3D Graphics Workstation Build

[wwilson50]

Approximate Purchase Date: 2-3 weeks

Budget Range: 3000-4500

System Usage from Most to Least Important: 3D Graphics, Internet, Movies

Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, monitor( Dell U2711), speakers, OS (Windows 7 Unlimited), Soundcard ( Asus Xonar Essence STX).

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: ncix.com

Country of Origin: Canada

Parts Preferences: by brand or type : No Preference

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe

Monitor Resolution: Dual 2560 x 1440 , http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd&sku=224-8284&redirect=1

Additional Comments: It would be nice to have a somewhat quiet computer but not necessary.



Thanks for all the help,
Cheers

 

[Proximon]

So 2 of these monitors.



i7-2600K
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=57960&vpn=BX80623I72600K&manufacture=Intel

ASUS P8P67 WS Revolution P67
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=59619&vpn=P8P67%20WS%20REVOLUTION%20REV%203.0&manufacture=ASUS

16GB Corsair DDR3
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=52884&vpn=CMP16GX3M4A1333C9&manufacture=Corsair

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Corsair 800D case
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=41960&vpn=CC800DW&manufacture=Corsair

Scroll down and get the deal on the AX750 power supply also

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Quadro 5000
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=54828&vpn=VCQ5000-PB&manufacture=PNY%20Technologies%20Inc

Without knowing specifically what programs you are using or what type of work, this is my best guess.

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WD Caviar Black 2TB
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=42775&vpn=WD2001FASS&manufacture=Western%20Digital%20WD

Corsair 120GB SSD
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=53424&vpn=CSSD-F120GB2-BRKT&manufacture=Corsair

Asus BD burner
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=59255&vpn=BW-12B1LT%2FBLK%2FB%2FAS&manufacture=ASUS

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[ukee1593]

Okay then ... Nice budget!

First up we'll start with the power supply! As you may wish to put in multiple GPU cards I then recommend a Seasonic modular power supply of at least 850 watts! The Seasonic would be the X series 850 watt http://ncix.com/products/?sku=58217&vpn=X-850%20Gold&manufacture=Seasonic%20Electronics $212.34

Next the CPU! I'm recommending the i7 2600K for you as I guess 3D rendering will need the most herbs under the bonnet! http://ncix.com/products/?sku=57960&vpn=BX80623I72600K&manufacture=Intel $336.93

Now the motherboard I'm guessing go all out on a GIGABYTE or ASUS motheboard! For this build I'd suggest the ASUS Maximus IV extreme for the best SLI/Crossfire support! This will mean that a large case such as the HAF X is needed to fit it though http://ncix.com/products/?sku=59315&vpn=MAXIMUS%20IV%20EXTREME%20REV%203%2E0&manufacture=ASUS @ $354.36

GPU I'd recommend 2 ASUS GTX 460 or 1 ASUS RADEON 6950 with the possibility of upgrading to 2! I'll leave this one open however because I'll depend on which GPU platform your 3D software benefits most from! If CUDA is preferred then the NVidia is the way to go (GTX460), if both CUDA and AMD STREAM are supported then I'd recommend the AMD RADEON 6950 as it is the newer card and offers better performance (plus more memory for that massive monitor setup!) NVIDIA OPTION:http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=54506
$177.51 * 2
AMD option: http://ncix.com/products/?sku=59248&vpn=EAH6950%2F2DI2S%2F2GD5&manufacture=ASUS $318.88

HDD just get a Western Digital Blue 1 TB for files and an SSD for the OS! SSD vertex 2 $369.99 http://ncix.com/products/?sku=53310&vpn=OCZSSD2-2VTXE240G&manufacture=OCZ%20Technology&promoid=1320 HDD HDD [url=http://ncix.com/products/?sku=56022&vpn=WD1501FASS&manufacture=Western%20Digital%20WD]http://ncix.com/products/?sku=56022&vpn=WD1501FASS&manufacture=Western%20Digital%20WD [/url]

Case needs an EATX for the motherboard http://ncix.com/products/?sku=41137&vpn=PC-A70F&manufacture=LIAN-LI @ $184.98

RAM some low latency GSKILL would do fine http://ncix.com/products/?sku=58100&vpn=F3-12800CL7D-8GBXH&manufacture=G%2ESkill @ $140.23

DVD Sony Optiarc $29.98 -- http://ncix.com/products/?sku=54136&vpn=AD-7260S-0B&manufacture=Sony%20Accessories

Cooler maybe this -- $64.99 http://ncix.com/products/?sku=53612&vpn=CAFA70&manufacture=Corsair\

Which is 2110 aprox for the AMD radeon GPU ...

Hope this helps and I'd be happy to help refine this build once I learn a bit more about the hardware requirements of the 3D rendering software!

Cheers,

Luke

 

[wwilson50]

Thanks for all the help so far, it has given me a few ideas.

I am mainly using this computer for 3D work in Maya, some compositing in Nuke a little bit of video editing in After Effects and Photoshop.

I would like to stick with Cuda so Nvidia is definately the way. I also dont need the full Quadro Graphics as right now I think I could use the best computer possible for my budget and buy a Quadro later as an addition.

Hope this helps
Thanks again for all the help

Cheers!

 

[Proximon]

I'm not sure what GPU is best for Cuda. It may be the GTX 460 (fermi) or the GTX 560ti. NVidia rates them the same for the application, but there are differences.

SLI is not going to give you any benefits though, as you aren't gaming.

 

[ukee1593]

^ +1

My bad ... for the likes of Adobe products that use CUDA cores there is absolutely no benefit from going SLI! So a single GPU card would probably be fine! From what I have heard the "new" Nvidia FERMI architecture is most orientated around GPU compute capabilities ... so going with one of those should work fine.

I'll recommend a single GTX 460 but ... budget allowing and if you need it a GTX 570 would be in order.

 

[wwilson50]

Thanks for all of the help,
I noticed that you guys are pretty far away from the budget top end (minus the Quadro build if I kept the card) which is good especially with the specs that are in it so far. Just wondering how much a dual processor setup would cost compared to this? or if its even worth it with the new processors coming out?

Cheers!

 

[Proximon]

I have to say no, not right now. Intel has kinda screwed themselves because the 2600K is the best CPU they make. For MOST applications it's faster than the 8-core solutions. I think the whole tick-tock strategy has kinda backfired on them... "mainstream" builds are not supposed to replace "Enthusiast" builds, but this time they did.

You are going to have various programs that you need to be fast, and some of those will rely more on processor speed while others will utilized multiple cores better. Very few applications are really going to shine with a dual processor setup.

Those types of workstations are best left for dedicated builds. Where you are going to use one heavily threaded app all the time, usually as part of a team. In any sort of usage where you need more flexibility the Sandy Bridge processors are the best.

Now, if you were able to wait 6 months for the new high-end stuff to come out from Intel or AMD, you could probably spend more and get more power.

I recently raked this all over for someone else doing similar work. You are simply going to have too many poorly threaded apps that can't take advantage of 8 cores to make it worthwhile.

So get yourself a high end case and PSU, then re-evaluate in a year and see if it makes sense to upgrade again.

 

[wwilson50]

Best answer selected by wwilson50.