Hi folks, very nerdy thread here!! Happy to have found this site, so thank you all for your contributions! I'm posting because I'm curious about my next PC build and am wondering if it is worth it or if there are other things to consider.
Background: Currently a desktop user with 2600K /16GB ram, built way back in 2011; maybe even 2010. I do some film work and editing. I'm looking to do more, and am considering where I should be (tech-wise) in the near future.
A few years ago, I started seeing more and more people talking about picking up Xeon workstations on the cheap. I did some research back then and got all giddy and I think the seed was planted. Flash forward to today -- and it really seems like they've come down in price. So much so, that a lot of people sway builders towards purchasing a newer, single socket build, because it can outperform dual Xeons. With the ability to put so many cores on one small chip, I assume the nature of multi-socket platforms involves more energy consumption and high production costs; and unless some major tech happens in the future, which too could be brief -- I imagine that multi-socket processors will soon be fossils of the computer industry. It does *seem* multi-socket processing are not only increasingly historic, but a somewhat time-sensitive technology, and thus for some, like me -- also a bit of a novelty. And despite all the videos I've seen where people make dual Xeons look bad, you can still find people buying them today, defending them today, and proving they got a bargain for their buck.
And so I've come to the tentative conclusion that while perhaps most people looking for workstations should probably stay away from dual Xeons, it might still make sense for me -- and I'd like some 2nd opinions on that. I've been doing a lot of research in the last weeks, semi-trying-to-convince-myself-it's-not-worth-it, but also trying to plan any future technology investments well.
Heres my parts list. I would update my CPU down the road and wait for a deal as they are still too expensive in my eyes:
Starting CPU's: 2 E5-2637 v3 - 8 C / 16 T 3.5Ghz ($115 together)
Used Dell Precision 7810 or 7910 DDR4 mobo($85ish)
EVGA 850W PSU
Used 64GB ECC Reg 2400
Inexpensive heatsinks
Inexpensive case
Probably a GeForce 980 or 980ti, happy to take suggestions -- don't know much about GPU's for editing.
My reasoning is that I should go with a 2011-3 board and a v3 chip because of DDR4 and better RAM clocks. The v2 chips are obviously a little cheaper, but I figure having a v3 board would help with future-proofing my rig.
What do you guys think? And when we talk budget here, I can't kid myself, I've lived in poverty and I have no idea how I'll scrap up this computer, but I will if it's worth it. The big question is, should I skip over the dual Xeon idea altogether, and focus on different technology? For example, a used Threadripper 1950X($320-ish/cpu) build? The Threadripper is 16 C / 32 T and 3.4Ghz, and I don't know for sure but I'd think that 3.4Ghz+ would likely be more stable, especially with overclocking.
Also sidebar: I'm on Windows 7 and I probably want to run the dual Xeon on Windows 7. Is that stupid? Will windows 7 bottleneck anything?
sorry if my post is immensely too long, just trying to illustrate what I know already and where I'm coming from. thanks if you read!
Background: Currently a desktop user with 2600K /16GB ram, built way back in 2011; maybe even 2010. I do some film work and editing. I'm looking to do more, and am considering where I should be (tech-wise) in the near future.
A few years ago, I started seeing more and more people talking about picking up Xeon workstations on the cheap. I did some research back then and got all giddy and I think the seed was planted. Flash forward to today -- and it really seems like they've come down in price. So much so, that a lot of people sway builders towards purchasing a newer, single socket build, because it can outperform dual Xeons. With the ability to put so many cores on one small chip, I assume the nature of multi-socket platforms involves more energy consumption and high production costs; and unless some major tech happens in the future, which too could be brief -- I imagine that multi-socket processors will soon be fossils of the computer industry. It does *seem* multi-socket processing are not only increasingly historic, but a somewhat time-sensitive technology, and thus for some, like me -- also a bit of a novelty. And despite all the videos I've seen where people make dual Xeons look bad, you can still find people buying them today, defending them today, and proving they got a bargain for their buck.
And so I've come to the tentative conclusion that while perhaps most people looking for workstations should probably stay away from dual Xeons, it might still make sense for me -- and I'd like some 2nd opinions on that. I've been doing a lot of research in the last weeks, semi-trying-to-convince-myself-it's-not-worth-it, but also trying to plan any future technology investments well.
Heres my parts list. I would update my CPU down the road and wait for a deal as they are still too expensive in my eyes:
Starting CPU's: 2 E5-2637 v3 - 8 C / 16 T 3.5Ghz ($115 together)
Used Dell Precision 7810 or 7910 DDR4 mobo($85ish)
EVGA 850W PSU
Used 64GB ECC Reg 2400
Inexpensive heatsinks
Inexpensive case
Probably a GeForce 980 or 980ti, happy to take suggestions -- don't know much about GPU's for editing.
My reasoning is that I should go with a 2011-3 board and a v3 chip because of DDR4 and better RAM clocks. The v2 chips are obviously a little cheaper, but I figure having a v3 board would help with future-proofing my rig.
What do you guys think? And when we talk budget here, I can't kid myself, I've lived in poverty and I have no idea how I'll scrap up this computer, but I will if it's worth it. The big question is, should I skip over the dual Xeon idea altogether, and focus on different technology? For example, a used Threadripper 1950X($320-ish/cpu) build? The Threadripper is 16 C / 32 T and 3.4Ghz, and I don't know for sure but I'd think that 3.4Ghz+ would likely be more stable, especially with overclocking.
Also sidebar: I'm on Windows 7 and I probably want to run the dual Xeon on Windows 7. Is that stupid? Will windows 7 bottleneck anything?
sorry if my post is immensely too long, just trying to illustrate what I know already and where I'm coming from. thanks if you read!