Hey everyone! I'm looking to build a gaming rig dedicated to running multiple virtual machines, specifically for playing games on around 8 to 12 clients. I already have an RTX 2070 GPU and 64GB of DDR4 RAM that I'll be using. The only CPU I currently have is a Ryzen R7 2700, which struggles to handle more than 4 VMs simultaneously. I know that to manage this load effectively, I need a CPU with a higher core and thread count.
A friend of mine has a Ryzen Threadripper 2920x that he might be selling, but I'm wondering if there are any newer CPUs that would perform better for my needs within a budget of $200-$300. I've kind of lost touch with hardware updates since the pandemic, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance! <3
3 Answers
Consider what games you want to play and how many VMs you'll actually run at once. Also, if your buddy doesn’t have a compatible board for the Threadripper, I'd steer clear since they can be pricey. If you're okay with a little compromise on single-core performance, going for something like a socket 2011-3 setup could be a smart move; you'd gain quad-channel RAM, giving you more bandwidth even if the speeds are lower than consumer CPUs.
Given you have a Ryzen R7 2700, I'm guessing you're using an AM4 motherboard? In that case, looking at the R9 5900X or even the 5950X would let you stick with the same motherboard, which is a plus.
The Threadripper you're considering has 12 cores, which would definitely help. However, if you're looking for something newer, the Ryzen 5900X would be an excellent choice in the same 12-core range and can generally be found within your budget. Just keep in mind that the Ryzen 5950X, while fantastic, might be slightly over your price limit as it comes with 16 cores.
Haha, that’s exactly what I was thinking too!