Workstation Build,

[brobins]

Hello,

I am currently in the process of buying a new Workstation and have decided to build my own as it works out a good amount cheaper than having one built and supplied for me.

The machine will be a workstation used for 3D Modelling, Animation, Rendering etc.

The spec I am looking at is as follows,

2x Intel Six Core Xeon 3.33Ghz
1x EVGA Classified SR-2 Motherboard
1x 2GB NVIDIA Quadro 4000
24GB ECC Registered DDR3 Ram
1200W Corsair Pro Gold PSU
2x Prolimatech Armageddon Ultra High End CPU Cooler
2x 120mm AK-FN058 Akasa Apache Black Ultra Silent Fan
1x 120GB OCZ Technology Vertex 3 SSD
1x 1TB Samsung HDD

Now as it is a workstation I need it to be as reliable as possible. I would like to do a minor overclock and see what I could get out of it whilst remaining reliable so am looking for a few tips or pointers really.

What do you think I could run this at reliably and is it easy to do? I.e. just BIOS tweaks?

Many Thanks,

Ben

 

[brobins]

Hey,

Thanks for the replies. I will look into the M4's so thanks for that!

I should also say that all the programs I use are great at being multi theaded, it is really the only way to go for a serious Workstation.

£4000 is great, and at around £2000 cheaper than most of the quotes I have had it is going to work out a bargain.

Thanks,

Ben

 

[brobins]

OK then, good guess!

£4000 is pretty much bob on.

Ten points.

Thanks,

 

[brobins]

what operating system are you planning on using?
i believe windows 7 64 bit has a limit of 16GB RAM that it will recognise and linux will go up to 32GB. im not sure how much your programs will be able to use though given an infinite amount

Hey,

I will be running Windows 7 Pro 64Bit.

We have been using that at the office on a 24GB, Dual Xeon Rig since before Xmas last year with no issues.

The programs seem to use all they can.

For clarification, I do most of my work in 3ds Max, ZBrush, Modo, Vray, Photoshop and After Effects.

Many Thanks,

*edit*

Ah, I have just had a quick look and it seems it is the Home Premium version has a 16GB limit. The Professional has a limit of 192GB.

Cheers

 

[brobins]

ah cool. i didnt realise it was just home premium with the 16GB limit. however, do you think you could cope with just 192GB

Ha ha. I tell you I have had my office machine crawling even with the 24GB during Realflow simulations! I am leaving enough expansion for up to 48GB in my new build, just in case

Thanks,

 

[brobins]

in that case i dont feel stupid in speccing one of those super expensive revodrives, because your programs could really use the speed i expect. however, youve probably noticed that this isnt a subject im too knowledgeable in computer spec wise, so i'll leave it to someone else to recommend you stuff, unless no one else recommends anything then i will give it my best shot

I will certainly look into them. Do they offer much more speed advantages over a standard SSD?

Thanks,

 

[brobins]

Wow, pretty impressive.

I don't think I can stretch to the 480GB one but I might be able to get the 120GB instead of the 128GB Crucial!

Will keep these in mind for future upgrades though. When the prices come down I may consider swapping out a smaller SSD for a larger revodrive.

Thanks,

 

[brobins]

Just a couple of ideas:
Don't pay the premium on the Intel Xeon X5680's espcially if your thinking of overclocking. Get 2x 5650's, they can nicely hold 3.8/4Ghz.
I haven't built a rig using the SR2 but i'd almost be worried about having 2 huge heavy coolers on the board. not sure if this has been stress tested or not.
My friend has 2x Corsair H50's cooling them instead, which the rads are attached to the case instead.

Speaking of cases: Lian Li PC-P80N Full Tower Case - Black

For rendering the Revo3 X2 will be one of the best drives (in the world) to pick. its IOPS is almost 6x that of the M4. The part where you see it start to shine is when rendering with large file sizes. Of course they are stupid ££ at the mo so only get it if you can get it into the budget!

Of course it might be cheaper to actually build a DIY render farm rather than one super computer.

Also have a look at the quadro 5000 card. Its got a bit more VRAM and performs quite a bit better. (if progs actually supported SLI then 2x 4000's would be perfect for the same cost. shame)

Hey,

I was considering the Quadro 5000 but at 2.5 times the price of the 4000 it is going to take me way over budget 4000 will be fine, that's what I have been using in the office machine for a while.

We already have a render farm, this machine is just a single workstation that will aid the farm when its not being used.

Its not really a super computer I am looking to build here. Just a very good workstation.

A recently saw a machine with 4 or 8 six core cpu's for sale, was obviously ridiculousness expensive but I bet it was damn quick!

I will look into these revodrives a bit more, they sound great.

Thanks,

 

[brobins]

Thanks for all the comments everyone.

Ok, I am having trouble finding one of these EVGA SR-2 Motherboards in stock anywhere so what is considered another good Motherboard for the Xeon's?

Please remember that I am not really looking to overclock this system much, it needs to be a reliable Workstation. It is 100% going to be used for Working and paying for itself ha ha.

I have got a good deal on the 2 Xeon 3.33Ghz's, that is why I am going with them. I am also keen to use ECC Registered Ram as that is what we always have used in our Workstations.

As time is of the essence I am going to need to find a different motherboard

Any ideas?

Thanks,

 

[brobins]

Thanks for all your replies and suggestions.

I have now placed my order and am looking to assemble everything tomorrow.

2 Intel Xeon X5680 3.33Ghz
1 SUPERO X8DA3 X58 MOBO
1 2GB NVIDIA QUADRO 4000 PCI-E
1 Hynix 24GB (3x8GB) SERVER DDR3
2 Prolimatech Armageddon INTEL
2 120mm APACHE Black OEM PACK
1 128GB Crucial CT128M4SSD2 M4
1 1TB SAMSUNG HD103SJ SATA F3
1 CAIR 1200W CMPSU-1200AXUK
1 CM HAFx FULL TOWER WINDOW
1 Ssung 12X BDROM SH-B123L/BSBP
1 27 Dell U2711 WQHD TFT
1 Keysonic KSK-8004U USB KEYB
1 MS Basic Optical Mouse Black
1 MS Win 7 Pro 64bit OEM

Totaling £4541.03 inc VAT and Delivery (I got a very good deal on the CPU's).

All in all should be a great little workstation.

Now, it has been a while since I built a custom machine so any tips, advice or links to an up to date step by step would be great. The heatsinks these days look like monsters!! They were tiny little things last time I built my own machine.

Any advice appreciated.

Many Thanks,