Neo's Silent Workstation Build

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neo

neo

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Mar 18, 2015
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Build’s Name: Morpheus
CPU: 2x E5-2695 V3
Motherboard: Supermicro X10DRi
Chassis: Phanteks Enthoo Pro
Drives: Intel NVMe 750 400 GB | WD Black 4TB
RAM: 4x 32Gb Samsung 2133 DDR4 LR-DIMM
Add-in Cards: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti | HT Omega eClaro | Chelsio T520-SO-CR
Power Supply: Corsair AXi 1500 Watt
Cooling: 2x NH-U12DX i4 | 3x be quiet! Silent Wings 2 140mm | 2x be quiet! Silent Wings 2 120mm


Patrick's latest workstation upgrade got me motivated to build a new workstation. The goal of this workstation is to be a powerful all purpose machine that is silent (not quiet, silent as in 21 dB or less). I'll go into detail on what I'm doing to achieve it further on. This thread is a build log and will be constantly updated as I add new parts which are trickling in.

Here is a quick teaser shot from early on in the build.

 
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Boris

Boris

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May 16, 2015
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Which OS you will use for your build?
Wondering because of your GTX980 Ti.
Last 3 weeks i install WS 2012R2 DC at my computer, but i see the difference in 3D performance. Not too much yet, but it's present. I did all that "workstation preparation" described over internet for my WS 2012. I finally got pair of cheap E5-2590 v1, so will "downgrade" my computer from Ivy to Sandy bridge (4960X to pair E5-2690) and checking OS. I want to setup VPN/AD/Hyper-V cluster and replication with my colocation server, but it's only possible with WS 2012 R2, as i understand W8.1 Pro Hyper-V can't help me with it. But meanwhile i do not ready to say "no" to any additional 3D FPS :)
 
neo

neo

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Mar 18, 2015
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Most of the parts are in, just need to get around to installing them and photographing/documenting it.


Boris said:
Which OS you will use for your build?
Wondering because of your GTX980 Ti.
Click to expand...
Will be planning to use Windows, sorry - can't help you with your question.
 
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H

Heywood

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Jul 4, 2015
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Hi Neo,
Nice build by the way. I'm also looking to build a system using the Supermicro X10DRi but with an HPTX case such as a Lian-li PC-A75 to minimize cost. Did you have to tap additional holes on the motherboard tray to accommodate the non-standard screw holes on the motherboard? If so, what tools did you use to create holes for the standoffs?

Thanks
neo said:
Build’s Name: Morpheus
CPU: 2x E5-2695 V3
Motherboard: Supermicro X10DRi
Chassis: Phanteks Enthoo Pro
Drives: TBA
RAM: 4x 32Gb Samsung 2133 DDR4 LR-DIMM
Add-in Cards: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti | HT Omega eClaro | Mushkin Scorpion Deluxe | Mellanox Connectx-2
Power Supply: Corsair AXi 1200 Watt
Cooling: TBA


Patrick's latest workstation upgrade got me motivated to build a new workstation. The goal of this workstation is to be a powerful all purpose machine that is silent (not quiet, silent as in 21 dB or less). I'll go into detail on what I'm doing to achieve it further on. This thread is a build log and will be constantly updated as I add new parts which are trickling in.

Here is a quick teaser shot from early on in the build.

Click to expand...
 
neo

neo

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Mar 18, 2015
672
363
63
Heywood said:
Hi Neo,
Nice build by the way. I'm also looking to build a system using the Supermicro X10DRi but with an HPTX case such as a Lian-li PC-A75 to minimize cost. Did you have to tap additional holes on the motherboard tray to accommodate the non-standard screw holes on the motherboard? If so, what tools did you use to create holes for the standoffs?

Thanks
Click to expand...
The Supermicro X10DRi is an E-ATX form factor. My Phanteks case is compatible with said standard. Glancing at your Lian-Li spec sheet there is support for E-ATX listed.
 
neo

neo

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Mar 18, 2015
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Here is a small photo update.

HT Omega eClaro (sound card). A professional grade card with an upgradable op-amp and audio grade capacitors. I am not an audiophile, but this card will change your mind about ever using onboard sound cards.



One of the reasons I chose this case is because it supports 140mm fans. It came with 2 fans by default, which I am changing. The one on the right is the new fan, a Noctua NF-P14s Redux-900. Which operates at a static 900 RPMs and pushes 49 CFM at 19.6 dBa of noise.


I installed it and cut/crimped the fan wire to just the right length.


Another reason I chose this specific case is due to the 200mm front fan. Bigger fans of course can push more air at a lower RPM meaning lower noise. The stock one is the white one on the right with the new CoolerMaster on the left. For scale that is a 90mm Noctua fan on the bottom. The new 200mm CoolerMaster fan achieves 110 CFM at 700 RPM with 19 dBa of noise.


Here is the said 200mm fan installed at the front of the case.


I originally wanted to get the Corsair AXi 860 PSU. The AXi versions are the only PMBus PSUs I found in an ATX form factor. My Supermicro board has a PMBus port so naturally I wanted to utilize it. I ended up purchasing the Corsair AXi 1200 PSU due to it having a 140mm fan. The best part about this PSU is not only the internal PWM fan control but there's an internal temperature sensor and the fan does not turn on until 50% utilization or so. Additionally, you can also manually set or adjust the fan curves through the PMBus. I obviously won't be utilizing the full 1200 watt capacity of this PSU so I estimate the fan will not turn on often if at all. However if it does turn on, I made sure to replace the internal stock fan with a quality Noctua NF-P14s Redux-1200 PWM. It can push 65 CFM at it's max 1200 RPMs with 19.6 dBa of noise. It uses a proprietary style fan connector and the blue and green wires had to be switched. Internally this was one of the best built PSUs I have encountered, a refreshing surprise. Using all digital voltage controls, Japanese nichicon capacitors, and large heatsinks. It's overbuilt and is actually 25% longer then most ATX PSUs.


My EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti ACX 2.0+ SC+ video card also arrived. One of the most elegant looking cards in my opinion. Most gaming hardware is gawdy, so this was a nice change. This is their tuned up variant card and comes overclocked by default (binned GPU silicon) along with an optional backplate as a passive heatsink. Another useful feature of this card is the ability to set and adjust the fan curves. At lower temperatures the fans do not spin - just like the PSU. I wasn't able to get any noise metrics however I have read they are silent.


 
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neo

neo

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Mar 18, 2015
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Received the heart of the build today. Two sets of varying E5 V3 CPUs. I will be benchmarking them to see how a high clocked vs high core count vary in performance for my specific use case scenario.

1) ES equivalent of a E5-2640 v3 - 8 cores at 2.6 Ghz.
2) ES equivalent of a E5-2695-V3 - 14 cores at 2.1 Ghz



I will also be using a premium thermal compound. Facilitating the "quiet" portion of this workstation build equates to layered improvements in the cooling. e.g. Efficient case air flow, large heatsink, and exotic thermal compound.

I have two choices.

1) Prolimatech PK3. This is similar to the well known Arctic Silver thermal paste, however I have found PK-3 to be cooler by 2-3 degrees at idle. Again, overall this is not a big difference in cooling - the key is layered improvements that add up. Like most thermal pastes in it's category it is composed of nano aluminum particles in a mixture of silicone. However, PK-3 has a lower percentage of silicone. It creates a very high viscosity paste - hard to apply but the thermal efficiency is greater.

2) This is the exotic part. Coollaboratory Liquid Pro is a gallium alloy (liquid metal) thermal paste, direct from Germany. I have seen this thermal compound result in 5-10 degrees lower temperatures at idle Think mercury, but not as toxic. I am not a thermal dynamics expert, but the most efficient way to transfer energy (heat) between two metals would be a solid metal medium - gallium in this case. Pure gallium has a melting point of "room temperature" 29 °C or 85 °F. However, it seems this particular brand is an alloy composed of 68.5% gallium, 21.5% indium, and 10% tin creating an even lower melting point of −19 °C (−2 °F) which is technically called galinstan. The major cons of using this as a thermal compound would be it can be very messy to apply as it's literally a liquid metal. And the other pitfall would be gallium is reactive to aluminum. It eats away at aluminum, so you are limited to using only copper heatsinks.




I have not yet decided, but I am considering deliding the CPUs and applying the gallium between the silicon die and the internal heat spreader. If you remember, the consumer Haswell i7 CPUs were notorious for having a less thermally efficient internal heatsink compound. I am not sure what thermal compound was used in these Xeons.
 
Patriot

Patriot

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Apr 18, 2011
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Been playing with deliding myself, practicing on older chips.... 0/10 would not recommend.
 
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