I would like to build a PC to do 3d rendering via 3ds max (mental ray and Vray) and CAD work in solidworks. My budget is $2500.US CA. I don't use Iray and prefer bucket rendering so more cores are better.
I've not built a pc in five years. Don't play games.
The budget should include: Case (quiet), motherboard, processor, display card, ram, boot ssd, monitor 27" 2560x1440
My big question is Intel or AMD. Max is tuned for intel and Nvidia but AMD seams like a good bargain.
thanks for any help.
get a 4930k based system with a gtx 780 or r9 290. Im sure someone on here not as lazy as me will throw together a couple systems in pcpartpicker.
I would also suggest a 4930K system. I have little knowledge of the low end workstation cards though. Check around and see if the performance of a low end firepro or quadro is worth it compared to a gaming-oriented GPU.
OK So I know nothing about CaD and Rendering. All I know is that More cores the better and you probably should have a 780. The problem is I don't know anything else so I didn't know to go cheaper CPU or GPU, or if 32GB of ram is to much. Anyway this is what I have make 2800 is what I think it ended up being. Hope some one else can edit it.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rtmmmG
-Chris
*Edit* -Insert everything Some tech noob said-
I'm very familiar with CAD/CAM as I work for a company that specializes in it... I've done a lot of builds, but haven't seen the performance of them in 3DS Max... I will say the Xeons perform very well with large assembly simulations in Solidworks which would be a rendering element similar to what 3DS Max would call for... the 4930k would definitely be a big step up (especially if you overclocked it), but you lose m.2 compatibility unless you wait for the X99 chipsets... A large, fast SSD to work on will significantly decrease rendering times, and m.2 is as fast as it gets ATM...
As far as GPU, workstation GPUs, if not gaming, are certainly the way to go... They keep lines from glitching out, which can become extremely irritating... sometimes whole objects will just disappear. They run Open GL instead of CUDA or Open CL, which is geared towards precision and stability vs raw graphics power and performance... Of the workstation GPUs, you'll find that Nvidias do tend to perform better, but at a MUCH greater cost. The real jewels are the last gen Firepro flagship models from a price/performance standpoint... For the same price, you'd buy a low-mid tier Quadro GPU, and it would absolutely get spanked by the Firepro last gen flagship...
From a CPU standpoint, Intel is the only route I could recommend, ESPECIALLY in the $2500 range... AMD's 9590 is far behind in raw computing power to a Xeon and 4/6-core i7 in the productivity world...
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/bXtLFT ... this is close to $500 under your budget... and it would certainly do the job...
Features: Xeon E3 1230 V3, 16GB Memory, 500GB m.2 SSD, Firepro v7900 (slightly older model high-end workstation GPU), 2 - 23" 1080p IPS monitors...
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/qLLddC ... This is right around your budget and would be insane...
Features: i7-4390K CPU, a beastly motherboard to overclock it on, 16GB Memory (which you can upgrade as you see fit later, the mobo for socket 2011 is 4 channel...), Dual Corsair Force (MLC Synchronous) 128GB SSDs in RAID 0 config (which should be close to an m.2 SSD), 27" 1440p IPS monitor...
I'd try 16GB memory out before upgrading to 32... you may need to, but I doubt it...
i would dump firepro/quadro since those professional do not really give much in 3d performance - you'll be better off with 290x or gtx780ti
They give incredible 3D performance for CAD applications. Gaming, though, is a completely different story.
price wise / compute power and actual performance in 3dsmax, poser, vue its much more feasible to buy few 290x than one firepro.
At most, it would be one 290X. A lot of professional software are unable to take advantage of multiple GPU configurations. As a result, Crossfire and SLI are considered "gaming features"
Nah it doesn't need to be in cf/slu to use it.
It will simply use it as another cpu unit. Obviously you'll only use all gpu's when rendering is in process not for displaying work in real time. Most of rendering is ported to OpenCL anyway under 3dsmax and vue.
Just to add it - pro graphics software was able to use many gpus(cpu's in past) / many pc's long before sli/cf existed :)
you obviously don't use CAD software... I'd be nicer about it, but since you're arguing with tech noob... I'll just leave it as you're 100% wrong :P
I just worked in the past with computer graphics :| like from 3d studio dos time till 3dsmax 7 . I must be complete noob :) here.
~ offtopic from 3dsmax 4 they supplied a very nice network app that was called if i recall distributed rendering server or something as such... you would connect many computers to this and it would distribute workload over many pc's / servers.
@topic buy that firepro and 2x290x's on credit then return one or other that is slower/crappier by your comparison. *just do some heavy rendering.
.... and after you realize the GPU acceleration from OpenGL doesn't ever crash from it's 100% superior fine-tuned drivers... THEN design an assembly on Solidworks and see how frustrated you get with glitching lines and disappearing objects that you're trying to mate...
I'm not saying you're a noob to 3D S Max... I'm saying you have no idea what you're talking about GPU-wise in CAD... and a Firepro in 3D S Max will NEVER crash on a render... where a 290x will... not often, but if you're doing 8 hour GPU-accelerated renders in 3D S Max often... but they will... and 8 hours of lost productivity is hard to explain to your boss when you're meeting deadlines... I mean I just work in IT at a CAD/CAM manufacturing business... 3D S Max is part of the Autodesk suite now and it supports Open GL... I totally agree 2x R9 290x would have more raw GPU power... but the drivers for them are horrible for productivity...
Just trust me on this ;)
All the magic happens in the drivers.
^- that seriously wasn't even sarcasm :P
or at least it shouldn't be....
Oh i know the drivers are going to be pain.
Thats why you run your projects on distributed network just like 10 years ago you would. The small % of speed gain you actually get is hacked opengl driver + better driver support for firegl/firepro (nothing is really different from normal gpu even if you take both silicons and compare the arch.) If you are company either way you shouldn't buy into single rendering servers/workstations because there are more things that can fail. If you have 10 or 100 units your work is going to be finished without hicoups even if 2-5 of them is going to crash somewhere. I had no crashes on my cf 7970's at home running 3dsmax some time ago for 7days stright rendering scene. But I know you are correct with stability problems thats why we had saying in past "who doesn't save often doesn't work long"
:|
Listen... I hate paying the premium for professional GPUs with less raw power as the next guy... trust me I do... but you can't save a render in progress... when you're working with files that size, and renders that long... you ALWAYS look towards stability... and technically... just the IT guy in me speaking... if you had multiple consumer GPU acceleration, that would vastly multiply the error rate... I'd get it if you didn't HAVE an error rate... but if I had people doing heavy renders in MY company on consumer GPUs accel, I'd recommend they do them solo to minimize the error rate :P
I get what you're saying... and I don't mean to demean you... I'm just trying to express to the OP that in workstations, stability is the #1 priority... and supported GPU accel is a thing that matters on long renders and it will DEFINITELY show up in Solidworks and Mastercam... cause I've seen it happen, often...
I hate professional GPUs... they're too damn costly for too little GPU... but they DO render faster, and they ARE more stable...
Its not about loss of dignity - thats how it works, i completely get that.
But as i've stated before you distribute the rendering process onto many machines. You will not loose anything or get errors. Smart companies invest in distributed processes (cloud based) and its not new tech its been there - its just easier and better optimized. *(yes you can save your rendering process anytime pause it, restore it, redo some bits on other machines there)
If you can get similar raw processing power for 1/4 of price you will stack yourself with that its obvious. If you need support from those companies like NV/AMD you get partnership not their hardware thats designed for swag to rip off people just like apple. Yes its more stable... but if you are smart its stable too.