Workstation for virtualization - 3000 USD Budget

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1

Hello all

First: I am a huge fan of the Tek-show, I really enjoy the show - keep up the good work.

Second: I have some questions about a workstation used for programming and virtualization.

A friend of mine needs a new computer, maintly used for programming, browsing and virtualization. I build gaming PCs before, but never a machine for virtualization. His requirements are:

  • Enought power for virtualization
  • Quiet in idle and under load
  • Upgradable in the future
  • Support for at least 5 harddrives
  • Around 3000 CHF (about the same in USD)
  • No monitor / keyboard etc needed

Since I never build a 'hardcore' workstation before, I am a bit uncertain about the hardware components. Any advice from someone who has experience in building a workstation is much appreciated.

Specs (this section will be updated during discussions):

  • Motherboard: Asus X79 DELUXE, X79, LGA2011
  • CPU: Intel Core i7 4930K
  • CPU cooler: Noctua NH-D14 SE2011
  • GPU: Asus GT-630 2GB
  • RAM: Kingston HyperX Beast, 4x8GB, DDR3-1600
  • SSD(s): 2x Samsung SSD 840 EVO Basic, TLC, 500GB running in RAID 1 (main reason why RAID 1: backup)
  • HDD(s): WD Red, 64MB, 3TB, SATA-3 running in RAID 1 (main reason why RAID 1: backup)
  • PSU: Corsair Netzteil AX860i
  • Case: BitFenix Ghost Midi-Tower - black
  • Case fans: 4x Corsair AF120 Quiet Edition (3pin)
  • RAID Controller: Adaptec RAID 6405
  • Total cost: 3201 CHF

When other / more expensive hardware components are needed for a good experience, it is possible to only go with 1x SSD and do a daily backup to a internal harddrive, but my friend would prefer to do the SSDs in RAID 1 if possible.
 
Thanks in advance for any suggestions and advice :-)
2

Pretty much an ideal system for virtualization on a single-CPU machine, and it supports hardware virtualization, so it'll run efficiently.

RAID 1 is slow though, especially with on-board controllers, as the parity for the mirroring will be calculated by the CPU, not by the controller. I would get a RAID controller instead of the second SSD, and cron/rsync the SSD onto the HDD RAID. The Samsung TLC drives are great, but I would go for 840 Pro MLC SSDs in such a machine, just because they're a tad faster and more reliable. 0.5 TB SSD drives offer about 330 GB of useful storage while keeping maximum performance, so that's more than enough for about 12-15 linux guest appliances or about 6 Windows guest appliances (which I guess is not even considered for such a machine).

You'd get about 2.5x more compute (OpenCL) performance out of an AMD GPU in the same price range if that is a requirement, but make sure to get at least a 2GB AMD GPU card if you go for one of those, because the bus width on AMD cards is wider, and you'll need at least 1 GB of dedicated OpenCL buffer memory to avoid bottlenecking, and in several OpenCL accelerated applications, only half of the GPU memory on an AMD card can be allocated for that, so you need at least 2 GB of VRAM. I prefer AMD cards because of the more stable drivers and the option to use open source drivers that perform well, with nVidia, you pretty much have to use the binary blobs, and the quality of those is very flaky lately, requiring hackfest patches on modern kernels, whereas modern kernels are necessary because they give a lot of performance benefit, especially when using hardware virtualization and dynamic power management.

I would certainly not go for the CPU cooler you've selected. I would go with a Noctua NH-D14, because it performs much better and is a lot cooler.

You also don't need 2400 MHz RAM, the performance benefit on an Intel system is nominal, and the RAM is stressed much more than 1866 MHz RAM, which is what I would use for that system because of stability.

The BeQuiet PSUs are great and very quiet, but I would go for a bit more headroom, probably at least 650 W. With all of those drives and the 4930k, I wouldn't risk running it on a 550 W PSU. I would even consider a +700 W PSU because it's going to be stressed less and thus stay quiet, whereas PSUs that have to operate closer to their maximum output, will make more noise.

3

Thanks a lot for the detailed answer.

Change Log 15.10.2013

  • Since my friend does not need Cuda nor OpenCL, I replaced the GTX 760 with a 630
  • I replaced the PSU with the Corsair AX860i. I have this PSU myself and I am very happy with it. Further more, the fan only starts spinning at 20%+ load.
  • I replaced the CPU cooler with the Noctua NH-D14 SE2011
  • I replaced the 2400Mhz RAM with Kingston HyperX Beast, 4x8GB, DDR3-1600, since the vendor I'll be ordering from does not have the 1866 version in stock.
RAID controller
I never used a RAID controller, so I looked into it - reviews from people who bought specific models of RAID controllers. It seems that they get pretty hot, over 100 degrees under heavy use.
  • Is that something to worry about?
  • Do you recommend any RAID controller - a specific brand maybe?

Thanks in advance for an answer.

 

P.S.: Do you work in Nürnberg DE by any chance? I know someone who does by the name of Zoltan, that's why I am asking.

4

Yup, RAID controllers get hot, and therefore need 200 LFM airflow, that's not that much though. I would go for the following configuration for the Bitfenix Ghost: two Noctua NF-F12 in the front for air intake (the airflow of these is directional, and they're really quiet), one Noctua NF-F12 in the bottom for air intake (to prevent hot spots), one Noctua NF-F12 in the rear to evacuate the exhaust of the NH-D14, and the two Bitfenix fans that came with the case in the top as air exhausts, running at 7 Volts. That will cause the case to have slight overpressure, which is ideal, and will provide very good cooling to hard drives, RAID controller, and CPU, while still being very quiet.

I always buy Adaptec controllers, I've been using these for a very very long time, and never had a problem with them. When using a RAID controller, especially in a faster RAID configuration like RAID 5, you will notice the difference in speed in comparison to motherboard controllers, it's like day and night. I would go with an Adaptec controller that can do hybrid RAID, it's a nice flexibility to have if you want to really boost performance when the prices on SSDs drops more in the future. I would go for something like the Adaptec 6405, which has internal and external connectors. These cards should be available for less than 250 CHF.

Oh and I'm in NRW lol

5

Thanks a lot for the response.

 

I have to look into the Noctua NF-S12A FLX fans, since they are optimized for airflow. The NF-F12 can move a decent amount of air, but seem to be optimized for static pressure more then for airflow. Please correct me if I am wrong.

I use Corsair AF and SP Quiet Fans I my own build and I am very impressed by them. So the list down bellow is with the Corsair fans, but if the quality, performance and noise of the Noctua NF-S12A FLX seems to be better, I'll replace the Corsair fans with the Noctua ones before my friend orders all the parts.

 

I'll test the fans that came with the case. If they are really quiet and move at least an average amout of air, I'll go with this config:

Front (in): 2x Corsair AF120 Quiet Edition

Bottom (in): 1x Corsair AF120 Quiet Edition

Back (out): 1x Corsair AF120 Quiet Edition (to create a wind tunnel)

Top (out): 2x Fans that came with the Bitfenix case

 

If my friend is not pleased with the acoustics of the Bitfenix fans, I'll go with this config:

Front (in): 2x Corsair AF120 Quiet Edition

Bottom (in): 1x Corsair AF120 Quiet Edition

Back (out): 1x Corsair AF120 Quiet Edition (to create a wind tunnel)

Top (out): 1x Corsair AF120 Quiet Edition

 

But as I said, I'll look into the Noctua fans in detail and see how their quality, performance and noise is compared to the Corsair fans. If they seem to be the better buy, I'll go with them. Have you had experiences with both brands?

 

FYI. The quality of the responses in the Tek-forum so far is amazing. I think I'll chose this forum over tomshardware in the future.

 

Thanks again for the help Zoltan, it is much appreciated.

6

Benefit of the NF-F fans is that they have a much more laminar and directional flow. They are also quieter at full blow because they cavitate less. Also, the quality is really good, above everything else.