need new computer advice pls

[Cesar R]

I just ordered a new machone also - from dell

Precision 940 with 5130 Xeon. 1GB 667mhz (one for now)

 

Between now and january I plan to get a nother CPU and more ram.

 

I also for an nvidia quadro FF550 - how much do you guys think I can get for it, I want to get a nicer card I think if this one doesnt have dual DVI support (meaning two hardware DVI ports)

[Brian Cassil]

Strat you gotta check out Intel's Woodcrest chip which is Intels latest Xeon. They beat the Opteron 285's, consume less power, and run cooler.

 

You should also mention less expensive. Unless you order them through Dell or Boxx or something like that though you won't find them. I'm holding out right now.

[landrvr1]

Tim, you need to let us know how it performs once you get in the office. We're in need of a new computer around here, and have been torn between the opterons and waiting for the new Intel stuff.

 

Tim, any word yet on how those new Woodfield Xeons are doing? I'd love to get your thoughts. Thanks

[Tim Nelson]

Tim, any word yet on how those new Woodfield Xeons are doing? I'd love to get your thoughts. Thanks

Unfortunately Boxx didn't get the parts in when they were supposed to, so I got impatient and built 2 dual opteron systems in house for about the same price as the cost of the Boxx Woodcrest machine.

 

I would have loved to see it though. It should blast the opterons.

[STRAT]

yup, reading an article here in a cad magazine saying the core 2 duo woodcrests leave the opterons standing still in all departments.

 

there's even predictions that both intel and amd should have the new quad core processor out by early 2007 (if not late 2006).

 

how about a dual quad core? wow!!

[Geoffc]

One thought though about the quads: as I posted above, I just bought/recieved the dual-dual woodcrest, since my old p4 died and I couldnt wait. At first I was pretty bummed, thinking that I missed out on waiting for the quads. Then I realized that wow, I can barely affored this dual-dual setup, can you imagine what those quads are going to cost?! Hopefully I'm wrong and the cost won't be that much more than these dual woodcrests/opterons, but if it's all new technology, watch out!

[AJLynn]

I think they've been doing a pretty good job of keeping the dual-core launch prices in line with what other chips have launched at - on the consumer side, there's an under-$200 up through a $1000 (list, anyway) and on the Xeon side it's all somewhat higher. That's the way it usually is. For the quad cores, it's going to depend on a lot of factors - when they release, who releases first and how close the race is, how mature the dual-core market has become and exactly how high-end the quads are compared to the duals. If it follows a normal pattern, it will come out to $200-$1000 for consumer chips and somewhat more for Xeons.

[apprentice]

Hi!

I´m new to 3d visualisation and need a machine.

Currently converting from graphic design (apple for several years) so my experience with windows based machines is limited.

A friend of mine is setting up a dual dual xeon (new ones) for me.

Is this sufficient for rendering "complex" architectural models using maya 7? What klock speed and graphic card will do, currently looking at FX3500 og FX 4500, any sugestions?

I apologize for my inexperience, NEWBIE

[AJLynn]

Everything you've mentioned is quite good enough for arch vis. Dual-dual Xeons will give you good rendering speed (especially if they're 51xx series) and an FX3500 is quite powerful - actually it's probably more power than most people here have. Also, a Quadro card (as compared to its competitors) doesn't give you as much advantage with Maya as with some of the other software. Maya has some display and hardware render features that only work well when you have a card from the approved card list (or a newer version of a card on the apprved list) but in arch vis these featues aren't very important - you can save money by going with a good Geforce card or something like a midrange FireGL, and spend the money in other places. With a fast enough CPU, you can make up for the difference between a midrange and a highend video card. (E.g., on this list of Cinebench results the fastest ones are Geforce cards on fast CPUs - and Maya, like Cinema, runs about as well on a consumer card as on a pro card. My new rig is a Core2 Duo at 2.8GHz with a FireGL v5100, and it beats all those scores.)

 

Make sure you get a lot of RAM, 2GB at least, or 4.

 

As far as clock speeds for your Xeons, get what fits your budget, two of any of the new ones gets your a very fast machine. Generally the best value for your money is in the middle of the line.