Help with new workstation specs

[lacion]

Due to some new work requirements, i want to upgrade my current 8700k based computer into something with workstation grade components, preferring core count and ram above all else, i don't need to get everything as i have parts from my current build i can reuse.

 

Current System

• CPU: Intel Core i7-8700K 3.7Ghz
• Motherboard: Asus Prime Z370-A
• RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws V Red DDR4 2400 PC4-19200 CL15
• GPU: Gigabyte Aorus Geforce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB DDR5X
• Case: Thermaltake P3
• Storage: WD Black PCIe Gen3 SSD M.2 256GB
• PSU: Corsair TX750M 750W 80 Plus Gold Semi-Modular

 

Currently, GPU and CPU are water-cooled using EKWB components

 

1. Budget & Location

i am located in Spain so that i can access pretty much any store in the EU. Also, i will be in the USA next week, so i was planning on getting the most expensive components there (CPU, Mobo, Ram) to take advantage of the exchange for lower pricing.

 

My Current budget max is 3500USD~3000EUR

 

2. Aim

I need to run several VM's probably using windows 10 Hyper-V so having the extra ram and cores to do so will be ideal.

VM's don't need to be permanent as this won't be a server, but I will need to run for a few hours 1 to 8 VM's with 1 or 2 cores and a few Gigs of ram

 

3. Monitors

I'm currently running 3 ultrawide monitors, 1 AOC Agon 1440p and 2 LG 1080p

 

 

This are the components I thought would make more sense and keep within budget

 

Intel Core i9-7900X

Asus Prime x299 Deluxe LGA 2066

G.SKILL TridentZ RGB Series 32GB (4x8GB) DDR4 3000MHz DIMM F4-3000C15Q-32GTZR x2 for a total of 64GB 8 sticks total

Samsung 960 PRO Series - 256GB PCIe NVMe x2 in raid 0

Western Digital Caviar Black 4TB x3 in raid 0 (i back up my data to cloud using Backblaze)

 

Asus Prime x299 EKWB monoblock.

 

I am not sure if I should upgrade my power supply?

[GoldenLag]

you should be able to grab a 16 core threadripper at the same pricepoint. dont have the time to contruct a build, but generally the threadrippers are more economic than the I-9 series and also offer more cores at the same pricepoint. unless you are grabbing the 7980XE it makes more sence to use the 1950x which is at the same pricepoint as the 7900x

[lacion]

1 minute ago, GoldenLag said:

you should be able to grab a 16 core threadripper at the same pricepoint. dont have the time to contruct a build, but generally the threadrippers are more economic than the I-9 series and also offer more cores at the same pricepoint. unless you are grabbing the 7980XE it makes more sence to use the 1950x which is at the same pricepoint as the 7900x

So my experience with AMD is nothing but evil. I currently have 1700 in a Linux server that's been nothing but pains for me, hitting lots of kernel issues, because of that I did a quick search on thread ripper and Hyper-v, and it looks like its more of the same, lots of problems with AMD virtualization.

 

as this is for work I want to avoid wasting time fixing things or working around.

[brob]

I would suggest getting a 4x16GB memory kit. This will leave four slots free for a non-replacement upgrade should more memory be needed in the future.

 

I would opt for a larger NVMe drive rather than using a more fragile RAID 0 array.

 

WD Black are not suited for use in RAID arrays. I would suggest getting HGST Deskstar NAS, WD Red, or Seagate Ironwolf drives instead. These models are designed for RAID arrays and include features that improve stability and durability. In particular they mitigate vibration that occurs when multiple drives are accessed simultaneously.

 

Personally I am not a fan of RAID 0, even for hdd. It is a fragile configuration. Consider instead a RAID 10 array or just get a single larger hdd.

 

Unless the intention is to add multiple gpu, the existing psu should be ok. The new  motherboard has 8-pin and 4-pin EATX12V connectors. The 4-pin is optional, but would be needed in a heavily configured system. The TX750M has one 4+4pin cpu power cable. I would suggest getting a psu that has a second cpu power cable. 

 

For a single gpu system something like a Seasonic Focus Plus Gold 750W or Evga G3 750W would be good choices. If a second gpu is contemplated a 1000W+ psu would be needed.

 

[lacion]

2 hours ago, brob said:

I would suggest getting a 4x16GB memory kit. This will leave four slots free for a non-replacement upgrade should more memory be needed in the future.

 

I would opt for a larger NVMe drive rather than using a more fragile RAID 0 array.

 

WD Black are not suited for use in RAID arrays. I would suggest getting HGST Deskstar NAS, WD Red, or Seagate Ironwolf drives instead. These models are designed for RAID arrays and include features that improve stability and durability. In particular they mitigate vibration that occurs when multiple drives are accessed simultaneously.

 

Personally I am not a fan of RAID 0, even for hdd. It is a fragile configuration. Consider instead a RAID 10 array or just get a single larger hdd.

 

Unless the intention is to add multiple gpu, the existing psu should be ok. The new  motherboard has 8-pin and 4-pin EATX12V connectors. The 4-pin is optional, but would be needed in a heavily configured system. The TX750M has one 4+4pin cpu power cable. I would suggest getting a psu that has a second cpu power cable. 

 

For a single gpu system something like a Seasonic Focus Plus Gold 750W or Evga G3 750W would be good choices. If a second gpu is contemplated a 1000W+ psu would be needed.

 

Thanks for that while searching a bit ago I found that the Ironwolf 4TB have excellent pricing but have not updated here yet. I think I will go for that.

 

I see the p5 has 4 3.5" bays so I can do raid 10 with the ironwolfs.

 

thanks for the info on the PSU that's something I did not go though about, and it's very helpful.