Help me spend my inheritance...

[Doozer]

So, I'm due to get my inheritance "soon" so I'm shopping hardware for a workstation that will be crunching for folding@home and gaming.
I went with 2 4090s for the sheer amount of folding PPD that they will generate. The specific cards because they are 3 slot and only require a 850w PSU each. The motherboard is just crazy but it has all the bells and whistles I need. I picked the 36 core 3475x because, well... it has 36 cores. The AIO I picked is the only one that I can find that says it supports LGA4677. The 4 2.5" SSDs are because I'll also be using this to host my files. I'm not sure on the PSU. It should be enough but do I need that much? I picked a nice "expensive" UPS that can handle 2700w as well (I tend to plug everything into it). Also, who doesn't want a 42" 4k OLED.

Tell me what I'm wrong about and make suggestions. I'm OK with the cost but if you see something that can save me money by getting rid of something I don't need or should change make the suggestions here. The big thing about the cost is that I run cancer research projects and with my wife and father having the big C I see it as doing something for them.

2​	VGA MSI RTX4090 24GB Ventus 3X 24G OC
	Fractal Design Torrent E-ATX Black Solid High-Airflow Mid Tower Computer Case
	Intel Xeon w9-3475X Processor 36 cores 82.5MB Cache, up to 4.8 GHz
	ASUS Pro WS W790-ACE Intel® W790 (LGA 4677) CEB workstation motherboard, PCIe 5.0 x16, M.2, 10G and 2.5G LAN, Server-grade Remote Management, 12+1+1 power stages, front and Rear USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C
	WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe M.2 2280 4TB PCI-Express 4.0 x4 Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) WDS400T2X0E
	G.SKILL Zeta R5 Series 128GB (8 x 16GB) ECC Registered DDR5 6400 (PC5 51200) Server Memory Model F5-6400R3239G16GE8-ZR5K
4​	SAMSUNG 870 QVO Series 2.5" 8TB SATA III Samsung 4-bit MLC V-NAND Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) MZ-77Q8T0BW
	Enermax LIQTECH II TR4 360 ARGB All-in-one CPU Liquid Cooler for AMD TR4 & Intel Xeon , 360mm Radiator, Dual Chamber RGB Pump, T.B. Pressure fan blades, AMD Socket sWRS8 and Intel LGA 4677 Ready
	EVGA SuperNOVA 2000 G+ 2000W Computer Power Supply,80PLUS Gold Medal,Full Module,FDB Bearing Fan,Full Japanese Capacitor,Suitable For Working Under 220V,Desktop Host Power Supply
	APC SMT3000RM2UC 3000 VA 2700 Watts 8 Outlets Pure Sinewave Smart-UPS with SmartConnect (Replaces SMT3000RM2U)
	ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG42UQ Gaming Monitor - 41.5" 4K, OLED, 138Hz (Overclocked), 0.1 ms (GTG), G-SYNC Compatible, Custom Heatsink, 98% DCI-P3, True 10-bit, HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4

 

[zandor]

I'd get a different mainboard and/or a different CPU and a different case.

That Asus board is really meant for Xeon Wx-24xx CPUs. The big problem is it'll choke a W9-3475X since it only supports 4 memory channels. A Xeon W9-3475X supports 8 memory channels and 112 PCI-e lanes. The Wx-24xx chips support quad channel memory and 64 PCI-e lanes, which is what that Asus board is set up for. Even with a 2400 series I still wouldn't like that board. Too many PCI-e lanes going to 16x slots, not enough to M.2 slots. Alternatively you could decide to just get a 2400 series chip and save a lot of $.

If you want to be able to use some of your slots for anything other than 2 4090s you might want to look at a larger case. If you get one with 9+ slots (they exist, but they're big) one of the vid cards can go in the bottom slot and hang off the bottom of the board. If you like Fractal a Meshify 2 XL looks like it would work.

I'm not sure the Fractal Design Torrent will even work with that Asus board. Maybe it would without any bottom fans. It's a 7 slot case and that ASUS board uses the bottom 5, so one of the 4090s will have to hang off the bottom of the board.

I don't know what to suggest for a board. My favored server/workstation board vendor (Supermicro) has one: X13SWA-TF. It's got proper Wx-34xx support with 8 memory channels and a bunch more slots & plugs. The big one is 4 PCI-e 5.0 M.2 slots plus a couple U.2 ports. PCI-e slot is a little better too. 6 of them with a gap above the bottom slot so they take up 7 slots on a case. No VRM heatsinks though, so it's probably not much good for overclocking.

Also please remember that if you build this thing you're going to get clobbered in gaming performance by i7s and Ryzen 7s.

 

[Doozer]

I'd get a different mainboard and/or a different CPU and a different case.

That Asus board is really meant for Xeon Wx-24xx CPUs. The big problem is it'll choke a W9-3475X since it only supports 4 memory channels. A Xeon W9-3475X supports 8 memory channels and 112 PCI-e lanes. The Wx-24xx chips support quad channel memory and 64 PCI-e lanes, which is what that Asus board is set up for. Even with a 2400 series I still wouldn't like that board. Too many PCI-e lanes going to 16x slots, not enough to M.2 slots. Alternatively you could decide to just get a 2400 series chip and save a lot of $.

If you want to be able to use some of your slots for anything other than 2 4090s you might want to look at a larger case. If you get one with 9+ slots (they exist, but they're big) one of the vid cards can go in the bottom slot and hang off the bottom of the board. If you like Fractal a Meshify 2 XL looks like it would work.

I'm not sure the Fractal Design Torrent will even work with that Asus board. Maybe it would without any bottom fans. It's a 7 slot case and that ASUS board uses the bottom 5, so one of the 4090s will have to hang off the bottom of the board.

I don't know what to suggest for a board. My favored server/workstation board vendor (Supermicro) has one: X13SWA-TF. It's got proper Wx-34xx support with 8 memory channels and a bunch more slots & plugs. The big one is 4 PCI-e 5.0 M.2 slots plus a couple U.2 ports. PCI-e slot is a little better too. 6 of them with a gap above the bottom slot so they take up 7 slots on a case. No VRM heatsinks though, so it's probably not much good for overclocking.

Also please remember that if you build this thing you're going to get clobbered in gaming performance by i7s and Ryzen 7s.

Thanks for the insight. I'll look at that Supermicro board and the Meshify 2 XL. I'm not worried too much about gaming performance though. If its too bad, I'll just build a separate gaming system and use this one for strictly workstation stuff. Well, probably strictly distributed computing stuff.

 

[bluestang]

I just picked up the Meshify 2 XL (light TG) from NewEgg a few days ago on sale for $154.99 for another build I'm doing. Not many cases support a 420mm AIO, plus lots of fans can be installed for great airflow.

And I thought my Enthoo Luxe TG was big lol

 

[Doozer]

After looking at both Asus W790 boards it appears that they have 2 x 24 pin power connectors and that's not something I want to dig into.
What do you guys think of the ProArt Z790-Creator WIFI? It looks to be able to support 2 x 3 slot 4090s and has 10GB onboard along with good enough audio. That would save a ton of money that could be spent on other items.

​

 

[MrGuvernment]

Why not buy a seperate NAS to host your files on and get a used Brocade 10Gb switch or something and connect them like that.

Putting ALL your files onto a single system is not a smart move.

 

[SmokeRngs]

I agree with the others who recommend forgetting about a one computer to do it all because it won't work out well. You need two systems: one for gaming and the other for server/workstation work. How you decide to break that down is up to you but it would probably save you a ton of hassle in the long run as well as a good bit of money. It would also allow you to go with a couple lower end GPUs for the server/workstation while still having a high end one for your gaming system. You'd probably end up with better PPD and a lower electricity bill.

 

[Doozer]

I'm going back to the drawing board. I'll probably be going with two separate builds. One server and one gaming system. Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[pututu]

I'm going back to the drawing board. I'll probably be going with two separate builds. One server and one gaming system. Any suggestions are appreciated.

I concur . BTW if you are into credits, linux on average performs better (~+10% ) than windows in FAH. With linux, you have limited choice of games when compare to windows. In addition, some BOINC projects crunch faster in linux so having a two separate systems may be a best way to go if you don't want to deal with dual booting, emulation or swapping out SSDs like I do

Will you post a build log here?

P.S. maybe a bottle of scotch or whiskey might just do the trick. Just ask relic.

 

[Doozer]

Here is round two of hardware picks. I stuck with the Fractal case because I'm a fan and the two 4090s will fit nicely.
I've decided to make two "gaming PCs" since I can use a NAS and avoid the server altogether. My main goal is to have 4 4090s running. One will be running linux and be a dedicated folder and the other will be running windows 11 and be my gaming box that mostly folds. I don't game as much as I used to but Diablo IV may change that. Any suggestions on a different power supply would be appreciated.

2​	VGA MSI RTX4090 24GB Ventus 3X 24G OC
	Fractal Design Torrent E-ATX Black Solid High-Airflow Mid Tower Computer Case
	ASUS ProArt Z790-Creator WiFi 6E LGA 1700 (Intel 12th&13th Gen) ATX Content Creator Motherboard (PCIe 5.0, DDR5, 2x Thunderbolt 4 Type-C, 10G&2.5G LAN, 4xM.2/NVMe, Front Panel USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C Ports with 60W Fast Charging Support)
	Intel Core i9-13900K - Core i9 13th Gen Raptor Lake 24-Core (8P+16E) P-core Base Frequency: 3.0 GHz E-core Base Frequency: 2.2 GHz LGA 1700 125W Intel UHD Graphics 770 Desktop Processor - BX8071513900K
2​	Crucial P3 Plus M.2 2280 4TB PCI-Express 4.0 x4 NVMe 3D NAND Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) CT4000P3PSSD8
	G.SKILL Trident Z5 RGB Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) 288-Pin PC RAM DDR5 7200 (PC5 57600) Desktop Memory Model F5-7200J3445G16GX2-TZ5RK
	Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black, Dual-Tower CPU cooler (140mm, Black)
	EVGA SuperNOVA 2000 G+ 2000W Computer Power Supply,80PLUS Gold Medal,Full Module,FDB Bearing Fan,Full Japanese Capacitor,Suitable For Working Under 220V,Desktop Host Power Supply
	APC SMT3000RM2UC 3000 VA 2700 Watts 8 Outlets Pure Sinewave Smart-UPS with SmartConnect (Replaces SMT3000RM2U)
2​	VGA MSI RTX4090 24GB Ventus 3X 24G OC
	Fractal Design Torrent E-ATX Black Solid High-Airflow Mid Tower Computer Case
	ASUS ProArt Z790-Creator WiFi 6E LGA 1700 (Intel 12th&13th Gen) ATX Content Creator Motherboard (PCIe 5.0, DDR5, 2x Thunderbolt 4 Type-C, 10G&2.5G LAN, 4xM.2/NVMe, Front Panel USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C Ports with 60W Fast Charging Support)
	Intel Core i9-13900K - Core i9 13th Gen Raptor Lake 24-Core (8P+16E) P-core Base Frequency: 3.0 GHz E-core Base Frequency: 2.2 GHz LGA 1700 125W Intel UHD Graphics 770 Desktop Processor - BX8071513900K
	Crucial P3 Plus M.2 2280 4TB PCI-Express 4.0 x4 NVMe 3D NAND Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) CT4000P3PSSD8
	G.SKILL Trident Z5 RGB Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) 288-Pin PC RAM DDR5 7200 (PC5 57600) Desktop Memory Model F5-7200J3445G16GX2-TZ5RK
	Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black, Dual-Tower CPU cooler (140mm, Black)
	EVGA SuperNOVA 2000 G+ 2000W Computer Power Supply,80PLUS Gold Medal,Full Module,FDB Bearing Fan,Full Japanese Capacitor,Suitable For Working Under 220V,Desktop Host Power Supply
	APC SMT3000RM2UC 3000 VA 2700 Watts 8 Outlets Pure Sinewave Smart-UPS with SmartConnect (Replaces SMT3000RM2U)
	QNAP TS-832PX-4G-US Diskless System Network Storage
8​	Intel D3-S4610 3.84TB 3D TLC SATA 6Gb/s 2.5-Inch Data Center SSD — SSDSC2KG038T801

 

[Doozer]

I've decided to just add a RTX 4090 FE to my and the wife's computers. The wife wants an RV and I like that idea so my wild spending has to be curtailed.