3 computers with 1 CPU. Ideas?

[BenjaM]

I want to cover 3 members' needs of basic computing: web surfing, media consumption, basic university work and occasional light (really light) gaming. I don't 3 separate computers are gonna cut it, so I thought of a virtualization and giving each member the experience of a core i3, with like 6gb of ram and basic I/O. The thing is I have no idea about Xeons and spliting I/O amongst different VMs, so I would like to know how would you do this, what processor, motherboard, ram, etc, and if its even a good idea to spend less while still covering everyone's needs.

[Emeryy]

is building 3 different computers a problem? finding the parts to support a cpu that powerful and a motherboard that supports 4 gpu's, etc. building 3 different $300 computers might be a better idea 

[Emeryy]

to get anywhere near a reasonable experience you'd need an 8 core cpu, like a 5960x which is $1000 by itself. Or maybe a 4790k or 6700k, but then each pc would be running off 1 core and 1 thread, which is up to you if it's enough for your needs. with everything included it's near the same price if you go the 4790k route, but it probably won't be worth the trouble of fiddling with the VMs forever

[BenjaM]

What about going with an older Xeon?
And the GPUs wouldn't be top of the line of course.

[Streetguru]

2 hours ago, BenjaM said:

I want to cover 3 members' needs of basic computing: web surfing, media consumption, basic university work and occasional light (really light) gaming. I don't 3 separate computers are gonna cut it, so I thought of a virtualization and giving each member the experience of a core i3, with like 6gb of ram and basic I/O. The thing is I have no idea about Xeons and spliting I/O amongst different VMs, so I would like to know how would you do this, what processor, motherboard, ram, etc, and if its even a good idea to spend less while still covering everyone's needs.

Made a thread over here that might lead to some more answers about the below build

https://forum.teksyndicate.com/t/usb-3-0-ultra-dock-passthrough-virtualization-heaven/98935

If that's all you need to do, just get an 8320E build and give each machine 2 cores, with the main probably GNU/Linux host being a 4th machine, Virtualization is like the only thing AMD CPUs are really still good at

 

You can dedicate one VM to an SSD

 

and Workstation GPU for 4 mini display port outputs, probably a cheaper option, but this would be pretty low power and very flexible

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/zHThnQ
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/zHThnQ/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD FX-8320E 3.2GHz 8-Core Processor  ($126.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock 970M PRO3 Micro ATX AM3+/AM3 Motherboard  ($56.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($56.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($42.92 @ Amazon)
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($42.92 @ Amazon)
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($42.92 @ Amazon)
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($42.92 @ Amazon)
Video Card: ATI FirePro W4100 2GB Video Card  ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($34.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($55.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $663.62
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-24 21:30 EDT-0400


and this card used to only be $200, now $230, but it's a 7750 with 6 display port outputs, if you ever planned to like get an X99 mega build and output to like 6 displays

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814129274

 

[Streetguru]

And then in addition to that, I know you can passthrough USB devices to a VM

 

but if you get a board like this with 4 USB 3.0 outputs, maybe even just ponying up for the sabertooth AM3+ board for stability

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157610
 

You could buy USB 3.0 Ultra Docks, and that gives each PC a ton of connectivity, something like this, but they're $100 each

http://www.amazon.com/Plugable-UD-3900-Universal-Docking-Ethernet/dp/B00ECDM78E

No clue how well that would work

[BenjaM]

I´m liking this idea... I was thinking old server stuff but this would work too.

[Streetguru]

15 minutes ago, BenjaM said:

I´m liking this idea... I was thinking old server stuff but this would work too.

Probably buy like one dock first and maybe do some testing, it's a pretty good device anyways if you have a spare 100 bucks, might also be some less expensive options, but the pluggable stuff is great this is what it can do with a tablet

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atTCzQWNREs

[Streetguru]

12 hours ago, BenjaM said:

I´m liking this idea... I was thinking old server stuff but this would work too.

Going from the other thread, might not work unless you were to get a ton of USB 3.0 PCI-e adapters, so maybe not, at least with the dock idea, the hardware can still handle the VMs