Need advice for a GPU and a Motherboard for a SW-Development PC (C++)

Hi (my first post in this forum),

my current PC I’m using for work as a C++ software developer is over 4 years old. Its time to buy a new one. I like to go with a 12 Core Ryzen 5000. My main problem with it, selection the right MB and the more difficult issue is the GPU.

SW to run:

  • Linux: Manjaro
  • CLion IDE (java)
  • clang and gcc
  • Docker (at least 3 container with the target build environment for x86_64 and aarch64)

MB requirements:

  • 2 x M.2 PCIe NVMe slots (1 slot would work too) Would be nice if this was a PCIe 4 slot, not sure this will make a big difference.
  • The PC might be running 24/7, so a solid MB would be needed.

GPU:

  • I don’t need a lot of 3D graphic, at the moment an integrated Intel GPU works fine,
  • 2 identical monitors (LG 24") with display port must be possible.

Parts I selected so far:

  • Power supply 550W Super Flower (I use them in private PC’s)
  • 32GByte RAM (Crusual Ballistix DDR4 3200 16)
  • Samsung NVMe 1T 980 pro PCIe 4 (already ordered)
  • Noctua CPU cooler NHU14S
  • A case from Fractal Design, the case fans will be replaced by some from Noctua.

Thanks

PS.
I’m from germany.

12 core, do you mean 5600X or 5900X (6c12t or 12c24t)? Will assume the later.

My recommendations:

CPU: Ryzen 5900X - €549
Motherboard: Gigabyte Aorus Pro v2 - €169
GPU: Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 550 2GB + DP-to-HDMI cable - €109

Since you will be running Linux with no GPU demands, Radeon is the way to go. Note that the graphics card is not really recommended, but the next best thing costs like €400-€500. Cheapest GPU I could find with two display ports is a 580 for €600, and… Yeah, just no. Not worth it.

Thanks wertigon for the advice,

The MB would be a one with a B550 then. I was thinking about a X570 but it is questionable if the more features are useful for my application. Most MB’s have a fan on the X570, don’t need the additional noise.

Because of my, about one year old experience with an AMD Vega 54, I didn’t look into AMD GPU’s. But if the RX550 is working without problems I might give it a try. (My employer will buy this, so I should be sure its working. :slight_smile: )

The CPU would be the 12/24 (5900X).


For those who want to know what was wrong with the Vega. The system was freezing from time to time. I tried over 2 month to find a solution but nothing worked. There was never any hint, no log entry, no way to reproduce this. Meanwhile I think there is a HW problem with the card or an issue with the PCIe (timing). This card is still here, maybe some day I will try it again. However a GTX 2060 Super is running in the PC without any problems now.

The reason your system froze up has most probably to do with running out of system RAM. I have the same problem sometimes on my Linux system, I run out of RAM and get a lot of thrashing on a Vega circuit (albeit a 3400G). Always as annoying when that happens.

In general the Radeon drivers have much less hassle especially on Polaris, but you want a recent 5.x kernel and mesa for that. See, for instance, The AMD Radeon RX Vega Launch Performance Compared To 2019 Linux Drivers - Phoronix

If you can reuse either the Vega or RTX card in your new build I’d suggest doing so. Both run circles around the 550.

Rather after first posting. Did put together a Ryzen 5900X build back in December, so similar choices. Went with an ASUS Steel Legend X590 MB, 128GB RAM, some mid-range graphics card, a 1TB Samsung 980 M.2 NVMe, and two 1TB SATA SSDs (just for grins, really). I am not a gamer, so no need for the latest graphics. Put this into a Fractal Design 7 case, with a 360 Fractal CPU cooler. Drives two 4K 32" IPS panels over Displayport. The 3-fan liquid CPU cooler barely runs, and have not seen over 40C on the CPU.

Yeh. It is fast, and very quiet. No need to replace the Fractal fans with Noctua. (And yes, the Gen 4 M.2 drive is in fact twice Gen3 speeds.)

That said, my “old” PC is an HP z820 that I bought used. Has dual Xeons, 6-cores each, for 12-cores / 24 hyperthreads. used DDR3 memory is cheap, so loaded 256GB RAM. Could not get M.2 sticks to work, but have 4x 1TB SATA SDDs in a striped LVM volume, so get about 2GB/s there. Have 4x 12TB spinning disks, and some striped LVM volumes - so see ~800MB/s there. No complaints, still using, and rarely have to wait for I/O.

Guess my point is a four-year-old PC is just not a big deal, anymore. I spent two and a half decades upgrading PCs as soon as I could afford, as each was a big jump in performance for software development. In the last decade or so, the gains are just not as big.

If you are dissatisfied with your old PC, the question is why. What slows you down?

Do you have enough memory?

Do you have enough/fast storage?

Do you have enough cores (for large compiles, maybe)?

Are you smart in your use of tools?

The last in particular - have several times walked into an outfit, was horrified by the build, and cut the clean-build time to a fraction, just by using the tools properly. C++ compiles are just not challenging, anymore.

You cannot find a solution if you do not know the problem.

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