Going back to school - need new build $4000 budget

[muffler]

yes, the objective is performance over price.

will review some AIO and 5950x over 5900x.

and yes supply is short for all parts. i am in a hurry but not that much of a hurry. i still have about 3 months before i hit the requirements for HW. For now it is just reading and exams.

 

[Herne]

thank you for they replies:

yes after 27+ years, i got out. Budget is from my Education reimbursement worth $80k. School is $72k and have $8k left over for PC and "other" stuff. UOttawa for Masters in Cybersecurity followed by Master from SANS with Pen testing as specialty. next 2 years will be full.

If you are local- there is definitely an OWASP chapter here. If not, have a look where you are once things open up again. Get you exposed to techniques, defenses, tools, (and people literally the opposite way that LinkedIn does).

There is no cost, unless you chose to support with a membership, in the before times there was pizza. We met at Shopify on Elgin but they are going virtual work so that may not return. (really great hosts)

 

[Herne]

As for the *cough* actual question, I would look at powerful laptops at least once you get closer to working. I am not in Pen / Vuln testing, but in the sphere closer to RM and try and keep a capable laptop in addition to my workstation at least.

You've got a great budget there, reserve a decent amount to make sure that you have the ability to be looking at 2-3 screens at a time, ergonomically use 2 keyboards at a time, and are able to run VMs.

 

[muffler]

Herne,
i looked at laptops and work is getting me one since i am not allowed to bring outside IT equipment where i work, therefore the Desktop at home for learning.
3 monitors is already on the menu or maybe 2 big ones 32" and above.

i pretty much have a setup for now
AMD 5950x or 5900x
Asus Hero black wifi - not set in stone, can change if there is better
64gb @ 4000hz
Asus or EVGA FTW 3080
x2 1tb/2tb NVME
14/16gb HDD

looking for advise on PSU. i figure at least a 1000W gold and above at a min.
CPU fan and AIO are still debatable.
Would intel be better than AMD for my setup? 10900 and above or stick with AMD?

 

[Bond007]

Herne,
i looked at laptops and work is getting me one since i am not allowed to bring outside IT equipment where i work, therefore the Desktop at home for learning.
3 monitors is already on the menu or maybe 2 big ones 32" and above.

i pretty much have a setup for now
AMD 5950x or 5900x
Asus Hero black wifi - not set in stone, can change if there is better
64gb @ 4000hz
Asus or EVGA FTW 3080
x2 1tb/2tb NVME
14/16gb HDD

looking for advise on PSU. i figure at least a 1000W gold and above at a min.
CPU fan and AIO are still debatable.
Would intel be better than AMD for my setup? 10900 and above or stick with AMD?

Ram - nothing wrong with 4000mhz if you want, but I would go for 3600mhz with tight timings over 4000mhz.
NVMe - Samsung sn850
PSU - Absolutely no requirement for 1000+ watt. I would recommend a high quality 850watt for that build.

 

[Herne]

Herne,
i looked at laptops and work is getting me one since i am not allowed to bring outside IT equipment where i work, therefore the Desktop at home for learning.
3 monitors is already on the menu or maybe 2 big ones 32" and above.

Fairly normal- my home office has been screened so I have use some provided equipment, some of my own to get into VMs through VPNs. I did pick up dual screen mounts which I found really helpful, and shared those between two systems.

Often an issue once you start working is being able to present information without connecting to the network. Mini-projectors can be super handy too.

 

[clshades]

Stick with the AMD

 

[muffler]

i am tring to find parts out there and it is almost impossible.

i will probably stick with 5900x but the MB, i have no idea, i like the Hero dark but nothing for a while. any other MB out there with X570, Strix any good for OC.
GPU - wait and see, probably order one this weekend and wait for a while. STRIX or EVGA FTW
RAM - would 4x8gb of 3600 be better than 2x16gb 3600 with tight timings?
PS - probably 850w at least gold

any other idea or things i might be missing?

 

[Bond007]

For the ram it I pretty much irreverent if you go 2x16 or 4x8, so I recommend 2x16gb to allow for future expansion. That said, if the timings are much different between the kits you are looking at, definitely go for the tighter timings.

 

[muffler]

they are both the same with timings 16 and 10$ difference.NEO 32gb with CL16

i am really torn on the MB. i want the Hero Dark but will i use all the features of it (probably not)
Is Aorus or MSI any good?