April 2010 Workstations
Welcome to the second installment of the 3DATS Workstation Guide. In the last month, a few interesting new pieces of hardware have come out and a lot of prices have changed, but here at 3DATS we stay on top of all of that and bring you freshly updated recommendations.
Our CGArchitect readers will remember that I've been collecting a lot of benchmark data lately. I have an Excel sheet that lets me draw the infamous price/performance curve and answer questions like "what's better, Intel or AMD?" but the article isn't quite done so for now let it suffice to say that this month, for these types of configurations, Intel is better; and that these CPUs are all chosen for their positions on the curve.
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 an update to last month's, to reflect a few changes in the market. The CPU is a bit faster, still 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, and a video card that's got enough power for basic work but not enough for full-time 3D work. 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. It's also had a few updates since last month, and the video card has been upgraded, but there hasn't been much movement in CPUs and motherboards at this level so those parts remain the same.
(Pre-Built Option: Again, a custom HP Compaq 6000 Pro Microtower PC can be substituted. Use a Core 2 Quad Q9400 CPU, 4GB RAM and a Radeon 46xx 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. In March, I had occasion to do quite a bit of benchmarking and was impressed with the performance of the newer i7's on the 1156 motherboards, and I've saved you a bit of money by going in that direction. This system is more powerful all around than the Budget, and a bit better than the March Midrange.
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 is the configuration that's changed the most from last month. What's happened in the last month in high-end computing? Intel has released their first 6-core i7, the 980X, and that's what's in this configuration. This is a 3.33GHz chip, so its 6 cores together are faster than the 8 cores of the March high end. Because it runs on a single-socket motherboard, even though this one CPU is more expensive than last month's two CPUs, budget is saved on the motherboard and RAM and it almost works out.
If I were to write up a "very high end" it would involve two 3.33GHz quad-core Xeons and it would be much more expensive.
Because Autodesk just shipped the new version of Max, with the Quicksilver renderer, I've included the nVidia GTX 285 video card, which should run Quicksilver admirably - though this is with the caveat that don't have benchmarking in Quicksilver yet, so I'm making an educated guess based on the GPU's speed. nVidia just announced the GTX 470 and 480, and I got to try the 3-screen, 3D-glasses-enabled demo at Pax East, but the nVidia rep told me that the 3D glasses tech doesn't work with apps - just games - and the cost and power/cooling requirements put the 4xx series in "still just for hard core gamers" territory. After we get some test results and nVidia has some time to work out any driver bugs, the 470 might replace the 285 at the $350 price point. ATi loyalists and anybody running a version of Revit that does not run Direct3D should spend a bit more and get a Radeon 5870.
Install Windows and software on the SSD drive, and use the 1TB drive for your data files, and you'll be reenacting that Maxell audio tape "Blown Away" ad in no time.
(Pre-Built Option: The market for 6-core machines hasn't developed yet, go with a dual-Xeon 8-core. 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.)
If that price tag just scared you or your IT director, consider this. The Midrange system, which is an excellent value and does everything you need it to, is half the price. But doubling the price nearly doubles the Vray/mental ray/etc. render speed. The i7-980X is 87% faster than the i7-860, and the rest of the hardware supports that CPU speed very well. The extra investment cuts your render times, and your test render times, in half, and that productivity boost will help you make deadlines and will save you valuable hours. If your time is billed at $100, and you save two hours of productivity a week, that $1500 difference is paid off in under two months.
That's all for now. Check back for regular updates, including the article on CPUs later this week.
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.
Our CGArchitect readers will remember that I've been collecting a lot of benchmark data lately. I have an Excel sheet that lets me draw the infamous price/performance curve and answer questions like "what's better, Intel or AMD?" but the article isn't quite done so for now let it suffice to say that this month, for these types of configurations, Intel is better; and that these CPUs are all chosen for their positions on the curve.
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 an update to last month's, to reflect a few changes in the market. The CPU is a bit faster, still 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, and a video card that's got enough power for basic work but not enough for full-time 3D work. 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. It's also had a few updates since last month, and the video card has been upgraded, but there hasn't been much movement in CPUs and motherboards at this level so those parts remain the same.
(Pre-Built Option: Again, a custom HP Compaq 6000 Pro Microtower PC can be substituted. Use a Core 2 Quad Q9400 CPU, 4GB RAM and a Radeon 46xx 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. In March, I had occasion to do quite a bit of benchmarking and was impressed with the performance of the newer i7's on the 1156 motherboards, and I've saved you a bit of money by going in that direction. This system is more powerful all around than the Budget, and a bit better than the March Midrange.
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 is the configuration that's changed the most from last month. What's happened in the last month in high-end computing? Intel has released their first 6-core i7, the 980X, and that's what's in this configuration. This is a 3.33GHz chip, so its 6 cores together are faster than the 8 cores of the March high end. Because it runs on a single-socket motherboard, even though this one CPU is more expensive than last month's two CPUs, budget is saved on the motherboard and RAM and it almost works out.
If I were to write up a "very high end" it would involve two 3.33GHz quad-core Xeons and it would be much more expensive.
Because Autodesk just shipped the new version of Max, with the Quicksilver renderer, I've included the nVidia GTX 285 video card, which should run Quicksilver admirably - though this is with the caveat that don't have benchmarking in Quicksilver yet, so I'm making an educated guess based on the GPU's speed. nVidia just announced the GTX 470 and 480, and I got to try the 3-screen, 3D-glasses-enabled demo at Pax East, but the nVidia rep told me that the 3D glasses tech doesn't work with apps - just games - and the cost and power/cooling requirements put the 4xx series in "still just for hard core gamers" territory. After we get some test results and nVidia has some time to work out any driver bugs, the 470 might replace the 285 at the $350 price point. ATi loyalists and anybody running a version of Revit that does not run Direct3D should spend a bit more and get a Radeon 5870.
Install Windows and software on the SSD drive, and use the 1TB drive for your data files, and you'll be reenacting that Maxell audio tape "Blown Away" ad in no time.
(Pre-Built Option: The market for 6-core machines hasn't developed yet, go with a dual-Xeon 8-core. 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.)
If that price tag just scared you or your IT director, consider this. The Midrange system, which is an excellent value and does everything you need it to, is half the price. But doubling the price nearly doubles the Vray/mental ray/etc. render speed. The i7-980X is 87% faster than the i7-860, and the rest of the hardware supports that CPU speed very well. The extra investment cuts your render times, and your test render times, in half, and that productivity boost will help you make deadlines and will save you valuable hours. If your time is billed at $100, and you save two hours of productivity a week, that $1500 difference is paid off in under two months.
That's all for now. Check back for regular updates, including the article on CPUs later this week.
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.
posted by Andy Lynn at 2:16 PM
9 comments
