Computer is currently too slow for VFX Compositing, should I upgrade or build something new?

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jakobo48

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Jul 16, 2012
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So a little background, this build is exactly 3 years old and is having trouble running heavier Nuke comps with 2k and 4k plates. It runs fine for gaming, etc but the main use is for work and the rendering slowdown (and even interactive viewing) is slowing to a crawl, and the RAM is constantly maxed out. Current build:

CPU Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor

Motherboard Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard

Memory Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory

Storage Seagate Momentus XT 500GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive

Video Card Sapphire Radeon HD 6870 1GB Video Card

Case Antec Lanboy air Yellow ATX Mid Tower Case

Power Supply Cougar 1000W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply

Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)


I think the processor is alright (haven't overclocked it yet), but the mobo can only handle 32GB RAM max. I'm wondering if it's better to spend ~$300 to get a full set of 32GB of DDR3 2133MHz since that appears to be the bottleneck, or if it'd be better to invest that money into a new mobo/system entirely.

Thoughts?
 
Solution
InvalidError
If you are running out of RAM all the time then yes, you should definitely get 32GB RAM: having to use the swapfile all the time will kill performance no matter how fast the rest of your system might be. If the CPU ends up becoming a limiting factor after that, you would still have the options of either upgrading to an i7-4790k or i7-4930k and reuse your 32GB kit. The 4930k path would also open the option for 64GB later.
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kanewolf

kanewolf

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I would get the matched 32GB RAM and sell the 16GB set to help offset the costs. An SSD would also speed things up significantly if the files are read from local disk. If they are read over a remote mount, it is possible that is your slow down.
 
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InvalidError

InvalidError

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If you are running out of RAM all the time then yes, you should definitely get 32GB RAM: having to use the swapfile all the time will kill performance no matter how fast the rest of your system might be. If the CPU ends up becoming a limiting factor after that, you would still have the options of either upgrading to an i7-4790k or i7-4930k and reuse your 32GB kit. The 4930k path would also open the option for 64GB later.
 
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Solution
Wisecracker

Wisecracker

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Jan 15, 2007
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My understanding: NUKE turned toward CUDA several years ago when the industry was essentially going to OpenCL GPU acceleration.

1) You can't do CUDA on an HD 6870; and
2) More RAMs will help, but otherwise, you are backing-up without any GPU acceleration for effects, editing and rendering.

 
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Talen45

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Mar 2, 2010
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I am in the same boat. I would like to see what the community offers. I am just starting to get into VFX in my free time and my rig right now is ok but I get a lot of bottlenecking.
 
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kanewolf

kanewolf

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For CUDA support you need at least CUDA 4.2 driver. -- See Wiki for options on video cards which support compute capability 2.0 or better.
A NVIDIA GTX 750 video card is available for about $100. Not too expensive to see what CUDA can do to speed things up.
 
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jakobo48

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Jul 16, 2012
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Wow, a lot of interesting points; I appreciate the insight. Wisecracker is absolutely right about the GPU acceleration. It was mostly a gaming rig when I first built it, and the CUDA aspect is a serious oversight when switching it into a primary workstation.

Seems like the overall impression I'm getting is the core components should be fine (sans GPU) and it's a better bet to upgrade the RAM for now. And if I can reuse that kit in the future all the better. I've never sold RAM before but I'm sure I can get something for it.

With the sales days approaching I'm hoping the RAM might drop, and maybe I can pick up a GTX 780 TI along with it. A chunk of change, but hopefully that will future proof it a bit more and get the computer running smoother again.

Thanks for all the help!
 
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