The partnership between Intel and nVidia could indicate upcoming desktop APUs.
The partnership between Intel and nVidia could indicate upcoming desktop APUs.
You're looking for affordable Epyc or Threadripper boards, and you're considering buying two.
It seems you're asking about the affordability of a 600 Euro board. Could you clarify which board you're referring to and where you're looking for a deal? That way I can provide more accurate information.
It features twelve impressive memory channels. Plus, a power supply rated over 400W and a vast number of PCIe5 lanes. It doesn’t fit the high-end AM5 category at all. The same goes for the EPYC CPUs—even the cheapest model with 8 cores and 16 threads costs around €550. Thanks to its large double I/O chip and premium silicon, the overall expense stays low. Removing the excess parts brings it down to a price point typical for desktops.
The problem isn't about the available features. I completely understand that Epyc boards come with a full range (for the 7,8,9XXX lineup, not just the 4XXX). The concern lies in the price. You mentioned they aren’t costly. They offer a lot for your investment, but it comes at a high price. The only Epyc models that provide good value at around 8c/16t are the AM5 4XXX series, which means you miss out on many of what makes Epyc exceptional. AM5, two memory channels, 28 lanes of PCIE. Regarding the premium chipsets... All CPUs use the same base silicon. There’s no real difference between premium and standard.
It remains competitive or offers better value than premium AM5 options. This model still performs well. Consider it. Many overlook the server tax on EPYC for regular users, plus its dual high-performance I/O dies packed with PCIe lanes, ECC support, and robust power delivery. The large TDP VRM adds to the cost, but all these features come at a price. Shared VRM and IMC mean CPU and GPU dies can collaborate efficiently, splitting RAM bandwidth and address space. Desktop configurations take what's left after that allocation.
I remember everything carefully. You receive a lot for the price. I understand enterprise equipment comes at a high cost. I don’t think saying Epyc is inexpensive is accurate. A 600 euro board isn’t cheap—it contains a lot of features. It could offer good value if matched to your requirements, but it’s still not inexpensive.
Neither the 9800X3D nor the extra layer of L3 cache is expensive, yet gamers remain interested in it. Despite understanding that adding a simple extra layer isn't costly—its impact is quite small—the demand stays strong.
You can find an am5 motherboard for around $80 and an am5 CPU for $120. The most affordable EPYC option is a $500 motherboard paired with a $550 CPU. When looking at the overall price, it becomes evident that EPIC is quite costly. If you compare entry-level options, mid-range desktops paired with the lowest-end EPIC (excluding the board cost) seem sensible. EPIC only gets reasonable on the CPU side. However, a complete system involves more than just the processor. If you want to utilize all 12 channels of RAM right away, it becomes very expensive.
you're after Grace Hopper, not just adding a powerful GPU to a server setup. It's a completely different approach at the architectural level, and no one in the industry focuses on mid-range GPUs for this platform. On Grace Hopper, the GPU is larger than the 72-core CPU connected to it.