New vs Used hardware

Computer Hardware & Server Infrastructure Builds
1

Hi everyone

Im looking at upgrading my old desktop. My budget would be 700 usd approx.

New build spec is an amd ryzen processor
16gb ram
B450 motherboard
480gb ssd boot and 3x 4tb drives for storage
Already have a case and psu.

Then I found an ad online where a local guy is selling a Lenovo thinkstation D30

Dual xeon processors 12 cores each 24 threads each
128gb ram
512gb boot ssd
3x 2tb data drives
Nvidia gtx1070 graphics card
All for 700usd.

My question is would i get better performace on the older thinkstation pc vs a new build ryzen??
Thinkstation is approx 7-8 yrs old with a clean build of Win10 Pro.

Mainly want it for running vms and some video/photo editing. Not really into gaming.

Any advice would be great

J.

2

What Ryzen processor are you looking at, and what exact Xeon is in the other system?

In general terms, you need to figure out what benefits the specific programs you use. How many cores can they use, do they benefit more from a higher clock, how much RAM can they address, is RAM speed important?

3

Hi should have been more specific

The amd build is a 6 core ryzen 2600 with 16gb ddr4 ram

The thinkstation is dual xeon es2696 v2 2500mhz 12 core processors. It has 128gb ddr3 ram

Im leaning more towards the thinkstation to run some vm.s for a test lab for my microsoft mcp certfictaion.

On paper it looks a beast of a machine but is it a bit dated vs a new buld?

4

If you’re going to do general compute and VMs the thinkstation will be great!. That is a beast of a machine! In my mind, the Xeon v2s are the best price to performance you can find right now.

5

Went to look at the 128gb thinkstation and it was sold…

However seller has another thinkstation d30 with dual xeons 1.8ghz 8 core processors. 64gb ram. 512gb boot ssd. Gtx1070 gpu and 3x 2tb drives.

All for 500 usd. Would this be a good alternative? Or would I be better investing in a new ryzen rig…

Thnks for any advice

6

If it’s a Xeon v2 I probably would. I personally don’t see the point of going with anything older than that. 1.8ghz is a pretty low clock though. What’s the exact processor model?

I tend to look at the PassMark CPU score when getting a general idea of where CPUs stack up against each other. They do have dual socket scores at the bottom of the chart.

7

What use do you have for your desktop?
(beside VMs for a home lab)

8

As well as vm’s some light video editing. I transfer alot of footage from old vhs tapes and output them into what ever format they want.

Might get back into sim games as it comes with an 8gb gtx1070.

Am i right in saying the pcie 3.0 slot transfers data at 1000mb/sec so i can put in a usb 3.1 gen2 adapter so i can input/output large files to external drives at a decent rate?

TIA

9

It looks like usb 3.1 gen2 pcie cards are x4. So as long as you have a slot available you should be good to go.

10

How much do you care about power efficiency and noise? Those xeon v2’s will do a lot of compute but probably use several times more electric power than a ryzen2. They’ll also have loud fans for dissipating all the heat.

11

So i bit the bullet and went for the thinkstation. It came with dual 8 core 1.8ghz xeons, 64gb ecc ram, 512gb boot ssd, 120g ssd for swap file. 3x 3tb drives for storage. 8gb gtx 1070 from strix. 1100w gold rated psu.

Seller also thru in a 8 port sas/sata controller and a usb 3.1 gen2 card.

Total cost was 450 euro or 500usd .

Machine can take 4 more drives as well as spare onboard msata. Lots of slots for extra ram.

Have to say im well impressed with what it can handle running multiple vms in a home lab.

It came with stock cpu coolers and fans dont notice much noise vs my desktop. Its a big and heavy chassis though.

So my advise dont be afraid to jump into the used market there is plenty of value to be had if you shop around.

J.

2 Likes