The Armari Magnetar X64T Workstation OC Review: 128 Threads at 4.0 GHz, Sustained!
by Dr. Ian Cutress on September 9, 2020 12:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Desktop
- Systems
- AMD
- OC Systems
- ThreadRipper
- 3990X
- Armari
- Magnetar
- X64T
- Rendering
Blitzing around a race track in a fast car only ever convinces you of one thing: I need to go around the track even faster. I need a better car, I need a better engine, better brakes, or better tires. I need that special go faster juice, and I need to nail the perfect run. The world of professional computing works the same, whether it comes down to rendering, rapid prototyping, scientific compute, medical imaging, weather modelling, or something like oil and gas simulation, the more raw horsepower there is, the more can be done. So enter the new Armari Magnetar X64T – an overclocked 64-core Threadripper 3990X that holds the new SPECworkstation3 world record. We got hold of one. It’s really fast.
Playing with Performance
AMD’s Threadripper 3990X is one of those crazy processors. It comes at you with some of the best of any processor statistics: it has 64 cores and 128 threads, it has 256 MB of L3 cache, it has a TDP of 280 W, which allows for a 2.9 GHz base frequency up to a 4.3 GHz turbo. It is overclockable, and so with the right system those frequencies can go even higher. With the best binned 7nm chiplets, paired with quad-channel DDR4-3200 memory, for multithreaded workloads it is one of the ultimate powerhouses anyone can build in a single socket with a socketable processor.
In our initial review of the Threadripper 3990X, it blitzed any software that could take advantage of all those threads – the nearest competitors were the 32-core Threadrippers, or Intel’s 28-core Xeon-W processors. We even put it up against two of Intel’s $10000 28-core Xeons, and it won pretty much everything by a large margin.
So what happens when we overclock it? There are those that want more, and not just those overclocking for fun – workstation customers, like animation studios, are always looking for ways in which they can rapidly render frames for upcoming projects. If a cooling system can be built to withstand it, and the power is available, then there’s always scope to get more out of the hardware that comes from the big players. This is what the Armari Magnetar X64T Workstation is designed to do – get more.
To that end, today AMD and SPEC is announcing that the Magnetar X64T workstation, a system that you can buy, will off-the-shelf give the best performance in SPECworkstation3 ever seen.
The Magnetar X64T: Performance Reimagined
The key highlight from this review, should you not read any further, is that this system is built to blitz workloads. The Threadripper 3990X is usually fast enough in its own right, but Armari have gone above and beyond. The goal of this system is to be an off-the-shelf powerhouse that requires very little setup from its customers.
Armari, perhaps a lesser well known system integrator, is a company that has in recent years focused on building systems for 3D animation, video editing, and scientific research. With over 20 years of experience, Armari’s hardware has gone into high performance computing solutions and clusters that have featured in the TOP500 lists, as well as rendering server farms for the top animation, VFX, and CGI studios in Soho, London.
These are clients who want the best performance, and Armari positions itself not so much as a boutique system builder, but something between the big OEMs (like Dell/HP) and the main retailers to offer custom solutions by leveraging its network of cooling and hardware contacts around the world. This enables the company to build custom chassis, obtain optimized memory, order power supplies with custom connector configurations, and ensure consistency from batch-to-batch when ordering from its partners. In speaking to Armari’s Technical Director Dan Goldsmith, he mentioned that working with partner companies for so long has enabled them to get access to rapid prototyping and component consistency with continual feedback with partners such as EKWB, ASRock, Tyan, and many other ODM companies that Armari leverages on a regular basis.
The Magnetar X64T, I was told, leverages the strong relationship Armari has with AMD. The Opteron was a popular range a decade ago, and that partnership has been maintained through today. The goal of the Magnetar project was to create a system that offers the best that Threadripper has to offer while still enabling the under-the-desk workstation platform. This project has been slightly delayed due to COVID, and AMD now has Threadripper Pro, but those processors are not overclockable – for those that want raw performance, AMD and Armari believe they are on a winner.
The key to the system is in how Armari is cooling the processor, and the choice of components. The Magnetar X64T features a custom water cooling loop, which is perhaps not anything new in its own right, however the company has created a component chain to ensure consistency in its design, as well as using some of the most powerful options available.
The water block is probably the best place to start, because this is a completely custom-for-Armari design built in partnership with EK Water Blocks. This block is specifically built for this one motherboard, the ASRock TRX40 Taichi, and applies cooling to both the processor and the power delivery. The block works in conjunction with the highest-quality thermal paste pads on the market, to ensure a flat connection with the water block. As it also covers the power delivery, Armari worked with ASRock to enable a consistent z-height of all the power delivery components, something that can vary during manufacturing, and maintain that consistency on a batch-by-batch basis. Pair this up with Armari’s custom FWL liquid cooling pump, reservoir, tubing, 3x140mm radiator, and fan combinations (many of which are custom from their respective ODMs), and we have a cooling capacity in excess of 700 W. The coolant is a special long-life coolant designed for 24/7 over three years, and the standard warranty comes with service during those three years, including collection and return, at no extra cost.
Now, the ASRock TRX40 Taichi isn’t the top Threadripper motherboard on the market, and Armari fully admits that, however it points out that the best motherboard available costs twice as much. In working with ASRock, they were able to co-ordinate what was needed within the discrete motherboard component lists as well as enable a custom BIOS implementation for additional control. One of the tradeoffs I was told about is that a cheaper motherboard might mean slightly cheaper components, however Armari says that their cooling system and setup were co-operatively tuned to meet its customers’ demands.
With this cooling arrangement, Armari have fired up the overclock. In our initial review of the Threadripper 3990X, we were observing ~3450 MHz during our sustained running with the CPU reaching its full 280 W. For the Armari Magnetar X64T, we have an all-core frequency from 3950-4100 MHz, depending on the workload. Users might scoff at the +400-550 MHz lift, but bearing in mind this is across all of the 64 cores simultaneously, and the cooling is built such that this frequency is sustained for renders or simulations that might take days. Further details of frequency and power later in the review.
While having the overclocked CPU is great, the Magnetar X64T system we were delivered also had memory, graphics, and storage.
Armari Magnetar X64T as shipped (X64T-RD1600G3-FWL) |
|
Processor | AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X Overclocked to ~4.0 GHz All-Core Turbo |
Cooling | Custom Armari FWLv2 Liquid Cooling Loop Custom CPU+VRM Monoblock 420x45mm EK Coolsense Radiator 3 x EK-Vardar 140ER EVO 140mm fans High Performance Pump Clear Coolant, Designed for 3yr operation |
Graphics | PNY NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 24 GB |
Motherboard | ASRock TRX40 Taichi |
Memory | 256 GB of DDR4-3200 |
Power Supply | 1600W 80PLUS Gold 93%, rated to 50ºC 0% fan under 40% load 9x PCIe connections |
Storage | ASRock Hyper Quad M.2 PCIe 4.0 x16 add-in card 1 x Corsair MP600 PCIe 4.0 x4 1 TB Boot Drive 2 x Corsair MP600 PCIe 4.0 x4 1TB Striped Array |
Networking | Realtek RTL8125 2.5 GbE (motherboard) Intel I211-AT 1 GbE (motherboard) Intel AX201 Wi-Fi 6 module (motherboard) |
Audio | Onboard Realtek ALC1220 + ALC4050H |
Fans | 3 x EK 140mm for radiator 2 x Noctua 140mm for internal airflow 1 x SanAce 80mm low noise for DRAM |
Price as Built | £10790 + tax (~$14200 + tax) Special launch price for September |
UK Warranty | 1 Year RTB 3 Year Parts+Labor One service/coolant replacement, inc collection/pickup Loaner systems available if bigger issues occur |
The system as shipped came with an PNY NVIDIA RTX6000 graphics card, which is essentially an RTX 2080 Ti on steroids with 24 GiB of GDDR6, and the system can be configured with two of them. As Threadripper is not an ECC-qualified platform, the X64T comes with the peak configuration supported, 256 GB, but with custom SPD profiles to run up to DDR4-3600. Unfortunately due to how quickly this system was rebuilt for this review, the system I was sent was using DDR4-3200 at CL20, as some of the original memory was accidentally splashed with coolant, and Armari wanted to ensure I wouldn’t have any issues with the system.
Storage comes in two forms, both of which are PCIe 4.0. As shipped, we were specified with a boot drive to the tune of a Corsair MP600 1 TB PCIe 4.0 x4 drive. Another two of these drives were provided inside an ASRock Hyper M.2 PCIe 4.0 card, plugged into one of the PCIe 4.0 slots. Armari says that as newer and bigger PCIe 4.0 drives come to market beyond the Phison E16 solutions, this should expand to higher capacity drives or faster drives as required.
The power supply is a fully custom 1600W 80PLUS Gold unit, rated to run at 50 ºC with 93% efficiency. It has a custom fan profile directly from the OEM, and is set to only stir up the fans if the power required goes above 40% (640 W). The fully modular PSU has nine 8-pin connections and five 6-pin connections, providing 14 total, should any customer want to go above and beyond. The PSU on its own has a 10-year warranty.
The motherboard has a 2.5 GbE wired network port and a 1 GbE wired network port, and Armari does offer a 10G upgrade (space permitting based on the PCIe slots). Wi-Fi 6 support comes as standard, as does the ALC1220 audio configuration.
The chassis is the last custom part to discuss, with the system featuring the Magnetar naming on the front with the Armari logo. The chassis is big, but quite standard for a high-end workstation platform: 53cm x 22cm x 57cm (20.9-in x 8.7-in x 22.4-in), with a typical single GPU weight of 18 kg (39.7 lbs).
The chassis comes with handles on top that fold away, making the system easy to move around as required. I love these.
Inside there is lots of ‘space’ for directed airflow. The pump and reservoir is found in the bottom of the case, underneath the standard drive-bays, while the 3x140mm double thick radiator is at the top built into the side of the chassis. This is a special hinged mount, which makes the side panel easy to remove and the cooling apparatus easy to inspect.
There is a PCIe retention bracket for any add-in card installed, and in the base of the chassis is the power supply, hidden away. The insides weren’t necessarily built to look aesthetically pleasing, however the system as provided by Armari has a nice clean look.
Due to a couple of issues with arranging this system for review, I was told that normally Armari adds in some custom sealant to help with the liquid cooling loop, however as it requires 24 hours to set, they weren’t able to in this instance. The liquid cooling loop is pre-tested for every system they build at over 1 bar of pressure, along with full stability testing and thermal testing before shipping. For any reason if a system needs to be returned for warranty, Armari can supply a loaner system if required. As mentioned above, the standard warranty includes one full service and inspection, and the coolant can be replaced in order to give the customer another 3 years of ‘hassle free’ operation.
The News Today: World Records
Today AMD and Armari are announcing that the new Magnetar X64T has set a new world record in the SPECworkstation 3 benchmark. The system that achieved this test is, by and large, the system I am testing today (it was stripped down and rebuilt with an updated water block). For the customers that Armari typically services this one of the primary benchmarks they care about, and so getting a new world record for a commercially available system should put Armari’s offerings high on their list.
Our testing, as shown over the next few pages, is similarly impressive. We already saw that the Threadripper 3990X with no overclock was a formidable beast in almost every one of our rendering and compute workloads. The only real comparison point we have to compare against is our W-3175X workstation that was provided when we reviewed that system.
The Magnetar X64T-RD1600G3 FWL (the full name) system in our testing is ~£10790 ($14200) excluding tax . This includes a Windows 10 Professional 64-bit license, and Armari’s 3 year premium workstation warranty, with 1-year on site and 2/3rd year parts and labor, along with a loaner system for the duration of any repairs.
Read over the next few pages for our testing on Performance and Power.
96 Comments
View All Comments
Spunjji - Friday, September 11, 2020 - link
There's nothing more sad than a lack of imagination.Everett F Sargent - Wednesday, September 9, 2020 - link
"Unfortunately due to how quickly this system was rebuilt for this review, the system I was sent was using DDR4-3200 at CL20, as some of the original memory was accidentally splashed with coolant, and Armari wanted to ensure I wouldn’t have any issues with the system."Unfortunately, they could not give one of these systems. In fact, they would have to give me $15K and this system, call it a warranty in reverse. :)
PeachNCream - Thursday, September 10, 2020 - link
That's the sort of trouble you have with using a little company like this as a supplier. They toss together shoddy bits and pieces because they don't retain proper inventory to support builds (and likely cannot afford to do so) and then for press-related reviews, they make absolutely sure there will not be issues with stability. Can we be certain they take the same care with hardware sold to non-journalist buyers or do those customers get the coolant-soaked memory and less stability testing? Who ensures there is adequate quality control in a smaller system builder like this?Chasing so-called "world records" in benchmarks in the hopes of increasing productivity by purchasing little-builder-overclocked hardware is asking to shoot your own business operation in the foot when the hardware fails. I would be very reluctant to trust my company's workload on out-of-spec computers cobbled together by a company that can't even be bothered to keep coolant fluids off the memory.
Ian Cutress - Thursday, September 10, 2020 - link
I received this system three or four days ago - I wasn't even in contact with the company a week ago. I suggested a review if a system was ready, and so they scrambled to action. Obviously they weren't going to send me a system that a customer had already ordered, delaying someone with a financial contract, and so they pulled out the system they built for the record and wanted re-test and update so I had the latest components. Best laid plans and all that, combined with a quick turn-around requirement, might lend more readily to non-ideal situations, but given what was done in that time (I was told that included a couple of engineers 7am-11pm the day before), it was actually very well executed.Spunjji - Friday, September 11, 2020 - link
"...by a company that can't even be bothered to keep coolant fluids off the memory."God forbid you ever see what goes on in the large system integrators' build rooms..!
Accidents happen, it's how they're dealt with that marks a bad supplier from a good one. "Something went wrong and we had to alter the spec" is infinitely better than "Oh well, the fluid's mostly inert, bung the RAM in and hope it works and blame the customer if it goes wrong."
Arutius - Friday, September 11, 2020 - link
I applaud this Company for its honesty and hustle. They are a small organization that cares about what they do. They appreciated Ian being available to them as a small business and are thankful for the exposure. Many readers here work in large organizations and have no appreciation for the real-world stress ( what is the balance of the checkbook today and where will we be in 1 month for cash and sales) on small businesses in this hyper-competitive atmosphere. Try sitting in the chair of the person who personally values each customer, who without they are shortly destined to fail.MrVibrato - Thursday, September 10, 2020 - link
Yeah, curiously they couldn't replace the "splashed" memory with modules of the same type. There are a small company and i don't expect them to have big inventory. If they don't have stock of these memory modules for at least two or three rigs like these, it tells me this is a cash-strapped operation that probably pays part orders from the advance payments from customers ordering one of their systems. And such vendors are always a major head-ache, because you pay for the system and then you wait and wait and don't get your ordered goods because the vendor struggles to place some order for some component with some supplier, not to mention what could happen if you need to do a RMA or warranty exchange through such a vendor. Mind you, i cannot tell with certainty that Armari is such a company. But this occurence would be a major red flag for me if i were shopping for a boutique workstation (as little sense as that would make, as Peach has explained already; and i would also add uncertainty about the ability to do quick-turnaround on-premises support/service, which larger vendors -while occassionally also being a bitch about- usually don't struggle with in and around large metropolitan areas wherever in the country)MrVibrato - Thursday, September 10, 2020 - link
Oh well, *There* should be *They*, and*it tells me this is a cash-strapped operation*
should be
*it tells me this is perhaps a cash-strapped operation*
MrVibrato - Thursday, September 10, 2020 - link
Never mind what i just wrote. I should have checked their website beforehand. Their product range seems to big and too broad to be one of those no-inventory boutique vendors. Mea culpa!Spunjji - Friday, September 11, 2020 - link
Perhaps check before leaving the big stinky comment full of bold assumptions on the small system integrator's offering?