Not sure if I should've broken this up into 2 posts, so I apologize if I should, and failed to do so.
I'm currently contemplating two new builds. One will happen fairly soon, but I'm not sure exactly when I'll do the second.
The first build is going to be a threadripper based workstation. I need a machine that can run quite a lot of VMs at the same time. Some will be regular VMware VMs (I'm leaning towards using ESXi for this machine), while others will be Qemu/KVM based. One of the main reasons I need a machine with at least 16c/32t and a minimum of 128GB DDR4 RAM, is because some of the VMs I need to run have heftier system requirements than my poor old Sandy Bride can handle. For instance, even the bare minimum lab configuration of vMX 17.2R1 needs 6GB RAM, and 4 hardware threads, IOS XRv 9000 needs 16GB RAM and 4 h/w threads, NX-OSv 9K needs 8GB RAM and 2 h/w threads, and vQFX-10K needs 4 h/w threads and 4GB RAM (it does better with more). All of those are per-instance, so if I want to use multiple instances of it, the resource usage climbs up quickly. And none of that takes into account the multiple VMs that need less requirements, or server VMs I want to test out, like multiple Openstack sets, Automation servers, Monitoring VMs, etc...
The first question I have about this build, are should I go for two high-capacity SATA 3 HDDs for bulk storage, and a decent 1TB SSD (like the 840 EVO) as the "OS" drive ( I know... ESXi doesn't need an OS), or just use some nice HDDs? The other question I have, is if anyone can recommend a good case (and case fan spitter/controller) that has a TON of 120mm fan mounts? I've heard that Threadripper will require an closed loop cooling system, and I'll need to mount the radiator, and a bunch of 120mm Noctua case fans for intake and exhaust. I did some quick searches for fulll sized towers, and they don't always have a lot mounting points for case fans. I'll definitely need that fan header (or whatever it's called), since motherboards tend to be miserly with fan attachments on the board.
Now, as far as the build I'm thinking about, but not ready to pull the trigger on yet, will be me Intel-based gaming rig, which will also be used for web surfing, transcoding videos, etc... After reading about the kerfuffle about the VRMs on the x299 getting too hot, and the issues with some of the CPUs having a 71 Kelvin difference between the die, and the top of the IHS, I'm not sure if I want to get any of those. I looked at Silicon Lottery, and they're basically all sold out at the moment. Here are some of the questions I have about this build, along with a few things I know i want:
1) I'd prefer 64GB RAM, but from looking at the x270 motherboards, it looks like you'd have to overclock to get above DDR4 2400. Is that going to be an issue, since I don't intend on overclocking this system.
2) I've currently got an old i7-2600K Sandy Bridge on a z79 motherboard, with the max of 32GB DDR3 RAM. Would settling for a Kaby Lake give me enough of a boost to justify buying it, a z270 motherboard, as well as 64GB of RAM, or should I wait?
3) I'm kinda interested in maybe getting a 32GB Optane gumstick, to use as a fast cache. Is it better to use that with a +1TB SSD (like an 840 or 850 EVO), or would it work just as well with a SATA 3 HDD? I was eyeballing the 12Gbps SAS drive, but I'd need to shell out an extra $300 for a PCI-E controller board, since none of the motherboards I saw had SAS as a listed feature
4) Given the heat issues with the newest SkyLake X chips, and the aforementioned VRMs on the x299 boards, would it be better if I just waited until Coffee Lake or Cannon Lake debut?
5) I do need quite a few high capacity HDDs right now. Does anyone have experiences they're willing to share about the 6TB WD Black "Performance" HDDs, the HGST helium filled enterprise HDDs, or even those "hybrid" Seagate Barracudas? I was thinking about getting 4 or more 6TB HDDs, and then save up more money to splurge on one of those Synology 1517+ NAS boxes, one or two of the 517 expansion boxes, and then fill them to capacity with a bunch of high capacity WD Red "NAS" HDDs. Anyone have experiences they're willing to share about the Synology boxes or the WD Red HDDs, as well?
6) If I *can* end up getting one of the better crop of Intel's latest CPUs from Silicon Lottery, and get lucky with a motherboard that's been tweaked to help kill the VRM heat, what kind of cooling solution would I be looking at?
Sorry if this was all rambly! I was just thinking and typing as I went, so I likely wasn't 100% clear on my questions. I can rephrase the, tomorrow, since I need to head to bed. Gotta be up in 4-1/2 hours! O_o