12 - 40 CPU cores for BeamNG! (Massive market server dump)

I've been hearing and seeing for myself alot of cheap high core Xeon CPUs, the Intel Xeon sector is lighting up. Rumor has it that many server heavy services have been upgraded (Facebook, Instagram, Youtube etc.) and have dumped server hardware for newer upgrades (Nvidia V100 - Nvidia A100) Now there is a flood of this: Links - 12 Core/24 Thread Bare Bones System $165 - 16 core/32 Thread Bare Bones System $475 - 10 Core/20 Thread CPU $378 Dual config for 20 Core/40 Thread (Motherboard for the dual CPU cost about $150 here)

The clock speeds hover around 2.5Ghz - 3Ghz but that should be good enough to run a car in BeamNG

These platforms are older but they can be a blast for BeamNG traffic mode, make you next build a decommissioned Xeon server!

 

now im curious
why are these very high core and thread count CPU's rated at such low GHz? can someone with a bit more technical knowhow explain this? also are they over clockable? im in the market for a new CPU and motherboard

 

I am not sure about overclockability, but the low speed is for longevity, as these usually run non stop. The low speed causes less stress to the cpu overall, and the large core count is used to compensate, I believe

 

usually the high thread count cpus are for server uses and are left on 24/7. A lower frequency would mean lower power draw which saves cost significantly over a long period of time. Also the programs being used on the server benefit more from higher thread count than frequency

but for normal use like everyone here probrably, higher frequency on fewer cores is better. A 16 core opteron with weak per core performance is going to be worse than a 6 core ryzen with higher per core performance in most cases

and yes you can overclock servers but there isn’t much point

 

Buying server stuff in 2020 is retarded when you got Ryzen. So unless you can get a Xeon and board really cheap, don't bother.

 

Yes that is the goal, (Drastically Cheaper than Ryzen upgrade for near Ryzen performance) anything other than that formula and its not worth it. This thread is for more cars in BeamNG, I wouldn't expect someone to go into huge debt just to play more cars on BeamNG... For example: I basically got a slower Ryzen 3900X with 24GB Ram for $99, (Xeon 12 Core / 2GB Ram) a similar Ryzen setup with that amount of Ram would be about ~$600 (Not to be ignored, of course the 3900X is much much faster, but for BeamNG a car running on an otherwise idle 2.6Ghz core should be more than fine)

12 core / 24 Thread - 24GB Ram


12 Core / 24 Thread - 32GB Ram


Add to that, the server platform offers absurd amount of cores for around $600 (48 cores/96 threads) for the average gamer this would be dumb, no game uses that amount of cores. I think BeamNG can scale out 48 vehicles on it without issue but its the only game that can use that type of system to the full any other use and it may be a waste of money

But aside from that crazy setup you can still find relatively cheap setups with 16 core or 32 core for around $300 to $500 memory installed. A Threadripper CPU alone starts at $1249 No Memory or Motherboard



The argument for older server systems gain more traction when talking about BeamNG.Drive. That is the reason I posted here and not to an iRacing or Skyrim forum, they dont care about anything above 8 cores, but we care, we know that BeamNG runs 1 car per core (or possibly 1 car per thread?) a 16 core or 32 core for around $300 to $500 is the reason I posted this here, its useful for BeamNG. Spending that kind of money to play BeamNG with more cars is a stretch yes, better to go for the $99 12 core setup instead of spending $600 to play BeamNG, indeed even if I already had a decent 8 core Ryzen setup I might still spring for an older cheap server setup with lots of cores if it’s practical, to play with more traffic on BeamNG i'd pay

 

yes but then again there is practicality
most people go for consumer-grade hardware because its easier to work with, and with server stuff you have all these huge and weirdly shaped motherboards and proprietary plugs all over the place

and most of the time you're dealing with dated hardware which may or may not get supported with software updates and patches

 

i have one for AMD RYZEN R7 1800X 8/16 it is pretty good price for included Graphics Card Radeon RX570 VR Ready is very reliable

 

True that is a factor, there are a lot of YouTube videos about setting up old servers for consumer use that could help, I should be getting my server system soon, I’m sure I’ll run into some roadblocks getting it setup. Aside from that, the decommissioned server section looks very good for BeamNG. $99 vs $600 for a 12 core almost sounds like a lie if I didn’t see it for myself, this is Mostly for the broke BeamNG of us, running an old dual core DDR3 system? only have only about $150 to spend? Mildly PC savvy? (Can overcome basic troubleshooting issues setting up a system) looking at those 12-16 core Ryzen/Threadrippers only as a dream? Want a 12 core beast? Yes the old server sector is here to save you. I really hope some are able to upgrade from an old dual core to a cheap server build, should all be DDR3 platforms I doubt many have DDR2.

 

Then there's the fact that ~10 year old server shit like Nehalem/Westmere Xeons eat power like no tomorrow and have awful IPC compared to Zen/Zen 2. Just get a 1600AF or 3600 and call it a day.

Speaking of which, cores != performance, a Ryzen 3300X decimates a 7700k or any of the Intel HEDT CPUs before 2017. Even a 1600AF makes minced meat of Westmere and that's a $100 CPU.

 

True it does draw the power, but a monster PC - i9 10900k, 2x 2080ti, load of SSDs, advanced water cooling, 1200W power supply, 3 Monitor setup... lots of speed fast system right? Many Youtubers have this setup, Not much hesitation about power consumption when seeing that, the Youtubers don’t get rid of a system like that because of fear of power consumption. Upgrading from a dual core to a $99 12 core should expect some power draw. Your not getting to 12 to 40 cores overly concerned about power consumption, corporations worry about power consumption when they have 40+ of such systems running and they pay corporate electric bill. The average consumer isn’t going to see a drastic spike in electric bill with one of these. If someone offered me a modern 64 core Threadripper with 2x 2080 TI, water cooling, ascent lights and 3x Monitors for a relatively cheap price I wouldn’t turn it down based on power consumption, going from a possible dual core system to a 12 core would be a similar trade in power draw/performance I think, you’d have to weigh the pros and cons as always of course. I’m saying I wouldn’t let that stop me if the price to upgrade to it was laughably low.

 

I could see someone making a secondary rig/test bench/streaming PC with an old Xeon like this, but for your primary PC unless you are going to be only playing BeamNG then a Ryzen 3rd Gen or Intel 10th gen is gonna be a way better experience in other games.