advice requested: quad 1080ti maxed out threadripper workstation build

[sterlingcrispin]

I plan on using this PC for 3D rendering, generative modeling, machine learning and software development, maybe a game or two

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/sterlingcrispin/saved/DH6m8d

 

I haven't put together a PC since 1999 so if anyone could weigh in on the following I'd greatly appreciate it:

 

1. answered thanks, Is putting four AIO hybrid cards in the same build going to be any less of a hassle than the water block variety and running my own water cooling loop?
2. Are AIO hybrid cards any less prone to leaking than a custom water cooling loop? From what I've seen the answer is yes, but people are worried they'll corrode or not last as long. With four cards I think I really need water cooling but I don't want to risk leaking and the hassle of a custom loop if I don't need to.
3. Are there performance gains I could expect from a EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 TI SC2 Hydro Copper VS. the FTW3 Hybrid AIO solution? 
4. Whats the best case for something like this? I'd prefer something with handles on it so its easy to move so I was looking at the Cougar Panzer Max and the Cooler Master C700P.  I'm worried the Panzer might be a little cramped and worried the AIO radiators might not reach the front of the C700P. Should I look at another case? I don't care what it looks like I just want it to stay as cool as possible, filter dust well, and be easily moved. 
5. Is there an optimal placement for m.2 drives on the Zenith? There's a dedicated spot with a heat sink for one drive but it seems like it would bleed heat into the graphics cards whereas the DIM.2 slot above is a little further out of the way. Which is faster M.2 or the DIMM.2 riser board? I can't find the answer
6. answered thanks,  When I do run a few games on this system should I get a 4-way-SLI bridge, or just a 2-way? I've seen benchmarks that look like some games really cant handle 4-SLI and I might be better off with a 2-way SLI while disabling the last two graphics cards temporarily with the motherboards PCIE lane switch, is that something I should expect?

 

Edited December 17, 2017 by sterlingcrispin

[kelvinhall05]

Since you're not gaming, I'd suggest crossfired Vegas.

[komar]

Putting AIO cards is almost the same as putting air cooled cards - plug the card, mount the rad somewhere, plug the power and go. Nothing compared to the custom loop hassle! 

 

About the SLI in games - when you are using one of the best of the best GPUs do you really need SLI? First you are limited to 2 way SLI by Nvidia and second not every game supports SLI. Get a 2 way bridge at max and don't make your life more difficult

[sterlingcrispin]

10 minutes ago, kelvinhall05 said:

Since you're not gaming, I'd suggest crossfired Vegas.

I want/need CUDA support 

 

4 minutes ago, komar said:

Putting AIO cards is almost the same as putting air cooled cards - plug the card, mount the rad somewhere, plug the power and go. Nothing compared to the custom loop hassle! 

 

About the SLI in games - when you are using one of the best of the best GPUs do you really need SLI? First you are limited to 2 way SLI by Nvidia and second not every game supports SLI. Get a 2 way bridge at max and don't make your life more difficult

Right on thanks 

[Zodiark1593]

Compute tasks can scale beyond 4 cards, though gaming is limited to two in SLI.

 

15 minutes ago, komar said:

Putting AIO cards is almost the same as putting air cooled cards - plug the card, mount the rad somewhere, plug the power and go. Nothing compared to the custom loop hassle! 

 

About the SLI in games - when you are using one of the best of the best GPUs do you really need SLI? First you are limited to 2 way SLI by Nvidia and second not every game supports SLI. Get a 2 way bridge at max and don't make your life more difficult

Ehh, if OP has the cards for another task anyway, why not SLI while gaming too?

[komar]

7 minutes ago, Zodiark1593 said:

Ehh, if OP has the cards for another task anyway, why not SLI while gaming too?

The reasons I already said + if I'm paying 2x what my car is worth for kilogram of plastic and metal that can't play any game at decent frames I'll want my money back.

[Zodiark1593]

10 minutes ago, komar said:

The reasons I already said + if I'm paying 2x what my car is worth for kilogram of plastic and metal that can't play any game at decent frames I'll want my money back.

Compute tasks such as Blender will scale to many cards extremely well (and can even run on mismatching cards so long as the api is identical and everything fits in VRAM). I'm under the impression that compute tasks are the primary use of this build, so in such a case, the 4 cards could very well be warranted.

 

Under this premise, OP will already have 4 cards for productive uses. Why the heck not throw in an SLI bridge for the time OP chooses to game as well.

Edited December 17, 2017 by Zodiark1593

[brob]

24 minutes ago, Zodiark1593 said:

...

 

Ehh, if OP has the cards for another task anyway, why not SLI while gaming too?

Only worth it if a) the game supports SLI, more and more do not; and b) there is an actual benefit to using SLI, a goodly  number of titles offer little or no improvement. That said, some titles do support multiple gpu without SLI.

[Zodiark1593]

Just now, brob said:

Only worth it if a) the game supports SLI, more and more do not; and b) there is an actual benefit to using SLI, a goodly  number of titles offer little or no improvement. That said, some titles do support multiple gpu without SLI.

The point I'm trying to get across here is if the GPUs are primarily for productive uses, meaning OP will already have the GPUs in hand, what is there to lose adding an SLI bridge for the random time OP decides to game?

[sterlingcrispin]

1 hour ago, Zodiark1593 said:

The point I'm trying to get across here is if the GPUs are primarily for productive uses, meaning OP will already have the GPUs in hand, what is there to lose adding an SLI bridge for the random time OP decides to game?

exactly I just want to fire up the new Doom game and was wondering the best way to avoid the four cards choking it up, sounds like 2way SLI is the way to go, and its nice to know the motherboard can temporarily disable the other two cards if they're causing issues. This really isn't meant to be a gaming PC , I thought about putting a Titan V in instead but have found bechmarks that show 4x 1080ti's will out perform one titan V and the price is about the same for the two options

 

Still curious on case recommendations and m.2 info on the Zenith board if anyone knows

 

 

[brob]

Why 4x500GB Samsung 850 Evo? 

 

I think the riser card would be better for the M.2. While the mounting is vertical, it is well away from any other heat source and there should be decent airflow, especially if the optional fan is installed.

 

As far as cases go, you may want to look at the Corsair 900D, be quiet! Dark Base Pro 900, and Phanteks Enthoo Primo.

[sterlingcrispin]

15 minutes ago, brob said:

Why 4x500GB Samsung 850 Evo? 

 

I think the riser card would be better for the M.2. While the mounting is vertical, it is well away from any other heat source and there should be decent airflow, especially if the optional fan is installed.

 

As far as cases go, you may want to look at the Corsair 900D, be quiet! Dark Base Pro 900, and Phanteks Enthoo Primo.

The Samsung 850s are the cheapest per GB, I may not end up with those but they seem pretty good

 

I'll check those other cases out thanks!

[brob]

2 hours ago, sterlingcrispin said:

The Samsung 850s are the cheapest per GB, I may not end up with those but they seem pretty good

 

I'll check those other cases out thanks!

I was asking more why four drives. Both 1TB and 2TB Crucial MX300 look to be slightly less expensive per GB.

[sterlingcrispin]

2 hours ago, brob said:

I was asking more why four drives. Both 1TB and 2TB Crucial MX300 look to be slightly less expensive per GB.

I think I'll probably just do one SSD and two Seagate - IronWolf Pro drives in the 6-10 TB range after doing more research