CPU advice needed for build Xeon / i7

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hobbyist_John

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Oct 21, 2014
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I have put together a parts list for a build and could use some advice for choosing a cpu. The motherboard that I like (ASRock X99M Extreme4) will accept i7-5820K as well as Xeon E5 2603 V3. I am not a gamer. This would be used to process video (makemkv / handbrake) and act as a share on my network with a cpu upgrade in the future to stretch the life out of this build. OS is Ubuntu 14.04 if that makes a difference.

Is the Xeon E5 2603 V3 a choice I will regret for the next couple years until I upgrade the cpu?

Any advice is welcome. I am trying to balance the wants and needs against my meager resources.

John

 
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bicycle_repair_man
Those two processors are worlds apart. The Xeon is a good choice for a 24/7 server as it has a much lower TDP and therefore uses less energy and generates less heat, but for raw performance, the i7 blows it out of the water. The Xeon supports more PCIe lanes, which is great for a multi-GPU server, but completely irrelevant for your use.

My suspicion is that if you bought the Xeon, you'd get frustrated with it pretty quickly. The i7 will last for years.
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MeteorsRaining

MeteorsRaining

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The only noticible advantage of Xeon is that it supports ECC memory (which your MoBo doesn't support) and dual CPU support (which again your MoBo doesn't support). The Xeon is not HyperThreaded too, and I see no advantage (even value/money wise) to go with pricy X99 setup with 1.6Ghz CPU. I know it's tad cheap at $220, but the performance drop will be significant.
 
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bicycle_repair_man

bicycle_repair_man

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Those two processors are worlds apart. The Xeon is a good choice for a 24/7 server as it has a much lower TDP and therefore uses less energy and generates less heat, but for raw performance, the i7 blows it out of the water. The Xeon supports more PCIe lanes, which is great for a multi-GPU server, but completely irrelevant for your use.

My suspicion is that if you bought the Xeon, you'd get frustrated with it pretty quickly. The i7 will last for years.
 
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hobbyist_John

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Oct 21, 2014
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Thanks All!

"Oh...Thank you bicycle repairman" (one of the greatest skits ever). You are right, I would get frustrated & I think I already knew the answer. You hit it on the head with your spanner.

MeteorsRaining - Very perceptive. I am after ECC and the X99M is supposed to be (according to their website), but I will double check that. I crunched pcpartpicker and will have to find a way to go i7, but if no ECC, I may have to look at another board. Bummer if true.

jaimelmiel - Yeah, i7 workstation for sure. I need the power and I think what I am really after is sort of an htpc(+) with network shares for my thin clients. My thinking was 6 intel cores better than 4. Just trying to cut cost and get reasonable performance. Got to pay to play I guess.

Thank you all again for your time and advice. -John
 
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MeteorsRaining

MeteorsRaining

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My bad, ECC is supported 'with Xeon processors'. Also, if you like, you can put your build here for us to have a look and advise where you can cut on unnecessary costs, if any. 1.6Ghz will not really suffice unless the apps you're using rely only on parallel processing and not on individual core speeds.
 
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hobbyist_John

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Sure, this is where I am with it. Not entirely set and am open minded regarding the build. Advise is always welcome.

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/hobbyist_john/saved/fWBFf7

CPU Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core $374.99
CPU Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing $28.98
Motherboard ASRock X99M Extreme4 Micro ATX LGA2011-3 $221.99
Memory Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 $102.99
Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 $102.99
Storage A-Data SP900 M.2 128GB M.2-2242 SSD $78.37
Video Card EVGA GeForce GT 730 1GB $69.99
Case Fractal Design Define Mini MicroATX Mini Tower $74.99
Power Supply EVGA 650W ATX12V / EPS12V

-not so sure about cpu cooler, might not fit in case.

The background behind my original question was that I recently upgraded the cpu and maxed out the ram on my vintage 2006 box. I ditched an AMD64 for a dual core Opteron in that poor old 939 socket. This has bought me some time to build a new computer and experiment with Ubuntu. I am amazed at how well it works, especially playing nice with my mac mini (which is starting to get pokey too, being a core2duo 2.66). If I follow that same pattern, when I get near the end of life on this new system, I can upgrade to a high end Xeon and get the ECC dirt cheap at that time. Who knows what the state of computers will be then. Future proof is like chasing a rainbow.

-John
 
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MeteorsRaining

MeteorsRaining

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Jul 27, 2014
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Ok I've worked on it a bit and basically changed the parts with similar quality ones w/o reducing performance and focusing on core areas, got it South from $1k:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($374.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock X99 Extreme3 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($208.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($199.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Intel 520 Series Cherryville 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GT 610 1GB Video Card ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($38.98 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $966.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-24 14:24 EDT-0400

X99 EX3 supports ECC too. A true quad channel kit will run better than two dual channels, besides, they're cheaper too. You can drop off the M.2 for regular SSD, performance difference is not considerable. The GT 610 will be fine for displaying video, make sure it matches your monitor's ports. I'm not sure if space constraints led you to go for X99M MoBo, I personally see no reasoan to go small with such setup, unless it has to be small. This case supports the cooler.

Lastly, you wouldn't need more power (even after OCing CPU) than what I've included.
 
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hobbyist_John

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MeteorsRaining:
Thanks! Will seriously consider the revision.

The reason I went with microAtx was it fits under my desk better, but it doesn't have to. I was looking at the m.2 because it leaves the drive bays open & I intend to get 6 enterprise grade drives running raid10 at a later date. The case simply had the space for the drives. Thats part of the reason for psu as it gives me enough sata power.

Thanks for the help with the memory, I missed that it was dual channel (oops). It definitely pays to have your work reviewed.
-John
 
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MeteorsRaining

MeteorsRaining

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I see, kept your needs in mind and it still stands at $1k, after modifications:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/t6Yjqs

Picked a case with 8 drive bays, and included the M.2 drive. And this PSU will be plenty for many HDDs. A single HDD require 8-15W of power, 6 of them won't require much, but yes having headroom is very important.

On a side note, as this case has 8 drive bays, I'd save some bucks by getting regular SSD as the MoBo has 10 6GB/s ports and case has 8 drive bays :)
 
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hobbyist_John

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A Eureka moment. This is a good build. Comparing the microAtx and the Atx, I give up the 2nd LAN in favor of memory options. Good trade off.

The 10 sata ports tipped my decision for the x99 and 2011 v3 in the first place.

I will take your advice and ditch the m.2 for regular SSD. Honestly, the only reason for the m.2 option was to eliminate sata and power cables, as it would still utilize a sata port. The case really brings it all together, an outstanding choice. With clean cable management an extra cable or two really won't matter, besides, if I want to repurpose the SSD later, I can with more options than just m.2.

A personal thanks for your help MeteorsRaining.
 
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