New server - Epyc vs Threadripper

Notice: Page may contain affiliate links for which we may earn a small commission through services like Amazon Affiliates or Skimlinks.

elag

Member
Dec 1, 2018
79
14
8
Hi
I am looking to build a new home server for ZFS and a number of VMs.
The idea is to build a system using:
- 2 * HGST HE8 6TB disks for media storage etc (already available)
- 2 (available) SATA SSDs (Crucial M500)
- 1 * optane 800p for SLOG
- 2 * NVME disks for the VMs and some home space accessed over NFS.
- 64 GB Memory.
- 10 Gb ethernet, either on-board or re-using a Mellanox ConnectX-3.

I first considered the Asrock Rack X470D4U, but that would be pretty tight with no room for expansion.
I then saw the upcoming Asrock rack X399D8A-2T as that gives me pretty much all I need, when I add a 4*NVME carrier or some single NVME adapters. Processor TR 1920X

I am now also considering an Epyc 7282 on a Supermicro H11SS-I board. I am not sure how bad the performance impact of using only 4 banks (of 16GB) memory would be on Epyc Rome. Does anybody know?

I am also looking for the idle power consumption figures for these options. It seems pretty difficult to find any figures (or my Google foo is lacking).
Does anybody have an idea what idle consumption to expect for:
- Threadripper 2920X on an X399 board
- Epyc 7282 on Supermicro H11SS-I

Thanks in advance!
 

zer0sum

Well-Known Member
Mar 8, 2013
849
473
63
What are you actually trying to run on that server that makes you want Epyc/TR?

You can do a hell of a LOT with a cheap old " X9SRL-F with any of the E5-26XX V2 CPU's and ~$100 gets you 128G of ram :D
 

elag

Member
Dec 1, 2018
79
14
8
What are you actually trying to run on that server that makes you want Epyc/TR?

You can do a hell of a LOT with a cheap old " X9SRL-F with any of the E5-26XX V2 CPU's and ~$100 gets you 128G of ram :D
Good question actually, thanks for asking.
I am in Europe so it is not easy to get that board, but doable.
Memory price is indeed a lot more attractive: 4 * 32G from a forum member would be around 220 Euro.
A few questions though:
- For decent SATA support (I need at least 4*SATA3, preferably more) I would need to add a LSI based card (I would consider an HP H220 as the LSI2008 is no longer supported by RHEL8, which is going to be my OS. Other options?
- What do I need to support 4*NVME? Does the board support bifurcation to x4 level on the x16 slot If not what will work for at least 4 NVME drives?
- What processor do you recommend (at least 8 cores with HT, preferably more)?
- What idle power consumption can I expect?
 

StevenDTX

Active Member
Aug 17, 2016
493
173
43
What are you actually trying to run on that server that makes you want Epyc/TR?

You can do a hell of a LOT with a cheap old " X9SRL-F with any of the E5-26XX V2 CPU's and ~$100 gets you 128G of ram :D
Now that DDR4 RAM prices have fallen, Im seriously considering scrapping all of my X9 servers for Epycs next year.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RageBone

Aluminum

Active Member
Sep 7, 2012
431
46
28
If you are not in a hurry, in a few months might see a ton of cheap used TR cpus and systems (or at least cpu+mb) when the new hotness lands. Ryzen 3k already makes the lower core count ones "old n busted" as it is. Make people's upgrade itch work in your favor ;)

As for E5 v2s, getting pretty long in the tooth and comparatively low in the core count.
 
  • Like
Reactions: nnunn

Ojref1

New Member
Oct 8, 2018
19
5
3
Like Al (lol) said above, now that Epyc Rome is here its going cause a lot of running inventory to get decom'ed and parted out over the next couple of months, Not to mention potentially lower some of the ridiculous pricing that vendors have been trying to fluff. I'm considering TR for my lab - I don't know what form-factor of case you're wanting to use, Threadrippers thermals can be a bit to deal with, especially in a 1U case.
 

elag

Member
Dec 1, 2018
79
14
8
Like Al (lol) said above, now that Epyc Rome is here its going cause a lot of running inventory to get decom'ed and parted out over the next couple of months, Not to mention potentially lower some of the ridiculous pricing that vendors have been trying to fluff. I'm considering TR for my lab - I don't know what form-factor of case you're wanting to use, Threadrippers thermals can be a bit to deal with, especially in a 1U case.
I will use a ATX tower (Fractal define R5), adding one more fan (standard 2 140mm fans).
Any idea what I can expect for idle power consumption for the different options (TR, Epyc, E5 (probably an E5-2680v2)?
For both TR and Epyc I would consider a Noctua NH-U14S TR4-SP3 or its smaller 12cm fan brother
 

DedoBOT

Member
Dec 24, 2018
44
13
8
If you need significant performance -EPYC w/o any doubt . RAM size, speed and latency are critical for ZFS's accomplishments , 2 vs. 8 memory channels - there is no comparison.
 

ullbeking

Active Member
Jul 28, 2017
506
70
28
45
London
I am considering options for a home server that will be placed in our living room. The #1 requirement is quietness or near-silence.

Two options are based on the following configurations:
  • AMD ThreadRipper 1900X (8c/16t) plus ASRock Rack X399 ATX or Tyan Tomcat EX S8020 X399 ATX server board. The reason for choosing the 1900X is that 8 cores should be easier to keep cool. In a home server environment I don't think I will need many more for VM's. (If I do need more cores, I can upgrade the CPU.)
  • Supermicro M11SDV-8C+-LN4F mini-ITX server board plus embedded AMD EPYC 3251 (8c/16t) SoC
The Supermicro option is already available. But it is expensive and I don't think the SM are doing a very good job with AMD computers.

I would prefer an ASRock Rack or Tyan X399 server board with a socketed 1900X CPU installed. But I need to wait until these boards are released. I think it will be worth the wait.

My questions are these:

Is any of these options particularly likely to make a great home server? (Or a particularly bad one, which is probably unlikely?) Which of these will be easiest to keep cool and quiet? Are there any adjustments or additions I should make?


I expect to run about 4-6 VM's for a personal website, personal music streaming service, photo albums web applications, and it will be one of my development environments (writing and compiling software in C and C++, etc).

Does anybody have any opinions? Thanks!!
 

elag

Member
Dec 1, 2018
79
14
8
I am considering options for a home server that will be placed in our living room. The #1 requirement is quietness or near-silence.

Two options are based on the following configurations:
  • AMD ThreadRipper 1900X (8c/16t) plus ASRock Rack X399 ATX or Tyan Tomcat EX S8020 X399 ATX server board. The reason for choosing the 1900X is that 8 cores should be easier to keep cool. In a home server environment I don't think I will need many more for VM's. (If I do need more cores, I can upgrade the CPU.)
  • Supermicro M11SDV-8C+-LN4F mini-ITX server board plus embedded AMD EPYC 3251 (8c/16t) SoC
I would prefer an ASRock Rack or Tyan X399 server board with a socketed 1900X CPU installed. But I need to wait until these boards are released. I think it will be worth the wait.

My questions are these:

Is any of these options particularly likely to make a great home server? (Or a particularly bad one, which is probably unlikely?) Which of these will be easiest to keep cool and quiet? Are there any adjustments or additions I should make?
I got told by AsrockRack that the X399 board should be available by mid September here in Europe. The only disadvantages of that board I have seen so far is that it does not support bifurcation of the x16 slot down to 4/4/4/4, which is "required" if you need to add more NVME M.2 drives (I need at least 3). or you will need a carrier with a PLX switch which is expensive. Memory expansion is limited to U-DIMM only.

The M11SDV-8C+-LN4F has a 55W part., so it should be easier to keep cool.
It just should have more PCIE slots and/or an on-board 10Gb port. But his may not be an issue for you if a single NVME is sufficient.

For these reasons I am looking at Epyc Rome. Have you considered a Supermicro H11SSL board with a 7252P? This also a 8C/16T part (120W TDP). This also gives you the possibility to use buffered/registered ram, which is cheaper and more future proof. The TDP of the 1900x is 180W, so cooling may be an issue.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ullbeking

elag

Member
Dec 1, 2018
79
14
8
I got told by AsrockRack that the X399 board should be available by mid September here in Europe. The only disadvantages of that board I have seen so far is that it does not support bifurcation of the x16 slot down to 4/4/4/4, which is "required" if you need to add more NVME M.2 drives (I need at least 3). or you will need a carrier with a PLX switch which is expensive. Memory expansion is limited to U-DIMM only.
Asrockrack listened to my complaint about 4/4/4/4 bifurcation. Today I received a new bios from them that implements it. And that before the board is available...
 

fortunamatada

New Member
Aug 23, 2019
5
1
1
Asrockrack listened to my complaint about 4/4/4/4 bifurcation. Today I received a new bios from them that implements it. And that before the board is available...
Had to register to ask questions after finally seeing someone talk about that Asrock TR board...
Hoping someone can enlighten me as I am in a similar situation of deciding to go TR or Epyc for my big new home build, but after seeing a blank space for the CPU Support List and RDIMM in the Memory QVL for the x399d8a-2t, I began wondering if that entire product was actually a place holder for something that would come out with the new TR later this year?
I currently have a 2950x, but for my servers IPMI and ecc ram (preferably stuff you don't have to go on a mythic quest to find) are requirements for me and this board is the only one that fits the bill for a TR for my uses.
Is this thing really going to work with the current gens of TR? Or is the better bet to go get the epyc and a
EPYCD8-2T?
 

elag

Member
Dec 1, 2018
79
14
8
Had to register to ask questions after finally seeing someone talk about that Asrock TR board...
Hoping someone can enlighten me as I am in a similar situation of deciding to go TR or Epyc for my big new home build, but after seeing a blank space for the CPU Support List and RDIMM in the Memory QVL for the x399d8a-2t, I began wondering if that entire product was actually a place holder for something that would come out with the new TR later this year?
I currently have a 2950x, but for my servers IPMI and ecc ram (preferably stuff you don't have to go on a mythic quest to find) are requirements for me and this board is the only one that fits the bill for a TR for my uses.
Is this thing really going to work with the current gens of TR? Or is the better bet to go get the epyc and a
EPYCD8-2T?
Well, Asrock told me that the X3)) would be available by mid' September. That sounds realistic as I see prices appear on reseller sites. When I received the new bios, they showed me a screenshot made with an 2920X processor....
Ask AsrockRack for the processor details, they are quite responsive.I guess that it will work with a 2950X without problems.

The X399 board is however in the same price range as the EPYCCD8-2T board, so if you don't have the processor yet, going EPYC may be more attractive....
 

fortunamatada

New Member
Aug 23, 2019
5
1
1
Hate to admit it but it never even occurred to me to email them and ask!
Does look like TR will indeed be split into two versions. A bit disappointing.

EDIT: After hearing some more fairly plausible leaks about TR being split into 2 groups, the RDIMM on this board now makes sense for the TR that will have 8 memory channels. The TR server board will be, as I will bet money it does not actually exist as a production run yet, released end of this year/beginning of next year at earliest. So I will be very surprised if it appears mid September, lol. My 2950X has been sent to a farm up north where it can play with other CPUs, and a brand spanking new 7302p is on its way.
 
Last edited: