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A cheap CFD Workstation build with chineeese boards |
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#1 |
Member
Eduardo Firvida
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 53
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Hi!
After reading this thread I'm thinking of building a workstation for CFD based on Xeon E5 platform, just for meshing and testing cases before moving it to HPC. My budget is around $700. As at the moment I don't want to post-process anything I would avoid a good GPU and put all the budget on the performance. Seen prices in Alliexpress and eBay for used processors I seed that I can get good configurations as: E5 2773-v3 -> $47.00 to E5-2696v3 -> $126.00 and a lot of other offers in between. Then I fond a dual socket 4 chanel per socket motherboards between 170-200 HUANANZHI X99 F8D X99 (DDR4) HUANANZHI-X99 T8D X99 (DDR3) With this I can setup a configurations with 2 xens and 8 channels of ram from nearly $300 using the E5 2773-v3, And all the rest of the money is for 8 modules of ram, heat disipators, PSU, and cheapest GPU (this board doesn't have one), and HDD. So my question is, the price difference between DDR3 and DDR4 is not to much, but some peoples says that DDR3 are better. This configuration worth the money in 2022, or there are better choices arownd there. |
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#2 | |
Senior Member
Will Kernkamp
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 365
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Quote:
Q2. There is a youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/Miyconst that does reviews on the chinese xeon motherboards. This is important, because many of these boards have something not working that you were perhaps going to rely on. First, search for the one you are thinking of buying. In addition, he makes recommendations from time to time. Look for X99 and Dual. The focus is on gaming, but he does a thorough job. Make sure the board you are getting supports DDR4-2400 in 8 channel configuration and v4 processors. Xeon v3 Turboboost Unlock: On xeon v3 processors, it is possible to do turboboost unlock. This will allow the processors to do all core turboboost to the highest frequency. For CFD that is not interesting, because you will be limited by memory, cache and thermal throttling. In case you want to use it anyway, Miyconst has a package to do the turboboost unlock. Usually, the turboboost unlock is one of the features he tests on each motherboard. |
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#3 | |
Member
Eduardo Firvida
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 53
Rep Power: 15 ![]() |
Quote:
Thanks for your reply, I have seen Miyconst's youtube channel, which is excellent, following it, is where I decided on the HUANANZHI brand on dual configurations, considering the VRAM dissipation, build quality and the 8 channels of RAM. So as I understand, It will be better always DDR4 over de DDR3, considering V4 to get the maximum memory bandwidth, also I know that the V4 has more memory cache. But you point to something to me.... The Miyconst's tips are always for gaming, but that's not my use case. So I turbo boost will not improve anything? I don't need it, it will only cause overheating. But I'm wondering if someone uses this type of machine under CFD hours and ours of workload. And if it worth the money |
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#4 | ||
Senior Member
Will Kernkamp
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 365
Rep Power: 14 ![]() |
Quote:
For lengthy runs, the xeons are always fine. The motherboard VRAM is also important. It looks like you have selected the right motherboard. For a xeon v4 workstation, you should be at the low cost point. You should get the largest quietest cpu fans/coolers you can find and will fit. If you do, the workstation can be very quiet even when running the CFD. An interesting alternative is to use a single modern CPU, dual channel with very high DDR5 memory clock: See Quote:
You could go lower cost by buying an old server. For example $330 + tax: https://www.ebay.com/itm/18548165194...YAAOSwvjNiA60G This one has two 10 core cpus. Should be pretty good already maybe 80 seconds on the benchmark. There will be an upgrade path to v4 and endurance isn't a problem. Nice feature: you can install up to 3 Compute GPUs. Warning: sounds like a jet engine when you run the CFD. |
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#5 | |
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Join Date: Jun 2011
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#6 |
New Member
Robert
Join Date: Aug 2022
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Last edited by Robert52; August 23, 2022 at 11:13. |
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#7 | |
Member
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Never heard of "HUANANZHI" in China.
That been said, I do believe almost all the all the mojor motherboard companies are based in China.. Quote:
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#8 | |
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Join Date: Jun 2011
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#9 |
New Member
Diego Peņa
Join Date: Oct 2023
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Have you bought? Any results?
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#10 |
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Join Date: Nov 2019
Posts: 95
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I'm considering a build with the HUANANZHI X99-F8D motherboard as well. Does anyone have an opinion about pairing it with 145W TDP CPUs such as the E5-2697A v4? The CPUs mentioned above are in the 120W category. In the YouTube review by Miyconst the VRM temperatures were pretty low, so I expect this combination will work fine..?
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#11 | |
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#12 |
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Join Date: Nov 2019
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Thanks for the valuable information. I didn't find the bundles too attractive so I'd only get the motherboard form Aliexpress and source all other components elsewhere. Out of curiosity - did you run the motorbike benchmark on the dual E5-2699 v4? If so, what was your best time? I was hoping for ~60s with the E5-2697A v4, which should be similar to yours...
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#13 | |
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