By: Adrian (a.delete@this.acm.org), August 13, 2019 6:39 am
Room: Moderated Discussions
Jouni Osmala (fname.sname.delete@this.aalto.fi) on August 13, 2019 4:00 am wrote:
> >
> > For that, one just have to use good cases, with large slow fans and acoustic insulation (e.g. Fractal
> > Design Define), high quality silent power supplies (e.g. Seasonic Titanium) and good large coolers
> > (e.g. Noctua). In 2 Mini-ITX cases where large coolers do not fit, I use AIO water coolers.
>
> Level1 did last fall a video for which they configured the best possible configuration
> for what they thought was the best solution for his publicly available preferences.
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvuDrrFHrhQ
>
> I assumed there is a good reason why that is not the current solution. It is about twice as fast
> as the new 12 core Ryzen for kernel compile, and still one of the quietest systems that people have
> tested. Then there are few other who have made custom fanless designs for absolute zero noise. And
> making it with next gen threadripper would probably reduce the compile time well below 20 seconds
> and there is potential for getting quieter fans to the system. Then there are companies that have
> made small form factor solutions that are not out of the box what he wants but close enough that
> with a little nudge they could actually make the programmers workstation version.
In that video, the components used are about the same that I have already mentioned, so it is not surprizing that I have a server very similar to what is described in the video.
However, I believe that my server with an EPYC 7401P is even quieter than that, even if I have not measured the noise. I use a larger case (Fractal Design Define XL), which reduces the noise even more, and there was no need to add any fans besides the 3 large fans included by default in this case. I have used a Noctua cooler with two 140 mm fans and there was no need to spend any time with tuning, like in the video. After ordering the parts and a couple of hours used for the careful assembly, I have just set the case fans to their lowest rotational speed and I have set the very-high-efficiency Seasonic Titanium PSU to its "hybrid" mode, where the PSU fan stops at low output power.
Even with these settings, the temperatures are low enough and you cannot hear anything when the computer is idle. Even at maximum power, there must be no ambiental noise in the room to be able to perceive the computer noise.
With an older EPYC or even with a Threadripper, the compilation speed is great but the single-thread speed is lower than that of the best Intel CPUs. That is why I am also using a workstation with a 4.5 GHz Xeon W, besides the EPYC compilation server.
The Ryzen 9 3950X, which should be launched next month, could replace both those 2-year old computers, at less than half of their price and at less than half of their electrical power consumption.
It should have a higher single-thread speed than the Xeon W and about the same compilation speed as the 7401P (2/3 cores, but 3/2 clock frequency).
While those two CPUs were the best you could buy at the end of 2017, now a single cheaper Ryzen could certainly do their job , so it is an obvious best choice for a new workstation intended for software development.
It is likely that a future Theadripper would be even more powerful, but at a price proportional with the core count. Therefore one should choose between Ryzen and Threadripper depending on the compromise between price + power consumption and the desired compilation speed. For many, the 16-core Ryzen is probably good enough and an extra advantage is that it can be put in a small Mini-ITX case.
> >
> > For that, one just have to use good cases, with large slow fans and acoustic insulation (e.g. Fractal
> > Design Define), high quality silent power supplies (e.g. Seasonic Titanium) and good large coolers
> > (e.g. Noctua). In 2 Mini-ITX cases where large coolers do not fit, I use AIO water coolers.
>
> Level1 did last fall a video for which they configured the best possible configuration
> for what they thought was the best solution for his publicly available preferences.
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvuDrrFHrhQ
>
> I assumed there is a good reason why that is not the current solution. It is about twice as fast
> as the new 12 core Ryzen for kernel compile, and still one of the quietest systems that people have
> tested. Then there are few other who have made custom fanless designs for absolute zero noise. And
> making it with next gen threadripper would probably reduce the compile time well below 20 seconds
> and there is potential for getting quieter fans to the system. Then there are companies that have
> made small form factor solutions that are not out of the box what he wants but close enough that
> with a little nudge they could actually make the programmers workstation version.
In that video, the components used are about the same that I have already mentioned, so it is not surprizing that I have a server very similar to what is described in the video.
However, I believe that my server with an EPYC 7401P is even quieter than that, even if I have not measured the noise. I use a larger case (Fractal Design Define XL), which reduces the noise even more, and there was no need to add any fans besides the 3 large fans included by default in this case. I have used a Noctua cooler with two 140 mm fans and there was no need to spend any time with tuning, like in the video. After ordering the parts and a couple of hours used for the careful assembly, I have just set the case fans to their lowest rotational speed and I have set the very-high-efficiency Seasonic Titanium PSU to its "hybrid" mode, where the PSU fan stops at low output power.
Even with these settings, the temperatures are low enough and you cannot hear anything when the computer is idle. Even at maximum power, there must be no ambiental noise in the room to be able to perceive the computer noise.
With an older EPYC or even with a Threadripper, the compilation speed is great but the single-thread speed is lower than that of the best Intel CPUs. That is why I am also using a workstation with a 4.5 GHz Xeon W, besides the EPYC compilation server.
The Ryzen 9 3950X, which should be launched next month, could replace both those 2-year old computers, at less than half of their price and at less than half of their electrical power consumption.
It should have a higher single-thread speed than the Xeon W and about the same compilation speed as the 7401P (2/3 cores, but 3/2 clock frequency).
While those two CPUs were the best you could buy at the end of 2017, now a single cheaper Ryzen could certainly do their job , so it is an obvious best choice for a new workstation intended for software development.
It is likely that a future Theadripper would be even more powerful, but at a price proportional with the core count. Therefore one should choose between Ryzen and Threadripper depending on the compromise between price + power consumption and the desired compilation speed. For many, the 16-core Ryzen is probably good enough and an extra advantage is that it can be put in a small Mini-ITX case.
