- Aug 10, 2012
- 7
- 0
- 10,520
Hi Guys,
This is a somewhat esoteric use case, I know, but we've contracted to create a short animated film in 4K (UHD, 3840x2160). Our normal workflow handles 720p or 1080p, so as you can imagine, I'm a bit concerned that our current hardware will choke on something that's 4X larger.
I've got people working on our shared RAID server and networking throughput, now I need to figure out what our Compositor will need. I want to make his job as easy as possible so he can focus on quality instead of efficiency.
Approximate Purchase Date:
2 weeks? End of November at the latest.
Budget Range:
1000 - 2000.
System Usage from Most to Least Important:
Primary: After Effects CC compositing.
Secondary: 3DS Max render node on off-hours (Brazil), Photoshop, Cinema4D production
Are you buying a monitor:
No, we have plenty. None are 4K but that's something we'll have to work around.
Parts to Upgrade:
We have two possibilities:
1. Upgrade our existing machine. This is a Dell Precision T3600 with a Xeon E5-1650 3.2Ghz, ATI FirePro 4900 1GB, 32GB DDR3 1600 ECC, and OCZ Vertex 4 256GB SSD. -- What could we change to make this more effective with multiple 4K playback/scrubbing?
2. Build a new machine from scratch. I'm open to anything, although Xeon and ECC is preferred for stability (workstation graphics if possible but that's a premium we're willing to forego).
Do you need to buy OS:
Yes, if a new machine: Win7 Pro OEM
Preferred Website(s) for Parts:
Amazon.com (first-party vendor when possible) or Newegg.com. Dell is our preferred vendor for pre-built systems.
Location:
Portland, OR, (NW USA)
Parts Preferences:
Intel CPU if possible. Dedicated graphics required.
Overclocking:
Maybe -- must be very stable
SLI or Crossfire:
Maybe -- not sure what benefit this would bring, 3D GPU isn't a priority (see below)
Your Monitor Resolution:
1920x1080 X2, other configurations possible.
Additional Comments:
After Effects CC is our priority.
RE 3D GPU: this post (http://blogs.adobe.com/aftereffects/2012/05/gpu-cuda-opengl-features-in-after-effects-cs6.html) recommends CUDA for 3D rendering but we're not anticipating a lot of that. So 3D power isn't a high priority, and AMD is a legit option.
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading:
Unlike straight video playback or even editing (Premiere etc), with After Effects we make use of several layers of 3D renders and video simultaneously. This is my primary consideration in wanting to upgrade. I have no doubt that the current workstation is capable of 4K playback. It needs to be capable of pushing through multiple 4K streams simultaneously. Realtime playback isn't required, but, for example more than one second of lag when jumping to a point in the timeline is a problem.
Thanks in advance!
Seth
This is a somewhat esoteric use case, I know, but we've contracted to create a short animated film in 4K (UHD, 3840x2160). Our normal workflow handles 720p or 1080p, so as you can imagine, I'm a bit concerned that our current hardware will choke on something that's 4X larger.
I've got people working on our shared RAID server and networking throughput, now I need to figure out what our Compositor will need. I want to make his job as easy as possible so he can focus on quality instead of efficiency.
Approximate Purchase Date:
2 weeks? End of November at the latest.
Budget Range:
1000 - 2000.
System Usage from Most to Least Important:
Primary: After Effects CC compositing.
Secondary: 3DS Max render node on off-hours (Brazil), Photoshop, Cinema4D production
Are you buying a monitor:
No, we have plenty. None are 4K but that's something we'll have to work around.
Parts to Upgrade:
We have two possibilities:
1. Upgrade our existing machine. This is a Dell Precision T3600 with a Xeon E5-1650 3.2Ghz, ATI FirePro 4900 1GB, 32GB DDR3 1600 ECC, and OCZ Vertex 4 256GB SSD. -- What could we change to make this more effective with multiple 4K playback/scrubbing?
2. Build a new machine from scratch. I'm open to anything, although Xeon and ECC is preferred for stability (workstation graphics if possible but that's a premium we're willing to forego).
Do you need to buy OS:
Yes, if a new machine: Win7 Pro OEM
Preferred Website(s) for Parts:
Amazon.com (first-party vendor when possible) or Newegg.com. Dell is our preferred vendor for pre-built systems.
Location:
Portland, OR, (NW USA)
Parts Preferences:
Intel CPU if possible. Dedicated graphics required.
Overclocking:
Maybe -- must be very stable
SLI or Crossfire:
Maybe -- not sure what benefit this would bring, 3D GPU isn't a priority (see below)
Your Monitor Resolution:
1920x1080 X2, other configurations possible.
Additional Comments:
After Effects CC is our priority.
RE 3D GPU: this post (http://blogs.adobe.com/aftereffects/2012/05/gpu-cuda-opengl-features-in-after-effects-cs6.html) recommends CUDA for 3D rendering but we're not anticipating a lot of that. So 3D power isn't a high priority, and AMD is a legit option.
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading:
Unlike straight video playback or even editing (Premiere etc), with After Effects we make use of several layers of 3D renders and video simultaneously. This is my primary consideration in wanting to upgrade. I have no doubt that the current workstation is capable of 4K playback. It needs to be capable of pushing through multiple 4K streams simultaneously. Realtime playback isn't required, but, for example more than one second of lag when jumping to a point in the timeline is a problem.
Thanks in advance!
Seth
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