Better than new? Older Monster Workstation vs Modern Consumer 2015 edition

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juxx989

juxx989

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Dec 21, 2014
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Hello all...

I'm in the market for a new/different computer mainly for 3d Work (3ds Max/Cinema 4d)
Rendering is very important.

I only have about $1200 to work with...

I have come across some compelling arguments that older high end workstations my be a better value...

http://videohive.net/forums/thread/modern-consumer-build-vs-old-monster-workstation/121982


Looking on the inter-webs I have found this which raised a eyebrow..

HP Z600 Workstation
Nvidia Quatro Fx 1800 videocard
500gb HD
12gb ram
2x Xeon 5650's Processors with 6 cores each= 12 cores x hyper-threading= 24 threads
1 year warranty
for around $600 US

I figure I swap out that video card for something newer( GTX 970 or GTX 750ti) and upgrade the ram to 24 gb and Ill still be under budget with a computer that has way more utility than something I can build from scratch at this price point.

I guess I'm just asking am I missing something?

Is a 4 year old computer too old no matter the specs? (Id be happy if I get 2 years service out of it)

Could I build something new just as good with raw rendering power for the price?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts....



 
Solution
Darkbreeze
Actually, that's a pretty fine setup, for a workstation. But, the problem I see is that if you're buying it used, even with a warranty, it might be risky. Depending on how reputable and honest the seller is and how well they represent their warranties, it would probably be worth the investment.

For that price, it's doubtful you could built a custom rig with similar capability even with a good i7 setup. Anything with a newer opteron or xeon configuration is going to be a lot more expensive once you get into the cost of dual CPUs and a motherboard capable of using it. And any of the single CPUs with that kind of firepower will be prohibitively expensive for your budget.

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Darkbreeze

Darkbreeze

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Jun 24, 2014
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Actually, that's a pretty fine setup, for a workstation. But, the problem I see is that if you're buying it used, even with a warranty, it might be risky. Depending on how reputable and honest the seller is and how well they represent their warranties, it would probably be worth the investment.

For that price, it's doubtful you could built a custom rig with similar capability even with a good i7 setup. Anything with a newer opteron or xeon configuration is going to be a lot more expensive once you get into the cost of dual CPUs and a motherboard capable of using it. And any of the single CPUs with that kind of firepower will be prohibitively expensive for your budget.

 
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