Build Choices

[X-Wing]

Hey all,

I am in the process of upgrading my system, which, among other necessary components, has a Corsair CX450M 2015 Model 450 Watt PSU. I need a little more juice than that, as I plan to introduce a second graphics card, a GTX 750Ti I replaced with my 1660Ti in March, and also got my first job, so I will be upgrading my CPU soon. A few questions:

1. Is Zen 2/Ryzen 3000 any better than Intel's 9th Gen 9xxx processors? If so, by how much?
2. What PSUs do you recommend for software monitoring and being fully modular, and which are the most reliable?
3. Given the future system spec of a Core i7-9700K, one future 60 or 70 series Nvidia graphics card, a 1660Ti XC Gaming, a 750Ti, 32GB of DDR4-3000MHz RAM, two HDDs and an M.2 SSD, what wattage range should I be considering to make that config possible, well within the power draw limits of the PSU?

Note: I need advice on the long-term reliability and stability of the components given the requirements of running FAH all night (8-12 hours), for about 15-20 days out of the month. I plan on overclocking the CPU and the graphics cards if possible, as well as using XMP. I like to push my system .

Thanks in advance for your input!

[JimboPalmer]

I know the answers to almost nothing you asked, but i have some observations.

1) all the big points is in GPUs, design your system to run many GPUs as you can afford to make the most points.

GPUs need one thread per GPU, and as many PCIE lanes as possible. (ideally 16 per GPU) Buy your motherboard and CPUs to meet that and then fold with however many 'left over' cores you have.

2) The Quick Return Bonus strongly rewards 24/7 folding. If you want points a quiet system that allows 24/7 operation may yeild more points than a more powerfully system run 12/5.

3) F@H is almost entirely Processor bound, faster SSDs, RAM, etc. have little to no effect on folding. Tuning the Processor, and in the case of GPUs the PCIE bus, will yield results. Everything else can be tuned for low heat.

[kiore]

Really buy for what you are going to use and fold it as well.
1) Ryzen 3 3700x will be cheaper and cooler than i9 both have plenty of threads, and should be relatively future proof.
2) Really worth while getting good quality psu with plenty of extra 'leg room' and connections.
3) Ryzen rig probably lower tdp but it is your gpus that will dictate the PSU size assume if you plan 2 cards that you can have 2 power connectors each just in case you upgrade the gpus.

Running multiple gpus even the low power ones you mention is complex with power draw and cost as well as complex heat wise, good luck.

[Green]

i knoe you all constantly say ram and hard drives have no effect... But since the new hard drives a 3200 gbps m.2 sata instead of 6 gbps regular ssd sata, I actually got about a 100,000 points increase pairing it with 80$ ballistix 3200 mhz ram instead of my 2600. Ram has been a classic way to upgrade your computer speed since the days of pentium 1. I know these arent the cheapest upgrades when it compares to graphics cards, but if you use your computer for youtube, it will save those resources. Also it will make a much better gaming pc in general without breaking the bank. Ram is crucial to a computers operations, and if you remember those hard drive speeds, I use my computer so...

[X-Wing]

If given the choice between EVGA and Corsair PSU's, which are generally more reliable, safer, etc?

[kiore]

If given the choice between EVGA and Corsair PSU's, which are generally more reliable, safer, etc?

I have used both and both are premium PSUs particularly so in the higher rating models so chose the better price. As you are thinking of a multi gpu rig look for one that has the possibility of 2 pcie cables per gpu. A gold rated 750w model should drive most stuff you are likely to use folding.

[X-Wing]

Thanks!

[MeeLee]

1- Intel CPUs are more efficient for GPU folding (which is what you'll want to do).
And CPUs are currently better with CPU folding, however even the best and CPU is slower than a GTX 1060, and consumes about twice the power at full load.

2- I have found Corsair to be better. Out of the 20 different GPUs and PSUs I've owned, EVGA is good stuff, but breaks easily. I've had to return 5 EVGA items in warranty. Their PSUs are significantly weak when pairing dual PSUs in a system, something I later learned shouldn't be done.
Anyway, the right PSU for Long term folding is a gold rated PSU. But they're often 2 to 3x as expensive as the bronze 80+ PSUs, which are excellent as well.

You will want to look up all watt ratings of each card, and add them up. Also add about 120Watt for your motherboard/CPU combination.
That's the wattage you really need. Most cheapest modular PSUs start from about 750W. For 4 GPUs (the maximum on most motherboards), I recommended a 1000W PSU.
If you're running 3 GPUs, usually a 750W PSU works fine.

When overclocking the GPUs, usually you will want to draw a lower power consumption per card, not higher, simply because the cards will run cooler, and cost you less on electricity.

So if all 3 cards +Mobo and CPU added are rated at 700-750W, a 750W PSU is what you need.

During folding usually 80-90% of a GPU is used.
The GTX 1660 you can further reduce power consumption by 25-35Watts.
You will want to run a PSU at 50-75% load continuously, simply because that's their efficiency peak. They can handle 100-110% load in some cases, however it won't run very efficient at that, and certainly not recommended for the long term.

3- your system isn't optimized for folding. A core i7 is Overkill for GPU folding. However, if you're using it as a gaming PC, or for other than folding purposes, I'd say a 750W sounds ok. Also, I would strongly suggest to use fewer, newer GPUs than more older.
A single RTX 2080 gets you about the same PPD as 3x GTX 1660, or 6-10x 70 series GPUs, and consumes considerably less power.

For folding, you probably will want to use GPU only. But you could fold with CPU as well. Just know that the core i7 Will net about 60-100k PPD, and the 1660 will do about 600-700.

[Paragon]

I have had great luck with Seasonic power supplies in all of my folding builds (5 so far). I've used everything from a 380 watt S2 to a 1200 watt titanium unit (powering dual 980 TIs, drawing 700 watts from the wall). If you're serious about running folding 24/7, getting something that is 80+ gold or better will save you money in the long run.

https://greenfoldingathome.com/category/power-supplies/

[YakForger]

+1 on the Corsair PSU's, it's what I've been running for some time now and it's been entirely successful for GPU folding as well as for other uses of the computer (games, mostly).

[X-Wing]

Ended up going with the EVGA PSU, as the Corsair one didn't come back to market within my time frame. Thanks everyone for your input, it's been helpful!

[YakForger]

You're welcome! (well, even if I'm not the one with the most useful contribution...). So, how is that PSU treating you so far?

[X-Wing]

It's working great! I haven't had any problems with it, and I'm running all of my hardware at full blast, so far there don't seem to be any issues. Only small complaint is that when the fan ramps up it gets loud, but it usually settles into a reasonable volume. Hopefully I'll get a new case soon, and that will really help with airflow. Next project: repasting my CPU and GPU on my ROG Laptop.

[MeeLee]

PSU fans usually are noiseless until 75-85% load.
How many GPUs are you running?

[X-Wing]

A GTX 1660Ti, and a 750ti. But my PSU kicks the fan on early, around 25%, and it starts at a much higher RPM, and then slows down.