3D Workstation

[MaxSk8]

Hi,

I know that this question has been ask alot of time in the past but I didn't find anything that clarify the situation for me.

I will have to build 3 new 3d workstation for profesionnal use. The main applications that will be use on those computer are After Effects CS4, Photoshop CS4, Illustrator CS4 and 3DS Max 2010.

I would like to know if it's better to go i7 or Xeon. I'm trying to figure why would I go Xeon instead of i7. http://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html. If I look at that bench, a 1900$ W5580 is equal to a 700$ i7 960. I don't know tought in that bench if it's dual Xeon or only one. The result may be different in other applications too.

I'm trying to find some bench in AE, Photoshop or 3DS Max 2010 comparing Xeon to i7 but I can't find any. The bench are only Xeon vs Xeon or i7 vs i7. The Xeon are also know for being more "stable". I don't exactly know what that mean because i've never had any problem with my core 2 duo running 24/24.

I also wanted to know why would I go Quadro instead of Gefore or FireGL instead of Radeon? We have two computer that have the same spec except for the videocard. One is using a 8800GT and the other is using a FX4600. The users don't see any difference between the two computers... I know that Quadro's card are better for OpenGL than Geforce card but we don't use Open GL here.

So what I would need is a benchmark for 3DS, AE, Photoshop with Xeon and i7 and maybe the same thing for Geforce vs Quadro.

Thanks!

 

[r_manic]

This is a question for the Homebuilt section of this forum. I've moved this thread there.

As for your question, I would suggest going for the i7. The Xeon is designed to run servers, not workstations, and may be less compatible than a more "mainstream" CPU like the i7.

 

[jimmysmitty]

I second going with the i7. Either way they are the same chip, its just that a Xeon is designated and has a few tweaks for server running. Core i7 is designed for everything else.

But a Core i7 would be the best bet for that kind of work since it shows the best performance.

 

[r_manic]

This topic has been moved from the section CPU & Components to section Homebuilt Systems by R_manic

 

[Shadow703793]

1. If you are doing renderings, then going the 2P route makes sense. For a single socket solution, no need for a Xeon or an Opty.

2.

I also wanted to know why would I go Quadro instead of Gefore or FireGL instead of Radeon?

The drivers for the workstation GPUs are geared more toward display accuracy,etc versus speed. As a CAD user, you can notice the jagged edges,etc on a non workstation card vs workstation card. Also, realize you need a pretty high end LCD that's calibrated to see most of the color differences.