20 core xeon PSU

[TheThirdMan]

Hey guys,

I'm looking for a PSU for a dual Xeon 2680 v2 (10c 2.8ghz, 115w TDP) build. There'll also be two non-SLI'd nvidia 770s. At any time, either both graphics cards will be rendering (With Vray RT renderer) or both CPUs will be rendering (100% usage with vray). It will never be using both the graphics cards and CPUs at 100% at the same time.

I've used the eXtreme Power Supply Calculator and it gives me 850w PSU required, with 90% system power usage. It notes, however, that the total amperage on the 12v rail is more important consideration. The PSU I've shortlisted is the EVGA 1000w supernova G2, which has 83 amps on the 12v rail. This PSU includes two EPS connectors, but I was wondering if it would be ok to use on this build, considering the power hungry CPUs and that they'll be at 100% usage for a couple of months at a time.

Thanks for your time!

 

[Puffnstuff]

I'd go over to the evga forums and read up on the supernova series before I installed it into anything. IMHO I'd never run a system that close to the edge using an 850w ps. Amazon has a 1kw enermax for $229 that you might consider.

 

[TheThirdMan]

I'd go over to the evga forums and read up on the supernova series before I installed it into anything. IMHO I'd never run a system that close to the edge using an 850w ps. Amazon has a 1kw enermax for $229 that you might consider.

Thanks for the reply! I'm in the UK but I'll have a look around for the 1k enermax. Also, the EVGA psu is a 1000w version, not an 850w!

 

[lehtv]

The EVGA 1000 G2 is a great unit, one of the 1kW units for the price

 

[zir_blazer]

What Motherboard will you be using? Does it have any special need like two EPS12V connectors?

 

[TheThirdMan]

What Motherboard will you be using? Does it have any special need like two EPS12V connectors?

Asus Z9pe-d8. Needs two EPS and a molex in addition to the 24 pin motherboard power connector. The EVGA PSU does come with two EPS connectors, I'm just not sure if it could power the two CPUs at 100% for extended periods. I know it has 83 amps on the 12v rail, but I don't know how that relates to the CPU power requirements.

 

[zir_blazer]

Each Xeon (115W TDP) would consume around 9.6A each on the 12V rail (115W / 12V), and the GeForce GTX 770 (230W TDP) around 19.2A each. So basically, you're wanting at the bare minimum 700W/58.3A on the 12V rail just for the four big components, and some extra for anything else that relies on 12V (HDs mostly).
Remember than that value is based on TDP, which is supposed to be a "typical usage scenario" and not the absolute maximum or worst case scenario even under sustained load, so maybe you want a bit more. 850-900W just on the 12V rail is a realistic number.

I suppose that if you said that only you will have either the Xeons or the 770s in Full Load you could get away with a smaller Power Supply for as long as you don't stress everything simultaneously, in that case, if the Power Supply is good and all the protections are working properly, it should shut down due overloading with no component damage. But considering how much you're spending on the other components, not going for an oversized Power Supply just to be on the safe side doesn't looks like a good idea.

Also, you may want to look for a better Motherboard. Not sure on that model, but ASUS Dual Processor Motherboards from the Workstation line isn't seen on good light because on some previous generations they released at least two models with major issues (One was Z7S WS), so some people are avoiding the brand. You may want to check Supermicro Motherboards, too.

 

[TheThirdMan]

Each Xeon (115W TDP) would consume around 9.6A each on the 12V rail (115W / 12V), and the GeForce GTX 770 (230W TDP) around 19.2A each. So basically, you're wanting at the bare minimum 700W/58.3A on the 12V rail just for the four big components, and some extra for anything else that relies on 12V (HDs mostly).
Remember than that value is based on TDP, which is supposed to be a "typical usage scenario" and not the absolute maximum or worst case scenario even under sustained load, so maybe you want a bit more. 850-900W just on the 12V rail is a realistic number.

I suppose that if you said that only you will have either the Xeons or the 770s in Full Load you could get away with a smaller Power Supply for as long as you don't stress everything simultaneously, in that case, if the Power Supply is good and all the protections are working properly, it should shut down due overloading with no component damage. But considering how much you're spending on the other components, not going for an oversized Power Supply just to be on the safe side doesn't looks like a good idea.

Also, you may want to look for a better Motherboard. Not sure on that model, but ASUS Dual Processor Motherboards from the Workstation line isn't seen on good light because on some previous generations they released at least two models with major issues (One was Z7S WS), so some people are avoiding the brand. You may want to check Supermicro Motherboards, too.

Thanks for the reply! I've no issue going for a better PSU- I was also looking at the Corsair AX1200i digital PSU. I have a budget from a freelance project so the money isn't an issue (for me), it's just how i distribute the costs. I was also looking at the NZXT Hale 1200w PSU.

RE the motherboard- I've heard of the poor reputation of Asus' previous workstation motherboards, but it seems supermicro are just as bad. I've had supermicro boards in the past, and am running one now, and they have their fair share of issues too! The main issue with the Z9PE seems to be issues with certain graphics cards, though it also seems that after all the bios revisions these issues have been minimised. Other than that, it seems to be running ES chips on them (which i thought was illegal) which I won't be using anyways.

 

[PhIlLy ChEeSe]

Thanks for the reply! I've no issue going for a better PSU- I was also looking at the Corsair AX1200i digital PSU. I have a budget from a freelance project so the money isn't an issue (for me), it's just how i distribute the costs. I was also looking at the NZXT Hale 1200w PSU.

RE the motherboard- I've heard of the poor reputation of Asus' previous workstation motherboards, but it seems supermicro are just as bad. I've had supermicro boards in the past, and am running one now, and they have their fair share of issues too! The main issue with the Z9PE seems to be issues with certain graphics cards, though it also seems that after all the bios revisions these issues have been minimised. Other than that, it seems to be running ES chips on them (which i thought was illegal) which I won't be using anyways.

Wanted to chime in, no experience with corsair RMA but I have an AX1200. Been driving my RIVE board for a few years,(only on when I'm home) that said though it is costly I would recommend Corsair. I am looking for another higher end, around 1500Wat can't really find one that I like.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I can recommend this board, which I run with dual E5-2620s as one of my home servers:

http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/Xeon/C600/X9DR3-F.cfm

I'm using a Corsair HX850 as my PSU and not had any issues, but you're going to be pushing much more power through your system I believe (I've got 128 GB of RAM so far, eight WD Red drives, 2 SSDs, two server-grade dual NIC cards, and a MegaRAID).

Not sure how the graphic cards would behave with this board, as I am using the embedded graphic card, but the board is sweet and has the onboard remote KVM (IPMI) functionality with is invaluable to me since I run it headless.

 

[TheThirdMan]

Wanted to chime in, no experience with corsair RMA but I have an AX1200. Been driving my RIVE board for a few years,(only on when I'm home) that said though it is costly I would recommend Corsair. I am looking for another higher end, around 1500Wat can't really find one that I like.

Thanks for the reply! I've only heard great things about the ax1200. It's just £100 more than the EVGA, but I'd get the ax1200 for peace of mind if there were concerns about the 1000w EVGA.

I can recommend this board, which I run with dual E5-2620s as one of my home servers:

http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/Xeon/C600/X9DR3-F.cfm

I'm using a Corsair HX850 as my PSU and not had any issues, but you're going to be pushing much more power through your system I believe (I've got 128 GB of RAM so far, eight WD Red drives, 2 SSDs, two server-grade dual NIC cards, and a MegaRAID).

Not sure how the graphic cards would behave with this board, as I am using the embedded graphic card, but the board is sweet and has the onboard remote KVM (IPMI) functionality with is invaluable to me since I run it headless.

Nice setup! I've got the 8 core version of your CPUs at the office and they're a great blend of performance vs power consumption. Rock solid CPUs!

I was looking at the brother of that board, the X9DAi, as a possibility, but that one looks just as good (it has just as many PCI-E x16 slots). The one downside of the Asus is the 8 slots vs 16/32 on most other C602 boards.

Not sure if you're in the US or not, but I'm in the UK and stock on these server parts is pretty rare. The board you have isn't in stock anywhere i can see, whereas the Asus is in stock! Thanks for the advice, i'll put it on my shortlist!

 

[3DVagabond]

The 1000W EVGA is an excellent PSU. It's made by Superflower and is right up there with the very best performing PSU's.

 

[TheThirdMan]

The 1000W EVGA is an excellent PSU. It's made by Superflower and is right up there with the very best performing PSU's.

Didn't know it was made by superflower! They've got pretty good rep with PSUs right?

 

[lehtv]

Concerning their gold and platinum rated units, yes

 

[AMD64Blondie]

If you can still find one of the old 80mm fan version PC Power & Cooling Turbo-Cool 1200W power supplies,that's also an excellent choice.


(Trust me,I own one-I've had it since Jan.2013-still flawless,as well as a Turbo-Cool 510 SLI which has been running flawlessly since June 2006..)

The Turbo-Cool 1200W (80mm fan version) has a single 90A(100A peak) 12V rail..and non-modular cables.
(Which I've personally found more reliable.)

Here's a 2007 Anandtech mini-review of the old-style PC P&C Turbo-Cool 1200W:http://www.anandtech.com/show/2357/2

 

[TheThirdMan]

If you can still find one of the old 80mm fan version PC Power & Cooling Turbo-Cool 1200W power supplies,that's also an excellent choice.


(Trust me,I own one-I've had it since Jan.2013-still flawless,as well as a Turbo-Cool 510 SLI which has been running flawlessly since June 2006..)

The Turbo-Cool 1200W (80mm fan version) has a single 90A(100A peak) 12V rail..and non-modular cables.
(Which I've personally found more reliable.)

Here's a 2007 Anandtech mini-review of the old-style PC P&C Turbo-Cool 1200W:http://www.anandtech.com/show/2357/2

Thanks for the link! I remember Tagan, they were one of my first PSUs, whatever happened to them??

 

[Puffnstuff]

Looks like they're still kicking. http://www.tagan.com.tw/

 

[_Rick_]

Theoretically 750-800W should be plenty, especially if you truly have an either-or use case. But even at an unrealistic maximum draw of all components simultaneously, an 800W PSU will be plenty.

230W CPU power should also be good with an 8P-12V connector, but the board may different requirements which you need to keep an eye out for.

In that class I'd e tempted by the Corsair Professional Series Platinum AX760i 760W ATX 2.31 - it comes with monitoring software and has configurable protection circuits, and goes for the same price as seasonic and enermax units without this feature.

 

[DigDog]

Thanks for the reply! I'm in the UK but I'll have a look around for the 1k enermax. Also, the EVGA psu is a 1000w version, not an 850w!

overclockers.co.uk has the superflower 1300 and the evga 1300. (i have the evga 1000).

either one of these will cost you less, and be better (jonnyguru.com).

 

[TheThirdMan]

overclockers.co.uk has the superflower 1300 and the evga 1300. (i have the evga 1000).

either one of these will cost you less, and be better (jonnyguru.com).

Thanks for the info! I usually get all the parts from one site (scan) because it's easier to get clients to purchase the hardware that way, but I'll add these to the shortlist, thanks!