Desktop workstation build without need for GPU power

[buggaby]

Hello all,

Thanks in advance for any help.

I'm looking to build a desktop workstation to run work simulations. It's CPU intensive, so I won't be needing anything more than onboard-quality video (also, using Linux instead of Windows, so no gaming). I'm interested in the AMD Ryzen 7 series because it gives great parallelization for a good price, but it doesn't appear to come with onboard video. Maybe that difference wipes out the price gains over i7? There are older discrete cards for under $100. Do these compare with Intel onboard speeds?

If there is any advice about my build below, I'm happy to hear it! My budget is around $800 ideally, but can go to $1000 if needed. Right now the Ryzen 7 1700x is on sale at NewEgg for $190. I would also like 16GB RAM. Don't need Windows for this build, so I'll save a bit there. My current build plan is this, which prices out to about $730 +tax on NewEgg, but it's still missing the GPU:

CPU - AMD RYZEN 7 1700X
Motherboard - ASUS ROG STRIX B350-F
Memory - Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB Memory Kit
Case - Corsair Carbide Series Clear 400C
Drive - GIGABYTE UD Pro 2.5" 256GB
Optical Drive - Asus Black SATA 24X DVDRW E-Green No Logo Model
PSU - EVGA SuperNOVA 650
CPU Cooler - Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - CPU Cooler with 120mm PWM Fan

Thanks!

 

[kanewolf]

The regular 1700 or 2700 come with coolers so you could avoid the EVO. Make sure you get a matched set of DIMMs. Don't buy two single DIMMs of the same part number. Buy a two DIMM kit. You may be able to save money by getting 2400Mhz RAM instead of higher clocked.

 

[cryoburner]

Do you need an optical drive? I don't believe that the Corsair Carbide 400C has any external drive bays, so you would need a different case if you wanted it to hold one of those.

As for a basic video card, maybe go with something like a GT 710? Just don't expect much from GPU performance out of it, as it's actually below the performance of Intel's current integrated graphics, at least in terms of 3D performance.

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/video-card/#c=362&sort=price&page=1

I would disagree about cheaping out on the RAM to much for a Ryzen build though, as it will affect CPU performance. Ideally, you should look for around DDR4-3000 speed, and enable that higher speed via its XMP profile in the BIOS.

 

[buggaby]

Do you need an optical drive? I don't believe that the Corsair Carbide 400C has any external drive bays, so you would need a different case if you wanted it to hold one of those.

As for a basic video card, maybe go with something like a GT 710? Just don't expect much from GPU performance out of it, as it's actually below the performance of Intel's current integrated graphics, at least in terms of 3D performance.

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/video-card/#c=362&sort=price&page=1

I would disagree about cheaping out on the RAM to much for a Ryzen build though, as it will affect CPU performance. Ideally, you should look for around DDR4-3000 speed, and enable that higher speed via its XMP profile in the BIOS.

Thanks for the site. Didn't know about that one.

And no, I don't need an optical drive. Didn't even think about avoiding it, though since my previous builds have always included one. That they were built more than 5 years ago might be an indication of why. Thanks for the catch, though.

My simulations are likely going to be often heavy on the RAM, so you're right that I might benefit from a faster speed. Not sure how much difference I would notice, but some you gotta just guess...