Spec Me: New Workstation

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I currently run:
+ ASUS x99 ws mobo.
+ Xeon E5-2697A v4 16 cores
+ 256GB ECC DDR4 2400
+ RTX 2060 6GB [for 3 screens]
+ 8 bays 2.5" SAS disk enclosure (fits 2x5.25" drive bay of the case) (plus Dell RAID card)
+ 2*10Gb/s Intel LAN card
+ Intel 2TB NVME for system (Linux)
+ Fractal Design R something or other (nice case)

I want to upgrade; mostly because the CPU seems considerably better on a core/core basis. Primary use is compiling stuff. I do *zero* gaming. I want a lot of RAM (at least 128GB).
I did a cursory prospective shopping cart and it comes down to:
+ Gb X670E AORUS Xtreme EATX
+ AMD 5950X CPU
+ Intel Arc A770
+ Corsair Vengeance 4*32GB DDR5...
+ Fractal Design Define R7 case
+ [Probably a good Gold+ PSU]

Am I missing out on something in terms of performance or spec? Is this the 'right' mobo?
Threadripper's are just too expensive. I also have a 2*44 core rack server I can spin up if I need to, so I just want a good workstation with some upgrade path (ram, CPU?).

I want to reuse my RAID setup. It's not quick, but I don't care (RAM == cache) and last thing I need is an NVME packing up on me on a work day. The RAID setup is super reliable, and very cheap to run (SAS disks cost peanuts). The system NVME is imaged weekly so I could spin one back up quickly enough

Suggestions? Ideas?

 

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What's it being used for? If you are purely using it for either a storage array or virtualisation then there may be better and cheaper options buying an actual server as those CPUs are more towards PC usage (rather than server usage)


M.

I mostly do compilation of large linux distros. I already have a big server for more 'batch' jobs, but the workstation is used for doing development. I rarely virtualize anything on it, and if I need storage, I have that on the big server... (15*3TB + 8*1.2TB arrays on there)

So really I want something beefy, reliable, and not 'gamer' -unless it applies!- I've stopped overclocking stuff since I switched to Xeons. I don't *need* the fastest RAM, it's much more important to me to have plenty of it...

 

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I still haven't really decided on this. The TH is an obvious upgrade, but costs a massive amount really, for that jump in perf... Main downside is the price of DDR5 which is silly, when I can get 32GB DDR ECC sticks for <25 quid

The EPYC looks nice, but it is also quite expensive *considering* I could get a new SuperMicro C612 Mobo with dual socket and just buy another E5-2697A for less than £200 (thus doubling the core count).
The "good" EPYC (64 cores) with mobo are >£1.5k for a per-core speed that isn't *massively* better than what I have... There's a bunch of them from china. Yes it is a more energy efficient solution, but all in all the price difference vs the saving in electricity doesn't really stack up.

So either I find a cheapish s/h TH or I'll just get that dual-socket mobo and wait a couple more years. Silly to see that that ~2016 solution is still actually quite competitive (especially considering the price!)

 

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Well I found a UK based cheap SuperMicro EPYC dual socket board, with 2xEPYC 7282 (16 cores) and 128GB DDR4 2666 for about 500 -- that EPYC is not necessarily a big upgrade by itself, but 1) there's 2 of them and 2) it opens up option to find the faster version (boost to 3.9Ghz) while still staying under 1K -- this is not threadripper, but it is definitely a noticeable upgrade.

I'll reuse the RAID, 10Gb/s card and I'll add a USB 3.2 pcie in there, should do? I'll report...