Threadripper Workstation Rendering Modeling build. Want advice on parts

[bhrandon]

I know these probably get boring as hell to look at, but, hopefully a few of you superstars will wander in here and be able to let me know if the build looks good, or what I should be looking at.

I had the hardest time finding info on graphics cards, as it seems every review is from last year and only covers a few cards... damn bitcoin...

and also PSU and Case. Finding info on cases was incredibly hard as most people are water cooling and placing their cases in glass and I am not going that route and I want good airflow....

As always everything is up for debate. If you have any links to things to read, or places to look that would be great.

I am not building something that is pretty to look at, thats secondary, this is a workstation for work.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/XBmsXP

Thank you so much for any info.

-Bhrandon

 

[kanewolf]

Those 1080ti may not be used depending on what software you have. Since graphics still has a premium right now, maybe cutting back to one (unless you know that you utilize them) might be the prudent thing.

 

[bhrandon]

I use a ton of software.
3d studio max
cinema4d
blender
zbrush
after effects
vray
key shot
clo
photoshop


because I am doing a lot of rendering, and encoding, I was under the impression that 2 GPUs would be better than one. and I am looking to be as fast as possible at rendering...

I am not sure if putting them in SLI would be helpful or not, I sort of read that they shouldn't be SLI'd

also there will be times that I am encoding and rendering and modeling at the same time if that makes any difference to having 2 cards or not...


any further info would be great thanks Kanewolf!

 

[g-unit1111]

Those 1080ti may not be used depending on what software you have. Since graphics still has a premium right now, maybe cutting back to one (unless you know that you utilize them) might be the prudent thing.

Yeah I agree, for workstation use you'd get more efficient redraws with a Vega Frontier or a Quaddro P4000 / 5000 than you would with a 1080 SLI setup.

 

[kanewolf]

I use a ton of software.
3d studio max
cinema4d
blender
zbrush
after effects
vray
key shot
clo
photoshop


because I am doing a lot of rendering, and encoding, I was under the impression that 2 GPUs would be better than one. and I am looking to be as fast as possible at rendering...

I am not sure if putting them in SLI would be helpful or not, I sort of read that they shouldn't be SLI'd

also there will be times that I am encoding and rendering and modeling at the same time if that makes any difference to having 2 cards or not...


any further info would be great thanks Kanewolf!

I don't do rendering, but you need to evaluate the software and see if it is significantly GPU accelerated. You may be spending a lot on graphics that sits idle a lot. G-unit1111 also makes a good point. A Quadro card may be better than a pair of gaming cards. The drivers for Quadro are optimized for workstation applications and have features enabled that gaming cards (and gaming drivers) don't.

You also have to look at the percentage of time you use each software package. I you use zbrush 70% of your time and it isn't GPU accelerated, then any money spend on graphics only improves your performance 30% of the time. You have to evaluate. For the same $$$ with a different graphics card, could you get a Xeon Scalable build that is a dual socket motherboard that you could expand in the future. You REALLY have to look at your workflows and see what can improve your performance.

 

[bhrandon]

awesome I will check into those...

anything else on the.... PSU or Case?

appreciate all the info guys

 

[King Dranzer]

Here is the list:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i9-7940X 3.1GHz 14-Core Processor ($1299.49 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Corsair - H115i PRO 55.4 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus - PRIME X299-A ATX LGA2066 Motherboard ($259.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Crucial - Ballistix Sport LT 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($325.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($199.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.79 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: PNY - Quadro P5000 16GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($1794.50 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PNY - Quadro P5000 16GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($1794.50 @ Amazon)
Case: Phanteks - Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($84.02 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair - RMx 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($176.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $6135.14
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-05-03 23:32 EDT-0400

This is more balanced and powerful build. Intel i9-7940X comes with very strong multi-core performance matching Threadripper 1950X but surpasses it in single-core performance with a decent margin. Lot better for single core workload while performing equally good at multi core workload.

Quadro cards better for workload and luckily P5000 falls only one lvl down compared to GTX1080Ti in raw performance on smaller scenes while providing accurate results and performing smoothly on larger scenes.

32GB Memory is enough for startup and you can add another 32GB in future. If budget is no problem add 64GB instead of 32GB to the list no need of RGB memory.

500GB SSD is enough even for large projects when working on individually. I did not find a reason behind 2 additional 1TB SSDs even if you need add only 1 that too normal 2.5"SSD.