Building a daily driver / workstation for the first time in 15 years

Hardware Hub Build a PC
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Hello good people of Level1.

This is my first post here and I do feel a bit bad for immediately asking for help without really contributing before. A bit of backstory:

The last desktop PC I’ve built was way back in 2007. A lot has changed since then and I have followed the industry on and off since. Unfortunately I’ve been stuck with crappy laptops since 2013 and I am tired of it. Congratz to anyone that can get quality work done with a laptop, I guess I am not that kind of person.

But anyway, life has been financially kind to me in recent times and I’m looking to build a powerful desktop / workstation. I am not the type of guy that upgrades every 1-2 years. Ideally for my use case I would like a computer that can serve me well for 4-5 years before I get rid of it and build a completely new system.

This machine will be using Linux as the daily driver with a Windows VM that will see very light usage. In fact I’m not even sure if the VM will be allowed to connect to the internet at all. Just some light Photoshop / Illustrator use and a couple of old games that don’t play well with Linux if any.

I need it to work great with Davinci Resolve (no crazy editing shenanigans, I just want it blazing fast while editing and rendering) and Youtube / Twitch live streams (not streaming games). Another thing that is very important to me is that I can utilize my Sony FW900 monitor for content like games and movies. For those of you who appreciate CRTs, you know where I’m coming from.

The monitor works flawlessly in 19200x1200 (16:10 AR) at 95Hz. So games should be locked at 95Hz unless I can find a way to make it work in interlaced mode with higher refresh rates. Have not yet tried this with Linux + AMD gpu since I don’t own an AMD gpu.

Of course I will have a modern display attached to it as well for browsing / resolve / other work.

I am pretty set on most components except for the platform. I have no interest in the newest things like AM5 and Z790 until they get really optimized and stable.

I understand that it is 4 years old by now, but I am in awe of the Xeon 3175 + EVGA SR-3 dark combo. It seems so well built and so durable and stable. I might be wrong about this so please let me know if it’s a bad idea and why. The MBO can be snatched for $500 new at certain places and the CPU is about $800-1000 used. Maybe Wendell would sell his setup? :upside_down_face:

This platform would allow me to have a bunch of PCIe lanes and hexa channel memory. Would help immensely with GPU passthrough for the VM (2nd GPU), a bunch of storage options so that I can delay building a home server for some time, and a bunch of RAM that’s stable.

Another option is to go with AM4, specifically the 5950x with a premium MBO. This is a tried and tested platform with very little problems I guess but then we end up with PCIe shortage sooner or later. However this thing doesn’t really require a custom loop to run daily. The Xeon probably does if I OC it to, say, 4Ghz and keep it that way 24/7. If I can air cool the Ryzen and have it run great in a good ventilated case that’s a big plus for me.

The rest of the components:
GPU: Asrock OC Formula 6900 (or 6950) XT (2x most likely)
RAM: at least 128GB DDR4
Storage: 1 x system OS NVMe and then as many sata drives as I can fit (looking for recommendations on both)
Case: either Lian Li D-EVO XL when it comes out or the Fractal Torrent
PSU: something top of the line like the Corsair HX/AX series 1200+
Cooling: prefereably air or AIO because at this point I can’t bring myself to build a custom loop and all the maintenance that goes with it

Sorry for the long post but hopefully this explains what I am looking for.

tl;dr building a new workstation with premium parts, something stable and durable, and can’t decide between Xeon 3175x or AM4 platform. need proper non-reddit advice from people who know better.

Thank you all for taking the time to read this.

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You can actually get ES version of the chip for really cheap
But you need early bios versions and I don’t think it works on the sr3

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Socket 1700 is about at EOL right now and am5 just began but has some growing pains for first gen

I’d wait until zen 3C or 2nd gen am5 comes out, it can’t be too far off

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That screams Threadripper Pro. That is, if you can afford it and if you can find a shop that stocks these! TR is essentially EPYC (AMD’s server platform) made ready for a desktop environment. They are higher clocked then their server brethren but still have tons of PCIe lanes. But as said, expensive and difficult to find ATM.

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The higher core count TR pro models are definitely way out of my league. I’ve seen some places in Europe where the lower core count models are about $1100-1500. Honestly, at this point I don’t want to pay that amount of money for 16 cores.

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So, the Davinci requirements tell me you want a 12-core or 16-core build, either 13900K or a 7950X. Since Adobe is not a heavy requirement, the 7950X is probably the better one to get here.

This here tells me something like a 6800 XT or 4070 Ti should work well enough, basically a good 1440p@120Hz card with at least 16 GB VRAM should also be a good fit for your situation.

A year isn’t stable enough? I think the Linux users around here that run AM5 are happy with their system stability and 12th/13th/14th gen Intel architecture is even older than that. Architecturally speaking there really is no difference today between 12th and 14th gen.

Both of those options are doubtful if they will last until 2027. I’d give it 2-3 years before you need to exchange your platform, or turn down your game settings to medium/low. These days a max boost clock of 4.5 GHz is almost required for High performance (Ultra is just for benchmarks) in most games, lower boosts will lead to bottlenecks.

Also, 6900 XTs when there is a 7900 XT on the market? You are making very weird choices here. Let me show you what I mean:

PCPartPicker Part List

Type Item Price
CPU AMD Ryzen 9 5950X $439.64
CPU Cooler ARCTIC Freezer A35 $30.98
Motherboard MSI MEG X570S ACE MAX $589.60
Memory Mushkin Redline Lumina 2x32 GB DDR4-3600 CL16 $161.53
Memory Mushkin Redline Lumina 2x32 GB DDR4-3600 CL16 $161.53
Storage Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 $119.00
Storage TEAMGROUP MP34 4 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 $159.99
Storage TEAMGROUP MP34 4 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 $159.99
Storage TEAMGROUP MP34 4 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 $159.99
Video Card ASRock OC Formula Radeon RX 6900 XT 16 GB Video Card *$669.99
Video Card ASRock OC Formula Radeon RX 6900 XT 16 GB Video Card *$669.99
Case Fractal Design Torrent RGB $229.99
Power Supply EVGA SuperNOVA 1300 P+ $299.99
Total $3912.21

Compared to a Ryzen+Radeon build, you barely save any money, but you get 30%-50% more performance:

PCPartPicker Part List

Type Item Price
CPU AMD Ryzen 9 7950X $548.99
CPU Cooler ARCTIC Freezer A35 $30.98
Motherboard Asus ProArt X670E-CREATOR WIFI $444.99
Memory G.Skill Ripjaws S5 2x32 GB DDR5-6000 CL30 $189.99
Memory G.Skill Ripjaws S5 2x32 GB DDR5-6000 CL30 $189.99
Storage Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 $119.00
Storage TEAMGROUP MP34 4 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 $159.99
Storage TEAMGROUP MP34 4 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 $159.99
Storage TEAMGROUP MP34 4 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 $159.99
Video Card Sapphire PULSE Radeon RX 7900 XT $769.99
Video Card Sapphire PULSE Radeon RX 7900 XT $769.99
Case Fractal Design Torrent RGB $229.99
Power Supply EVGA SuperNOVA 1300 P+ $299.99
Total $4073.87

Anyway, you do you but I would seriously have a second look at both the 7950x and Radeon RX 7xxx series (which are like the 6xxx series only bigger, better and faster) - and the 13900k is also not that bad, but seems to have horrible VFIO on most motherboards.

The above builds are meant as a genuine suggestion and an anchor point in the discussion, not the end-all be-all of a final build.

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For Resolve you’re probably not going to want an AMD card, and the 7950X and 13900K perform almost identically.

For gaming, the 13900K is the better choice.

I’ve used those exact engineering sample Xeons mentioned by another user, and performance is frankly terrible. It would be better to build a Broadwell system at that point.

A Skylake SP build might be the cheapest option; my dual CPU Xeon 6268CL workstation pulls double duty for gaming at 1440P 165Hz without any issues. Not sure what you play, but the other user suggesting 4.5GHz or higher is a requirement for gaming is flat out wrong :laughing:

My solution for running CRTs from my Xeon / Nvidia A5000 machine is using a Thunderbolt 3 to VGA adapter. Latency and sharpness are both excellent. There are also some quality DisplayPort to VGA solutions from Club 3D.

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Addendum: For anything on High/Ultra released recently :slight_smile:

Of course 3.2 GHz will run Counter Strike like a boss. It’s freakin’ Counter Strike :stuck_out_tongue:

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I knew I would miss something despite the post being long. My gaming needs are not toward new games at all. The newest I will be playing is BG3 and that is a big maybe. I love older stuff and I am so happy that Linux runs basically all of those older games with very little tinkering. Frankly, I don’t like the direction modern games have taken.

So in terms of my pc being obsolete in a few years that’s not really gonna happen because I will not run new games in crazy resolutions like 4K.

I am more interested in tried and tested hardware that’s stable and proven. You could ask yourself why I chose the specific asrock gpu. Well, it has the best pcb out of all 6900xt cards. There is a very good reason why @wendell sang so many praises about it and the 6950 variant.

With ram, similar situation for example. Why would I get anything besides 128gb of samsung b-die if it was proven the best.

As for AM5 - just look up all the stupid little problems people have with ddr5, various IO issues and so forth. And like I said, I have zero need for bleeding edge.

But I do appreciate the list you have put up for parts. Big thanks for that.

Edit: to further clarify. In my mind, server class components like Xeons basically guarantee a long stable life. The fact that there is a total of 3 motherboards for a cpu tells me it has been tested and guaranteed works especially for the target audience - professionals.

Also - I have recently read a very interesting article on Puget systems about cpu failure rates in their own systems. And wouldn’t you know it. AMD cpus have almost 5% fail rates despite their amazing performance. That’s every 20th cpu installed. And mind you, I am and always have been an AMD fanboy so I’m not bashing them at all. Actually would prefer to buy their stuff instead of Intel.

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In that case a 6700 XT or 3060 should be more than good enough, if you are not playing newer stuff a 1080 Ti - 2070 Super class card is going to destroy your gaming needs.

Hardware stability is good enough to last for 6 years on most consumer products. Set my old man up with a Bulldozer system and that lasted seven years before it finally kicked the bucket on a no-brand unrated PSU that was inherited from a previous build (in those days, I did not know any better either).

Really, the only reason I’d not go consumer is if ECC RAM is important to you. At the same time… Would it cost you money if your computer kicks the bucket, or is it a mere inconvenience?

If paying for “the best and most stable” means you must rely on outdated hardware or pay a ton of extra money, then I would make the argument it is not really in your best interest. Sure, big banks still run COBOL on their mainframes - so now they are held hostage by the rapidly diminishing ranks of COBOL programmers (and COBOL programmers that know hardware, specifically; I could do it but then I have written Linux drivers and have an intimate understanding of performance and hardware, picking up COBOL is easy at that point).

Sure, 5% of AMD CPUs might fail (in a very specific use case scenario) - That means there is a 95% chance yours doesn’t fail. Is that worth a $1000 rebate?

I wouldn’t put reliability at the forefront of my demands unless you will lose hundreds of dollars every hour your workstation is down. At which point, it is better to invest in having an identical working backup to minimize downtime, just move over the drives. Redundancy beats reliability every day of the week IMO. Computers are tools, not pets. :slight_smile:

Not saying reliability is unimportant though; just that it should not be your only deciding factor, cost and performance plays an even higher part in most cases. Above is all opinion and passion, feel free to disagree.

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You and I kinda agree on lots of points. I would grab a 1080ti without thinking if I was running a windows machine. But I really want the comfort of amd just working under Linux. With the 6900 I can have that and never worry about frame rates for a good while.

ECC ram would be a big plus but not a deal breaker.

To answer your question: yes, if the computer kicks the bucket I lose customers which is worse than losing money. During the day I mainly do customer support for my brand. Email, forum, whatsapp.

1 live stream every week and 1 long form youtube video. Tons of preparation goes into those. I’m in the luxury space so you can imagine how response times affect customer satisfaction.

As for backup: at some point I will put together another system and even a home server. Right now (as in 4-5 weeks) I need a rig so I can start producing content finally. Let’s say I am in a semi-rush but want to buy smart. And it’s not like I have all the money in the world to just splash out on a PC.

The thing will pay for itself in record time though. But life has other expenses as you know.

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I would still go for something that is reliable but current gen. Component choices you can lookup Pugetsystems, who build computers for tons of business customers that also need reliability. you want it to last 4-5 years, driver support is also a part of that. Any new parts will get more support.

I am also self-employed and would lose money if i don’t have a computer to use. I have a specifically selected laptop because i’m on the go often to clients. But i have my personal computer at home that i can use if the laptop would stop working.

one thing to look out for, disable ftpm or get a motherboard with a physical tpm connector.

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Ok, then that drastically alters the equation as i was working from the assumption you were putting together something mostly for yourself.

If this is the case, since we are talking about two vastly different use cases… I would do a dual-split. You said you could get the Xeon system for pretty cheap, correct? Then, do that, but go with two 6700 XT and a 13600K system for your gaming purposes. Dual boot with Windows instead - it takes a hot minute to reboot for the few games that don’t work with Linux (very few do on Steam, jury is still out on other platforms), but I think you will find that performance really cheap. Something like this for the gaming rig?

PCPartPicker Part List

Type Item Price
CPU Intel Core i5-13600KF $289.99
CPU Cooler ARCTIC Freezer i13 X CO $29.99
Motherboard Gigabyte B760M DS3H AX $139.99
Memory TEAMGROUP T-Create Expert 2x32 GB DDR5-6000 CL34 $169.99
Storage Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 $119.00
Video Card PowerColor Fighter Radeon RX 6700 XT $349.99
Case Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L $45.98
Power Supply Thermaltake Toughpower GF1 PE 750W $99.99
Case Fan ARCTIC P14 Silent 140mm $11.74
Case Fan ARCTIC P14 Silent 140mm $11.74
Total $1268.40

This is basically $500 more than the second Radeon card. Your other PC you do the same thing as you originally suggested. This should cover most your needs and use cases as a gaming PC, Windows-once-in-a-blue-moon photoshopping stuff, and so on.

Then, invest in a NAS within 6 months or so, for sure, so you can sync the two machines. If you want a bit of an OOMPH, go with the Asustor Flashstor, which is a full 12 bay m.2 NAS. Otherwise go with something more traditional, like QNap, Synology, or my personal diy preference (but that’s just coz’ I’m a weirdo :wink: I think your case require ECC here, sadly):

PCPartPicker Part List

Type Item Price
CPU Intel Core i3-13100 $139.99
Motherboard ASRock Z690M-ITX/ax $149.99
Memory G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 $56.99
Storage Samsung 980 500 GB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 $34.18
Case Fractal Design Node 304 $109.98
Power Supply Thermaltake Toughpower GX2 600W $64.98
Custom ORICO M.2 PCIe M Key to 6 x SATA 6Gbps RAID Adapter Card $49.99
Total $606.10

Anyway, food for thought. I also agree with what @nutral wrote above.

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Again, seriously consider your options before buying an AMD card for Davinci Resolve. This is a well known issue.

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OP was going to run Resolve on Linux, I believe Puget benchmarks on Windows?

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That was part of my point; an AMD card will perform worse than those figures under Linux :sweat_smile:

Puget, who have done the testing, are not favorable to AMD cards for use in Davinci:

Dollar-for-dollar, we have found that NVIDIA cards currently give better performance in Resolve. We have also found that NVIDIA cards tend to be slightly more reliable (both from a hardware and driver standpoint), which is why we typically use NVIDIA over AMD unless there is a clear benefit to using an AMD card.

If you end up going AMD, post some benchmarks! There is very little benchmarking for Davinci on Linux posted online.

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Source? Because in other areas, AMD generally performs 10-15% better than equivalent Nvidia card in Linux. I’ve seen benchmarks where a 6800 XT beats a 3080 Ti on Linux despite losing by ~5-10% on Windows on the same task.

That does not mean it does so all the time everywhere; and the cause is just as likely bad Nvidia drivers as it is superior AMD drivers. Or a mix of both.

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For me to visualise your Xeon choice is Mac Pro 2019 which uses the same-gen Xeon family chips. So I believe for the CPU itself both single-core and multi-core performance are not as good as Ryzen 5950X. In Geekbench 6 benchmarks, single-core performance is significantly worse like >50%, multi-core performance ~20% worse (for the same 16-core count SKUs).

Given the two choices, I would definitely go with AM4 platform.

PCIe expansions won’t be a huge problem for your use case. Make sure to get a decent motherboard that provides good bifurcation out of the box both electrically and mechanically. So you can comfortably install two 2.5-slot wide GPUs (if you want in future), and still can make use of remaining PCIe slots from both CPU and chipset.

Another huge benefit of AM4 is its well beta tested in the field. All sorts of issues have been ironed out. Or plenty of solutions available on Internet. Also, if you shop wisely, you may find sweet deals in 2023.

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I haven’t seen such a report recently. The one I read was from end of 2021. And the report indicated the opposite of what you said. One particular family of Intel CPUs had a ~5% “failure rate”

But I’ll take PugetSystems’ report with a grain of salt. Not much disclosure in their report (I guess due to they thought it was “trade secret”). So you really don’t know what’s their sample size and what are the procedure of determining a “failed CPU”.

I have doubt that their sample size is statistically meaningful since their annual volume of PC sold should be pretty low compared to a bigger OEM. A few percentage of failed CPU at assembly line is not imaginable for bigger OEMs like Dell, Leveno or HP. I mean it cannot be that high, especially for CPU which is one of most rigidly factory tested components.

They seemed to stop publishing such a report after 2021. At least I can’t find it. Perhaps that’s a good thing…

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I would like to take a minute to thank everyone for the healthy discussion and everything you’ve shared. These forums are great. I love it.

It’s funny how life works and things change overnight, literally. My best man, who is also my business partner, convinced me that we should not be so frugal about building our workstations. And wouldn’t you know it… There was somebody here who predicted the future.

The choice has been made to invest into the TR Pro platform. It seems to be rock solid, stable, ECC ram, huge core count and extremely future proof for our use case. Definitely not cheap but probably so worth it. Plus all the extra things we can set up with that kind of machine… Can’t wait. Never spent that kind of money on a PC nor thought I would.

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Glad to hear, Threadrippers are not cheap, but investing in 32 cores now can probably let you run those things 'til 2030 for sure. Lower than 32 cores feels like a waste on TR. You could go lower, it’s just that… Why pay $1.5k extra for a more or less inferior gaming platform when you can get a 7950X 16 core CPU? OTOH, paying $2k more for an extra 16 cores, that I can get behind.

Threadrippers are not that great of gaming machines, but they are great productivity, virtualisation and build machines. But with Threadrippers… Go big or go home. :slight_smile: