless you're running 2x 8+ cores on some hardcore server or badass workstation (I can't imagine what would that be) you're better off with a single Xeon with double the amount of cores..

[royalba94]

I can't see a scenario where 2 quad-core CPUs would be better than a single 8-core CPU with same architecture and clock speed. Unless you're running 2x 8+ cores on some hardcore server or badass workstation (I can't imagine what would that be) you're better off with a single Xeon with double the amount of cores..

the E5-2630 V3 he referenced is an 8 core with hyperthreading...

[titan384]

I will be using the computer mailny for autocad, some 3d rendering, photoshop and illustrator. Once in a while i will be editing videos and playing games like league of legends, rocket league and tomb raider.

[titan384]

I went the dual CPU route. my recommendation for whether that would be a good idea for you depends upon what you will be using it for. So, what will you use it for?

some random points to make:

-Xeons have generally lower clock speeds and are pretty much not overclock-able. (BCLK maybe, mine don't like it)

-Dual CPU boards come in non-typical sizes. mine is an ASUS Z10PE-D16 WS and is SSI-EEB (basically super-wide ATX) and so you might run into case selection issues. I installed mine in a Corsair 780T after drilling holes for standoffs where needed and it's just fine

-you will also need to choose your power supply more carefully if you go the Dual CPU route because not all power supplies have 2 8pin CPU connectors

Anyway, let me now what you're thinking of using it for and I'll throw in my 'two cents'

I am thinking of corsair graphite 780T for the case. As for the power supply i would have decided once i confirmed the route i would be going. Was thinking of corsair RM1000i though..

On another note. Did you use the dual cpu config from the start or added the second cpu at a later stage?

[royalba94]

I am thinking of corsair graphite 780T for the case. As for the power supply i would have decided once i confirmed the route i would be going. Was thinking of corsair RM1000i though..

On another note. Did you use the dual cpu config from the start or added the second cpu at a later stage?

I started with one E5-2630v3 and everything worked just fine; you just have to make sure you put the CPU, RAM, and GPU in the right slots as some are disabled with only one CPU (on my MOBO at least)

 

I also went with an evga 850 g2 and it's working fine. I'm in the middle of determining how much power my system is actually using so that I can choose a UPS unit so I'll let you know how that turns out hopefully this evening.

 

I found this article that should be quite informative for you as to the question of "Two CPU or not Two CPU?" Here's the link: https://www.pugetsystems.com/recommended/Recommended-Systems-for-AutoDesk-AutoCAD-134/Hardware-Recommendations

 

I think if I had read the article I just mentioned or this one: https://www.pugetsystems.com/recommended/Recommended-Systems-for-Adobe-Premiere-Pro-143/Hardware-Recommendations I would have gone a different route. Unfortunately these articles were not published until after I had made my decisions

[titan384]

I started with one E5-2630v3 and everything worked just fine; you just have to make sure you put the CPU, RAM, and GPU in the right slots as some are disabled with only one CPU (on my MOBO at least)

I also went with an evga 850 g2 and it's working fine. I'm in the middle of determining how much power my system is actually using so that I can choose a UPS unit so I'll let you know how that turns out hopefully this evening.

I found this article that should be quite informative for you as to the question of "Two CPU or not Two CPU?" Here's the link: https://www.pugetsystems.com/recommended/Recommended-Systems-for-AutoDesk-AutoCAD-134/Hardware-Recommendations

I think if I had read the article I just mentioned or this one: https://www.pugetsystems.com/recommended/Recommended-Systems-for-Adobe-Premiere-Pro-143/Hardware-Recommendations I would have gone a different route.

Thanks man! I guess im gonna follow the same path as you. I'll contact you if i need any further clarification

[royalba94]

Thanks man! I guess im gonna follow the same path as you. I'll contact you if i need any further clarification

Yep, no problem. I'd be glad to help as much as I can

[titan384]

Dude. Can you please recommend a motherboard? I know supermicro has got some ATX and E-ATX ones but not all work with a single cpu. Im not comfortable with drilling holes in a case.

[royalba94]

Dude. Can you please recommend a motherboard? I know supermicro has got some ATX and E-ATX ones but not all work with a single cpu. Im not comfortable with drilling holes in a case.

Pretty much the only one I've found so far that will likely be a bolt in deal is this one: http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/xeon/c600/x10dal-i.cfm SuperMicro has a couple other boards in this form factor but this was the only one with more than one PCIe 16x slot...

 

EDIT: Here's some from Asrock but none are windows supported:

http://www.asrockrack.com/general/productdetail.asp?Model=EP2C612D8-8R#Specifications

http://www.asrockrack.com/general/productdetail.asp?Model=EP2C612D8-8R#Specifications

http://www.asrockrack.com/general/productdetail.asp?Model=EP2C612D8-8R#Specifications

[royalba94]

Pretty much the only one I've found so far that will likely be a bolt in deal is this one: http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/xeon/c600/x10dal-i.cfm SuperMicro has a couple other boards in this form factor but this was the only one with more than one PCIe 16x slot...

 

So here is the answer to wanting 'a Dual-CPU MOBO that you don't have to mod to fit' from someone I consider as an authority on the subject over on PcPartpicker:

 

 

 

What Dual CPU motherboards are true E-ATX or ATX? like ones that would go in a standard E-ATX or ATX case?

The problem is....

What ATX and EATX case's are "true" ATX and EATX case's ?

 

Well... most "ATX" Case's are indeed designed to support the full range of depth for common ATX (6.7-9.6"), and many will even support up to 10" or more (less common depth for ATX, found on some dual socket boards like the X10DAL). Case's that claim to support EATX are hit and miss on how well they truly support a full depth EATX motherboard. The standard encompasses 10.5"-13" depth.. Quite a few modern workstation/gaming case's that claim EATX support are really only talking about the 10.5" deep motherboards for a comfortable fit with cable management still in-tact.

 

Dual socket motherboards in general, are mostly developed from an OEM perspective, so mounting holes don't always conform 100% to a standard. This is just something we have to deal with when building a multi-socket custom machine. Guaranteed drop-in is not really an option here, but usually a board claiming ATX or EATX mounting will have most mounting positions matching the standard.

 

SuperMicro ATX and EATX boards can usually be made to fit in custom builds in ATX and EATX case's with minimal modifications, just make sure the case indeed has the depth on the motherboard tray for a 13" deep motherboard when doing EATX builds.

 

So basically and in general if you want to go Dual CPU you'll either have to do some kind of custom work (standoff re-positioning mainly) to get it to work.

 

One trick I used when trying to figure out what would work in the 780T was using Photoshop to align the motherboard inside the case and see what holes lined up with the standoffs. I could do this again another motherboard if you would like to see what holes line up or not.

 

Hope this all made sense and helps...

 

P.S. it might help to know that depth in terms of motherboard measurement is generally the length of the pcb as perpendicular to the I/O shield (or from right to left if oriented like in a normal case

[titan384]

Okay.. So i checked on with my computer store. They wont be able to get me a xeon e5 2630 v3. And want me to settle with a e5 2620 and an intel mobo whose specs i dont know. So im thinking of waiting for some time but as i have the cash in my hand i want to know if i should upgrade right away to something like a 5930K or wait.

I currently use a laptop with i5-3210M, 240GB SSD, 12 GB RAM, and nvidia 640M. Should i build a desktop with i7 5930k or wait for newer xeons which i guess are on intel's website.

[royalba94]

Okay.. So i checked on with my computer store. They wont be able to get me a xeon e5 2630 v3. And want me to settle with a e5 2620 and an intel mobo whose specs i dont know. So im thinking of waiting for some time but as i have the cash in my hand i want to know if i should upgrade right away to something like a 5930K or wait.

I currently use a laptop with i5-3210M, 240GB SSD, 12 GB RAM, and nvidia 640M. Should i build a desktop with i7 5930k or wait for newer xeons which i guess are on intel's website.

My opinion on whether to wait for the new Xeon E5-2600 v4 or upgrade to an I7-5930k now: I would go for the I7-5930k because a few things

-in my opinion fewer faster cores are better than more slower cores.

-Getting the 5930k now doesn't keep you from putting a Xeon in the same motherboard later on. When you're ready you could pop in a new Xeon and some ECC memory DIMMs and have a more powerful computer.

-Unlocked 'enthusiast' CPUs and Memory are pretty resell-able so when you want more CPU power you can sell the 5930k and pop in a Xeon.

-although you can't do dual CPUs on an X99 board you didn't want to have to mod a case to fit those boards anyway.

-the 5930k is overclockable so you could get a bit more performance out of it if you wanted.

 

And the new Xeons look like they won't be clocked higher that 3 Ghz which is not bad but it doesn't impress me any since you could get a E5-2643 v3 or E5-2667 v3 with 3.2 or more.

 

The only thing you'd be missing out on without the Xeon is ECC memory and more cores. after that they're basically the same with the Xeons being genrally slower and non-overclockable

[bomerr]

Why 5930K? Do you need the extra PCIe lanes? It's 200 dollars more expansive than the 5820k for the exact same performance + PCIe lanes. For most people the only reason to get a 5930k over a 5820k is that they want to run 2 GPUs in SLI both 16X. (32 lanes). 

 

If you need a PC now then I'd get X99. If you can wait till Q2 then you'll be able to get Broadwell-E. 

[royalba94]

Why 5930K? Do you need the extra PCIe lanes? It's 200 dollars more expansive than the 5820k for the exact same performance + PCIe lanes. For most people the only reason to get a 5930k over a 5820k is that they want to run 2 GPUs in SLI both 16X. (32 lanes). 

 

If you need a PC now then I'd get X99. If you can wait till Q2 then you'll be able to get Broadwell-E.

The reason I was talking about the 5930k was because his question was if he should go with the 5930k or wait for the new Xeons.

I was considering pointing out the 5820k over the 5930k but didn't end up doing it for some reason so thanks for pointing that out.