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Mantis8497 @lemm.ee
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Planning build: Power efficient headless steam machine, and later upgrade for AI tasks

  • With all the helpful comments shared in this thread, I'm starting to realize that this approach is likely the only viable solution.

    Previously when doing my research, I was naive enough that when people said "...30W at idle", it was specifically for their GPU, and not for their whole system. So now things makes a lot more sense.

    • Selfhosted @lemmy.world Mantis8497 @lemm.ee

    Planning build: Power efficient headless steam machine, and later upgrade for AI tasks

    Background

    I'm planning on building a secondary server that can process more intense tasks than my current basic home server. Tasks such as light gaming (think "remote Steam Deck"), and later allowed to be upgraded with a Nvidia graphics card to handle AI tasks, such as LLM and SD.

    The problem

    While I have no problem picking parts to build this as a "desktop computer", I'm completely lost when trying to make it power efficient for idle load (if it's even possible with a power-hungry Nvidia card). I'd appreciate some guidance even if it's not a full parts list suggestion!

    Watching Wolfgang's videos has unfortunately not translated knowledge into practice for me yet. At least I know TDP isn't an absolute determining factor anymore.

    ---

    Planning the build

    Due to a limited budget, the idea is split the build in 2 phases.

    Phase 1 (gaming):

    • Budget: $1000 (ideally below ~$800):
    • Use for local headless gaming (with bazzite?)
    • At least as powerful as a Steam Deck
    • Parts:
      • APU:
        • Perhaps: "AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D ($400)"
        • or "AMD Ryzen 5 7600X ($300)"?
      • Motherboard:
        • No specific requirement, will mainly just use the PCIe x16 slot for a single GPU when upgrading in "phase 2".
        • Okay with gigabit ethernet and basic I/O.
      • Power supply:
        • Power efficient power supply that can handle a class 4080/4090 card.
      • Cooling:
        • Air-cooled preferred
      • Storage:
        • Samsung 990 PRO NVMe M.2 SSD 1TB (~$100)
      • RAM:
        • Corsair Vengeance LPX Black DDR4 3200MHz 2x16GB (~$70)
      • Case:
        • As long as it fits a large graphics card

    Phase 2 (AI: LLM/SD):

    • Budget: ~$2000
    • After 1-2 years, upgrade with Nvidia graphics card.
      • Ideally something with 24GB VRAM, like the 4090.
      • Prefer Nvidia due to compatibility with SD.
    • Open for suggestion, since wanting a low power draw with a 4090 might sound contradictory. --- In case I missed any crucial information, let me know!
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