BUILD WORKSTATION FOR Post Production "Egypt"

Ahlan BOBOS ANAS,

To learn more about building a PC, make a search on YouTube- there are many videos on how to assemble. Choosing parts is not so easy because there are many choices and the parts for working are different from the parts for playing.

Also, it is difficult to make a suggestion if we do not know the prices of the parts in Egypt. I did look at "Maximum Hardware" Cairo and the prices in Egypt appear to be about 10 to 15% more than the US. Not bad, because in the EU, the prices are about 50% more.

If you are doing film editing and processing, the best system will have a fast CPU= processor- and as many cores as possible for rendering. For the price limit of $1000-1200 and given that the cost i Egypt may be 10-15% more, here is an idea that I think would have good performnace for the cost. At least you can see if the cost is OK.

System 1: Intel

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1. Intel Intel Xeon E3-1230V3 Haswell 3.3 / 3.7GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1150 80W Quad-Core Server Processor BX80646E31230V3 > $250

2. ASRock H87WS-DL ATX Server Motherboard LGA 1150 Intel H87 DDR3 1600/1333 > $130

3. 8GB RAM > (2) Kingston 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) ECC Registered Server Memory Model KVR16R11S8/4 > $94 ($47 ea)

4. AMD 100-505649(100-505844) FirePro V4900 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 Workstation Video Card > $155

5. Western Digital Blue WD10EZEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive, Blue > $65

6. CORSAIR CXM series CX500M 500W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply > $60

7. SAMSUNG DVD Burner 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 24X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM SATA Model SH-224DB/BEBE - OEM > $20

8. Corsair Carbide Series 200R Black Steel / Plastic compact ATX Mid Tower Case > $60

9. Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro - 64-bit - OEM > $140

_______________________________________________________

Total = $974.


System 2: AMD

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1. AMD FX-8350 Vishera 4.0GHz (4.2GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 125W Eight-Core Desktop Processor > $200

2. Cooler Master Hyper 101i - CPU Cooler with Dual Direct Contact Heatpipes - AMD Version > $15

3. GIGABYTE GA-970A-DS3P AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard > $85

4. 8GB Kingston HyperX Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model KHX1600C9D3B1K2/8GX > $57 (Again, if budget permits, make this 16GB)

5. GIGABYTE GV-N760OC-4GD REV2.0 GeForce GTX 760 4GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 HDCP > $290

6. WD Blue 1 TB Desktop Hard Drive: 3.5 Inch, 7200 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64 MB Cache - WD10EZEX > $65

7. CORSAIR CXM series CX500M 500W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply> $60

8. SAMSUNG DVD Burner 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 24X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM SATA Model SH-224DB/BEBE - OEM > $20

9. Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case > $55

10. Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro - 64-bit - OEM > $140

_____________________________________________________________________

TOTAL = $962.

For myself, I prefer Intel and Quadro workstation graphics cards. If you are using Adobe Premiere, it will benefit from CUDA accelerations- NVIDIA cards. Notice the Intel system has an AMD workstation card and the AMD system has an NVIDIA card. These parts are listed as examples and there are many other choices.

I hope this can help to start your project.

Ashofak tany !

BambiBoom

HP z420 (2014) > Xeon E5-1620 quad core @ 3.6 / 3.8GHz > 24GB ECC 1600 RAM > Quadro 4000 (2GB)> Samsung 840 SSD 250GB /Western Digital Black WD1003FZEX 1TB> M-Audio 192 sound card > AE3000 USB WiFi > HP 2711X, 27" 1920 X 1080 > Windows 7 Ultimate 64 >[Passmark system rating = 3923, 2D= 839 / 3D=2048]

Dell Precision T5400 (2008) > 2X Xeon X5460 quad core @3.16GHz > 16GB ECC 667> Quadro FX 4800 (1.5GB) > WD RE4 500GB / Seagate Barracuda 500GB > M-Audio 2496 Sound Card / Linksys 600N WiFi > Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit >[Passmark system rating = 1859, CPU = 8528 / 2D= 512 / 3D=1097]

2D, 3D CAD, Image Processing, Rendering, Text > Architecture, industrial design, graphic design, written projects

We dont know any of the stores you can buy from so its hard to recommend what is best in Egypt .

Ahlan BOBOS ANAS,

I am very pleased to help if I am able.

1. Yes, 16GB of RAM is very useful for the programs you will be using. Then, you may have several programs going at the same time. I often have 4 or 5: word processor, 2D CAD, 3D CAD, Photoshop, Internet and so on. Before you buy the RAM, have a look at the motherboard manufacturer's website and find the list of approved, tested RAM. My preference is for Samsung, but make sure the model you choose is known to be good with the motherboard.

2. My preference would be to use the Intel Xeon system with a Quadro graphics card. Choosing between NVIDIA and AMD is complicated today. The AMD cards are in some ways better performance for the cost, but both Autodesk and Adobe- also Solidworks- benefit from CUDA acceleration:

http://www.nvidia.com/object/quadro-design-and-manufacturing.html

Still, you may see from the Autodesk site that they certify Firepro and Quadro and even a couple of GeForce GTX for 3DS Max:

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/syscert?siteID=123112&id=18844534&results=1&stype=graphic&product_group=6&release=2014&os=32768&manuf=all&opt=2

However, I think a workstation card (Quadro or Firepro) is important because there may be a program among the many that must have it.

Given the complex programs you use, a very fast graphics card with a wide memory bandwidth and a lot of memory is important. You mention that you buy everything new, but if you are adventurous, you may consider buying a used Quadro or Firepro. Look for a card with the least use, but they are made to run at full speed all the time. I have bought eight used Quadros in the last 12 years and never had a failure. One used card (Quadro FX 580) is now 10 years old and still works perfectly. Importantly, the cost is very much reduced. I bought a Quadro FX 4800, that when new cost $1,300 and when it was 1.5 years old I paid $150. The Quadro 4000 I have now was new $750 and I bought it with no use- still in the sealed bag for $290. If you could find a Quadro 4000 within your budget, that would be a very good choice for your uses. Even better is the Quadro 5000- faster, more memory, and importantly is a double height card and so runs cooler. The Quadro 4000 is single height and runs a bit hot, especially when rendering. If you decide to buy an AMD card, have a look at the Firepro W5000 or if used, a W7000. When I bought my HP z420 at the beginning of the year, it had the AMD V4900 and over a month I thought this was a very good card- excellent for the price and would be good if you are buying a new card. I changed to the Quadro 4000 because it works better with Solidworks.

3. Yes, the kind of system we are discussing should be quite good for the programs you mention- really any kind of image making / processing.

4. It is possible to use a quite compact case with this kind of system. However, if possible I think it is better to have a larger case for several reasons- more room for large graphics card, easier to work in, to assemble, but very importantly, it makes good air circulation for cooling easier. When rendering /processing, both the CPU and GPU may be working on all cores and at full speed. I was running renderings a few months ago and discovered that the CPU running on all 8 threads was 85C and the Quadro 4000 was 105C- too hot. This was in the HP z420 which has a large case and that could be purchased new with a Quadro 4000. Heat is a workstation problem- especially rendering and film editing/processing, so I like to have a lot of air especially when living on the on the edge of a desert- for me the Mojave in California/ In July, 2009 in Los Angeles where I lived the temperature was once 119F (48C) and I think you may also have a similar situation!

I wish that I did know more than 10 words of Arabic- one of the World's very important languages. I had some good friends from Egypt when I lived in London and other languages to me are just amazing. And, of course, Egypt has an amazing history- someday I'll see the Pyramids.

Yes, let me know what you decide to do.

Salam,

BambiBoom

Ahlan BOBOS ANAS,

I am very pleased to help if I am able.

1. Yes, 16GB of RAM is very useful for the programs you will be using. Then, you may have several programs going at the same time. I often have 4 or 5: word processor, 2D CAD, 3D CAD, Photoshop, Internet and so on. Before you buy the RAM, have a look at the motherboard manufacturer's website and find the list of approved, tested RAM. My preference is for Samsung, but make sure the model you choose is known to be good with the motherboard.

2. My preference would be to use the Intel Xeon system with a Quadro graphics card. Choosing between NVIDIA and AMD is complicated today. The AMD cards are in some ways better performance for the cost, but both Autodesk and Adobe- also Solidworks- benefit from CUDA acceleration:

http://www.nvidia.com/object/quadro-design-and-manufacturing.html

Still, you may see from the Autodesk site that they certify Firepro and Quadro and even a couple of GeForce GTX for 3DS Max:

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/syscert?siteID=123112&id=18844534&results=1&stype=graphic&product_group=6&release=2014&os=32768&manuf=all&opt=2

However, I think a workstation card (Quadro or Firepro) is important because there may be a program among the many that must have it.

Given the complex programs you use, a very fast graphics card with a wide memory bandwidth and a lot of memory is important. You mention that you buy everything new, but if you are adventurous, you may consider buying a used Quadro or Firepro. Look for a card with the least use, but they are made to run at full speed all the time. I have bought eight used Quadros in the last 12 years and never had a failure. One used card (Quadro FX 580) is now 10 years old and still works perfectly. Importantly, the cost is very much reduced. I bought a Quadro FX 4800, that when new cost $1,300 and when it was 1.5 years old I paid $150. The Quadro 4000 I have now was new $750 and I bought it with no use- still in the sealed bag for $290. If you could find a Quadro 4000 within your budget, that would be a very good choice for your uses. Even better is the Quadro 5000- faster, more memory, and importantly is a double height card and so runs cooler. The Quadro 4000 is single height and runs a bit hot, especially when rendering. If you decide to buy an AMD card, have a look at the Firepro W5000 or if used, a W7000. When I bought my HP z420 at the beginning of the year, it had the AMD V4900 and over a month I thought this was a very good card- excellent for the price and would be good if you are buying a new card. I changed to the Quadro 4000 because it works better with Solidworks.

3. Yes, the kind of system we are discussing should be quite good for the programs you mention- really any kind of image making / processing.

4. It is possible to use a quite compact case with this kind of system. However, if possible I think it is better to have a larger case for several reasons- more room for large graphics card, easier to work in, to assemble, but very importantly, it makes good air circulation for cooling easier. When rendering /processing, both the CPU and GPU may be working on all cores and at full speed. I was running renderings a few months ago and discovered that the CPU running on all 8 threads was 85C and the Quadro 4000 was 105C- too hot. This was in the HP z420 which has a large case and that could be purchased new with a Quadro 4000. Heat is a workstation problem- especially rendering and film editing/processing, so I like to have a lot of air especially when living on the on the edge of a desert- for me the Mojave in California/ In July, 2009 in Los Angeles where I lived the temperature was once 119F (48C) and I think you may also have a similar situation!

I wish that I did know more than 10 words of Arabic- one of the World's very important languages. I had some good friends from Egypt when I lived in London and other languages to me are just amazing. And, of course, Egypt has an amazing history- someday I'll see the Pyramids.

Yes, let me know what you decide to do.

Salam,

BambiBoom