New DDR5 workstation recommendations

xuegy · April 12, 2023, 11:13

Hello all.

We're going to build a few new workstations for the lab(~$10K budget in total). We have HPC resources so we need some fast local resources as supplement. I'm choosing between these options:

1. Intel 13th Gen + 2-ch DDR5 (OC 7200+)
2. AMD Zen 4 + 2-ch DDR5 (OC 6400)
3. Intel Xeon W-2400 + 4-ch DDR5-4800
4. Intel Xeon W-3400 + 8-ch DDR5-4800 (Overkill?)
5. AMD TR Pro/EYPC + 8-ch DDR4-3200
6. Wait for AMD DDR5 HEDT

For option 1/2 we should be able to build 4 desktops and for option 3/5 we can build 2 workstations. I think at this point DDR5 is cheap enough so there's no reason not to go for the new platform.
Any recommendations?

wkernkamp · April 12, 2023, 15:33

Do you have two or four potential users?

xuegy · April 12, 2023, 18:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by wkernkamp

Do you have two or four potential users?

Yes it’s for our whole research lab.

the_phew · April 13, 2023, 10:34

What are you doing with these workstations? CFD/FEA pre-post? CAD? Video rendering?

If you aren't running actual simulations on these machines, then you probably mostly need single-threaded performance, so Intel Raptor Lake is your best bet. You probably need at least 64GB of RAM (if not 128GB). I wouldn't pay for high speed RAM for these types of applications; decent XMP DDR5-6000ish CL30 kits would do the job and be more stable than trying to overlock to 7200 MT/s. CAD and CFD post both benefit from a good workstation video card; the 6GB A2000 is a great option (they can be had pretty cheap in bulk packaging if you look around).

The workstation CPU options (W2400/3400 and TR Pro) mostly offer multi-threaded performance and memory bandwidth, neither of which you likely have any use for. UNLESS you need 256+ GB of RAM and/or ECC, then you need to go with a workstation CPU, but that'll blow up your budget in a hurry.

xuegy · April 13, 2023, 11:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by the_phew

What are you doing with these workstations? CFD/FEA pre-post? CAD? Video rendering?

CFD pre/post processing (Ansys/OpenFOAM) and some simulations. (Something is not working on HPC, we have to do it on local workstations.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by the_phew

You probably need at least 64GB of RAM (if not 128GB).

We'll get 128GB, like our current DDR4 computers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by the_phew

CAD and CFD post both benefit from a good workstation video card; the 6GB A2000 is a great option (they can be had pretty cheap in bulk packaging if you look around).

We bought a lot of GTX1050 a few years ago and never had any problem doing post processing. I wonder what type of benefit can I get from these cards.

the_phew · April 13, 2023, 11:48

Well, if they are only used for backup/debugging simulations, I wouldn't spend 2X+ more for workstation CPUs. And definitely don't go nuts on memory speed; 4x32GB DDR5 will downclock significantly on desktop motherboards, so you won't be able to take advantage of fast memory anyway. 4x32 GB UDIMM kits at 4800 MT/S exist, but are expensive, and likely won't even boot at 4800 MT/s (typically they have to be downclocked to 4000 MT/s). It's almost worth getting a W2465x just to avoid all the time you'll waste trying to debug memory issues on a desktop board w/ 4x32GB DDR5 DIMMS; horror stories abound of folks trying to use 128 GB of DDR5 on desktop motherboards, so caveat emptor.

The A2000 is about 4x faster than the 1050Ti, and has the same power draw (and doesn't even need an external power connector). It's equivalent to a 3050Ti, and can be found for a similar price as the 3050Ti (but you get the workstation drivers, which can be VERY important for CAD, dunno about ANSYS). Just make sure you get cards with full-width brackets (some only come with low-profile brackets).

April 12, 2023, 11:13	New DDR5 workstation recommendations	#1
xuegy Member Join Date: Jun 2016 Posts: 99 Rep Power: 9	Hello all. We're going to build a few new workstations for the lab(~$10K budget in total). We have HPC resources so we need some fast local resources as supplement. I'm choosing between these options: 1. Intel 13th Gen + 2-ch DDR5 (OC 7200+) 2. AMD Zen 4 + 2-ch DDR5 (OC 6400) 3. Intel Xeon W-2400 + 4-ch DDR5-4800 4. Intel Xeon W-3400 + 8-ch DDR5-4800 (Overkill?) 5. AMD TR Pro/EYPC + 8-ch DDR4-3200 6. Wait for AMD DDR5 HEDT For option 1/2 we should be able to build 4 desktops and for option 3/5 we can build 2 workstations. I think at this point DDR5 is cheap enough so there's no reason not to go for the new platform. Any recommendations?

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April 12, 2023, 15:33		#2
wkernkamp Senior Member Will Kernkamp Join Date: Jun 2014 Posts: 341 Rep Power: 12	Do you have two or four potential users?

April 13, 2023, 10:34		#4
the_phew Member Matt Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 44 Rep Power: 15	What are you doing with these workstations? CFD/FEA pre-post? CAD? Video rendering? If you aren't running actual simulations on these machines, then you probably mostly need single-threaded performance, so Intel Raptor Lake is your best bet. You probably need at least 64GB of RAM (if not 128GB). I wouldn't pay for high speed RAM for these types of applications; decent XMP DDR5-6000ish CL30 kits would do the job and be more stable than trying to overlock to 7200 MT/s. CAD and CFD post both benefit from a good workstation video card; the 6GB A2000 is a great option (they can be had pretty cheap in bulk packaging if you look around). The workstation CPU options (W2400/3400 and TR Pro) mostly offer multi-threaded performance and memory bandwidth, neither of which you likely have any use for. UNLESS you need 256+ GB of RAM and/or ECC, then you need to go with a workstation CPU, but that'll blow up your budget in a hurry.

April 13, 2023, 11:48		#6
the_phew Member Matt Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 44 Rep Power: 15	Well, if they are only used for backup/debugging simulations, I wouldn't spend 2X+ more for workstation CPUs. And definitely don't go nuts on memory speed; 4x32GB DDR5 will downclock significantly on desktop motherboards, so you won't be able to take advantage of fast memory anyway. 4x32 GB UDIMM kits at 4800 MT/S exist, but are expensive, and likely won't even boot at 4800 MT/s (typically they have to be downclocked to 4000 MT/s). It's almost worth getting a W2465x just to avoid all the time you'll waste trying to debug memory issues on a desktop board w/ 4x32GB DDR5 DIMMS; horror stories abound of folks trying to use 128 GB of DDR5 on desktop motherboards, so caveat emptor. The A2000 is about 4x faster than the 1050Ti, and has the same power draw (and doesn't even need an external power connector). It's equivalent to a 3050Ti, and can be found for a similar price as the 3050Ti (but you get the workstation drivers, which can be VERY important for CAD, dunno about ANSYS). Just make sure you get cards with full-width brackets (some only come with low-profile brackets).