After only 8 years, i got myself a new computer.

Usecase for the workstation is mostly browsing and coding (usually 300-500 browser tabs, 2-8 visual studio code, 2-4 visual studio). And all the other tools required (Electron apps like Slack, Teams, Discord, Spotify).

I mostly use VM’s on my servers, not on my workstation.

All prices in CHF, not adjusted.

Old Computer

Bought on 3.9.2015:

• CPU: Intel Core i7 6700K (LGA 1151, 4 GHz, 4 -Core), 380.-
• Mainboard: AsRock Z170 Extreme6, 210-.
• CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15S, 100.-
• RAM: 2x HyperX Fury (2 x 8GB, 2133 MHz, DDR4-RAM, DIMM), 180.-
• Case: Lian-Li PC-V750WX, 390.-
• Storage: Intel SSD 750 Series, NVMe (1200 GB, PCI-Express), 1050-.
• Power supply: be quiet! DARK POWER PRO P10 (550 W), 150.-
• GPU: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 G1 Gaming Windforce 3X (4 GB), 540.-
• OS: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro, 140.-

Noteworthy is the 1TB Intel PCI Express SSD, which is a enterprise grade server SSD with massive performance and reliability. Very expensive, compared to the rest, but very worth it. It is the core of this computer.

I also added 3 SATA SSD’s and 2 TB spinning disk. It also had a DVD drive, for some reason.

At the beginning of the pandemic, upgraded with a Geforce GTX 2070 Super.

Note that the 550W was enough. That thing never ever crashed.

As is tradition, it is now my main in-house server running Proxmox. Finally i can use the SATA backplane:

• 1TB server PCIe SSD for VM’s
• Raid1 of 2x4TB harddisks for my data (encrypted)
• 3x250GB SSD for stuff
• 48GB RAM (64GB didnt work)

Why upgrading

The thing still worked perfectly and had a lot of performance for my use cases. Newer non-indie games struggle a bit tho (e.g. Squad). But, Intel announced that they will stop giving microcode updates for this CPU.

8 years the same PC is long enough.

New Computer

Bought on 6.9.2023:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (AM5, 3.70 GHz, 12 -Core), 410.-
• Mainboard: ASUS TUF Gaming X670E-Plus (ATX), 270.-
• CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 Chromax, 110.-
• RAM: Corsair Vengeance (2 x 32GB, 5600 MHz, DDR5-RAM, DIMM), 160.-
• Case: Fractal Torrent Compact Black Solid, 130.-
• Power supply: Seasonic Prime TX-850 (850 W), 210.-
• Storage: 2x Samsung 990 Pro mit Heatsink (2000 GB, M.2 2280), 350.-
• OS: Win 11, 250.-
• GPU: Older Geforce 2070 Super

I decided for a AMD 7900 instead of a AMD 7950X3D, has it like less than half the power consumption (100W instead of 250W) with most of the performance.

Discussion

Now 12 cores instead of 4. Dont know why this should be useful, but here we are.

2TB overall SSD disk space was getting a bit low at the end, so 4TB for the new one. The mainboard was selected mostly because it had 4 M2 slots. The PCIe-5 M2 is still available. The second Samsung 990 2TB is intended to be used for LLM’s and malware collections.

I usually buy the cheapest RAM, as its performance doesnt matter much. 32GB was a lot for back in 2015, but 16GB still seems normal in 2023. It gotten a bit low tho, especially when running LLM’s. So 64GB seems ok, especially as 128GB can create hardware problems.

The 850W power supply is way too much (was 550W previously), and was chosen with a 7950X3D and a GTX 4090 in mind. But it is Platinum rated, so it should be alright. Maybe useful for future AI accelerators.

Prices for the individual componentes were mostly the same, except i didnt buy a new GPU yet, and the SSD are massively cheaper now.

I was a massive Lian Li fanboy, but i have to say the Fractal Torrent Compact is the best case i ever had. Just two big ass fan’s throwing a lot of air over all the mainboard, cant get any better. GPU fan is usually turned off, the CPU is around 40 degrees.

I use Fan Control to connect the GPU temperature to the case fans, as the CPU wont get hot: