I've been planning for a new computer build for a couple months now. With the new 3990x and EPYC server processors launching, I've been wanting to move away from my current X299 build as my chip has been really tough to cool and my needs have shifted. With this, I've kind of planned out two different builds and choose one of them to go forward with. Here's the current stuff that's confirmed and that I'm NOT changing (Mostly because I already have most of these parts):
Case: Fractal Design 7 XL
Fans: Noctua's A14 Industrial PPC 2k RPM fans
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA T2 1600 W
Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S TR4-SP3.
GPU: AMD Radeon 5700 XT (Still waiting on big navi)
Alright, now here's comes the tough choice. I've been wanting to move to the 3990x 64 core processor for those amazing 128 threads and 256 MB of cache for a gentoo workstation. Not to mention the clocks are pretty dang amazing. However this is where the limitations start to come in. I'm only allowed to put in up to 256 GB of RAM thanks to AMD not allowing for RDIMMs and LRDIMMs on TR. Additionally with TR, I'd only get 4 PCI-E slots (Not enough IMO) and quad channel memory. This is where I started looking into EPYC (Specifically a 7702P) as an alternative. I could go up to 4TB of RAM (More than I'd ever need), 8 channel memory, and with an Asrock Rack board I've been eyeing (Specifically the ROMED8-2T), I could have 7 x16 PCI-E slots. Amazing! The only concerns I have is that I'm not so sure how well pwm fan control works on server mobos since I'm pretty picky when it comes to noise. Additionally, the rear IO is pretty lackluster (That can be solved with expansion cards however), and since practically all epyc mobos lay the socket horizontally, my noctua would pull hot air from my GPU. In theory it should be fine since EPYC is going to be cooler and there's still an exhaust fan, but I'm still somewhat concerned about it. With all of that said, would you guys recommend EPYC or Threadripper for me? Also I'd really appreciate any answers regarding my concerns too such as pwm fan control on server boards.
Case: Fractal Design 7 XL
Fans: Noctua's A14 Industrial PPC 2k RPM fans
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA T2 1600 W
Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S TR4-SP3.
GPU: AMD Radeon 5700 XT (Still waiting on big navi)
Alright, now here's comes the tough choice. I've been wanting to move to the 3990x 64 core processor for those amazing 128 threads and 256 MB of cache for a gentoo workstation. Not to mention the clocks are pretty dang amazing. However this is where the limitations start to come in. I'm only allowed to put in up to 256 GB of RAM thanks to AMD not allowing for RDIMMs and LRDIMMs on TR. Additionally with TR, I'd only get 4 PCI-E slots (Not enough IMO) and quad channel memory. This is where I started looking into EPYC (Specifically a 7702P) as an alternative. I could go up to 4TB of RAM (More than I'd ever need), 8 channel memory, and with an Asrock Rack board I've been eyeing (Specifically the ROMED8-2T), I could have 7 x16 PCI-E slots. Amazing! The only concerns I have is that I'm not so sure how well pwm fan control works on server mobos since I'm pretty picky when it comes to noise. Additionally, the rear IO is pretty lackluster (That can be solved with expansion cards however), and since practically all epyc mobos lay the socket horizontally, my noctua would pull hot air from my GPU. In theory it should be fine since EPYC is going to be cooler and there's still an exhaust fan, but I'm still somewhat concerned about it. With all of that said, would you guys recommend EPYC or Threadripper for me? Also I'd really appreciate any answers regarding my concerns too such as pwm fan control on server boards.