Research workstation/server

[himura]

Background:

I am asked to get a "server" for our research group in the university with a budget of >3K CAD, and I thought I could just build one to pack in as much bank for the buck as possible.

Now I should start with that it is not really a "server". We will use it to run our CAD simulations (something like ultrasim and Cadence tools) kinda sounds like a typical workstation. We call it a server because we access it through SSH sessions controlled remotely (hence me naming it workstation/server system). This kinda makes it hard for me find a proper guide online (because servers or workstations usually mean something else), so I am relying on the information I have gathered through watching countless hardware videos and reviews over the years (most of which are on LTT). I have watched the recent video What CPU to Buy - Late 2018 and started from there. Another build that I see very relevant is Ultimate Mega-Workstation PC Build Guide .

in short, the system requirements are:

1- Handle intensive simulations

2- Handle multiple sessions of 1

3- Handle 1 and 2 for an extensive about of time (days)

4- Can be as loud as it wants to. RBG is not a concern.

 

 

Current build: https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/himura/saved/ckMr6h

<detals at the end>

 

 

Burning questions:

0- The obvious: any overkills? anything I am missing? is this a good build? what would you replace?

1- This vs. ready-made workstations: This https://www.servergiant.net/product-page/dell-precision-t5610-6core-2-26ghz-workstation has a xeon and a quadro, but (8?) years old (ancient big guns). Should I just opt for this instead? it is cheaper.

1- Team blue's Xeons: Should I even consider these for my price range?

2- More weaker CPUs or one Stronger one? basically, I am debating if I should have gone for multiple CPUs (i5s or i7s) instead of the 2950X (keep the MB in mind)? Is there a way to have two 2950X in one system?

3- Water Cooling: I have decided to cheap out on this one and opt for a normal cooler since I don't see us overclocking this thing (I know that the entire system can be overclocked, am I missing alot and could have gotten cheaper/weaker parts?). 

4- ECC memory: I know what it is and seems like it is needed, but I have never used a machine with ECC memory on it (even research servers). How can I tell if I really need ECC memory (also they seem to be slower).

6- Graphics: We don't need any kind of graphics card at the moment except for something to connect a display to for basic configurations. This system will almost only be controlled remotely.

5- Scalability: We might add one or two GPUs for parallel computations and such and I think that this build can handle that, am I correct? Also, we might need to add more memory.

6- Memory: Since the board is rated for dual and quad channels, I decided to get quad channels for more throughput. Is my logic correct here or am I better off with a 2x 16 GB kit?

7- Memory again: what’s the difference between F4-3200C14Q-32GTZR and F4-3200C14Q-32GTZRX (they are like 6 CAD extra). Will the X work on my X399A board (I can’t see it in the QVL)? (I chose F4-3200C14Q-32GTZR for now).

8- Power supply trivia: Is this have 2 8-Pin EPS connector? I tried to look but it said 4-20pin connectors which completely threw me off (I am nor really familiar with power supplies)

 

 

 

Detailed build:

 

 

Component		Selection	Base	Promo	Shipping	Tax	Price	Where
CPU		AMD - Threadripper 2950X 3.5 GHz 16-Core Processor	$1172.75				$1172.75	shopRBC		Buy
CPU Cooler		Cooler Master - MA621P TR4 53.4 CFM CPU Cooler	$79.99				$79.99	Newegg Canada		Buy
Motherboard		Asus - PRIME X399-A EATX TR4 Motherboard	$374.99		FREE		$374.99	Mike's Computer Shop		Buy
Memory		G.Skill - Trident Z RGB 32 GB (4 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory	$641.00				$641.00	Newegg Canada		Buy
		Add Additional Memory
Storage		Corsair - Force MP500 120 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive	$89.99				$89.99	Canada Computers		Buy
		Seagate - FireCuda 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive	$119.99				$119.99	Amazon Canada		Buy
		Add Additional Storage
Video Card		MSI - GeForce GT 710 1 GB Video Card	$51.15	-$10.00			$41.15	Vuugo		Buy
$10.00 mail-in rebate
Case		Deepcool - MATREXX 55 ATX Mid Tower Case	$59.99				$59.99	Newegg Canada		Buy
Power Supply		SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Platinum 650 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply	$106.99				$106.99	PC-Canada		Buy
Optical Drive		Choose An Optical Drive
Operating System		Choose An Operating System
Software		Choose Software
Monitor		Acer - ET.VS0HP.A02 23.0" 1920x1080 60 Hz Monitor	$97.99				$97.99	PC-Canada		Buy
		Add Another Monitor
External Storage		Choose External Storage
Expansion Cards / Networking		Add Expansion Cards / Networking ... Sound Cards, Wired Network Adapters, Wireless Network Adapters
Peripherals		Add Peripherals ... Headphones, Keyboards, Mice, Speakers
Accessories / Other		Add Accessories / Other ... Case Fans, Fan Controllers, Thermal Compound, UPS Systems
Custom		Add Custom Part
Base Total:							$2794.83
Mail-in Rebates:							-$10.00
Total:							$2784.83

[wojtepanik]

when  you are looking for high end calculations, ecc ram would be nice, instead of this seagate, get clasic WD red hdd, maybe 2 x nvme in raid 0, air cooler is fine, I wouldn't rely on watercooled server,

[himura]

Thanks @wojtepanik. thanks for the HDD recommendation. I just threw that particular part in for price estimation (the SSD choice is probably what I'll go for though). I'll keep in mind a WD one. 

Also, how do you define as "high end calculations". If you could provide some examples for me to compare with 

[wojtepanik]

doing a cad simulations for long time is demanding and if run for long time could cause ram failure and crashes, that's why you need ecc