AMD Ryzen Threadripper - Is Liquid Cooling Neccessary?

[Wildnomad]

Hello,

I have built a work station with a AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X 24 Core CPU. I was wondering if there was anyone who could tell me if a liquid cooling radiator is neccessary for this processor? I'm not a gamer and would be using this system mainly for 3D animation and rendering with Maya,

My options are:

CoolerMaster MasterLiquid ML360 RGB TR4 Liquid Cooler
PCS FrostFlow 200 TR4 Series High Performance CPU Cooler (260 W)

Any opiniuns gratefully accepted.

Kind regards
Mike.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Hello,

I have built a work station with a AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X 24 Core CPU. I was wondering if there was anyone who could tell me if a liquid cooling radiator is neccessary for this processor? I'm not a gamer and would be using this system mainly for 3D animation and rendering with Maya,

My options are:

CoolerMaster MasterLiquid ML360 RGB TR4 Liquid Cooler
PCS FrostFlow 200 TR4 Series High Performance CPU Cooler (260 W)

Any opiniuns gratefully accepted.

Kind regards
Mike.

It's not possible to advise on individual components as they all interrelate.

Can you post the full specs you're considering?

 

[Wildnomad]

It's not possible to advise on individual components as they all interrelate.

Can you post the full specs you're considering?

Hi Spyder,

No problem. This is the spec with the liquid cooling:

Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL 215 GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X 24 Core CPU (3.8GHz - 4.5GHz, 142MB CACHE)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX TRX40-XE GAMING (DDR4, Wi-Fi 6, CrossFireX/SLI) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (8 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
10GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 7000MB/R, 5000MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster MasterLiquid ML360 RGB TR4 High Performance Liquid Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
Webcam
Microsoft LifeCam HD-3000

 

[SpyderTracks]

Hi Spyder,

No problem. This is the spec with the liquid cooling:

Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL 215 GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X 24 Core CPU (3.8GHz - 4.5GHz, 142MB CACHE)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX TRX40-XE GAMING (DDR4, Wi-Fi 6, CrossFireX/SLI) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (8 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
10GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 7000MB/R, 5000MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster MasterLiquid ML360 RGB TR4 High Performance Liquid Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
Webcam
Microsoft LifeCam HD-3000

Cheers for that.

Yes, absolutely 360mm would be certainly recommended for the kind of workflow as it greatly improves available boost clocks under load.

Just as an additional couple of pointers, I would personally up the PSU to 1200W, I know that sounds crazy, but the 3090ti will require it, and next gen PCIe 5 GPU's have higher wattage availability, so there's a possibility that future cards will use even more power. Just for futureproofing, the last thing you want is to have to replace the PSU to fit a higher end card down the line.

Additionally, the drive layout could do with some optimisation:

1/. M2 NVME SSD for OS and programs
2/. M2 NVME SSD for project files
3/. SATA SSD (around 250/500Gb) purely as a cache drive to offset RAM availability, speeds up workflow
4/. 7500rpm HDD for long term storage, you may of course have offline storage for this.

That will generally give best performance for rendering jobs at a fairly minimal cost.

I would absolutely upgrade the case also, you want something quite beefy for this level, case isn't purely aesthetics, those are secondary, primarily it's all about thermal performance.

Just an additional, personally, I would still choose windows 10 over 11, while 11 is certainly great, it still has a few bugs that need addressing. Upgrading is free and simple at a time when it's more established. Personally on any production machine, I'd take 10 currently til 11 is more established.

 

[Scott]

Just one more thing to throw in the mix. I would opt for 4x16GB for now to allow for easy expansion down the line. Filling all the slots with 8GB doesn't leave any breathing room.

Whole heartedly agree with all of the above from @SpyderTracks

 

[Wildnomad]

Cheers for that.

Yes, absolutely 360mm would be certainly recommended for the kind of workflow as it greatly improves available boost clocks under load.

Just as an additional couple of pointers, I would personally up the PSU to 1200W, I know that sounds crazy, but the 3090ti will require it, and next gen PCIe 5 GPU's have higher wattage availability, so there's a possibility that future cards will use even more power. Just for futureproofing, the last thing you want is to have to replace the PSU to fit a higher end card down the line.

Additionally, the drive layout could do with some optimisation:

1/. M2 NVME SSD for OS and programs
2/. M2 NVME SSD for project files
3/. SATA SSD (around 250/500Gb) purely as a cache drive to offset RAM availability, speeds up workflow
4/. 7500rpm HDD for long term storage, you may of course have offline storage for this.

That will generally give best performance for rendering jobs at a fairly minimal cost.

I would absolutely upgrade the case also, you want something quite beefy for this level, case isn't purely aesthetics, those are secondary, primarily it's all about thermal performance.

Just an additional, personally, I would still choose windows 10 over 11, while 11 is certainly great, it still has a few bugs that need addressing. Upgrading is free and simple at a time when it's more established. Personally on any production machine, I'd take 10 currently til 11 is more established.

Hi Spyder,

Thanks for that. All great info!
I'm glad you brought up the case. Which one would you recommend? I'm really not fussed about flashing RGB lights, and personally I'd rather not have them or a glass side, but options are severely limited without them.

I agree with you about Windows 11. That was a mistake. I'd be going for Windows 10 pro.

Thanks again Spyder.

 

[Scott]

Hi Spyder,

Thanks for that. All great info!
I'm glad you brought up the case. Which one would you recommend? I'm really not fussed about flashing RGB lights, and personally I'd rather not have them or a glass side, but options are severely limited without them.

I agree with you about Windows 11. That was a mistake. I'd be going for Windows 10 pro.

Thanks again Spyder.

I wouldn't worry about the Pro option either, unless you have a specific need for it? The Home version has everything that I can think of that you would use from your description.

For the case I would look at something plain like the 5000D airflow.

 

[Wildnomad]

Thanks Spyder!

 

[Wildnomad]

Just one more thing to throw in the mix. I would opt for 4x16GB for now to allow for easy expansion down the line. Filling all the slots with 8GB doesn't leave any breathing room.

Whole heartedly agree with all of the above from @SpyderTracks

I went for the 8GB because they were faster. 8GB is 3600MHz and 16GB is 3200MHz. Is there much of a difference between the two?

 

[Scott]

There's not a lot in it speed wise, nothing that you would ever notice. The software you mention utilises the space of the RAM, not so much the speed. Given the timing of the RAM in question there is even less of a margin.

I would never put all my eggs in one basket.

 

[Wildnomad]

There's not a lot in it speed wise, nothing that you would ever notice. The software you mention utilises the space of the RAM, not so much the speed. Given the timing of the RAM in question there is even less of a margin.

I would never put all my eggs in one basket.

Thanks Scott!

 

[Wildnomad]

Cheers for that.

Yes, absolutely 360mm would be certainly recommended for the kind of workflow as it greatly improves available boost clocks under load.

Just as an additional couple of pointers, I would personally up the PSU to 1200W, I know that sounds crazy, but the 3090ti will require it, and next gen PCIe 5 GPU's have higher wattage availability, so there's a possibility that future cards will use even more power. Just for futureproofing, the last thing you want is to have to replace the PSU to fit a higher end card down the line.

Additionally, the drive layout could do with some optimisation:

1/. M2 NVME SSD for OS and programs
2/. M2 NVME SSD for project files
3/. SATA SSD (around 250/500Gb) purely as a cache drive to offset RAM availability, speeds up workflow
4/. 7500rpm HDD for long term storage, you may of course have offline storage for this.

That will generally give best performance for rendering jobs at a fairly minimal cost.

I would absolutely upgrade the case also, you want something quite beefy for this level, case isn't purely aesthetics, those are secondary, primarily it's all about thermal performance.

Just an additional, personally, I would still choose windows 10 over 11, while 11 is certainly great, it still has a few bugs that need addressing. Upgrading is free and simple at a time when it's more established. Personally on any production machine, I'd take 10 currently til 11 is more established.

Hi Spyder,

Just following up on your recommendation for upgrading the case, In your opinion,, with the case I selected (Lian LI Lancool 215)
do you think the system would run the risk of over heating?

Cheers
Mike.

 

[Scott]

Hi Spyder,

Just following up on your recommendation for upgrading the case, In your opinion,, with the case I selected (Lian LI Lancool 215)
do you think the system would run the risk of over heating?

Cheers
Mike.

It's a very good case, but it's not Threadripper and 3080 combined proof. It's a very small space. It's like putting a VERY large engine into a Mini. It'll go fast, but it'll get hot even quicker.

You want some space in such a build.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Hi Spyder,

Just following up on your recommendation for upgrading the case, In your opinion,, with the case I selected (Lian LI Lancool 215)
do you think the system would run the risk of over heating?

Cheers
Mike.

Hiya, sorry, meant to get back to this yesterday and got sidetracked.

Yes, that's quite a budget case for this level of build, you really need something quite high end for these components.

If RGB isn't important, personally I'd suggest the Fractal Meshify S2, it's really good for airflow. A friend got one for a scientific workload PC and it's just a great case, not just for airflow, but runs pretty quiet, and most importantly, is extremely easy to build in should you wish to upgrade parts.

Or the Crystal 680x if you wanted shiny. That's a great case, although may be a bit limited for the cooler.

 

[Wildnomad]

Hiya, sorry, meant to get back to this yesterday and got sidetracked.

Yes, that's quite a budget case for this level of build, you really need something quite high end for these components.

If RGB isn't important, personally I'd suggest the Fractal Meshify S2, it's really good for airflow. A friend got one for a scientific workload PC and it's just a great case, not just for airflow, but runs pretty quiet, and most importantly, is extremely easy to build in should you wish to upgrade parts.

Or the Crystal 680x if you wanted shiny. That's a great case, although may be a bit limited for the cooler.

Thanks for that Spyder! Looking at the spec for the Fractal, it comes with one rear fan. Do you think that is enough?

Cheers
Mike.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Thanks for that Spyder! Looking at the spec for the Fractal, it comes with one rear fan. Do you think that is enough?

Cheers
Mike.

Yeah, it's really capable, it causes positive pressure in extremes and is very effective with the standard fan layout. Remember, you'll have the 3 extra fans on the cooler radiator extracting through the roof. So basically all the intake air through the front will go through the GPU, and the CPU will extract through the radiator on the roof. It's a really good setup.

That would be a significantly better setup for your components.

 

[Wildnomad]

Yeah, it's really capable, it causes positive pressure in extremes and is very effective with the standard fan layout. Remember, you'll have the 3 extra fans on the cooler radiator extracting through the roof. So basically all the intake air through the front will go through the GPU, and the CPU will extract through the radiator on the roof. It's a really good setup.

That would be a significantly better setup for your components.

Thanks again Spyder. Do you know weather PCS would install the radiator in the front or the top since the case supports both set ups?

Cheers
Mike.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Thanks again Spyder. Do you know weather PCS would install the radiator in the front or the top since the case supports both set ups?

Cheers
Mike.

Normally if there's plenty of space, they'll put it in the top by default.

It's only when there are restriction in the case not supporting the size of the radiator in the top (doesn't apply to this as can support up to 420mm on the top), or if there are other restrictions such as RGB RAM can cause a clearance issue with the radiator in the roof as the RAM itself is quite a bit wider and so hits the radiator. This again is not an issue with your build as you don't have the vengeance pro RAM which is the RGB stuff.

This is a really roomy case, so great for these threadripper builds that require more breathing room.

 

[Wildnomad]

Normally if there's plenty of space, they'll put it in the top by default.

It's only when there are restriction in the case not supporting the size of the radiator in the top (doesn't apply to this as can support up to 420mm on the top), or if there are other restrictions such as RGB RAM can cause a clearance issue with the radiator in the roof as the RAM itself is quite a bit wider and so hits the radiator. This again is not an issue with your build as you don't have the vengeance pro RAM which is the RGB stuff.

This is a really roomy case, so great for these threadripper builds that require more breathing room.

Thanks Spyder.

I am thinking of upgrading the RAM from 8GB Modules to 16GB as per Scott's suggestion. Are they larger than the 8GB and therefore a potential space problem with a top mounted radiator? Also, do you agree that the speed difference (3200MHz vs 3600MHz) is not really noticeable?

Cheers
Mike.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Thanks Spyder.

I am thinking of upgrading the RAM from 8GB Modules to 16GB as per Scott's suggestion. Are they larger than the 8GB and therefore a potential space problem with a top mounted radiator? Also, do you agree that the speed difference (3200MHz vs 3600MHz) is not really noticeable?

Cheers
Mike.

Hiya

RAM sticks of the same model will be the same size physically no matter how large they are.

With the RAM, the timings that PCS stock do mean that the 3600mhz runs very similarly to the 3200mhz.