New 3d workstation, round 2! Now up to 15k!

can you wait ivy brige e is just around the corner

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117262CVF X2
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131814
http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2 X2


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Memory: Corsair Vengeance 64GB (8 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($544.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($186.63 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($119.79 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($119.79 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: PNY Quadro 6000 6GB Video Card ($3608.56 @ Amazon Canada)
Case: Cooler Master Cosmos II (Black) ATX Full Tower Case ($316.20 @ DirectCanada)
Power Supply: Corsair 860W 80 PLUS Platinum Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($164.99 @ Memory Express)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.79 @ DirectCanada)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($147.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $5223.73
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-18 21:56 EDT-0400)

Of course you can reuse the case and PSU if you want.

dreamwyzard,

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, video editing, sound processing, graphic design, rendering, architecture, industrial design, financial analysis. >

BambiBoom CalcuCannon Simumrendanimacadamathica Supermodeler 9000 ™?™©®©$_ REV 9.19.13

1. CPU > (2) Intel Xeon E5-2687W Sandy Bridge-EP 3.1GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) 20MB L3 Cache LGA 2011 150W 8-Core Server Processor. (This presents 16 cores / 32 threads available for rendering. On the Passmark CPU benchmark chart, in dual configuration, the E5-2687W is rated No.2 , score = 21491. In the top 100 systems on Passmark Performance Test 8, this CPU is used in the 6th highest performing system- which also uses a Quadro 6000, the highest rated system using Xeon / Quadro. > $3,868. ($1,934 each)

2. CPU Cooling > (2) Thermaltake Water 3.0 Extreme (CLW0224) Water Cooler CPU Cooler > $220 ($110 each) (This is an area for further study. Intel specifies liquid cooling for the Xeon E5-2687W, but the case configuration, noise levels, and custom options will present refinement)

3. MOTHERBOARD > ASUS Z9PE-D16 SSI EEB C602 Server Motherboard Dual LGA 2011 DDR3 1600 > $480 (16RAM slots up to 512GB. I'm convinced C602 is the current best chipset)

4. RAM> 128GB ECC 1600 (8 X 16GB) SAMSUNG M393B2G70BH0-CK0 1X 16GB for ASUS Z9PE-D16 > 128GB= $1,160 ($145 each, Server Direct) (With 16 slots, using 16GB modules will allow a future upgrade to 256GB without replacement of the originals)

5. GPU > NVIDIA Quadro 6000 by PNY 6GB GDDR5 PCI Express Gen 2 x16 DVI-I DL Dual DisplayPort and Stereo OpenGL, DirectX, CUDA, and OpenCL Professional Graphics Board, VCQ6000-PB > $2,300. (Note> The Quadro 6000 has dropped about $1,200 recently in anticipation of the K6000 availability)

____5A. GPU OPT'L > NVIDIA Quadro K6000 VCQK6000-PB Workstation Video Card 12GB> > $5,000 (The usefulness / premium of the K6000 will depend on the complexity and file size of 3D models and animations. The performance of this card on very large and complex models is astounding, but may or may not be necessary)

____ 5B. GPU OPT'L 2X SLI) PNY VCQK5000-PB NVIDIA Quadro K5000 4GB256-bit PCI Express 2.0 x 16 HDCP Ready Workstation video card > $3,400 ($1,700 each) (The K5000 is an amazing performer and a pair in SLI offering 2X GPU's, 8GB, and 3,070 CUDA cores may be as useful a solution as the K6000 for $1,600 less, with the advantage of being able to add the second one later.)

6. OS/APPL.N DRIVE > SAMSUNG 840 Pro Series MZ-7PD512BW 2.5" 512GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) > $520

7. STORAGE DRIVES > (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 1+0) (Active files, backup, system image)

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

9. CASE> Case Labs Mercury S5 Case Aluminum E-ATX Full Tower Computer Case about $500 (These are modular and price varies according to options. The base price is $260 and the $500 budget includes a generous amount for drive bays ("Flex Bay"), fan/ radiators, various ventilated panels, cables, wheels, USB, Firewire ports, and misc. supplies)

10. OPTICAL DRIVE> ASUS Black 16X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 5X DVD-RAM 12X BD-ROM SATA Blu-ray Burner BW-16D1HT > $110.

11. FAN CONTROL> NZXT Sentry-2 5.25" Touch Screen Fan Controller > $28.

_______________________________

TOTAL = $9,676 with Quadro 6000, $10,776 with 2X Quadro K5000, or $12,376 with Quadro K6000

Refinements >

1. As noted, the CPU and Case cooling should be more carefully considered and configured to suit the case. Also, the cooling-related noise is important.

2. The Case Labs case has many, many possibilities and details of the Case should be considered in consideration of features, ventilation, and noise potential. This case is sort of double sided and there is a compartment perfect for a custom liquid cooling system. There are other Case Labs series even more suited for this. See >

http://www.caselabs-store.com/

3. This specification does not address a special solution for sound, which may or may or be important in your use. A very good basic 2-channel (non-surround) duplex card with 24-bit / 192 recording, MIDI, SP/DIF is the M-Audio US41750 Audiophile 192 , recently lowered in price from $200 to about $95. This could be coupled to a Logitech Z-2300 THX-Certified 2.1 Speaker System (w/ Subwoofer) , about $600. I've had 3X M-Audio 2496 cards (the model below the 192), have on order a US41750 Audiophile 192 and have used a Z-2300 system for four years- excellent!

Cheers,

BambiBoom

[ Dell Precision T5400 > 2X Xeon X5460 quad core @3.16GHz > 16 GB ECC 667> Quadro FX 4800 (1.5GB) > WD RE4 / Segt Brcda 500GB > M-Audio 2496 Sound Card > Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit > HP 2711x 27" 1920 x 1080 > AutoCad, Revit, Solidworks, Sketchup Pro, Corel Technical Designer, Adobe CS MC, WordP Office, MS Office > architecture, industrial design, graphic design, rendering, writing ]

dreamwyzard,

I'm very glad to make this kind of suggestion as it's a good exercise / education in the current state of workstation components. I feel the suggestion is a realistic and despite the cost, a good cost /performance solution- actually careful to put the cost where it's useful. -Very close to the ideal system for my use.

I tried a custom configuration*** of an HP z820 done to be as close to the suggested one (2X E5-2687W, 128GB, Quadro 6000), and the price is quoted as $18,212, so build yourself and save, save, save !

*** http://h71016.www7.hp.com/dstore/dcart/cart.asp?HeaderAction=ViewCart&oi=E9CED&BEID=19701&SBLID=

I've made a couple of corrections and additional comments in the previous post. The dual Quadro K5000 in place of the 6000 is intriguing, although the 6000 has dropped in price substantially recently.

Let us know how you progress.

Cheers,

BambiBoom

one thing though ivy bridge e xenons just came out so you should tyrr getting two of the 12 cores link http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116925

the other thing is noctua makes some workstation cpu coolers so check them out link http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608043 also i think for what your doing the cosmos 2 would be more appropriate http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119252

The 2687 is clocked higher. If you can find it for a similar price I would definitely recommend it.

dreamwyzard,

1 > Case > I like the Cooler Master Cosmos II quite a lot- it has that look of being able to use a pair as panier bags on a BMW motorcycle - fast standing still. The Case Labs designs are very utilitarian -looking, but in this kind of system, that's a big advantage- open, roomy, airy, and you have any kind of parts you want. The doors hinge and open the sides completely. You can also have them delivered as a kit which allows modifications and colour changes as well as building in a kind of open platform configuration- just a bare frame, perfect when doing custom liquid cooling and testing.

Their Magnum series are kind of double-sided and you can put the PSU, cooling system, and drives in one compartment and the CPU/ MB in the other. There are a number of YouTube videos of builds with these and the flexibility and quality is very convincing. If I were building a high-end workstation, generic features were fine, needed it fast, I would use >

LIAN LI PC-D8000 Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case >$360

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112390

> but that is because the Lian Li reminds me of the spaciousness and flexibility of the Case Labs but with fewer decisions and work- just plug all the stuff in and get back to work.

I might mention too that as a designer, my prejudice is for very neutral surroundings when working- very designed, objects especially with a lot of detail and lights on them I find distracting.

3> Cooling > I hope the cooling situation was not made to seem extreme. Intel does recommend liquid cooling for the E5-2687W because of the 8 cores and 150W is no as easy to dissipate even in a large die like the LGA2011, but I believe that a good quality compact liquid cooler would be just fine. Like Quadros, Xeons are made to be on all the time at full bore, and are slightly under-stressed to do it. I read recently that all Intel LGA 2011 CPU's are made with 8 cores and the ability to use in 2CPU configurations- the 8 cores, ECC RAM, clock speed, and dual Processor features are simply a matter of bin selection and feature enabling.

2 > GPU > I'm quite convinced that the Quadro K5000 is the one to have these days- the 3D performance is simply outstanding, plenty of CUDa cores (1536) and 4GB is a good RAM quantity. I was all set to buy a Quadro K4000 ($750), but I recently decided that I would wait and buy a used K5000 when they were sold used for $1,000 or under- Which I expect will be in about eight months to a year.

One other alternative would be to consider a used Quadro 6000 (6GB) as these are quite amazing for animation, video editing, and son on. The prices are dropping rapidly - I've seen new for $2,300 and used for $1,300 as the K6000 (12GB, $5,000) is about to appear. I've had very good luck with used Quadros as they're made for long, constant use and run at a reduced stress level for that reliability. I use a Quadro FX 4800 (1.5GB) that was $1,200 new, purchased for $150 when 18 months old and has been perfect for two years of almost 24/7 running. My 2008 Quadro FX 580 (512MB), now in a 2006 Dell Optiplex, likewise runs great and that card is still on the recommended list for AutoCad and Inventor 2014!

It would be worth looking into the ability of you particular applications to see if they support multiple GPU's or if the LSI will only contribute the multiplied memory, because the K5000 (and 6000) can be used in SLI. That situation is changing as is the ability of applications for multi-core function. My thought, mentioned earlier, was that if SLI was useful, you could start with one K5000 and add a second later is needed.

No guarantees, but, given the quality of the K5000, you might consider a recent used one with a known history. I see these on eBay as "new other" - barely if at all used in the $1,300 range sometimes.

> An ambitious project, but the potential is a system with 5-6 years reliable, high performance use.

Cheers,

BambiBoom

dreamwyzard,

I'm very pleased that your project is moving ahead, and it's always a pleasure to contemplate the top end. In the sense of ingenuity required, it's the extremes of performance tailored to use and cheaposity that are the most demanding.

RAID > You may find it useful to have Passmark Performance Test. This is useful as a test of your current system, and of course testing during refinements in the new one. Passmark PT also has very good search features "Advanced" in which you can virtually model a system by inputing any combination of components. In the Top 100 systems, the No. 10 system is an HP z820 with 2X Xeon E5-2687W / Quadro 6000 / OCZ Agility 3 / 196GB RAM, rating 7671, with 2D /3D scores of 1545 / 3977. It's impossible to know the exact drive layout, but as the Disk score is 26481 I would say it must have a RAID 0. That system, while No. 10 is in effect No. 3 as 7 of the Top 10 are the same system with different GPU's- and that No. 1-4, 6-8 system uses an LSI MR9265-8i RAID controller. Also, if you look at the Top 100 list, there is a noticeable presence of RAID 0's- and LSI Controllers in the drive model list.

Cooling > Yes, I'm always surprised how large CPU's coolers can be. One technique is to read user comments
on coolers on both the motherboard and case to check on conflicts. The big Lian Li case should have a lot of room. I didn't think of it earlier, but a RAM cooler might be order as well.

Monitor > I like your characterization of the monitor and chair being the most important components. One of the best computer components I've ever purchased was the 27" HP monitor - replacing a 22" CRT, and the other was a pair of Steelcase Leap chairs. I cetainly spend far more hours in those chairs than the bed!

It sounds as though you're forging ahead- wisely, and I would be very interested to have news of progress and results. Well done!

Cheers,

BambiBoom

Hi, I looked through this thread and noticed that so far nobody considered to use PCIe SSD memory for the OS drive. These drives read and write at insane speeds, around 2GB/s. If you go for a build where you still have a PCIe x8 slot available I would strongly recommend to put this in your build as it will boot your system in mere seconds.