Home future-proof virtualization workstation, any suggestions?

[volkaj]

I wish to change my current setup to a beefy future proof (~4-5 years) virtualization workstation,
and would like some advice for which parts would best fit my needs, especially in terms of CPU and motherboard.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Basic computer usage: web browsing, office work, light picture editing, etc.
Light gaming, mainly indie games and flash games. Nothing heavy or fancy.
(I plan on using an IOMMU to pass a video card to Windows guests for gaming, so this CPU feature is a must.)
Multiplatform software development and testing
Various virtualized servers and OS test environments
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
3000$ before taxes and shipping
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible
Canada
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
CPU(s) (+ CPU Cooler(s))
RAM
Video card(s)
Motherboard
PSU
Case
Sound card (if necessary)
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
I'll re-use all my old hard drives:
- Crucial RealSSD C300
- Samsung HD502HJ
- Seagate Barracuda ST3250310AS
- Hitachi HTS54502
Aswell as my DVD drive:
- Asus DRW-24B1ST
I also have speakers, keyboard, mouse, etc.
6) Will you be overclocking?
No
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
Asus VH236H Full HD (1080x1920) 23"
LG L1752T (1280x1024) 17"
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
In 2 weeks
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? etc.
Server-grade, and if possible VMware certified
Intel gigabit LAN chips
Multiple PCIE 16x slots
Onboard video (the minimum is enough, as its just to support a VGA console)
At least 6 SATA ports
Internal USB port(s)
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes, either
Linux (Gentoo/Arch with 3.1 or 3.2 kernel) 64 bits for Xen or KVM
or VMware ESXi 4/5


I was looking at:
2x AMD Opteron 6200s CPUs (not sure exactly which one),
Supermicro barebone (4022G-6F) to cover motherboard, case, PSU, CPU coolers and fans,
16GB of ECC Reg Kingston RAM (KVR1333D3D4R9S/8GHB x2),
XFX Radeon HD 6670 (XFX HD-667X-ZNFQ) to cover the basic 3D gaming needs, while still using only one case slot,
Creative 7.1 sound card (70SB088000004) for audio since the motherboard doesnt have onboard audio.

Would such a setup be overkill for my needs? What would you suggest?

Thanks for your time

 

[Dangman]

You might get better help here.

 

[volkaj]

I have been looking around on the net, and these two builds would fit the 3000$ mark:

AMD Based
CPU:
2 x AMD Opteron 6238 (501.72$ each)
Barebone (Case, PSU, Motherboard, CPU Coolers):
SuperMicro A+ Server 4022G-6F (1,243.28$)
RAM:
8 x Samsung 4GB DDR3 ECC Reg M393B5273CH0 (49.98$ each)
Video Card:
XFX Radeon HD 6670 HD-667X-ZNFQ (79.99$)
Sound Card (Since the motherboard doesnt have one integrated):
ASUS Xonar DX (69.99$)

Total: 2,816.54$

Intel Based
CPU:
2 x Intel Xeon E5645 (604.95$ each)
Barebone (Case, PSU, Motherboard, CPU Coolers):
Super Micro SuperServer 7046A-HR+F (1,377.56$)
RAM:
6 x Samsung 4GB DDR3 ECC Reg M393B5273CH0 (49.98$ each)
Video Card:
XFX Radeon HD 6670 HD-667X-ZNFQ (79.99$)

Total: 2,967.33$

However, are such dual CPU systems overkill for my needs? Wouldnt an hexacore or quadcore i7 do a similar job for much less?

 

[Dangman]

For the first two usage scenarios that you described, yes a dual CPU setup is stupid overkill. As for the latter two usage scenarios that you described, its largely dependent on how much of those scenarios you're really doing. i.e how many VMs do you plan to run at the same time, how many of those will be fully loaded, what kind of multiplatform software development and testing you're doing, etc. In other words, just how heavy is your workload?

In addition, you can never be "future proof". Usage scenarios and workloads can change over time.

Also, whats missing from both builds are HSF: Generally, server CPUs do not come with a HSF. Check Supermicro's website for compatible HSF.

 

[volkaj]

For the first two usage scenarios that you described, yes a dual CPU setup is stupid overkill. As for the latter two usage scenarios that you described, its largely dependent on how much of those scenarios you're really doing. i.e how many VMs do you plan to run at the same time, how many of those will be fully loaded, what kind of multiplatform software development and testing you're doing, etc. In other words, just how heavy is your workload?

In addition, you can never be "future proof". Usage scenarios and workloads can change over time.

Also, whats missing from both builds are HSF: Generally, server CPUs do not come with a HSF. Check Supermicro's website for compatible HSF.

About 8-10 VMs at the same time, 3-4 under medium-heavy load, mainly light load from various test servers and OSes and heavy load from compilations, installations, etc.

I dont mind if I have a little more horsepower than needed, so it can fare better if my workload change or if the stuff I run get heavier over time with more recent updates. As long as it holds its ground quite correctly for 4-5 years, its fine.

HSFs are included in the server barebones:
http://www.supermicro.com/Aplus/system/Tower/4022/AS-4022G-6F.cfm
Parts List:

Heat Sink	SNK-P0043P	2	2U Passive CPU HS for AMD Socket G34

Im not sure if they're adequate, however.

 

[volkaj]

I checked out uniprocessor server boards and configs, but its hard to find anything with more than one PCIE x16 slot, and many of them dont support more than quadcore processors either.

Would I be better buying out a dual socket board but with just with one CPU? So it would better fit my needs and cost much less, while providing a clear upgrade path if my needs grow in time?

 

[Dangman]

Would I be better buying out a dual socket board but with just with one CPU? So it would better fit my needs and cost much less, while providing a clear upgrade path if my needs grow in time?

It depends. It may be awhile before your needs actually grow or change in time. If you wait too long, compatible CPUs for your motherboard might no longer be for sale.

Also, stick some fans on the heatsinks as passive may not provide enough cooling for the CPUs.

 

[volkaj]

It depends. It may be awhile before your needs actually grow or change in time. If you wait too long, compatible CPUs for your motherboard might no longer be for sale.

Also, stick some fans on the heatsinks as passive may not provide enough cooling for the CPUs.

Considering the current Intel server-grade CPUs are going to be replaced with Xeons E5 in a month or two, it rules out that option if I plan to upgrade.
The AMD based system however is better in that aspect however, as the new Piledriver CPUs will supposely be based on the same socket and platform.

Thats of course only if I need to upgrade, as a single hexacore/octocore CPU could very well be enough for my future needs.

About the heatsinks, well, I dont know why Supermicro would provide those if they wouldnt be enough, and in the worse case, that build is the cheapest of the 2 dual socket ones; I could always find aftermarket coolers if they dont suffice.