Previously, I discussed some of the reasons I was updating my computer, and what my goals for the rebuild would be - a smaller, quieter, more efficient, more powerful workstation.

There are many different ways to get to that goal. Here, I am going to talk through how I determined what path to take.

Processor

This is probably the biggest determinate for the rest of the system, as it will dictate some of the other components.

1. I could just update the CPUs in my old system. The motherboard will accept v2 Xeon processors, which would net me some extra performance and efficiency. Unfortunately, I would still be stuck with the size and noise.

2. There are several more modern CPUs offered by Intel which would also give me more performance and efficiency. Since they all would require a new motherboard, I could look for one in a smaller form-factor as well. However, with most of the consumer-level CPUs, I would have to give up a lot of cores. Since I routinely hammer a ton of cores, I didn’t want to go much below 10 core/20 threads. This limits me to the i7 and i9’s, the cheapest of which is around $450 for a relatively 10c/20t part. Additionally, these CPUS require more expensive motherboards which are also at the end of their development life. This would increase my costs further and reduce my upgrade options later.

3. AMD Ryzen processors - these seemed like the natural fit for me early on. They have lots of threads, and routinely represent a good value. The AM4 socket has been around for a while, but will support at least another generation of processors. For $400, I can get a 12c/24t CPU which is compatible with many motherboards and has an upgrade path. The big question if I go this path is should I wait for the updated processors (Zen 3) or go with an older generation.

In the end, I decided I could not justify the price premium for the latest Ryzen CPUs, but that the last gen were still plenty for my uses. I settled on the 3900X for $400, which benchmarks confirmed more than doubled the performance of the Xeons.

Motherboard

The choice of CPU narrowed this significantly. The socket for the Ryzen CPUs is AM4, of which there were a wide variety available. The biggest choice here was to buy last gen as well, or if I should get the latest gen. The major advantage of the latest gen motherboards I would not be using (PCI 4.0) immediately, but it does give me a better upgrade path. As the motherboard is one of the most difficult pieces of a computer to swap out quickly, I opted for a mid-tier B550 motherboard.

RAM

For my work, I routinely will use 16GB of RAM, so for future proofing I went with 32GB. I picked up a mid-tier set without the RGB bells and whistles.

PSU

I was able to use the power supply from the previous workstation - one of the benefits of buying a high quality unit before.

Case

When picking up the CPU, I found a returned case on clearance which was roughly 1/2 the size of the old one. It was also $40, so an easy buy.

SSDs

I used the ones from my previous workstation here as well. They are SATA, so quite a bit slower than the latest gen, but I figure these are easy upgrades down the line.

Building the computer

I was going to do a whole write up on this, but it turns out there are lots of people who cover this really well and I would not be able to do any better than them. Go watch Linus do it.

Now what?

Sorry this is short, but… to be honest, I got bored writing this. A friend requested info, so I am putting this up here for them, but…

I have built every desktop computer I have owned since 2002, as well as several friend’s. At the end of the day, each build is a unique situation, and takes balancing a lot of factors, e.g. budget, use, goals, upgrade path, etc. A simple article about how I did it this time is probably not too helpful to anyone unless you find yourself in the same situation as me.