[RndTbl] new ECC computer options

Trevor Cordes trevor at tecnopolis.ca
Sat Jan 28 00:46:42 CST 2017


I'm looking for input from anyone in the club who may be knowledgable, 
eyeballing, or has purchased a "workstation" system recently with ECC 
memory.  (Note, ECC is imperative!)  I don't need dual-socket, crazy 
speed, just something like a mid-range modern i7 with modern RAM, slots, 
etc.  (i3 speeds won't cut it.)

By "workstation" I mean it has to have at least one PCIe x16 (full 16 
electrical) slot so it can have a good video card installed (and handle 
upgrades in the future).  So some "servers" will qualify, although most do 
not have a true x16 slot (they'll say x16 but the small print will say x8 
or x4 electrical), especially on the low end.  I also need tower form 
factor, as rackmount will (unless 4U) be a pain to fit cards in, etc.  
Lastly, I really want a DIY setup where I buy the board, cpu, etc 
individually, though if a perfect premade system (i.e. Lenovo) exists that 
fits the bill I might consider it (must use no propreitary form factor 
parts, including mobo & PS).

It's basically impossible since the discontinuation of the Intel 
D975 chipsets (nearly 10 years ago) to do Intel with ECC without buying a 
Xeon CPU.  So I'm probably stuck buying a Xeon CPU and getting slower than 
i7 for double the price.  Ugh.

I'd really love to hear from the AMD nuts out there if there are any good 
AMD options, especially ones that are more enthusiast/desktop oriented 
rather than same-price-as-Xeon competitors.  If I'm going to spend big 
bucks, I'll buy Intel: AMD needs to offer a compelling price advantage to 
pull me over.

I still believe AMD could carve a niche for itself by offering desktop 
enthusiast chips / mobos with ECC at desktop, rather than server, prices.  
Maybe add $50 each to a mobo and cpu as the price premium.  Not the 100% 
premium Intel wants just to get ECC.  (I miss the old days when getting 
ECC was cheap/easy.)  If AMD already has such a thing (I'm hoping!), 
great!

I know I'm not the only one in the club interested in these answers.  P.S. 
being a computer reseller, I don't need prices or store suggestions, I can 
just buy it all wholesale :-)  It's the "this chipset plus that CPU" that 
I'm really looking for.

Thanks!


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