I'm a noob at doing this, can someone with experience recommend a 256gig build?

And don't skimp on the cooling!

I'd like to learn the ins and outs of high-end computer ownership and also how to put it together before buying something like this--does anyone have any resources for me?

Really appreciate it.

wowza that's a beastly system
128 threads, 8 dimm slots, quad channel ram

I've never put together a TR build but I have experience with Ryzen. I'll take a look when I have some time and report back anything useful.

What are your goals for the build?
What workloads are you planning to run on the system once completed?
Do you want to build this in a standard PC case or a rackmount chassis?
Is this PC going to be sitting in a room with people or running headless in a server closet?
What networking and storage needs have you identified?

Building with workstation class parts like this can get a bit trickier than a baseline desktop build. Once you pick out a motherboard, you'll want to pick RAM from the motherboard's Qualified Vendor List (QVL) that's been tested with that board.

alright so I've been able to read several articles and watch a few videos on TR's new TRX40 platform

good news is this can totally be a civilized pc in a case, sitting beneath your desk, there is no need for server cooling, it won't be super loud and hot etc. can even get a tower cooler, no need for water looping, apparently there are very competent high end air coolers for the 3990x.

building process is no different to a normal modern pc, with the mention that because this is not a mature platform and AMD are notorious for having problems in the infancy of a release, you might run into a few compatibility issues with ram or some mobos out there might be running un-optimized bioses, this is a tricky cpu to power just right because of how powerful it is.

like headtrauma said, I suggest you go with the mobo manufacturer's QVL list on their website for the specific mobo you end up choosing for no surprises, although you should have a stick of DDR4 ram around to test incompatibility issues.

here's a short TRX40 tier list, this will get updated in time
https://linustechtips.com/main/topic...ntly-amd-only/

tower coolers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBRb4MeSlgU
I suggest you go with an air cooler for ease of installation and maintenance. it's miles easier to take your pc case outside once every 6 months and use a leaf blower for 2 mins to remove dust (or on the balcony with an air compressor or air can) than it is to disassemble and clean a water loop.

for storage, m.2 ssds for quick mount, no cables, these boards seem to have 3 m.2 slots

you'l need a beefy, reliable psu, there are lots of those to choose from

you haven't said anything about your workload, is there anything gpu assisted you plan on doing?

finally, you'l need a big, spacious case with good airflow. mesh front panel with a few competent intake fans

when you decide to go for it and need advice for choosing specific parts, I'm happy to do a bit of research for you as well or help out any way I can

This machine is entirely for running game trees on.

I just need the raw computing power, one important reason for which is so I don't have to pay $250+ a month for a server that's also several times slower than this processor.

I'm not gonna be playing video games on it--so I think that makes the GPU more or less irrelevant in my case? Lets put it this way: the only thing I really care about the graphics is how many monitors it can output to.

This is strictly a poker study machine.

yeah that's what I was hoping lol

Thanks a ton btw.

Sounds like I'd be best served waiting 6mo to a yr to let other people figure out potential problems before me (and to learn a thing or two before spending this money)?

You mention using a leafblower or compressed air to remove dust--any other maintenance tips?

1. I would consider running sims all day with all the RAM used up to be heavy but I'm not sure if that's actual a "heavy" workload in an absolute sense. My PCs on which I've run sims have gotten boiling hot and very loud--based on that I'd assume the solvers are doing some pretty heavy work.

2. I'm not smart enough yet to know what these words mean or why they're relevant

3. My home office, a very low traffic area. Do you recommend placing it in a certain space to avoid problems like overheating--don't stick it under a desk?

4. I don't think I have any networking needs

Do you know if there's a 3rd party that sells enhanced or extended insurance/warranties on products like this?

I would assume you have to buy the system from them?
and these specialized custom builders charge an arm and a leg for a machine like this

so for gpu you can just get a budget modern one and that will let you run 3 4k monitors no probs. these are cheap nowadays, 150$ or so and you're set.

idk about waiting that long, search for 3990x videos on youtube, see what people are saying, most teething problems might already be solved or it's possible AMD got it right this time. forums too, people share their builds and experience.

just blowing the dust out of the fans is sufficient maintenance if all you have is air coolers. might have to re-paste the cpu every year or so, not a big problem, can do it with the motherboard still in the case.

just noticed 8 x 32gb ram kits are like 1.5k$ ouch

looks like this thing is going to set you back ~7k

Approximate price is something I did know!

It's worth it for my purposes, its way faster than the server I'm currently using plus eliminating monthly server costs. I effectively make my money back on this purchase in less than a year. This is an investment for me and my game.

sure thing, are you using pio edge for perflop calcs?
doing 3way solves too?

Yes and I build huge postflop trees, too

just started toying with simple pf and it's pretty light on ram since the last update, can get things done with 64 gigs to a very reasonable accuracy
full 6m tree 200x deep with limited bet sizes post and no cc 3b, no sb flat and a few other unlikely events removed is <10 gigs

still, first tree I tried to build with all the bells and whistles, it wanted 7900 gb lel

but guess you're doing mtts with various limps and icm, that must be quite a lot more demanding at max acc

k so I looked around bit more

this seems to be a commonly recommended good value board for the 3990x

https://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-TRX4...9481963&sr=8-1

ram 256 kit validated on gigabyte's list

https://www.newegg.com/corsair-256gb...82E16820236621

also validated, on 128gb, 95% should work if you get 2 of these kits, about 300$ cheaper. both are low profile, helps with cpu cooler clearance

https://www.amazon.com/HyperX-3200MH.../dp/B083Q311VD

solid gpu with 3 DP and 1 HDMI 2.0, all you need for 4k display outs

https://www.amazon.com/MSI-580-Cross...481534&sr=8-10

ssd(s), these PCI-E 4x do help with time to open large files

https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-970-E...9482580&sr=8-1

solid psu

https://www.newegg.com/antec-high-cu...9SIA4S881Y7531

nice big case

https://www.newegg.com/black-cougar-...82E16811553053

cooler

https://www.newegg.com/arctic-coolin...quicklink=true

Sick thanks I'll take a look

these are more of a guide line for specs, I didn't check options and prices in other places. can def shave a few $ here and there, but won't make a huge difference in the grand scheme. still worth looking, a few hundred $ is not to be snubbed at.

you may want to go for an AIO cooler instead, I feel it's just trickier to install and more expensive for no real performance gain. they don't last as long either, pump breaks down at some point, while the air coolers just have a couple of fans you can buy and change yourself. if you get a big 360mm one, it needs to sit in the front of the case, if it's a smaller 240 or 280, up top.

case is up to your liking, but get a nice large full ATX one, need the space for cooling. mesh front panel so it can draw air in, a lot of modern cases are closed up hot boxes. Gamers Nexus on youtube is a great resource for cases.

psu up for debate as well, seasonic, antec and the expensive evga/corsair are among the ones considered good. can get away with 700w but if you go for a bit higher rater wattage, they'l run quieter. johhnyguru.com was THE place to look for psu reviews but I don't think he keeps it updated anymore.

there are cheaper nvme ssds, but not by much, basically Samsung 970 evo, Adata SX8200 pro, WD Black SN750 are solid choices, at least for putting your os on it. For mass storage there are cheaper nvme or sata options. Here's the guide https://www.reddit.com/user/NewMaxx/...ing_guide_wip/

for gpu you can get cheaper old Quadro cards with 4 display ports but why bother for a build like this. not sure how low you can find these second hand.

for ram I've built quite some systems over time and I've never seen one to not take Corsair Vengeance ram, Hyper X is among the popular choices as well for compatibility, possible to save a significant amount with ram but I suggest you look for at least quad channel rated kits ( 4 x 32gb) and then get 2 of those.

haven't found much research done for TRX40 boards, since these are both recent and not a lot of ppl have a need for / can afford a TR 3rd gen. prob don't go for the absolute cheapest, these pretty much always have inferior power delivery and cooling on VRMs. mid level should be fine, the super expensive ones are for enthusiasts and show offs.

For a mission critical cutting edge machine like this, you really should get someone who can provide tech support to build it for you. This is not, and should not, be a DIY project.

Cutting edge hardware that has relatively small markets always have some idiosyncrasies and quirks that can be very difficult to resolve on your own.

When you’re pushing extreme hardware like this, you really should talk to your software vendor about whether you can get the expected performance scaling. I have spent obscene amounts of money on hardware to brute force simulations only to find software packages lack the code to utilize the hardware. In one case, I had to pay (a lot) extra to get the code turned on to utilize the additional hardware.

Again, you shouldn’t treat this as a DIY hobbyist project. When you’re dealing with hardware like this, especially with a niche software package, you absolutely have to do your due diligence and let professionals take over whenever it’s appropriate. The rig you are trying to build is not main stream hardware where most issues have been discussed on some forum somewhere with a lot of support from parts manufacturers. When something goes wrong with a machine like this, you’re expected to fix it on your own, unless you got a system integrators to build and provide technical support.

I cannot emphasize this enough. Don’t spend 10k on a hobby (pc building) you don’t intend to pick up.

but TR is a consumer product and building a modern tower pc is no harder than legos these days
solvers are not niche software that requires special drivers, you're thinking CAD work
getting this pre-built comes with a ridiculous mark up and completely unjustified given that to an experienced pc builder this is a 4-5h job at most and it might take a beginner double that but really there's not much to mess up, everything is labeled and keyed, got tons of instructions and guides online, it's all common sense nowadays

I understand the sentiment.

I admit I really don't know much about this topic

I will not purchase this until I am very comfortable that I know how to put all the pieces together, even if that takes a year of learning the ins and outs of the process.

We're not born endowed with the knowledge of PC hardware and how to put them together--so if other's can learn it, surely I can to some extent, right? Am I really that far out of my element here?

You could pay someone $100 to build/assemble it for you in an hour. At least consider it for when you're seating the processor.

Putting the machine together is the easy part. Supporting it is a whole different beast. Even if everything works after you put the rig together, software (including Windows and whatever you're planning to use) updates can break performance in unexpected ways. Make no mistake, in all likelihood, something will break or underperform at some point over the life of your machine.

There are very significant hassles associated with running cutting edge hardware, especially for niche software, that you need a life time of experience and training to adequately resolve.

I'm a PC enthusiast myself. Under my desk sits a PC with a 1080ti, 3900x, 32gb ram and another PC with 9700k&2060 super. On my desk, there is an EGPU with 1070ti that I use a one cable docking station. I sink piles of money into what people euphemistically call "enthusiast" hardware.

But when I needed cutting edge PCs, like the one you want to build, for actual work and money making activities, I ponied up and got support. It saved me a lot of time AND money.

what support do you imagine you'l need?
back up your data and turn off windows updates if you don't want them

Here is a quick list of issues that I've dealt with even if I never updated anything. I have owned literally hundreds of workstations/servers for work, business, and personal use. It by the way is terrible practice to never update your windows.

1. Unexpected loss of performance due to ECC sticks literally wearing down due to nearly constant writing and rewriting during sims (R, postgreSQL, and some Excel mostly). This is something that would happen with poker sims.
2. A power cable that burned out, but not completely, causing random crashes.
3. Terrible network performance that was eventually diagnosed as caused by the USB port shielding/capacitor or whatever was worn and causing interference.

These are just issues off the top of my head that an experienced tech onsite (we shipped it in sometimes) from the PC manufacturer identified relatively quickly. I am not even talking about all the times when the OEM is just like "We don't know what's going on. We'll just send you a new one."

There are two things you really have to understand with cutting edge machines you rely on to make money:
1. they have more issues that are not widely documented, due to having a smaller user base and due to the hardware is often pushing against limits (hardware and software) that are non-issues for typical "enthusiast" grade machines
2. although 1. is still rare, rarer still for relatively mature platforms, all those low probability events add up to make it very probable you'll end up with annoyances that will cost you money, annoyances you can't solve on your own without time, money, and effort. Time, money, and effort that you could spend on doing something else.

You know, like making money. Making money to build a gaming PC if you must.

I've been thinking on a reply here for awhile. TLDR version is that my opinions on this are mostly between ionutd and grizy.

This is a project that you could learn to do and make happen for yourself. If you're interested in learning how to build, configure, tune systems, this is diving into the deep end but there's definitely a rewarding feeling firing up your own build.

On the other hand, this is a machine for business use. Getting a system from an OEM or a quality whitebox system builder is a good option as well. With whitebox builders, I'd be careful to go with one that is fairly specialized in workstation builds so that the support you're paying for is competent and able to help you resolve issues.

I'd suggest pricing out both options and then make a decision based on your wants and needs (learning to build/configure vs. wanting central point of warranty and support). If you build your own, each part will have the warranty provided by the manufacturer of that specific part and you'll have to manage any returns and replacements.

Regarding my earlier questions, scoping out the parameters of a project helps shape answers and advice to better meet your goals. Adding 1 new question.
What storage needs do you have for this system? I'm not familiar with how much storage a completed tree requires and if these are retained long term.

1) I thought running solvers was the most likely workload, based on your undertitle but wanted to avoid jumping to conclusions. If you were building a video editing workstation to produce content, your CPU and RAM choices would still make sense, but recommendations for surrounding hardware would change to focus more on storage speed and capacity.

2) It sounds like you want a standard desktop/workstation case. If you were going to be stashing your build in a garage or closet, a rackmount case might make more sense.
Example rack mount chassis: https://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-RSV-...9825226&sr=8-1
Compact rack:https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-...s%2C213&sr=8-3
Full sized rack: https://i.stack.imgur.com/P297u.jpg

3) Placing in your home office is reasonable, will shape case/cooling recommendations towards quieter options. A system like this will put out a lot of heat, especially while under full load solving. Try to leave open space behind any exhaust fans and in front of any intakes. With workstation and server type systems, some people place them in a vented closet or garage to remove the noise and heat from their workspace and then remote into them.

4) If standard 1Gb ethernet is enough then no special planning is needed. It is not unusual for hardware of this class to be connected to 10Gb ethernet or faster, this can be found built into some motherboards or added in with a PCIe card. It sounds like 1Gb ethernet should suit your needs just fine.

Not directly on topic but some of the analysis applies. Instead of Intel, say respected system integrator. Instead of AMD, say DIY PCs.



Linus is about the last person on earth that should be reluctant to deal edge case issues. Even he still is reluctant to buy AMD because of edge case issues when it comes to machines that make money for him.

So I've decided this is too big of a project to undertake--for now.

I do need a new machine though, so I am going to custom build a cheap one to knock around.

Then perhaps a year from now, after having a yr of experience working with a custom machine (and having gone through the build process once), I will reconsider.

Appreciate the responses! Very helpful.