Mohammed Kayed :
Hey, guys I just like to get your opinion on what a good rendering build would be for about $600 .
Things I don't need: monitor, os, mouse, keyboard.
thanks.
Mohammed Kayed,
As rendering is quite demanding: as many cores/ threads as possible, the system may also used for 3D modeling or CAD, needs a strong graphics card, and needs to be run for very long periods at full performance, I like to buy high quality, used workstations. They were designed for these uses and for reliability. These systems are also made to run quietly.
For example:
HP Z420 XEON SIX CORE E5-1650 3.20GHZ 16GB 160GB SSD (2x NVS300) - Win7 Pro COA > $449 or best offer.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-Z420-XEON-SIX-CORE-E5-1650-3-20GHZ-16GB-160GB-SSD-2x-NVS300-Win7-Pro-COA-/151950168778?hash=item2360ef92ca:g:nkMAAOSwJcZWb1~y
I have two z420's and over three years both have been 100% reliable and quiet running. The E5-1600 series has been extremely good value, the. E5-1650 being one of the best cost / performance Xeons ever: 6-core / 12-threads @ 3.2 / 3.8Ghz - very good speeds. The v2 version was 3.5 / 3.9GHz. With the 6-core / 12-threads, CPU rendering should be quite fast- remember that it's 50% more than a four-core. The memory bandwidth is also nearly double LGA1150, the disk system is quite fast- SATA III, and the PSU is 600W- there are slots for 2X 150W graphics cards.
The example above has a- or two?- Quadro NVS GPU, which are strictly for 2D, but as the cost is $450 including shipping, there is $150 to buy a reasonably good GPU. You can check the recommendations form the maker of the software you use as to whether you should have a workstation card or a consumer/ gaming card will work. I use only Quadros as I use Autodesk, Adobe, and Dessault programs, with viewports.
An SSD is really desirable, but I recently upgraded a Dell Precision T3500 with mech'l drives and except for a much slower startup, the working speed is the same. Three or four seconds here and there is not too serious. There are also today reasonable SSD's for $45 by Silicon Power and Kingston.
Purchased for $53 + $$24 shipping:
Precision T3500 (2009) (
Original) Xeon W3530 2.8 /3.06GHz > 4GB (2X 2GB) DDR3-1333 ECC > 9800 GT > WD Black 500GB
[[Passmark system rating =
1962.9, CPU = 4482 / 2D= 609 / 3D=805 / Mem= 1409 / Disk=1048]]
CPU: $60
RAM: $43
GPU, HD's : left over form other upgrades
______________
TOTAL = $185
Results:
Precision T3500 (2011) (
Rev 2) Xeon X5677 3.47 /3.73GHz > 12GB (6X 2GB) DDR3-1333 ECC > Quadro 4000 > PERC 6/i +Seagate ST3300657SS + WD Black 500GB > 626W PSU> Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
[Passmark system rating =
2751, CPU = 7236 / 2D= 658 / 3D=2020 / Mem= 1875 / Disk=1221]
Another tactic is to buy an older, obsolete system with dual CPU sockets and upgrade it:
A Dell Precison T5500 purchased for $190 including shipping:
Dell Precision T5500 (2011) (
Original): Xeon E5620 quad core @ 2.4 / 2.6 GHz > 6GB DDR3 ECC Reg 1333 > Quadro FX 580 (512MB) > Dell PERC 6/i SAS /SATA controller > Seagate Cheetah 15K 146GB > Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
[ Passmark system rating =
1479 / CPU = 4067 / 2D= 520 / 3D= 311 / Mem= 1473 / Disk= 1208]
CPU's: $230 and $170
CPU rise board: $70
48GB RAM: $180
GPU: $230
RAID controller: $60
Drives: leftover from other upgrades
_________________
TOTAL= $940 Value of drives about $120 = $1060
Results:
Dell Precision T5500 (2011)(
Revised) > 2X Xeon X5680 six -core @ 3.33 / 3.6GHz, 48GB DDR3 ECC 1333 > Quadro K2200 (4GB ) > PERC H310 / Samsung 840 250GB / WD RE4 Enterprise 1TB > M-Audio 192 sound card > 875W PSU > Windows 7 Professional 64> HP 2711x (1920 X 1080)
[ Passmark system rating =
3844 / CPU = 15047 / 2D= 662 / 3D= 3500 / Mem= 1785 / Disk= 2649] (12.30.15)
And there is a system with 12 cores /24 threads. This system was upgraded to run one one core and the second added later plus 24GB more RAM. The PERC H310 controller changes the disk system from 3GB/s to 6Gb/s. Renderings are very, very fast!
The Precision T3500 can use a variety of 6-core CPU's up to the W3690 6-core @ 3.47 /3.73GHz and 24GB RAM. and that is an economical alternative as more could be spent on the SSD and very good GPU.
This one was purchased for $53+$25 shipping (12.12.15):
Precision T3500 (2009) (
Original) Xeon W3530 2.8 /3.06GHz > 4GB (2X 2GB) DDR3-1333 ECC > 9800 GT > WD Black 500GB
[[Passmark system rating =
1962.9, CPU = 4482 / 2D= 609 / 3D=805 / Mem= 1409 / Disk=1048]
CPU: $60
RAM: $43
RAID controller, GPU, Disks: Left over from original Precision T5500
_____________________
TOTAL= $185 + about $200 value in the used components
Precision T3500 (2011) (
Rev 2) Xeon X5677 4-core @ 3.47 /3.73GHz > 12GB (6X 2GB) DDR3-1333 ECC > Quadro 4000 > PERC 6/i +Seagate ST3300657SS + WD Black 500GB > 525W PSU> Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
[Passmark system rating =
2751, CPU = 7236 / 2D= 658 / 3D=2020 / Mem= 1875 / Disk=1221]
A couple alternatives to researching, ordering, assembling, configuring, and troublehooting, though the upgrading method does take time and effort plus patient shopping for good prices. With the z420 system, it's possible plug in the graphics card and load applications you can using it a few hours after opening the box. The 20+ hours saved as compared to building can instead be working hours billed. And the system is of higher performance- the 6-cores and designed for reliability.
Cheers,
BambiBoom
1. HP z420 (2015) > Xeon E5-1660 v2 six-core @ 3.7 / 4.0GHz > 32GB DDR3 ECC 1866 RAM > Quadro K4200 (4GB) > Intel 730 480GB (9SSDSC2BP480G4R5) > Western Digital Black WD1003FZEX 1TB> M-Audio 192 sound card > 600W PSU> Logitech z2300 > 2X Dell Ultrasharp U2715H (2560 X 1440) > Windows 7 Professional 64 >
[ Passmark Rating = 5064 > CPU= 13989 / 2D= 819 / 3D= 4596 / Mem= 2772 / Disk= 4555] [Cinebench R15 > CPU = 1014 OpenGL= 126.59 FPS] 7.8.15
2.HP z420 (2013)(Revision 2) > Xeon E5-1620 four core @ 3.6 /3.8GHz > 24GB DDR3 ECC 1600 RAM > Quadro 4000(2GB) > Samsung 840 (250GB) WD Black 1TB > > M-Audio 192 soundcard > Linksys WMP600N WiFi
[Passmark system rating = 3815 / CPU = 8985/ 2D= 767 / 3D= 2044/ Mem= 2523 / Disk= 2986]
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