Build advice needed for Linux: gaming, VM stuff (incl. gaming) and video editing

Hi there,

ATM I use an old computer for daily duty and want to upgrade in the near future. My budget will be around 3k €

edited Post…

I want to archive:

  • Gaming via Steam & Lutris at 1440p (need +2TB storage)
  • Screen/Video capturing 1440p (need +3TB storage)
  • Streaming up to 1440p
  • Video editing
  • VM:
    • Kali to learn pentesting
    • Raspberry Images
    • running games on windows, like UPlay- and Orign-Games (needs second GPU, will a RX580 be enuff)
  • Dual Boot:
    • Debian as main system and for editing/gaming (will a Vega64 work flawless in Linux for new AAA games)
    • Kali to learn pentesting (I need two GPUs w/ 8GB MEM each w/ hashcat)
  • dual Monitor (I need to buy a second 1440p Monitor only)

This is what I came up with …

  • ??? X399 Main Board / ATX
  • Threadripper 1920x / PCIe 3.0 / DDR4 @ 2667MHz / 180W
  • be quiet! Silent Loop 360
  • Sapphire Radeon RX Vega64 Nitro+ / 8GB / 1247-1546 MHz / 295-750W
  • Sapphire Radeon RX 580 Nitro+ / 8GB / 1257-1340MHz / 185-500W
  • Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB / 4x8GB / DDR4 / 2666MHz / C16 / XMP 2.0
  • Samsung MZ-V7E250BW 970 EVO Interne SSD / 250GB / PCIe x4
  • be quiet! Dark Power Pro 11 / 1000W
  • be quiet! SILENT BASE 601
  • Acer K272HULE Monitor

This setup is a bit more than 3k €€€.

I will shift the data on to my srv via a gigabit -net, but this will be an other project.

ATM with my dual monitor setup I can run a VM and switch mouse & keyboard between host & client flawless, cause I use one GPU only.
But when passing though a second GPU will I still be able to switch between host & client with mouse & keyboard, or will I need a KVM Switch then ?
I already use a USB-Switch to share my keyboard & mouse with two other Computers (Srv & RPI), will this make some trouble ?

I am quite not sure what storage setup I would benefit the most of (for example: SensiMI, IOdrive, some else).
What storage setup you would recommend for my purpose.
I am also not sure which Mobo I should buy.

HALP plx \o/

For Storage: If you don’t dual boot just use an SSD LVM cache or use bcache. This is only a read/write cache, not tiered storage, but you don’t have to mess with thirdparty tools.

Then get some HDDs and do a raid (10, 5, … whatever fits your usage best) and create a block based SSD cache like mentioned above.

But when passing though a second GPU will I still be able to switch between host & client with mouse & keyboard, or will I need a KVM Switch then ?

If you use looking glass your VM is just a window. And you would keep the GPU of your VM on a second input on your second screen. For debugging or if some usecase needs native performance. If you want to use keyboard and mouse directly you need a KVM switch or second mouse and keyboard.

Most any hardware setup you do past the start of the RX series AMD cards will just work. I’m surprised to learn from one of the other threads that the R9 390 has jus tnow been worked on (maybe they’ll get my 370 in finally ffs).

VM stuff, thats really just up to you? With a lot of games you have proton on steam and it works REALLY well. At least I think it does. Very little issues there. But you can set it up so that one screen is completely taken over, its just a window, theres a lot of ways to do it. I hope you aren’t just using VM’s to game though, kind of a waste when we have the tech to really make shit work.

What sorta storage solution do you need? In system or external? Do you NEED stacked raid or would a couple 2TB drives and ZFS work? Or do you even need that? Personally I just have an assload of drives in my tower all different storage sizes and separate partitions / mount points. Works better for me. And if jus thaving a work space, or set of workspaces, is the goal, ZFS would probably do you, but I like it simple so I don’t play with that shit.

I use dual boot already and I will will keep that. But this looks interesting for my file-server setup. Thanks for that tip.

Funny thing, when I was looking for a KVM Switch it turns out I use a USB KVM switch already, but I didn’t knew it was called KVM switch. I was thinking I need an extra box behind my USB Switch. Now I get it. The client needs a simulated mouse and keyboard only.

I will not game much via VM, instead I just study IT-Security and want to use things like Kali on a VM. ATM when using any distro in Gnome-Boxes the screen is stuttering when staring any kind of DE/X11. What else I can do with a VM when I have a second GPU ? I can only think of installing some distros and do some games.

Intern and no raid, except for raid0 if it will boost my performance. ZFS looks appealing to me and I will try that. Tanks.
But this will mean I can not benefit of StoreMi, am I right ?

What about RAM, will I get a performance boost while using better sticks, like 3200 CL14, and can I see a performance boost over CL15/16 ?

Edited: SenseMi to StoreMI