OK, so…found a bit of a bargain on FB Marketplace, picking up a Threadripper 3960X machine tomorrow. Basically, I’m tired of being starved for PCIE lanes, so I’m going to be transplanting my R9700s into it (they’re currently on PCIE 4.0 x8/x8, so this will double the bandwidth between the two).
Threadripper 3960X, Wraith Ripper cooler, Aorus Master motherboard, 32GB CL14 DDR4, 4TB Firecuda SSD, 1500W PSU in a Lian Li panoramic case.
It also has a 2080 Ti with a custom water cooling loop…that’s almost certainly getting sold. The 128GB DDR4 in my AI machine will move in here, the 32GB DDR4 will move into my NAS, and the 16GB that’s in there will go into a low-mid gaming machine that’s being sold shortly.
All for a cool £1000. The best part is that the gaming machine will be sold for about £400 (i5-13400F, A770 etc), the machine currently holding the R9700s will probably be sold for another £400-500 (5700X, 3.2TB of SSDs), and the 2080 Ti will probably go for £100-200 with the cooling loop.
So…basically, in homelab terms, I’m getting the Threadripper upgrade and matching PSU upgrade, a 4TB SSD and a RAM upgrade for my NAS for free.
Indeed. In fact, I’m feeling a little bit guilty about it, to be honest - it’s about £500 lower than anything comparable over here.
I did have him take the CPU loop out, which had an EK block and similarly expensive hardware/rad/pump in it - hopefully he can sell that and get a decent bit of cash for that.
Well, a slight wrinkle - picked it up, and the cooler is significantly larger than expected. Also, the GPU radiator (which I don’t want in there) appears to be attached to the case by some kind of enchantment that I’ve thus far been unable to break.
Also, somewhat annoyingly, EATX cases seem to be the one thing that Amazon cannot deliver next-day, so I’ve ordered a Pop XL from Scan - it’s the only non-irritating case that can accomodate the monstrous Wraith Ripper, the HX1500i PSU (200mm) and the EATX motherboard.
On the bright side, I’ve figured out that I can make two gaming PCs from the spare parts I now have in the house, and might actually come out of this with more than I just spent. I just have to find somebody who wants a machine with a water-cooled 2080 Ti in it.