Hey Lemmy, I need some recommendations for a CPU-intensive slightly mobile rig. I run a lot of engineering simulations and I need a computer that I can move between my home and work on a semi-frequent basis. I'm looking for something more powerful than a laptop and I'll have monitors/peripherals at both locations. Maybe a mini-ITX in an HTPC style case? The sims don't really make use of GPU, so integrated graphics is just fine. They multi-thread a bit, but there are still single-core bottlenecks in the process, so highest single-core performance is probably pretty important. It's also got to handle 128GB of DDR5 and a M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD.
A lot of the faster CPUs seem to need some serious cooling (100W+ TDP!) and I'd rather not have a jet engine roaring constantly since this thing will be sitting right on the desk next to me eating 100% CPU most of the time. Are there small form factor cases that can support water cooling? When Intel says a CPU has a processor base power of 125W, but a Max Turbo Power of 253W, does that imply that the 253W can't be sustained even with enough cooling?
Be careful on the 128GB of DDR5, portable PC or no. One nasty surprise I had recently when putting together my first machine with DDR5 that I had not expected is that a number of motherboards cannot run 128GB of DDR5 at the memory's rated speed. Not something that was a problem pre-DDR5. Check motherboard memory compatibility lists. It actually matters this time around.
ITX also only has two slots for memory, so you'd need 2x64GB—a pricey prospect, if such a thing even exists, in addition to any inherent stability issues (which you'd absolutely need for computational work).
Edit: clarification
Got curious and looked it up. 2x64GB DDR5 kits exist though it looks like they're all ECC (probably a good thing in OPs use case). The cheapest kits, which are 4800Mhz CL40 sticks, start around $500 after tax.
$500 on RAM seems OK, good to know it's a bit of a narrow market...