3D Max Workstation Computer- Up to 8,000$

[StupidityTheory]

I’m planning on buying a computer to use as a workstation in my work place and because the company I work for will pay for it, there’s pretty much no actual budget but I think 8,000$ should be enough because I don’t want to go crazy with it.

(Although I did write 8,000$ and said the budget is unlimited in its nature, it still doesn’t mean I don’t care about wasting money for nothing.)

The computer will be used solely for 3D MAX so this means I don’t need some fancy gaming computer but instead I would even prefer older and weaker parts as long as they provide better performance in 3D MAX.

I must order the computer in the next couple of days (orders from my boss) so there’s no point of yelling at me that there will be much better Processors/VGUs out in a short time as I simply don’t have that time.

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*Notes: This is what I understand so far about the computer market:

Processor: With the Intel C2E brand comes the strongest CPU in the market, the X6800, but I’m not sure how well it suits a workstation of the type that I need; perhaps I need an entirely different CPU type such as the Intel Xeon or the AMD Opteron.

Motherboard: I have my eyes on “the best motherboard in the world” the P5W64WS Pro but again I don’t know how this will compile with my needs.

Memory: As much of it as possible! 3D MAX requires allot of memory.

Hard Drive 1: I need at least 800GB-1000GB of space but I noticed the 500GB HDs are much more expensive then the 320GB HDs so I wander if there’s any way of getting 3x 320GB HDs without getting any performance issues. (RAID 5 for example)

Hard Drive 2: From what I understand WD have HDs called ‘Raptor’ which provide fast performance with it’s 10K RPM but their very expensive relatively to normal HDs and I heard that those normal HDs in raid configuration act almost as fast as the Raptors. I don’t want to pay an extra 500$ to get a 2 seconds faster start up.

Video Card: Probably the most important part in the rig. I understand that the nVidia Quadro series is a must for any 3D MAX programmer so I guess this is what I need; but again if there’s something better of course I will take it instead. I also heard about this ‘Plug-In’ called Gelato which enables the program to use the GPU’s processing power instead the one of the CPU which is supposed to be much more effective for running programs like 3D MAX and its kin. It only works with nVidia cards though.

Cooling: Cooling is somewhat important but there’s no need in anything more then a good air cooling. For example the Sunbeam Tuniq 120MM Tower or the Thermalright Ultra should both be enough for the CPU and something small and quiet like the Zalman VF900- Cu should be sufficient.

Case: The aesthetics of the case isn’t an issue at all. For all I care the computer will stand under a desk and no one will even look at it or care how it looks so I need a case that will be spacious and will have a good airflow.

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Well, I summed everything I know and need and any help will be more then welcome.

Thanks :)

[L'enFer]

may be this will help u: Intel "What To Buy" Guide 2006 (http://xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=106479)?

[StupidityTheory]

I really don't understand how that may help...

[L'enFer]

I really don't understand how that may help...
than my suggestion to u is:
cpu - wair for Kentsfield/X6800;
motherboard - for Kentsfield - don't know, for X6800 - Asus P5B;
memory - smthg like this (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145044) :D (it's just the most expensive memory on newegg.com, but i don't really know about it...);
hdd's - nn_step recommends MAXTOR - 20PK 36GB ATLAS 15K II-ROHS 68PIN SCSI (http://www.techonweb.com/products/productdetail.aspx?id=C66538&src=FG).

[s e t h]

apple pro workstation with 2x core duo..will run windows xp i think (but check) will give you the possibility of going to 2x quad core cpu's later or even now.
then you'll basically have a wicked render cluster under your personal fingertips.
as you know you can never have too many processing cores for max..
what you render now in 8 hours should drop to close to 1 hour if you get dual kentsfield right. (presuming you're on something like a P4 now)

otherwise as you say the asus workstation motherboard, a quad-core kentsfield from the classified section and whatever 2gb ram modules you can sling in there..

zalman cooling all round..
seagate drives in raid1 for backup safety or raid0 for speed and halving the data safety.
raided raptors for OS/application drive will make your work day more enjoyable as the pc will just feel more responsive.

[Teratism]

http://boxxtechnologies.com/

The leaders in workstations for 3D graphics.

This is their "High End" workstation which you can customize.
It came out in May if I remember correctly.
http://boxxtechnologies.com/products/3DBOXX/8300_Overview.asp

[Silver Bullet]

Processor: Core 2 Duo is for sure your best choice at the moment, i use 3Dmax, Maya, Cinma 4D and notice a huge difference. If you really wanna get speed boost wait until Nov. 14th ish and get a Quad Core. It will for sure will help you out even more. But i guess that depends on you budget, but with $8k, i think you should be getting a QuadCore for sure.

Motherboard: P5W64WS Pro - good choice.

Memory: 2GB for now, then get another 2GB afte Vista comes out, XP seems to have trouble with more than 2GBs. Also ram doesn't really effect your rendering times so not to much worry here.

Hard Drive 1: Right now 500GB costs about $220CND, 320GB is around $115 per drive. So i guess thats choice goes to whats left in the budget.

Hard Drive 2: A Wester Digital 150GB Raptor would definatly be my prefered OS drive. I won't help your rendering speed any, but sure makes for faster loading times, etc. Its worth the money for sure and i would for sure get at least one.

Video Card: I'd wait for the DX10 varents of the Quadro series before i bought anything. If time is an issue then buy the 2nd best model and you should be fine. I think the QuadCore be help you more than anything.

Cooling: Thermalright Ultra 120, Sunbeam Tuniq 120MM Tower should be fine for cooling the CPU (C2D or C2Q). I would wait on the video card cooler .. but if its a DX9 class card than a Zalman VF900- Cu should be sufficient.

Case: This comes down to personal preference .. i would suggest the new(ish) SilverStone TJ09, Antec 900, etc.

[Serra]

Well, given the fact that you have such a high budget, without going into things that might be too complex for your skillset (ie. SCSI and/or multi-processor systems) (don't be insulted, I just have no idea of your abilities) I'll recommend:

CPU: X6800

Motherboard: Sure, P5W64WS looks good to me

Memory: Go for a full 4-GB, why not? Your budget can clearly handle it, and there is a trick that enables the full 4GB to be seen by XP. If you plan on overclocking I'll suggest you get some of the best PC-8xxx stuff you can... if not, that might be a waste of cash.

Hard Drive: If you're looking to go RAID-5 for faster read access and data protection, I might also suggest getting something like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16816115028
for higher quality RAID and then as many Seagate 7200.10 320GB 16MB cache drives as you want.
For an OS drive you might consider getting a Gigabyte I-RAM and populating it with 4 full GB. You won't get a faster boot disk than this, period.

Video Card: I'm not a person fit to comment on that applications needs

Cooling: I like the Scythe Infinity for air coolers (Tuniq if you can find it, but you may have issues there)

Case: You said you don't care, but maybe a Lian Li of some description

[3oh6]

you might want to fire Dave a message @ Flickerdown (http://www.flickerdown.com/). the site has a couple render boxes listed but not showing stock...last time i talked to dave they were putting together some pretty crazy systems for what you are doing. just fire him a message from the Contact Us page and he can give you more details on what they can build for you.

Dave is a great guy and can probably hook you up with a solid system with just what you need. HTH

[lookmomnobrains]

you coud go whit 2 Intel Xeon Woodcrest the would own core 2 duo at 3dmax.. :stick:

somting like:
Intel Xeon 5160 Woodcrest (2x) $873.99 x 2
Dual Socket 771 Intel 5000X mb (not to sure what one) $550
4 to 8gb FBDIMM DDR2 667 REG ECC $650 to $1300
case $300
psu $300
PNY nVIDIA Quadro FX 5500G $3200
= $6750 to $7400

and spend the rest of it on hdd's :slobber:

[nn_step]

Actually I would suggest two of these
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819117086
On one of these
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813182089
three of these in raid 5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148134
and two of these in Raid0
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822116001
one of these
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102045
and you can figure out the rest

[StupidityTheory]

thanks guys for all the answers
but i still want to understand something
2x dual core xeon (woodcrest) cpu's (basically 4 cores) is better than one 6800x cpu for 3dmax or even for everything else?
(and i don't have the time to wait for 6800QX)


tnx

[nn_step]

thanks guys for all the answers
but i still want to understand something
2x dual core xeon (woodcrest) cpu's (basically 4 cores) is better than one 6800x cpu for 3dmax or even for everything else?
(and i don't have the time to wait for 6800QX)


tnx
3DMax is a threaded application. In theory 2 2Ghz CPUs should clean kick a 3Ghz CPU in it.
So the more cores, even if they are slower, the Better.
The board I suggested supports up to 64GB or RAM. Feel free to use that all up

[StupidityTheory]

tnx
i will go for the 2 dual core XEON you recommended but i will take the highest model (5160)

now i saw you recommended an ATI card and not NVIDIA QUADRO .why is that?

[nn_step]

Because 3DMax can be used for DX or OpenGL and these days you are far more likely to do DX work than OpenGL

and More ram is more important than faster Clock speed

edit: some benchmarks to back up my suggestion
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/ati-firegl-v7350_8.html

[Zardokk]

What I would do:

Case--Chenming 901AD Black
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811125468
$70


Power Supply--PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817703006
$200


Motherboard--Asus P5WDG2-WS Pro
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131039
$360


Processor--Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819115001
$950

Cooler--Scythe Infinity
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835185027
$50


Memory--2x 4GB (2 x 2GB) Kingston DDR2 533 ECC
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820134316
$1240


Video Card--PNY Quadro FX3400
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814133121
$1300

Cooler--Zalman VF900-CU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835118001
$33


SATA/RAID Controller--3ware 9550SX-4LP PCI-X SATA II RAID 0,/1/10/5/50,JBOD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16816116031
$316


Hard Drives--8x Western Digital Caviar 500GB 7200RPM SATA
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822136014
$1520

2x Western Digital Raptor 150GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822136011
$460


DVD Burner--Lite-On DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827106019
$33


Floppy Drive--SAMSUNG Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16821103203
$7

Total Price: $6,539 + Shipping (probably a good $1-200)

Although after reading this thread about the app being multi-threaded, I'd probably go for a dual Opty/Xeon board and the fastest CPUs you can get. Other than that, I stand by all the decisions I made above. All those hard drives might seem like overkill, but you wanna make sure you back EVERYTHING up. Losing data can kill. Set up two RAID 0+1 setups with the 8 500GB WDs (RAID 0+1, in case you didn't know, basically sets up the first two HDDs as a RAID 0 setup and the second two HDDs as a backup (RAID 1) setup of the RAID 0 setup). Nothing beats RAID 0+1 AFAIK. But yeah, consider dual CPUs and maybe an ATI card...I dunno much about workstation cards.

[SlyMaelstrom]

nn_step, I'd guess that you know more about computers than I do, but I'm curious as to why you chose a Radeon card over a FireGL card? I though FireGL was directed towards graphic development and Radeon was geared more towards gaming. Or is FireGL more for professional video editing and such?

[illmatik]

nn_step, I'd guess that you know more about computers than I do, but I'm curious as to why you chose a Radeon card over a FireGL card? I though FireGL was directed towards graphic development and Radeon was geared more towards gaming. Or is FireGL more for professional video editing and such?


You used to be able to flash radeons (back in the 9600,9700,9800 days) to their FireGL counterparts that used the same components, although I've heard rumors that it was buggy, but let you run picky apps, and then that vendors demanded ATI change things to prevent cross flashing (I never bothered to verify either though)..

Maybe nn_step knows something about the latest cards and saving $$ on 'professional' cards that can't match their mildly overclocked gamer relatives?

[lookmomnobrains]

Round up of professional graphic cards (http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/print/quadrofx-vs-firegl.html)

:slobber:

[nn_step]

nn_step, I'd guess that you know more about computers than I do, but I'm curious as to why you chose a Radeon card over a FireGL card? I though FireGL was directed towards graphic development and Radeon was geared more towards gaming. Or is FireGL more for professional video editing and such?
well Honestly you can pick which ever one you want.
ATi is the best choice for 3Dmax.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814195005
the honest truth is that the X1xxx series are the FireGL V73xx series
just make sure to get the Avivo video engine. and you should be set

[computerpro3]

I just built a dual woodcrest machine with 4 raptor 150's in raid 0 and 8GB of memory. I'll just say it works nicely for 3D Max and Photoshop :)

Honestly you'd be an idiot not to go dual woodcrest for that price. The performance level simply blew my mind. It was almost painful handing that thing over to my client.

[ICTArchitect]

Actually, I'm in the process of building the following system:

SuperMicro X7DAE-O
2 Xeon 5320 Quad Core
4GB 667 FB Dimms
Quadro FX3500 - at least one
Not sure about HDs yet
Enermax Infinity 720 SLI
Coolermaster CM Stacker STC-TO1

I have already have a stacker case and love it, but I might use it for another system. I also have a Lian-Li and you really coudn't go wrong with either case. I really like the Antec 900 but I'd have to go to the X7DAL-E+ board because the Antec won't support E-ATX. Unfortunately that board only supports 24GB ram.

I looked at the Akasa case and it looks like a nice case but I can't find anywhere on line to purchase one. Any help?

I noticed several people combining SATA raids and SCSI raids. May I ask the reasoning behind that. I was thinking about going with Seagate SATA 3.0 10,000 RPM drives, but I would definately be open to suggestions on that.

[StupidityTheory]

Old thread of mine... very old.

Well I've ordered a Dell computer at the end with a dual xeon

[Drag]

Kind of what i expected lol

[ICTArchitect]

Old thread of mine... very old.

Well I've ordered a Dell computer at the end with a dual xeon

I can't say I blame you. That's what I do for our office workstations. It makes a lot of sense for a business environment. I enjoy building systems and I can usually save some money so that's what I do for my home systems.

We have Dell Precision 690s with dual quad core Xeons and FX3500s at the office and we are very happy with them.

[AzraelDarkangel]

Definitely dual Woodcrest or dual socket F Opterons motherboards would be more powerfull than any single socket board for your applications, plus they usually have much more RAM capacity. Woodcrest should be more powerful now, especially with quad core that's out now, that gives you 8 cores/threads. Dual Socket F mobos will be more powerful most likely after Barcalona quad cores come out. Both should be powerful enough for your needs and will be upgradable for a long while. I wish they had quad socket F, if I had the money I would buy it just for Barcalona. Quad-quad core, 16 cores would be awsome!

[Drag]

Definitely dual Woodcrest or dual socket F Opterons motherboards would be more powerfull than any single socket board for your applications, plus they usually have much more RAM capacity. Woodcrest should be more powerful now, especially with quad core that's out now, that gives you 8 cores/threads. Dual Socket F mobos will be more powerful most likely after Barcalona quad cores come out. Both should be powerful enough for your needs and will be upgradable for a long while. I wish they had quad socket F, if I had the money I would buy it just for Barcalona. Quad-quad core, 16 cores would be awsome!

This thread is dead lol