New rendering node for vray

[palosanto]

Hi,

I use Rhino and vray as my main tools for modelling / rendering.

I have a relatively new main workstation and a small farm consisting on a Asus G73 laptop and another 2 less powerful desktops that I had around.

However my laptop died (motherboard is gone) and I'm looking for an extra system to replace it.

 

My main workstation right now:

Intel I7 4770K o'clocked at 4.6 Mhz and very stable

MB Asus Z87M-PLUS

32 GB Ram

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 4GB

SSD 256GB + 3TB HD

Corsair CMPSU-650AX 650W Gold AX PSU

Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler

 

 

New machine budget $1,500 tops

 

My thoughts:

1.- Getting another laptop as fast as possible to replace the dead one so that I can also use it as my portable station when I need to (not very often but always useful to have the option if I travel) or .....

2.- Build a rig faster than my current one listed above to be used as the main station using the good video card and big hard drives from my current workstation.

I'm interested mainly in the processor power and the 4770K still is a great processor as rendering slave and a small hard drive and a cheap or even on-board video card will do.

 

I know that for the same money a desktop buys me more power so maybe I should forget the laptop option for the times I'll be needing to have something portable ...

 

I any case, what would be the best $/GHz rendering rig that $1500 can buy me, i7? Xeon ? single? Dual ? taking in account that I could use some of the components as I mention above.

I get easily lost with so many opinions ...

 

Thanks

[Nikolaos M]

First of all, running a 4770k at 4.6GHz with a hyper 212 EVO should give excessive temperatures under load. Are you monitoring your temps regularly, and with what software? Are you using auto voltages or manual, and how much is your vcore?

It's essential to secure your main rig's safe operation first, before doing anything else. Keep your cpu temperatures below 75°C (under full load) in order to avoid degradation in the short term.

 

1500$ is enough to build yourself a decent render node. I've noticed you're from Canada, so I guess you mean 1500CAN$, is that right?

 

This is an example of what you could purchase for just under 1.5K and with the condition that you are into overclocking (which is a wise option for rendering, but it needs the right parts in order to achieve something good and safe)

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/t9rdkL

Price breakdown by merchant: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/t9rdkL/by_merchant/

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($505.19 @ Newegg Canada)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Seidon 240M 86.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($99.97 @ DirectCanada)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X99-SLI ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($244.99 @ NCIX)

Memory: Patriot Extreme Performance 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($241.63 @ DirectCanada)

Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($99.99 @ NCIX)

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GT 720 1GB Video Card ($64.00 @ Vuugo)

Case: Fractal Design Define S ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.59 @ NCIX)

Power Supply: Cooler Master VSM 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($94.98 @ Newegg Canada)

Total: $1460.34

 

If you decide not to overclock your render node (that's respectable) then go for a good air-cooler instead of buying an AIO liquid cooler like the Seidon I've picked.

 

In any case, in your place I would buy a new 500gb ssd for my main rig and put the old 250gb inside the render node. It's an additional drive space that would come in handy for every use you decide to make in the future. Here are some good options:

 

1. A value choice https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/crucial-internal-hard-drive-ct500bx100ssd1

Your new total would be around 1560$.

 

2. Premium and faster options

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/sandisk-internal-hard-drive-sdssdxps480gg25 or

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7ke512bw

 

Your new total would be around 1600-1650$. But it's worth the extra cash.

[palosanto]

Hi Nikolaos,

Thanks for your detailed reply.

Since I wrote the post, I had already made changes to my overclocking based in other videos and postings from Asus. I ran 4 way optimization software and it's now running at 4.5 GHz / 1.255V at 72-78 degrees under full load (rendering an animation with vray in Rhino for 3 hours now). I thought that temperatures for the 4550K could go higher but thanks for the tip). The frequency and voltage fluctuates much lower when idle. (35-40 deg)

Also, in the meantime I found a used system in Craiglist for US$580 that could be also a cheap option.

 

MB: MSI P67A GD65

Ram: 8 GB Crucial ballistix sport

CPU: Intel Core i5 3570k 3.8 GHz

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus

Graphics Card: HIS Radeon HD 6970 2 GB

Seagate: 1 TB hard-drive Crusial BX100 120 GB SSD

 

I had asked Dimitris on his blog but I've got no reply yet:

http://pcfoo.com/2014/03/2014-the-less-than-600-render-node-early-2014/#comment-3686

 

What do you think ?

[Nikolaos M]

Running steadily a 4770K at 4.5 with 1.255V is a very good result, but the temps are still high in my opinion. Try a 4.4GHz with 1.22V or lower. The Hyper 212 is a decent cooler but the 4770k is a hot chip and needs better cooling for high oc's.

 

As for the used system, I wouldn't bother at all. The 3570k was a good Ivy Bridge chip at its time. If you have the cash and really need a good render node, go to something newer. Besides, with 600$ you could build a 1366 based render node with 6core Xeons that could perform way faster in rendering compared to the 3570k.

 

Wait for Dimitri's opinion on this. It's far more valuable than mine .

[palosanto]

Boy, that was quick ...

Is it enough going to Bios and lower the frequency and voltage ? I was under the impression that the 4 way optimization tweaks a whole bunch of other settings ...

Regarding the sample system configuration that you suggested earlier, I see that you picked the i7-5820k over the i7-4790k despite the increased cost, power consumption, and more expensive memory, board and needed GPU ? Do you feel that it's worth the extra cost for the increased performance in rendering ?

[Nikolaos M]

Don't trust utilities and 3rd party software for overclocking, especially if your cpu cooler is low-mid end in cooling capability. These software sometimes tweak the base clock beside the multiplier (this makes things more complex when RAM oc is involved) and usually apply higher voltages than needed.

 

Search the web for oc setting for 4770k combined with a Z87 same with yours or similar to it. There must be lots of stuff to read and decide what's best for your cpu.

 

As for the render node I suggested, I think it's the best you can buy for your buck. A 5820K running at a, lets say, 4.2GHz oc would give a 1150cb Cinebench R15 score, while the 4790k running at stock speeds (aprox at the same frequency, 4.2GHz turbo at all cores simultaneously) would give around 830-840cb. This means that at the same frequency the 5820k would be more than 35% faster in rendering.

 

The only thing that is significantly more expensive in the 2011-3 socket, at the moment we speak, is motherboards. They cost 30-40% more in average and when we talk about equivalent motherboards (ex. Asus z97-A vs Asus X99-A).

 

Ddr4 and ddr3 RAM have more or less the same prices right now.

 

5820k costs 500CAN$ vs 440 of the 4790k. Small difference if you take into account the rendering capability of both.

 

And gpu has nothing to do with it. You can pick any cheap gpu you like for your node.

 

So, you are the one who decides what's best for you and within your budget after considering all that information.

[palosanto]

Great information Nikolaos, really appreciated.

Thank you

[palosanto]

Hi Nikolaos,

Thanks again. I'm looking into ordering something very close to your proposed system. I managed to get price matches etc and get everything in one place (NCX). The only item they don't have is the Cooler Master VSM 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply.

Can you give me an alternative that NCX would carry? They will match prices anyway. I want them to assemble the system for me so I rather don't get it elsewhere, better if they have something equally good even if it's a bit more money.

[Nikolaos M]

Well, I found the cooler Master v550 on their site. How come they say they don't have it? Anyway, a good alternative is the cooler Master g550m or the be quiet! 500 gold. You don't need more than 500w for a render node. This wattage is more than enough.

 

Edit: I was writing from my mobile. The V550 isn't available alright. These are some decent alternatives:

1. http://www.ncix.com/detail/corsair-cs550m-cs-modular-80-1d-91781-1382.htm

2. http://www.ncix.com/detail/corsair-rm550x-550w-atx12v-v2-31-27-116224-1378.htm (the new RM's are said to be very good psus, although pricey right now)

3. http://www.ncix.com/detail/evga-supernova-650-gs-80-57-107146.htm

4. http://www.ncix.com/detail/seasonic-g-550-gold-550w-atx-27-76942.htm

5. http://www.ncix.com/detail/thermaltake-toughpower-650w-sli-cf-ready-5f-95869-1382.htm

 

All the above are in stock and more than enough for the render node (even a 450W should suffice, but you might keep it for a future use too).

Edited November 8, 2015 by nikolaosm

[palosanto]

Yeah, I was gonna write you when I saw your message ...

I'll go with the first one. I have a Corsair AX650 in my main workstation and I'm very happy with the noise level. It's so quiet ...

I'm almost ready to order.

BTW I'm still curious about having a cheap 1366 Xeon configuration around $600 as you mentioned earlier. Do you have a recent one that you might have posted ?

Thanks

[Nikolaos M]

The 1366 example was given for you to understand that the 3570k wasn't a competitive choice for rendering. Forget about it. Besides, I meant 600 in US$.

[palosanto]

Got it. Thanks