5 ms·

Why would this be better than just buying a server chip e.g. Epyc (where you can add another one to your 2P motherboard later)?

by jmakov 3y ago

tanelpoder 3y ago
For me it was just convenience - I bought a complete workstation (tower) with that CPU in it (and with all its capabilities, like 128 PCIe lanes and 8 memory channels). Does the EPYC server chip use a different socket (?), so I'd have to build a tower workstation from the components myself, a server mobo, server CPU squeezed into a tower?
- dale_glass 3y ago
  Epyc uses SP3, SP5 or SP6 sockets depending on model. You can get perfectly normal ATX motherboards for Epyc. There's even a mini-ITX one for some reason: https://www.asrockrack.com/general/productdetail.asp?Model=ROMED4ID-2T#Specifications https://www.asrockrack.com/general/productdetail.asp?Model=R...
  - Medox 3y ago
    > There's even a mini-ITX one for some reason So that you cat fit 2 motherboards in that 2 CPU setup! a.k.a. redundant motherboards. /s
    - dale_glass 3y ago
      I once spent a good while trying to figure out why a 2U server wasn't recognizing new drives. No messages, no errors, no lights, nothing. Finally it turned out that it's not a 2U server with 12 bays, but two separate servers in one box, side by side. Half the bays go to one, half to the other. Each side has two CPUs in it, and one was completely powered off.
  - c0nfused 3y ago
    Oh man, That is 100% amazing I am considering buying it for the pure unadulterated sillyness. It's like a v8 motorcycle.
  - Clamchop 3y ago
    Be careful, sometimes these server boards will be missing stuff that you'll want in a desktop. ASRock Rack boards often have insomnia. That is, they don't support low power states.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
icegreentea2 3y ago
In the last generation (and presumably true for this one), Threadripper Pros retained higher single core boost frequencies. Useful for mixed workstation loads, where you might still end up with some applications that are single/low threaded, and the extra boost is noticeable. Also, since these will mostly sell through OEMs, I imagine many of these might get put together with the whole validated hardware+software package deal thing.
omneity 3y ago
An appropriate cooling system for a 2x Epyc mobo will cause so much noise I'm not sure we could call it a workstation. Well, you could try to, but nobody else in the room will hear you.
- menaerus 3y ago
  If that had been true, then I guess there would be no offerings of "workstations" that pack server-grade CPUs into the tower cases ready to be used as more powerful desktop machines. I happen to have one at home (dual socket) and it's silent just as a regular machine. Noise that we find in server machines is because of the fans pushing loads of air basically out through the 1U/2U tunnel. With tower cases that is not the case and hence there's no noise.
- densh 3y ago
  Dual 360-420mm water cooling radiators should be sufficient to cool that without breaking a sweat at decent noise levels.
  - JonChesterfield 3y ago
    One would be fine - absolute flat out pair of epyc chips is still under 800W and you can't overclock them so running a water delta of 20 degrees doesn't matter very much.
the8472 3y ago
Higher boost clocks. And the cheap EPYCs are single-socket too. The real issue is that there are no non-Pro threadrippers anymore. Those were even cheaper.
- bryanlarsen 3y ago
  This release includes 3 non-Pro Threadrippers.
  - the8472 3y ago
    Nice! In that case yeah, price is another differentiator.
api 3y ago
AFAIK the Threadripper is basically a prosumer-oriented Epyc with higher boost clocks and a little bit better pricing.
JonChesterfield 3y ago
Workstation motherboards are different things to server boards. Threadripper pro blurs the lines a bit but there's a decent chance it still comes with conveniences like audio and a load of USB ports that the server boards won't bother with. The chassis will look more like (and maybe sound more like) a desktop too. I'm using a single socket epyc milan as my daily driver and it's great. 64 cores and 512gb of memory is is good times. But that only works for me because it's headless and the thin clients talking to it can do things like make noises and connect to bluetooth keyboards.

Why would this be better than just buying a server chip e.g. Epyc (where you can add another one to your 2P motherboard later)?

by jmakov 3y ago

Why would this be better than just buying a server chip e.g. Epyc (where you can add another one to your 2P motherboard later)?

tanelpoder 3y ago

For me it was just convenience - I bought a complete workstation (tower) with that CPU in it (and with all its capabilities, like 128 PCIe lanes and 8 memory channels). Does the EPYC server chip use a different socket (?), so I'd have to build a tower workstation from the components myself, a server mobo, server CPU squeezed into a tower?

dale_glass 3y ago
Epyc uses SP3, SP5 or SP6 sockets depending on model. You can get perfectly normal ATX motherboards for Epyc. There's even a mini-ITX one for some reason: https://www.asrockrack.com/general/productdetail.asp?Model=ROMED4ID-2T#Specifications https://www.asrockrack.com/general/productdetail.asp?Model=R...
- Medox 3y ago
  > There's even a mini-ITX one for some reason So that you cat fit 2 motherboards in that 2 CPU setup! a.k.a. redundant motherboards. /s
  - dale_glass 3y ago
    I once spent a good while trying to figure out why a 2U server wasn't recognizing new drives. No messages, no errors, no lights, nothing. Finally it turned out that it's not a 2U server with 12 bays, but two separate servers in one box, side by side. Half the bays go to one, half to the other. Each side has two CPUs in it, and one was completely powered off.
- c0nfused 3y ago
  Oh man, That is 100% amazing I am considering buying it for the pure unadulterated sillyness. It's like a v8 motorcycle.
- Clamchop 3y ago
  Be careful, sometimes these server boards will be missing stuff that you'll want in a desktop. ASRock Rack boards often have insomnia. That is, they don't support low power states.

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

icegreentea2 3y ago

In the last generation (and presumably true for this one), Threadripper Pros retained higher single core boost frequencies. Useful for mixed workstation loads, where you might still end up with some applications that are single/low threaded, and the extra boost is noticeable. Also, since these will mostly sell through OEMs, I imagine many of these might get put together with the whole validated hardware+software package deal thing.

omneity 3y ago

An appropriate cooling system for a 2x Epyc mobo will cause so much noise I'm not sure we could call it a workstation. Well, you could try to, but nobody else in the room will hear you.

menaerus 3y ago
If that had been true, then I guess there would be no offerings of "workstations" that pack server-grade CPUs into the tower cases ready to be used as more powerful desktop machines. I happen to have one at home (dual socket) and it's silent just as a regular machine. Noise that we find in server machines is because of the fans pushing loads of air basically out through the 1U/2U tunnel. With tower cases that is not the case and hence there's no noise.
densh 3y ago
Dual 360-420mm water cooling radiators should be sufficient to cool that without breaking a sweat at decent noise levels.
- JonChesterfield 3y ago
  One would be fine - absolute flat out pair of epyc chips is still under 800W and you can't overclock them so running a water delta of 20 degrees doesn't matter very much.

the8472 3y ago

Higher boost clocks. And the cheap EPYCs are single-socket too. The real issue is that there are no non-Pro threadrippers anymore. Those were even cheaper.

bryanlarsen 3y ago
This release includes 3 non-Pro Threadrippers.
- the8472 3y ago
  Nice! In that case yeah, price is another differentiator.

api 3y ago

AFAIK the Threadripper is basically a prosumer-oriented Epyc with higher boost clocks and a little bit better pricing.

JonChesterfield 3y ago

Workstation motherboards are different things to server boards. Threadripper pro blurs the lines a bit but there's a decent chance it still comes with conveniences like audio and a load of USB ports that the server boards won't bother with. The chassis will look more like (and maybe sound more like) a desktop too. I'm using a single socket epyc milan as my daily driver and it's great. 64 cores and 512gb of memory is is good times. But that only works for me because it's headless and the thin clients talking to it can do things like make noises and connect to bluetooth keyboards.