Workstation CFD/FEA/CAD - 4-5k€

jvinuales · March 1, 2020, 08:30

Hi everyone,

I need to get a workstation for my new starting business. The most demanding use will be CFD (OpenFOAM and maybe commercial software), but also FEA and CAD. I have to characterize many geometries by CFD, which means running CFD studies of 1000s of cases. Also, I need 128-256GB RAM for some geometry processing tasks.

I have no experience in hardware so I would appreciate some advice on what is the best configuration I can get for my budget (4000-5000€). I am considering the following options:
- AMD threadrippers look very good, but I read here that they may not be the best performing due to memory bandwidth
- dual socket + xeon may be a good option? but they seem a bit more expensive, and this limits the scalability I can have within my budget?

Also, anyone has any recommendations for places to get a custom PC configuration in Europe/Spain? At the moment I am checking pcspecialist which are based in the UK, but can deliver too Spain.

Thanks in advance.

flotus1 · March 2, 2020, 13:09

Threadripper is not an option here. Your budget allows for better hardware than 1st+2nd gen TR, and there are better options than 3rd gen TR for your requirements with 4000-5000€.
Dual-socket Xeons might be an option, but make sure to get the most recent refresh of Xeon SP CPUs https://www.servethehome.com/big-2nd...petition-anew/
If you can fit it into your budget, a workstation with 2 2nd gen Epyc CPUs would be best. E.g. Epyc 7302.

If you need to buy it ready to go, this retailer offers good configurations at reasonable prices for both options
https://www.deltacomputer.com/d20x-uln-ps.html
https://www.deltacomputer.com/d20z-uln-zn.html

jvinuales · March 3, 2020, 08:04

Thanks for your answer Alex, much appreciated. I think I may push my budget a bit and go for your recommendation of 2 EPYC 7302.

What frequency should I choose for the RAM, 933MHz or 3200MHz? The prices are very similar, so I guess the more the better?? just want to be sure!

plucas · March 3, 2020, 09:25

I would look at a seperate CFD machine and not use it for FEA or CAD. CFD runs take a while and if you need to run 1000's like you say, the computer will always be running CFD and not be available for CAD or FEA. Plus dual-booting would be annoying in those circumstances. I would look at a older dual xeons for computing as you can pick up those on Ebay for cheap. If using used parts, you can make a good CAD machine for CHEAP.

If you can afford EPYC's go for it. The benchmarks are amazing and that will be what I utilize when we build new machines.

jvinuales · March 3, 2020, 11:03

Thanks for your input. I would normally not run FEA if I am running one of the large CFD case studies. My FEA workload would be rather scattered. However, it is true that would be doing some potential CAD design and other minor tasks whilst running the CFD cases.

March 1, 2020, 08:30	Workstation CFD/FEA/CAD - 4-5k€	#1
jvinuales Member Javier Vinuales Join Date: May 2016 Posts: 42 Rep Power: 9	Hi everyone, I need to get a workstation for my new starting business. The most demanding use will be CFD (OpenFOAM and maybe commercial software), but also FEA and CAD. I have to characterize many geometries by CFD, which means running CFD studies of 1000s of cases. Also, I need 128-256GB RAM for some geometry processing tasks. I have no experience in hardware so I would appreciate some advice on what is the best configuration I can get for my budget (4000-5000€). I am considering the following options: - AMD threadrippers look very good, but I read here that they may not be the best performing due to memory bandwidth - dual socket + xeon may be a good option? but they seem a bit more expensive, and this limits the scalability I can have within my budget? Also, anyone has any recommendations for places to get a custom PC configuration in Europe/Spain? At the moment I am checking pcspecialist which are based in the UK, but can deliver too Spain. Thanks in advance.

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March 2, 2020, 13:09		#2
flotus1 Super Moderator Alex Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Germany Posts: 3,399 Rep Power: 46	Threadripper is not an option here. Your budget allows for better hardware than 1st+2nd gen TR, and there are better options than 3rd gen TR for your requirements with 4000-5000€. Dual-socket Xeons might be an option, but make sure to get the most recent refresh of Xeon SP CPUs https://www.servethehome.com/big-2nd...petition-anew/ If you can fit it into your budget, a workstation with 2 2nd gen Epyc CPUs would be best. E.g. Epyc 7302. If you need to buy it ready to go, this retailer offers good configurations at reasonable prices for both options https://www.deltacomputer.com/d20x-uln-ps.html https://www.deltacomputer.com/d20z-uln-zn.html

March 3, 2020, 08:04		#3
jvinuales Member Javier Vinuales Join Date: May 2016 Posts: 42 Rep Power: 9	Thanks for your answer Alex, much appreciated. I think I may push my budget a bit and go for your recommendation of 2 EPYC 7302. What frequency should I choose for the RAM, 933MHz or 3200MHz? The prices are very similar, so I guess the more the better?? just want to be sure!

March 3, 2020, 09:25		#4
plucas Senior Member Anonymous Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: USA Posts: 108 Rep Power: 14	I would look at a seperate CFD machine and not use it for FEA or CAD. CFD runs take a while and if you need to run 1000's like you say, the computer will always be running CFD and not be available for CAD or FEA. Plus dual-booting would be annoying in those circumstances. I would look at a older dual xeons for computing as you can pick up those on Ebay for cheap. If using used parts, you can make a good CAD machine for CHEAP. If you can afford EPYC's go for it. The benchmarks are amazing and that will be what I utilize when we build new machines.

March 3, 2020, 11:03		#5
jvinuales Member Javier Vinuales Join Date: May 2016 Posts: 42 Rep Power: 9	Thanks for your input. I would normally not run FEA if I am running one of the large CFD case studies. My FEA workload would be rather scattered. However, it is true that would be doing some potential CAD design and other minor tasks whilst running the CFD cases.