Dual Xeon workstation rig advice (rendering, modelling)

koopmannster

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Aug 3, 2012
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My computer crashed and will be away for repair for like 4 weeks I expect. Got a deadline in 9 weeks and 8 of those weeks was for rendering on my current DEAD rig.
So as you might have calculated.. I wont make it. I need Help.

I need max power for the buck, as ussual;)
Primary focus, is stability, stability stability and rendering cpu power. ..I cant be without my computer.!

Secondary focus, option to upgrade in maybe 1 year for gpu rendering options and viewportspeed.


Here is my hardware illusion konfiguration

motherboard: ASUS Z9PE-D8 WS or Evga sr-x or Gigabyte GA-7PESH1
cpu: 2x Intel Xeon E5-1650
hdd 2x 256gb ssd samsung 830 in raid 0
gfx : GainwardGeForce GTX 680 Phantom (4 GB)
ram: 32 gb ecc or high performance ?
psu: ?
Tower: ?
cooling: ?

I know kepler isnt iray surported yet, but it will be right?
I chose Gainward for the claimed low noice.. is there any quiter?
 

koopmannster

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Aug 3, 2012
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Again with the gfx, I have a quadro 2000 and a gtx 560M with 3 gb.
I feel the gtx run atleast just as nice.
Im really on budget here;)
 

koopmannster

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Aug 3, 2012
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Ahh I get it jallenlabs.
Raid 0 mostly boost larger sequental jobs but actually decrease some of the parameters that a system disk like.


So I actually should go with raid 0 on my work and cache-drive. Or not there either;)?
 

koopmannster

Honorable
Aug 3, 2012
38
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10,530
Updated rig:

motherboard: ASUS Z9PE-D8 WS or Evga sr-x or Gigabyte GA-7PESH1 ?
cpu: 2x Intel Xeon E5-1650
hdd 1 system + 2x workdrive all 3 256gb ssd samsung 830 in raid 0
gfx : GainwardGeForce GTX 680 Phantom (4 GB)
ram: 32 gb ecc or high performance ?
psu: Seasonic X1050 will fit Antec p193 or p280 caseing?
Case: Antec p193 or p280 caseing?
cooling: Cant seem to find any cpu coolers that fit xeon lga2011 in my stores. HELP! Seems like the gpu is the noice bottleneck.. Is extra gpu cooling needet?
 

maxmudjon

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Feb 27, 2013
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10,510

gtx 560m eto m Mobilnoe a quadro 2000 luchshe chem gtx560m
 

LHL2500

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Apr 30, 2012
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According to Intel, the 1600 series Xeon will only work with a single CPU board. For dual CPU usage, you need to move up to the 2600 series.
 
koopmannster,

I sympathize completely with your situation as I have to complete drawings on a 4,000 square foot house in the next two weeks. Last Saturday, my Dell Precision T5400 refused to work- it wouldn't boot and wouldn't display any video so that I could diagnose the problem. So, yesterday I received an emergency HP z420 with the quad core E5-1620 (3.6 / 3.9GHz) ,Intel 602C chipset, Firepro V4900 (1GB). Not ideal as the T5400 was chosen as it's a dual Xeon for rendering purposes with 8 cores that will run as 16 threads, plus I need a CUDA based card, but the HP price was very good and, most importantly, instantly useable. As the z420 is LGA 2011 I can sometime upgrade it to my favorite CPU. I may use the Quadro FX 4800 from the T5400 and eventually buy a Quadro K4000.

The Xeon E5-1650 is my current favorite CPU- the best cost / performance of any 6-core Xeon and I bought the HP z420 in anticipation of someday changing the 1620 to a 1650. However, as LHL2500 says, the E5-1650 can be used only as a single CPU, but rendering is only about 10% of my use and the 6 cores / 12 threads at that clock should be fine. Even the 4-core E5-1620 may not be too painful- the 2- X5460's are not hyperthreading (though they have virtualization that rendering programs read as 16 threads) and are No. 239 on the Passmark CPU benchmarks, whereas the E5-1620 is No. 35.

As I had a premonition about the T5400, I recently made configurations for two E5-1650 systems, the first with the best cost / performance possible and the second for the best performance at a still realistic cost >

BambiBoom PixelDozer Cadaeditrendermathagrapharific ExtremeSignature VI ®£©™®$™_ 6.30.13

This system is intended as a workstation solution with high performance / high precision, very high stability / reliability at reasonable cost, and suitable for 2D and 3D CAD, graphic design, rendering, mathematics, simulation, animation, and video editing.

1. Xeon E5-1650 6-core 3.2 /3.8GHz, 12MB cache, LGA 2011 $630 (Passmark CPU score= 11462, rank = No. 12)

2. Noctua NH-U12S 120x120x25 ( NF-F12 PWM) SSO2-Bearing ( Self-stabilizing oil-pressure bearing ) CPU Cooler $70

3. ASRock X79 Extreme3 LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard > $190

4. 16GB (2X 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 ECC Unbuffered Server Memory > $150. (Check ASUS motherboard compatibility list)

5. NVIDIA Quadro K2000 VCQK2000-PB 2GB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Workstation Video Card $420.

6. Western Digital WD Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive (RAID 1) > $90 (OS and Applications)

7. (2) Western Digital WD Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive (RAID 1) >$180 $90ea. (Files, Backup, System Image)

8. SeaSonic X Series X650 Gold ((SS-650KM Active PFC F3)) 650W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply $120.

9. LIAN LI PC-A75 Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case $182

10. ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM $17.

11. Microsoft Windows 8 Professional 64-bit (Full Version) - OEM $140

TOTAL > about $2,200 ($2,189).

> and the second version, which has the motherboard I think would be a much better choice >

BambiBoom PixelCannon Cadaeditrendermathagrapharific TurboSignature Extreme VIII ®©SS™®£™©™_ 6.30.13

This system is intended as a workstation solution with high performance / high precision, very high stability / reliability at realistic cost, and suitable for 2D and 3D CAD large assembly modeling, graphic design, rendering, mathematics, simulation, animation, and video editing.

1. Xeon E5-1650 6-core 3.2 / 3.8GHz, 12MB cache, LGA 2011 $630 (Passmark CPU score= 11462, rank = No. 12)

2. Noctua NH-U12S 120x120x25 ( NF-F12 PWM) SSO2-Bearing ( Self-stabilizing oil-pressure bearing ) CPU Cooler $70

3. ASUS P9X79 WS LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 SSI CEB $380.

4. 32GB (4X 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 ECC Unbuffered Server Memory > $300. (Check ASUS motherboard compatibility list)

5. NVIDIA Quadro K4000 VCQK4000-PB 3GB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Workstation Video Card $800

6. SAMSUNG 840 Pro Series MZ-7PD256BW 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) > $240. (OS and Applications)

7. (2) Western Digital WD Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive (RAID 1) > $180 $90ea. (Files, Backup, System Image)

8. SeaSonic X Series X650 Gold ((SS-650KM Active PFC F3)) 650W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply $120.

9. LIAN LI PC-A75 Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case $182

9A. OPT’L > Corsair Obsidian Series 900D CC-9011022-WW Black Aluminum ATX Super Tower Computer Case $349.99

10. ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM $17.

12. Microsoft Windows 8 Professional 64-bit (Full Version) - OEM $140

TOTAL = $3,059. Or > $3,227 with Corsair 900D

As reference, this is a dual Xeon 8-core- 16 cores / 32 threads that would be the serious renderator >

BambiBoom CalcuCannon Simumcadarendereditmathematica Supermodeler TurboSignature III ™?™©®©$_ REV 7.5.13

The following configuration was done in consideration of the best cost /performance basis suitable for high calculation density requirements > Mathematical, Astrophysical, vector analysis, particle, fluid, gas flow, and thermal simulation, statistical analysis, molecular biology, static and dynamic structural, 2D/ 3D CAD modeling, graphic design, rendering, architecture, industrial design, financial analysis. >

1. (2) Intel Xeon E5-2687W Sandy Bridge-EP 3.1GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) 20MB L3 Cache LGA 2011 150W 8-Core Server Processor > $3,868. ($1,934 each) On the Passmark CPU benchmark chart, this processor is the No.2 rated, score = 21491. In the top 100 systems on Passmark Performance test, this CPU is used in the 6th highest performing system.

2. (2) CORSAIR Hydro Series H60 (CW-9060007-WW) Water Cooler > $140 ($70 each) (The 150W E5-2687W requires liquid cooling)

3. INTEL S2600COESSI EEB Server Motherboard Dual LGA 2011 DDR3 1600 > $580 (Newegg). (Supports up to 512GB DDR3 ECC UDIMM/LV) (see links above for information)

4. ASUS Z9PE-D16 SSI EEB Server Motherboard Dual LGA 2011 DDR3 1600 > $480 (See links above for information)

5. SUPERMICRO MBD-X9DAi-O Extended ATX Server Motherboard Dual LGA 2011 DDR3 > $490

a. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
b. http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/xeon/c60...
c. 16GB ECC registered 1600 compatible memory > http://www.supermicro.com/support/resources/memory/disp...
i. A 16GB Samsung module from the compatible list > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... ($180 each X4= $770 for 64GB, 8X= $1,440 for 128GB)

6. 128GB (8 X 16GB) DDR3- 1600 ECC RAM for Intel S2600COESSI EEB > About $1,200 (compatibility to be researched)

7. 128GB (8 X 16GB) SAMSUNG M393B2G70BH0-CK0 1X 16GB for ASUS Z9PE-D16 > 128GB= $1,160 ($145 each, Server Direct)

8. NVIDIA Quadro K5000 4GB 256-bit PCI Express 2.0 x 16 HDCP Ready Workstation video card > $1,800.

9. SAMSUNG 840 Pro Series MZ-7PD512BW 2.5" 512GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) > $520

10. (3) Western Digital WD Black WD2002FAEX 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM $480 ($160 each) (RAID 5) (Active files, backup, system image)

11. SeaSonic X-1250 1250W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply > $254.99

12. LIAN LI PC-D8000 Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case $331.99

13. ASUS DVD Burner 24X DVDDRW-24B3ST/BLK/G/AS > $28.

14. NZXT Sentry-2 5.25" Touch Screen Fan Controller > $28.

15. Microsoft Windows 8 Professional 64-bit (Full Version) - OEM $140

_______________________________

TOTAL = Configuration A > Intel S2600COE / Quadro K600 about > $7,125 (depending on RAM cost) OR Intel S2600COE / Quadro K2000 about > $7,460 (depending on RAM cost) OR Configuration B with ASUS Z9PE-D16/ Quadro K2000 > about $7,250

If you need the dual Xeon with as many cores as possible at the best possible speed, that would be the Intel Xeon E5-2643 Sandy Bridge-EP 3.3GHz (3.5GHz Turbo Boost) 10MB L3 Cache LGA 2011 130W Quad-Core Server Processor 94Y7465 - OEM at $1,460, and I would recommend the Intel board listed above and the system would cost about $1,000 less.

If you're in a hurry and the budget is not in the $6,000+ range, for cost and speed purposes, you might consider finding a used Dell Precision T7500 with 2X the excellent Xeon X5680, six core, 3.33 Ghz CPU's for 12 cores / 24 threads. Those were $1,600 CPU's new and still very high in the benchmarks- Passmark Multiple CPU No. 14 at a score of 14151. For reference, a single E5-1650 is no. 12 at 11462 ] A good T7500 with a pair of X5680's are seen on Ebay between $2,800 and $4,500 (7.13) and sometimes these will have a lot of RAM and very good GPU's such as Quadro 4000, but there will probably be additional expense. If the initial cost is problem, a more economical path would be to buy a T7500 with a single X5680 for $1,400-1,800 to get you back to work immediately and in the meantime you buy the CPU /Memory /Fan riser, a second X5680, and more RAM for about $1000-1,200. A dual CPU T7500 supports 192GB of DDR3 ECC 1333.

> In this equation, consider the time and diversion of effort for > shopping for the parts, ordering, waiting for delivery, assembling, configuration, loading applications, trouble shooting, loading files and more troubleshooting that would be necessary before getting back to work. These factors in total prompted me to buy the HP immediately that while it's far from ideal, every day of work lost with a deadline is catastrophic. After three or four days work lost, I could lose the price of the HP and the client will be "upset" .

Of course, in the last couple of days I worked out the problem with the T5400 and it's working perfectly again! I may very well convert it into 8GB RAM and a used Quadro K4000 for the HP. I say "worked out" but I'm not actually sure what caused the problem or the recovery,...

Cheers,

BambiBoom

[ Dell Precision T5400 > 2X Xeon X5460 quad core @3.16GHz > 16 GB DDR2 667 ECC > Quadro. FX 4800 (1.5GB) > WD RE4 / Segt Brcda 500GB > Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit > AutoCad, Revit, Solidworks 2010, Sketchup Pro, Corel Technical Designer, Adobe. CS4 MC, WordP Office, MS Office ]

[ HP z420 > Xeon E5-1620 quad core @ 3.6 / 3.9GHz > 8GB DDR3 1600 ECC > Firepro V4900 (1 GB) > WD 500GB 6GB/s > Windows Professional 64-bit> No applications loaded ]