25 Gamers, 5 CPUs

[nbrikha]

So this will be all new to me but it's a business opportunity I can't miss. I have the capital to start a gaming cafe in my area and I want to do a few novel things with it. For now, the business plan rests on being able to set up an easy to manage and update network of computers. With Threadripper and i9s being so easily available, I feel like this is the perfect application for 7 gamers, 1 CPU. I can rewatch the video and will likely use VMware or the same software Linus used, but I'm interested in thoughts about Threadripper vs i9 or whether a server platform doesn't fit for this application. My last concern, if anyone can address it, is how I would run enough cable without signal degradation. If the server is over a hundred feet from the client, is it impossible?

[PurpleCodes]

VMS are really glitchy and wont really be viable i would just buy 25 computers and it will probably be cheaper.

 

(if you want to make money install a mining program and only have it on while idle)

[jj9987]

4 minutes ago, PurpleCodes said:

VMS are really glitchy and wont really be viable i would just buy 25 computers and it will probably be cheaper.

 

(if you want to make money install a mining program and only have it on while idle)

Definitely less troubleshooting and issues whatsoever. You will end up putting in so much time to get the system working in correct configuration.

[nbrikha]

Just now, jj9987 said:

Definitely less troubleshooting and issues whatsoever. You will end up putting in so much time to get the system working in correct configuration.

Also realized that there is no virtualization support with nvidia cards, which I plan to use. Will probably be going with the individual PC setup. Thanks guys

[Spotty]

5 minutes ago, PurpleCodes said:

VMS are really glitchy and wont really be viable i would just buy 25 computers and it will probably be cheaper.

 

(if you want to make money install a mining program and only have it on while idle)

This. Run mining programs while the cafe is closed if power consumption is not an issue.

Run 25 individual PCs. Come time to upgrade it will be far easier. I think if you go the route of having a server run 25 machines virtually you will be at the limit and when it comes to upgrade it won't be as simple as swapping out a GTX 960 for a GTX 1080. You will likely have to scrap the entire thing and start again from scratch.

[Spotty]

What sort of upgrade plan are you looking at? Every 12 months? If you run 25 individual machines then when it is time to upgrade it will be easier to re-sell the old hardware. Assuming you do a build with GTX 1080s, in 12 months time you could sell those 25 GTX 1080s and they should still be able to fetch a decent price.

Even if you do a complete machine upgrade every 24 months then again it will still be possible to sell them as the hardware would still stand up. I think in 2 years time for the average PC user something like an i7 8700k, mobo, and 16GB of RAM will still be respectable and worth buying 2nd hand. It won't be as easy to find someone who is willing to pay a reasonable price for a 2 year old workstation running 25 VMs.

[dalekphalm]

On 12/26/2017 at 3:25 PM, Spotty said:

This. Run mining programs while the cafe is closed if power consumption is not an issue.

Run 25 individual PCs. Come time to upgrade it will be far easier. I think if you go the route of having a server run 25 machines virtually you will be at the limit and when it comes to upgrade it won't be as simple as swapping out a GTX 960 for a GTX 1080. You will likely have to scrap the entire thing and start again from scratch.

Not to mention: Hardware failures happen. Software glitches happen.

 

With 25 individual PC's, if you have an issue, you lose one PC - and one client. If you go the VM route, and you have issues, that's potentially your entire business shutdown while you troubleshoot/fix/wait for parts, etc.

[Erkel]

Buy 25pc,  but if the business opportunity sounds to good to be true it probably is.   I doubt there is any money to be make in the netcafe market.  There peak in NZ anyway was people setting them up and running them for immigration purposes, making money was not the primary consideration, Did not matter if it lost money, $100K-200K loss in 2-3 years is what immigration costs anyway.

[dalekphalm]

7 hours ago, Erkel said:

Buy 25pc,  but if the business opportunity sounds to good to be true it probably is.   I doubt there is any money to be make in the netcafe market.  There peak in NZ anyway was people setting them up and running them for immigration purposes, making money was not the primary consideration, Did not matter if it lost money, $100K-200K loss in 2-3 years is what immigration costs anyway.

Entirely depends on what country the OP is considering. Some markets, especially China, are apparently still quite lucrative.