March 2010 Workstations

For an explanation of the methodology behind these configurations, please refer to the Workstations Introduction page. For an overview of a workstation’s parts, please refer to the Workstation Parts page.

For the readers' convenience, I am providing links to the parts lists I made on Newegg in the course of planning this article. If the Newegg lists differ from the tables shown here, it's because I noticed that a part was out of stock or discontinued, and made a change. You'd be amazed at how quickly computer parts turn over.

The Intern
click here to view/purchase the parts list on Newegg

This month’s Intern system is a dual-core that will provide enough power for your architectural interns’ AutoCAD and Microsoft Office needs at an entry-level price. We’ve saved money by using a CPU, motherboard and RAM that are a previous generation of technology and a case and power supply sold together. You can go cheaper, but I wouldn't recommend it.

(Pre-Built Option: If you don’t want to build your own PC, use the HP.com web site to custom configure an HP Compaq 6000 Pro Microtower PC with the same stats given here, but with a Radeon 4650 video card. It will cost twice as much but will include a 3-year warranty.)


The Budget
click here to view/purchase the parts list on Newegg

For the Budget system we step up to a newer generation entry level CPU, the quad-core Intel Core i5. This is the entry-level system for 3D visualization users. Due to a software bug that may cause errors when using a Geforce video card with Revit, if you are planning on using this as an entry-level Revit system you would do well to substitute a video card that uses the Radeon HD 4670 chip instead of the EVGA GT220 video card.

(Pre-Built Option: Again, a custom HP Compaq 6000 Pro Microtower PC can be substituted. Use a Core 2 Quad Q9400 CPU, 8GB RAM and a Radeon 4650 video card. Again, it will cost nearly twice as much but will include a 3-year warranty, and of course you won’t have to build it yourself.)


The Midrange
click here to view/purchase the parts list on Newegg

The Midrange system system steps up to the quad-core Core i7 CPU. Astute readers will notice that a 900 series CPU is used instead of the more budget-friendly 800 series; this is due to the superior bus performance of the LGA1366 motherboards that support the 900 series CPUs, and for future-resistance. When the six-core i7 CPUs are introduced later this year, they will be 900-series CPUs requiring LGA1366 motherboards. The Lian Li aluminum case is light, easy to assemble and provides excellent cooling, and the Neo Eco power supply is efficient and powerful enough to drive these upgraded components.

(Pre-Built Option: Unfortunately this machine falls into a class that PC vendors don’t like to provide. If you were a salesman, a gamer or a senior animator at Pixar they’d know what to sell you, but you’re not and they don’t. The closest match would have to be an HP Z400 workstation, with a single Xeon W3520 CPU and a FireGL V5700 video card, or a Boxxtech 4850, but the prices are higher than they would be if the non-”workstation” business desktop systems had more options.)


The High-End
click here to view/purchase the parts list on Newegg

This seriously powerful workstation is based on two CPUs, each roughly equivalent to the i7 used in the Midrange system, and twice as much RAM - so expect it to render twice as quickly. Install Windows and your software to the SSD hard drive for fastest load times and keep your working files on the large terabyte hard drive. The Quadro video card will ensure optimal display performance and keep you on Autodesk tech support’s good side.

Be aware that motherboards in this class don’t have sound cards included (serious parts for serious people who don’t listen to MP3s at work). If needed, you can add any PCI sound card, but if you’re a serious person with serious audio needs, consider a professional grade external device from a company like M-Audio. But this motherboard is easier to work with than most in its class, because it fits an ATX standard case. If you opt for a different motherboard, make sure you choose a compatible case.

(Pre-Built Option: Now we’re in that “senior animator at Pixar” class. HP Z800 or Boxxtech 8520, but in this class the winners on price appear to be Dell and... I’m not kidding about this... no, really, I’m serious, you can check their web site... Apple.)


That's all for now. Check back for regular updates.

[Edit: To promote the new site, 3DATS is offering a free book to CGArchitect forum users who purchase a workstation recommended here! See this thread for more information.]

Disclaimers: All prices are based on Newegg.com’s prices as of the day I am writing this. Prices are subject to change. This page is provided for information purposes; neither the author nor 3DATS are computer vendors, and we do not provide service, guarantees or warranties for any of the equipment described here. These configurations are primarily designed for people working in architecture and design visualization, but if you're a senior animator at Pixar you probably already have a guy in charge of providing your workstation.

Workstation Parts

Any workstation must be made from the same basic categories of parts. Configuring a system for a specific price point and set of tasks means optimizing the choice of parts to work together.

Case: The box the computer is built in. This is often glossed over as it does not relate directly to computer performance, but the case is important as it is responsible for cooling the system, and the quality of the case directly influences ease of assembling and maintaining the computer as high quality cases are designed for easy access to computer components. A high quality case might also run quietly.

Power Supply: A power supply converts 120V or 220V AC power to 5V and 12V DC as required by the other components. It must provide sufficient power (in watts, and in amps at 12V) to power all of the components simultaneously, so the more powerful the computer, the more robust its power supply must be. For low power configurations, a case and power supply may be bought in combination to save budget.

Motherboard: All components connect to the motherboard. It must be chosen to match the CPU used, and must provide the bus speed - the speed of the connections between components - required to run all the components at peak speeds. A well chosen motherboard will also come with technical support and a manual that gives detailed instructions for assembling the PC.

CPU: The "brain" of the computer. The CPU speed influences everything the computer does, but especially complex tasks such as rendering, Photoshop operations and editing Revit models. Until late in the Pentium 4 generation of CPUs, each CPU had a single "core" and performed operations in series - regardless of how many operations it performed per second, a single core can only do one thing at a time. 

Current CPUs may have one, two, three or four cores, with six-core Intel models expected in March. Higher end models may have "Hyperthreading" technology, which improves performance by 10-20% in certain tasks by emulating additional cores. The extra cores allow the CPU to do more than one thing at a time, and some software, including Vray and mental ray (but not Photoshop) can take advantage of this by breaking up tasks into components that are calculated in parallel. This parallelization can be seen clearly in the multiple square buckets used by Vray and mental ray.

Video Card: This is the part most responsible for what you actually see on the screen. Video cards don't differentiate themselves in 2D work - e.g., for Photoshop and Microsoft Office it doesn't matter much what video card you use - but they handle quite a lot of calculation when displaying any real-time 3D on the screen. This includes the viewports in 3DSMax, Revit, etc., and the graphics in 3D video games. These calculations are performed by the GPU, which is a lot like a CPU for video cards, and the performance of this GPU is the primary area in which video cards differ.

Because there are some differences in the requirements for displaying a game versus a 3D modeling application, there are different lines of cards specialized for each - Radeon and Geforce for games, FirePro/FireGL and Quadro for apps. The advantages in choosing a "pro" card over a "gamer" card are the subject of constant debate, and in many applications a gamer card with a faster GPU outperforms a pro card with a slower GPU, even though for market and business reasons the pro card may be much more expensive. Of course, with the most expensive pro cards you can be assured of maximum performance in 3D apps, but this comes at a steep price.

There has been a lot of talk lately about "GPU computing" - shifting tasks that are normally handled by the CPU to the GPU to gain speed advantages. This is being used effectively in some scientific applications but has yet to materialize in a 3D production app, so the usefulness of choosing a video card to maximize GPU computing possibilities is, again, a subject for debate. Until the market changes and GPU computing benefits become available to users, this blog won't be using GPU computing as a criterion in recommendations.

RAM: Also referred to as memory. The speed of the RAM is matched to the requirements of the CPU and motherboard. The amount of RAM should be not less than the total amount you expect your software to use at any given time. It can be hard to judge how much this is, but most visualization users will find 4-6GB sufficient.

Hard Drive: Don't refer to this as memory unless you want to confuse people. This is the system's data storage. The operating system, software and data files are stored on the hard drive. High speed hard drives are available, and current solid state disk offerings provide substantial speed boosts at substantial cost. Multiple hard drives may be used, allowing software to be kept on one drive, and data files on a separate drive. Advanced users may recognize multiple hard drives as an opportunity to use RAID to improve speed, but I am refraining from recommending this as it can cause concerns with reliability and ease of use.

Optical Drive: Most users should have one or two DVD rewriteable drives. Users with advanced requirements may want a Blu-Ray burner, but as these are not yet in common usage I am not yet recommending them.

Keyboard and Mouse: These are ergonomic choices. I've included inexpensive options in the lower end systems and very good devices have been included in the higher end systems for price reference, but users should ideally choose their own keyboards and mice as they are strongly influenced by personal preference.

Operating System: All visualization users should run a 64-bit edition of Windows because of its superior memory management and ability to utilize 4GB or more of RAM. Users working for a firm with an IT department that prefers 32-bit Windows should do their best to insist on an exception, citing the rigorous nature of 3D work. Whenever possible a 64-bit version of each program should be used. Recent versions of 3DSMax, AutoCAD, Revit, Vray, mental ray and Photoshop are available in 64-bit. For the workstation recommendations, I have included 64-bit Windows 7 Professional, which is a good choice for most users.

Monitors: I will discuss monitors in a later article, but for now what you should know is that an S-PVA or S-IPS panel is preferable to a TN panel, and that you may find it important to calibrate your display.

Workstations Introduction

Four Options

The systems represented in these parts lists reflect strategies for four price points:

The Intern: This is the low-end system an architecture firm can buy for an employee who is not expected to do 3D work or work in Revit or with very large Photoshop files. It's great for CAD, Microsoft Office and light SketchUp work but should not be used for running a complex BIM package or 3DSMax. The price point will be as low as possible without resorting to sub-standard parts.

The Budget: This will be the least expensive system using commonly available parts that can handle the common tasks in architectural visualization work, including modeling and rendering, and work with substantial, multi layered Photoshop files and large desktop publishing documents. Price should come in under $1000.

The Midrange: This is the system that most professionals working full time in 3D modeling, Photoshop, CAD and BIM should consider. It should be powerful enough for all common 3D modeling tasks, for rendering still images and for running sequences of stills or basic animations overnight. Price should come in under $2000.

The High End: For users with large budgets requiring the most power (within reason), this configuration will use high-end parts such as dual CPUs, workstation class video cards and solid-state disks. It should be up to the most demanding complex modeling and animation tasks, and because it has dual CPUs should render approximately twice as quickly as the midrange system. The price point can float, but expect it to be above $3000.

Users looking for maximum rendering performance can add "render node" machines - machines dedicated to rendering as "slaves" to a workstation - by building the High End system, but substituting the video card and hard drive from the Intern system, making a system that is optimized for processing power only.

Introduction

Welcome, and thank you for visiting our new blog. I'm Andy Lynn, and some of you might know me from CGArchitect.com, where I moderate the Hardware forum. I'll be working with 3DATS to make recommendations, updated monthly, for our colleagues in the CG and architecture community who are purchasing computer hardware, and posting updates on any interesting technology developments coming through the pipeline.

This month, we're kicking things off with three articles:

-An introduction to the workstation buying guide, explaining the methodology behind the different workstation recommendations.

-A brief explanation of the items to expect on a workstation parts list.

-The first set of recommended configurations.