[SOLVED] Home Lab for a SQL Server DBA: Intel NUC or AMD Ryzen?

[MattyZDBA]

Hello,

The last time I had made a build was 10 years ago and a lot has changed. I took a crack at using the MicroCenter and NewEgg system builders but have been getting stymied by the GPU and Case selections (not to mention whether I will need water cooling or a bigger PSU). If I need to add more selections for a easier critique, just let me know

Thank you,
Matty Z

-----------

Approximate Purchase Date: by end of week
Budget Range: $2,500 before taxes and rebates, excluding monitor
System Usage from Most to Least Important:

• Home Lab for a SQL Server DBA (Mon-Fri up ~2 hours/evening)
  • Scenario 1: Running up to six VMs concurrently to simulate a domain controller, a two node SQL failover cluster, 1-2 availability group secondaries and a file share witness
    • Figure 4 vCore, 16 GB vRAM and 50 GB disk space per SQL guest
  • Scenario 2: Running two VMs concurrently to simulate a domain controller and a data warehouse (figure 64 GB RAM, minimum of 250 GB disk space) with a Power BI server installation.
  • Developer Tools for the Above (Visual Studio, SSMS, Azure Data Studio, Power BI Desktop)
• Non-FPS Gaming (weekends)
  • Open world type games (The Long Dark)
  • Real-Time and Turn-Based Strategy games (Civ 6, Tropico 6)
  • Roleplaying Genre (Planescape: TON, Wasteland 2)

Are you buying a monitor: Yes

• Currently have an old-model ViewSonic VX2250
• Either adding a similar one or going for a widescreen

Do you need to buy OS: Yes

• Will go with Windows 10 Pro but will leverage MSDN licensing for all the SQL Server, Visual Studio, Power BI components if not using trial/community editions

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: (e.g.: newegg.com, ncix.com -- to show us selection & pricing)

• Newegg.com
• Amazon.com
• Microcenter.com

Location: City, State/Region, Country –

• Scotch Plains, NJ, USA (one town over from NewEgg in Edison, NJ)

Parts Preferences: by brand or type (e.g.: I would like to upgrade to Intel CPU)

• Intel NUC i7 options or AMD Ryzen 9 or AMD Threadripper for CPU
• Corsair, G.Skill or Crucial for Memory
• Western Digital, Samsung, SANDisk for storage
• Open minded on GPU (have used ATI Radeon and nVidia GeForce in the past)
• Can go with full tower or mid-tower design. Don’t mind spending a touch more for RGB lighting (my 12yo wants to help with the build, maybe get a budget build setup for Christmas)

Overclocking: Maybe

• Only if viable for the home lab

SLI or Crossfire: No

• Probably not needed for my gaming preferences

Your Monitor Resolution: 1280x768

Additional Comments:

• Wondering if I can plug in older HDDs from previous builds to check for files for backup but sending the spindles to be crushed

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading:

• Looking to up my SQL Server skills beyond certs with on-hand experience I can’t get at office
• Current gaming laptop (ASUS ROG G75IJT with i7-4720HQ quad core and 16 GB RAM), strains running two minimally configured VMs.

Proposed Build Lists So Far
Starting from scratch but looking at two approaches

• Approach 1: Two Intel NUCs with an entry-level switch to connect, NAS enclosure for purchase later in the year
  • Intel® NUC 10 Performance Kit - NUC10i7FNHC as a foundation with 64 GB RAM, a 2.5” SSD and an M.2 NVe SSD, both at least 500 GB
  • SAMSUNG 32GB DDR4-2666 (M471A4G43MB1-CTD)
  • Kingston SV300S37A 2.5” SSD 500 GB (on Intel validated list but price not appealing)
  • Samsung 970 EVO SSD 500 M.2 SSD
  • Need ideas on the switch for a networking novice like me.
  • Need ideas for the NAS (thinking Synology brand) but also want to know ease of configuration in a virtual SAN role
• Approach 2: AMD Ryzen 9 System with Either Full or Mid-Tower with 128 GB RAM
  • AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
  • ASUS X570-E ROG Strix
  • CORSAIR CMV32GX4M1A2666C18 32GB DS x4
  • TUF Gaming GT501 RGB Tempered Glass eATX Mid-Tower Computer Case (looking at price only)
  • Toughpower Grand RGB 650 Watts 80 Plus Gold ATX Fully Modular Power Supply (worried it’ll be under powered)
  • Radeon RX 5600 XT Windforce Overclocked Dual-Fan 6GB GDDR6 PCIe 4.0 Graphics Card (looking at price and thinking my game choices are not GPU intensive)
  • 860 EVO 500GB SSD 3-bit MLC V-NAND SATA III 6Gb/s 2.5" Internal Solid State Drive
  • 970 EVO+ 500GB SSD V-NAND M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe 3.0 x4 Internal Solid State Drive
  • ROG Strix LC 240mm RGB Water Cooling Kit
  • Link for most of the above:
    • https://www.microcenter.com/site/co...spx?load=dcc200f2-6859-4f47-b23d-a2be1fa5d7d7

 

[jeremyj_83]

Hello,

The last time I had made a build was 10 years ago and a lot has changed. I took a crack at using the MicroCenter and NewEgg system builders but have been getting stymied by the GPU and Case selections (not to mention whether I will need water cooling or a bigger PSU). If I need to add more selections for a easier critique, just let me know

Thank you,
Matty Z

-----------

Approximate Purchase Date: by end of week
Budget Range: $2,500 before taxes and rebates, excluding monitor
System Usage from Most to Least Important:

• Home Lab for a SQL Server DBA (Mon-Fri up ~2 hours/evening)
  • Scenario 1: Running up to six VMs concurrently to simulate a domain controller, a two node SQL failover cluster, 1-2 availability group secondaries and a file share witness
    • Figure 4 vCore, 16 GB vRAM and 50 GB disk space per SQL guest
  • Scenario 2: Running two VMs concurrently to simulate a domain controller and a data warehouse (figure 64 GB RAM, minimum of 250 GB disk space) with a Power BI server installation.
  • Developer Tools for the Above (Visual Studio, SSMS, Azure Data Studio, Power BI Desktop)
• Non-FPS Gaming (weekends)
  • Open world type games (The Long Dark)
  • Real-Time and Turn-Based Strategy games (Civ 6, Tropico 6)
  • Roleplaying Genre (Planescape: TON, Wasteland 2)

Are you buying a monitor: Yes

• Currently have an old-model ViewSonic VX2250
• Either adding a similar one or going for a widescreen

Do you need to buy OS: Yes

• Will go with Windows 10 Pro but will leverage MSDN licensing for all the SQL Server, Visual Studio, Power BI components if not using trial/community editions

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: (e.g.: newegg.com, ncix.com -- to show us selection & pricing)

• Newegg.com
• Amazon.com
• Microcenter.com

Location: City, State/Region, Country –

• Scotch Plains, NJ, USA (one town over from NewEgg in Edison, NJ)

Parts Preferences: by brand or type (e.g.: I would like to upgrade to Intel CPU)

• Intel NUC i7 options or AMD Ryzen 9 or AMD Threadripper for CPU
• Corsair, G.Skill or Crucial for Memory
• Western Digital, Samsung, SANDisk for storage
• Open minded on GPU (have used ATI Radeon and nVidia GeForce in the past)
• Can go with full tower or mid-tower design. Don’t mind spending a touch more for RGB lighting (my 12yo wants to help with the build, maybe get a budget build setup for Christmas)

Overclocking: Maybe

• Only if viable for the home lab

SLI or Crossfire: No

• Probably not needed for my gaming preferences

Your Monitor Resolution: 1280x768

Additional Comments:

• Wondering if I can plug in older HDDs from previous builds to check for files for backup but sending the spindles to be crushed

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading:

• Looking to up my SQL Server skills beyond certs with on-hand experience I can’t get at office
• Current gaming laptop (ASUS ROG G75IJT with i7-4720HQ quad core and 16 GB RAM), strains running two minimally configured VMs.

Proposed Build Lists So Far
Starting from scratch but looking at two approaches

• Approach 1: Two Intel NUCs with an entry-level switch to connect, NAS enclosure for purchase later in the year
  • Intel® NUC 10 Performance Kit - NUC10i7FNHC as a foundation with 64 GB RAM, a 2.5” SSD and an M.2 NVe SSD, both at least 500 GB
  • SAMSUNG 32GB DDR4-2666 (M471A4G43MB1-CTD)
  • Kingston SV300S37A 2.5” SSD 500 GB (on Intel validated list but price not appealing)
  • Samsung 970 EVO SSD 500 M.2 SSD
  • Need ideas on the switch for a networking novice like me.
  • Need ideas for the NAS (thinking Synology brand) but also want to know ease of configuration in a virtual SAN role
• Approach 2: AMD Ryzen 9 System with Either Full or Mid-Tower with 128 GB RAM
  • AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
  • ASUS X570-E ROG Strix
  • CORSAIR CMV32GX4M1A2666C18 32GB DS x4
  • TUF Gaming GT501 RGB Tempered Glass eATX Mid-Tower Computer Case (looking at price only)
  • Toughpower Grand RGB 650 Watts 80 Plus Gold ATX Fully Modular Power Supply (worried it’ll be under powered)
  • Radeon RX 5600 XT Windforce Overclocked Dual-Fan 6GB GDDR6 PCIe 4.0 Graphics Card (looking at price and thinking my game choices are not GPU intensive)
  • 860 EVO 500GB SSD 3-bit MLC V-NAND SATA III 6Gb/s 2.5" Internal Solid State Drive
  • 970 EVO+ 500GB SSD V-NAND M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe 3.0 x4 Internal Solid State Drive
  • ROG Strix LC 240mm RGB Water Cooling Kit
  • Link for most of the above:
    • https://www.microcenter.com/site/co...spx?load=dcc200f2-6859-4f47-b23d-a2be1fa5d7d7

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 3.8 GHz 12-Core Processor ($416.89 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Shadow Rock 3 CPU Cooler ($54.99 @ B&H)
Motherboard: Gigabyte X570 AORUS PRO WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard ($269.00 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 128 GB (4 x 32 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($469.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Blue SN550 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($64.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($259.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Seagate Desktop HDD 4 TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon RX 5700 XT 8 GB THICC III Ultra 2 Video Card ($409.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define 7 ATX Mid Tower Case ($159.99 @ Walmart)
Power Supply: Fractal Design Ion+ 860 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($138.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit ($142.88 @ Other World Computing)
Total: $2471.68
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-06-15 12:15 EDT-0400

 

[MattyZDBA]

Jeremy,

Thank you for the build list. I was able to order most of them, save the CPU Cooler and PSU due to lack of availability. My substitutions are below. I look forward to the build process and hope to do it by July 4th

CPU Cooler: be quiet! Pure Rock 2 Black CPU Cooler ($54.40 @ B&H)
Power Supply: *EVGA SuperNOVA P2 750 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($239.99 @ Amazon)

 

[jeremyj_83]

Jeremy,

Thank you for the build list. I was able to order most of them, save the CPU Cooler and PSU due to lack of availability. My substitutions are below. I look forward to the build process and hope to do it by July 4th

CPU Cooler: be quiet! Pure Rock 2 Black CPU Cooler ($54.40 @ B&H)
Power Supply: *EVGA SuperNOVA P2 750 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($239.99 @ Amazon)

The EVGA P2 is a good PSU.
The Pure Rock 2 is more lateral move than upgrade from the Wraith Prism. The Wraith Prism is a 125-140W TDP cooler and the Pure Rock 2 is a 150W TDP cooler. Both will work for a 3900X, but the CPU will be a bit hotter and the coolers will be running harder. Are you able to get an Arctic eSports Duo instead?