markLambert :
gpu for Dell Optiplex 990 school computers - help!
This is all I have for 3d modelling and animation - want to know where my best bang for the buck might be (if at all) - which card for best price/value - better to put in an ssd? more ram?
Thanks!!!!
Dell Optiplex 990 Desktop PC - Intel Core i5-2400 3.10GHz, 4GB DDR3 Memory, 250GB HDD, DVDRW, Windows 7
Prof. Lambert !,
The Optiplex name has not been in general an inspiration to the enthusiast, but the 990 actually has a lot potential: on Passmark baselines, the top rated system: i7-2600 (4-core @ 3.4GHz, Firepro W7000, Samsung 840 Evo, 16GB RAM : Rating = 4212, CPU=8474 2D+734, 3D=4195, 2393, Disk=4658. These numbers are encouraging for 3D work as it means that the motherboard and video and disk subsystems will respond to a high level of components. and the power supply must be decent.
GPU: More RAM would assist in running more programs simultaneously, a higher clock speed CPU an assist with high polygon shifting and texture positioning calculations, and an SSD in loading speed of large files, but in my view the best expenditure is to focus first on the GPU and then progress to the CPU. As well, the graphics card is the easiest to change.
Important: With Optiplex, one does need to be mindful of the form factor and make sure the GPU has enough space. If it's the slim one as in the photo, check to see if the GPU is on a 90 degree riser and get a gauge on how long the card can be past the PCIe slot.
The highest 3D scores for Optiplex 990's with the i5-2400 are:
Radeon HD 7850 =4174
Quadro 6000
! = 3518 (That card is 6GB, takes 225W, and new cost $3,600!)
Radeon HD 6670 =1356
Radeon R7 240 =1331
Radeon HD 6670 =1325
Radeon HD 6670 =1310
Quadro 600 = 713
As Radeon are very good cost / performance and seem to score well in the Optiplex 990, I think it would be a good idea to look at recent 128-bit designs with at least 1GB memory and good clock speeds and number of shaders. perhaps:
GIGABYTE GV-R724OC-2GI REV2.0 Radeon R7 240 2GB 128-Bit DDR3 PCI Express 3.0 HDCP Ready Video Card > $70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125516&cm_re=Radeon-_-14-125-516-_-Product
> The core clock is 900MHz and there are 320 shaders.
There are some good reasons to consider a workstation card as these can use the image quality specialized drivers,. On the AMD side, there is a new Firepro, replacing the V3900:
AMD FirePro W4100 100-505817 2GB 128-bit DDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 Workstation Video Card > $160
There are as of yet, no Passmark results for the V4100.
> and , if the applications are Autodesk and Adobe, there is an advantage in CUDA aceleration:
PNY Quadro K620 VCQK620-PB 2GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Workstation Video Card > About $160-170
> and on Passmark, on an Optiplex 990 with a i7-2600 CPU system the K620 produced a 3D scores of 2285. As the top score for K620 is 2341, and I use an $750 Quadro 4000 that scores 2044, this is good news.
Of course, without a budget, the best GPU is difficult to pin down. I assume you're buying new and in some quantity, so if you mention a budget that would help narrow the choices. all things being equal and with with a good budget, I'd vote for Quadro K620.
CPU: As for the CPU, the top i5-2400= 6338 on Passmark. The fastest CPU (I think) for that socket, with that FSB and lithography is the i7-2600 @ 3.4GHz and as the i7 is hyperthreading - the i5 is not, the i7 would make a significant difference as well. As these make a CPU score on Passmark up to 8700, and that is impressive. On Ebahhh US, the completed listings show the prices (2.15) as in the $80-100 range
So your question is one of budget. And choices are also somewhat dependent on the applications used. Animation is probably the most demanding CAD task as it involves heavy 3D modeling, textures, effects processing and massive error -free frame duplication. the files can be huge as well, and this starts putting pressure on disk speed,... - and then RAM,..and then the Power supply,.. and then,..
But, start with GPU.
Cheers,
BambiBoom
HP z420 (2014) > Xeon E5-1620 quad core @ 3.6 / 3.8GHz > 24GB DDR3 ECC 1600 RAM > Quadro K2200 (4GB) > Intel 730 480GB > Western Digital Black WD1003FZEX 1TB> M-Audio 192 sound card > Linksys AE3000 USB WiFi > 2X Dell Ultrasharp U2715H 2560 X 1440 > Windows 7 Professional 64 >
[ Passmark Rating = 4402 > CPU= 9280 / 2D= 797 / 3D=3480 / Mem= 2558 / Disk= 4498]
Dell Precision T5500 > Xeon X5680 six -core @ 3.33 / 3.6GHz, 24GB DDR3 ECC 1333 > Quadro 4000 (2GB ) > Samsung 840 250GB /WD RE4 Enterprise 1TB > M-Audio 192 sound card > Linksys WMP600N PCI WiFi > Windows 7 Professional 64> HP 2711x (1920 X 1440)
[ Passmark system rating = 3339 / CPU = 9347 / 2D= 684 / 3D= 2030 / Mem= 1871 / Disk= 2234]
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