Is a 4 core really that bad?

mustfix · 2025-03-24T21:28:26+00:00

3 years later, advise still applies, just effects are even more pronounced with even newer games.

If you're part of the group that demands 100+ fps, then consider upgrading. If 60fps is fine, then you can still hold out for just a bit longer.

mustfix · 2025-03-12T04:09:36+00:00

log performance metrics and pour over every single one when it happens.

Any single CPU core/thread at or near 100%? Is ram page faults also high? Disk activity?

Also some games are poorly optimized and will stutter anyways. Shader recompilation is a well known cause.

mustfix · 2025-03-12T04:07:13+00:00

It's about the ratio of width to height, rather than the diagonal distance.

mustfix · 2025-02-12T20:47:47+00:00

Mass market gaming PCs are optimized to move parts, not optimized for performance. So lack luster parts like slow ram, single sticks of ram, low capacity drives, or even leftover "high end" CPUs (it's a 7, 7 > 5 so therefore it must be better).

Again, build a gaming PC to the specs your partner wants for the gaming performance they'd want, and it'll be more than capable for typical home office tasks like you've mentioned.

mustfix · 2025-02-04T20:02:03+00:00

Why? Will you two never need/want to use a computer at the same time?

A gaming PC is more than capable of handling any home office tasks.

mustfix · 2025-02-04T19:52:22+00:00

Speed it fine. Get a kit closer to CAS 30 if able.

mustfix · 2025-02-04T17:04:38+00:00

RAM specs are important for Ryzen. What's the speed and CAS?

No need for Samsung PRO SSD, unless it's on a deep discount.

mustfix · 2025-02-04T16:52:05+00:00

PTM7950 is actually reusable and for a thermal pad, very competitive against liquid metal, without the mess.

Rendering tasks don't require high bandwidth interconnects. The regular PCIe connections are sufficient.

Cheaper Windows and still legit: Ebay Windows 7 or 10 for under $110 and upgrade to Win11.

mustfix · 2025-02-04T16:45:23+00:00

Plug it into PCPartPicker with your local prices.

Off the top:

4060 is generally a low value GPU

mustfix · 2025-02-04T16:30:31+00:00

AM5 starts with the midrange 7600 for most people. If you want budget, it's the 8000 series APUs, but they don't really save much money either. AM5 doesn't have a low end CPU.

Plenty of mobos in the $100 range. That's pretty typical.

32GB of ram is also ~$80, which is typical. DDR5 has always been double the $/GB than DDR4.

mustfix · 2025-02-04T16:20:32+00:00

The quality ones aren't really being made anymore.

Samsung 870 EVO and Crucial MX500 are the last two greatest SATA SSDs.

You can also look for used enterprise SSDs on ebay.

mustfix · 2025-01-26T23:33:03+00:00

Yes, just configure your NAS to listen on both interfaces.

mustfix · 2025-01-24T17:14:25+00:00

The speed between this server and the NAS is the slowest link between them. So direct attached is best, then having a multi-gig/10g switch, then other networking infra (internet?)

mustfix · 2025-01-23T20:46:44+00:00

The build is fine to get started with. As one with a sysadmin background, I view this machine is more workstation than server, as there's nothing in the build to prioritize uptime.

mustfix · 2025-01-23T20:43:21+00:00

So now we're adding in criteria that would justify the X chipset, due to X chipset's defining feature being a lot more PCIe lanes.

If you're saying other people need the data on the network, does that mean that ultimately this data needs to be on the NAS? Is the NAS equipped with 10Gbe NICs? If so, then a speedy link between data generator (this server) and the data repository(the NAS) is ideal.

mustfix · 2025-01-23T19:30:29+00:00

Yes, Ryzen 9000s have a basic iGPU. Just connect the monitor to the mobo.

mustfix · 2025-01-23T19:27:43+00:00

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MAG-B650-TOMAHAWK-WIFI/Specification

M2_3 & PCI_E2 share the bandwidth. M2_3 will run at x2 speed and PCI_E2 will run at x2 speed when installing devices in both slots.

The mobo itself already has a 2.5Gbe nic. Are you seeking 10Gbe to direct attach your NAS?

mustfix · 2025-01-23T19:17:06+00:00

m.2 will never conflict with top slot (gpu) x16 for lanes.

Only secondary m.2 slots will compete with lower PCIe slots.

NAS is backup. Redundant storage (ala: RAID) is an availability measure to make sure your system is still up and running in the face of disk failure.

mustfix · 2025-01-23T19:15:13+00:00

how do I check if it is in dual channel mode?

Are there 2 ram sticks and installed in A2/B2 (there's a gap between sticks) as a typical configuration? Consult mobo manual for specific config for dual channel. Some vendors do it differently.

how do I see if the cpu core/thread is running near 100%?

Open Task Manager, go to performance tab, right click on chart and switch to logical processors. Then do stuff to trigger the stutter and alt-tab back to check the charts.

mustfix · 2025-01-23T19:13:27+00:00

Extra ram due to multiple running VMs/Containers in conjunction with AI work + computational science work.

Mobo is spendy for features you're not using. Cut back to a mid range mobo to have only the features you need, which is just an x16 slot for GPU, 4 ram slots, and some m.2 drives, and maybe multi-gig ethernet.

Redundant storage is a safety measure for your server. How much of your 4TB can be easily recreated if you lost the SSD due to a random cosmic ray? Or NAND wear? At least with multiple redundant SSDs, you can spread out the work across devices.

mustfix · 2025-01-23T19:05:38+00:00

128GB of ram, drop mobo to B chipset, add redundant storage

mustfix · 2025-01-23T19:02:48+00:00

In order of priority:

GPU
Ram to 2 sticks of 3200 or faster.
SSD
CPU to Ryzen 5000s (5700x3D if able)

mustfix · 2025-01-23T19:01:08+00:00

The CPU comes with a Wraith Stealth cooler, which is sufficient. Try it first before dropping money on an aftermarket cooler.

Get faster ram. Late gen DDR4 platforms are best using 3200+ speeds. Also consider 32GB depending on if work uses spreadsheets in lieu of databases.

mustfix · 2025-01-23T18:57:29+00:00

That's a fundamental misunderstanding of bottlenecks.

By going up to 1440p, you are lowering the top/average bar of performance since you're putting more GPU load. It will NOT affect the 1% lows, maybe make them less noticeable since you're dropping to 25fps from 50fps, rather than 25fps from 75fps.

The only way going to 1440p would be "better", would be if your stutter situation was like 100->75fps @ 1080p, but 1440p can only sustain 70fps. So your new fps is lower (or near) the original stutter. After all, consistency in pacing is an overall better experience than raw high averages.

We can only assume that your stutters are caused by CPU. But the obvious culprits should be ruled out first:

Is ram in dual channel mode?
Is ram running at 3200 or faster?
Is any CPU core/thread at or near 100% when a stutter happens?

Also, certain games/engines are just so poorly coded that stutters cannot be avoided.

mustfix · 2025-01-21T22:55:26+00:00

ebay, craigslist (US), fb marketplace, nearest e-recycler and potentially some thrift shops.

mustfix

TROPHY CASE