Workstation Help!

A quick note: more RAM will not improve your speed. RAM only causes a bottleneck if you are working with very large files, or performing certain functions. 12GB is safe but 8 is pretty sufficient…where you’ll definitely see improvement is in the superior i7 processor.

But yeah, might as well be a little more future-proof than 8gb.

Also, try to get a laptop with an SSD for the operating system. This is a dramatic improvement to any computer.

Do you have to have a laptop? For $3500 you could build an incredible desktop workstation…

I am aware, and that is one of the main problems I have been experiencing while rendering. The system will slow down dramatically and all my other processes are plagued by the render, which I can’t afford while working on other projects on the same device. Most other laptops I have looked at have had good processors, but there are never options for anything with a higher memory capability.

The W Series is the only device i’ve found that has a great processor and memory to match it. Another reason for creating this post was to find out if anyone knew of a company that has a similar product. Also the one I am looking at has a 256 gb SSD, Yay!

Nurb,

I would prefer a laptop mainly because I am a student now, and having a desktop would restrict my working time to only when I am at my apartment. I would love to have the extra power, but portability weighs more on my scale.

What did you have in mind for this incredible desktop workstation? If you don’t mind sharing!

I am aware, and that is one of the main problems I have been experiencing while rendering. The system will slow down dramatically and all my other processes are plagued by the render, which I can’t afford while working on other projects on the same device.

Yeah, I actually realized I may have insulted your intelligence. But anyway many people don’t understand the interplay of RAM and CPU.

What did you have in mind for this incredible desktop workstation? If you don’t mind sharing!

To piggy-back on this, here is an example PC build. Note that, at this price, it even squeezes in a monitor.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($279.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($103.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD5H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($209.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($264.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($129.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($659.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair 760W 80 PLUS Platinum Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($88.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Asus PB278Q 27.0" Monitor ($570.09 @ Amazon)
Total: $2632.96

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-27 14:35 EDT-0400)

Whoa. See, now you could really get some s*** done with that.

You could drop all that cash on a Mac Pro, too.

How often will you be working away from your apartment on a rendering? Or away from a computer lab at school? I know it’s cool to sit in a coffee shop, working on 3D renderings an have people walk by and ask what you’re up to, but you’ll work significantly faster on a workstation. Getting your work done faster results in you having more time to hit the bars with your friends, and less time resenting your laptop purchase.

You’ll get drunken texts from our buddies at 2AM, and you’ll just say “Damn this slow machine! I could be out partying!”

Something to think about.

PCPartPicker part list > / > Price breakdown by merchant > / > Benchmarks

CPU: > > Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor > ($279.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: > > Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler > ($103.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: > > Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD5H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard > ($209.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: > > G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory > ($264.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: > > Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk > ($129.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: > > Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive > ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: > > EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card > ($659.99 @ Amazon)
Case: > > Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case > ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: > > Corsair 760W 80 PLUS Platinum Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply > ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: > > Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer > ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: > > Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) > ($88.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: > > Asus PB278Q 27.0" Monitor > ($570.09 @ Amazon)
Total: > $2632.96

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-27 14:35 EDT-0400)

That is quite the beauty! But after researching the i7 4770k vs the i7 3840qm, it seems that the 4770 is only slightly faster. The only real advantage from what I can tell, is price and more disk space. Not saying that I wouldn’t love to save a grand! I guess it’s something i’ll have to think on.

That’s a hilarious way to put things into perspective, actually. Bravo sir.

What would be the advantage of running windows 7 on a Mac Pro vs building a desktop pc? Also are you alluding to the new mac pro or old mac pro?

Yeah, sorry. I noticed you had listed a few PC only programs up there.

Running Bootcamp works, but it’s not ideal. I work on a Bootcamp iMac and it does have issues and I’m not really doing anything difficult like rendering out of Solidworks or anything.

If that’s your choice, go PC.

Another option. Continue to use your current laptop for light work and switch the to desktop for the heavy stuff. I would do that quite often during school. Id get all my renderings set up no my laptop in studio. Go home drop the files on my workstation. Hit render and cook dinner.

It was much more time efficient and it allowed me get a much faster machine that is far more easily upgraded in the future.

Great plan.

I’d usually run renders in the labs at 3AM across 15 machines…

So sane, Sain. I sorta knew this was what I needed to do, but was too stubborn to actually want to do it. This is probably the route I will head down, as of now.

The woes of those next day deadlines.

Just to clarify (I’m not sure if this is what you meant) more ram will NOT improve multi-tasking while you render.

Modern rendering software will eat up 100% of the available cores. That’s why your computer will suck at doing anything while you’re rendering even if you have 64 gigs of ram.

I won’t try to sell you on the desktop, there are reasons to buy a workstation class laptop, as long as you accept the fact it’ll be an unruly beast.

Truthfully you can probably spend much less than that and get a burly machine.

Go with the fastest CPU you can spec (which you’ve done), the best display you can get (if you plan on working on the laptop display itself), a 512 gig SSD, and 16 gigs of ram. 32 gigs is overkill - I do work on gigantic assemblies and I rarely push past 8 even when heavily multi tasking with big databases and renderings.

That is something I did not know. Thanks for the info, Cyberdemon.

I knew you’d have a good opinion… Thanks for chiming in.

I’d take Cyberdemon’s advice.

There’s a lot of factors to consider, though. Many rendering packages incorporate a “low priority” feature which will have the rendering job ease up a bit if the user is trying to do other things. Other packages let you set aside whole cores during rendering. (This is a tick in the “RAM doesn’t matter” checkbox.)

However if s/he gets into motion graphics or any poly modeling, there are plenty of functions which utilize RAM. Video rendering, dynamics simulation, retopologizing, all use RAM. (This is a tick in the “RAM does indeed matter” checkbox.)

But, really, RAM is so cheap, there’s nothing wrong with erring on the beefy side. 32GB is crazy but not as crazy as a $3600 laptop (I KID).

Lastly, a beastly enough computer will remain entirely usable while rendering. Having a properly cooled desktop instead of a groin-melting laptop will definitely help.

Everyone where I work does CAD and rendering on their macbook pros. Plus, the industrial design is great, so it’s good to show you personally value your field in your purchases. Even if I want windows, I just run boot camp (for Solidworks).

For the budget you have, I would get a maxed out MBP, honestly.

But sometimes the cobbler’s children have no shoes…

The thing I hate about my Macbook Pro is that it really sucks for running Windows.

The retina display is great but it is not optimized (in OSX or Windows) for most applications. As a result you usually end up with tiny windows, less than stellar GPU performance, or you go with the next best compromise which is running it in 1080P which is kind of a sin.

The other thing I’ve found on my MBP is Windows does not have the correct fan support under boot camp. I had to purchase a laptop cooler, and download a fan control app to set the fans to full blast while I’m gaming. Even then, the machine gets scalding hot after a few hours of gaming. I’ve already had several full system lockups due to heat, so I can’t say it makes me want to recommend it as a machine for rendering on. Nothing like waking up the next morning to find your CPU hung overnight and nothing got done. My machine was hitting 105° C - which if you’ve ever looked at how processors work, they start shutting down at 100C to protect themselves from damage (yes C, not F). That’s absolutely insane, and the heat travels VERY quickly through to the top of the keyboard.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the machine in many other regards - but for the purposes of pumping cad it’s kind of like buying a BMW X6 because it’s a good “off roader” sometimes it’s worth it to get the Jeep and not care what people think.

Personally I like HP’s current lineup of Elitebook workstations (I also run a 8560W) - they have some of the Macbook flare (keyboard, metal chassis) with the PC things that make me happy (dedicated VGA port, ethernet jack, docking station).

The macbook isn’t a bad choice, but it’s not as perfect of a choice as I once thought it would be after owning one for a few months.

I’ve always been a fan of HP’s EliteBook line of workstations, you can buy a very capable system for under $1,500.

If you are looking to do it all on one machine and move it from place to place then a strong laptop is the solution.

As mentioned before, cooling is the Achilles heel of working on heavy renderings, I know that feeling of waking up in the morning to find a shut down machine due to overheating instead of a in depth rendering.

I now have a big, angular, matte black, heavy, Asus Gaming laptop. The laptop has never overheated even during multiple day rendering sessions with all threads maxed, it has two big fairly unattractive fans at the rear that carry all the heat away, which on the very occasional time it sits on my thighs means that there is very little heat felt.

I am not looking for any nods of approval when I flip up the top of my laptop in public. Actually the looks are of shock, :laughing: