Help me build a computer for rendering.

[lallous]

Hello everyone,

My friend needs a system dedicated for rendering and nothing else.

Here is what I though of so far:

1)I will be going with quad core but should I go for a Xeon processor?

2)I will be going with 4GB of memory. Does memory clock speed make a big impact?

3)Matrox for video card or is there an alternative?

Awaiting your ideas.

Thanks in advance

 

[crhscoog]

what is your friend's budget?
will he be overclocking?
any other things that we should know before suggesting parts or rigs?

 

[JamesL]

Yeah, we need to know all of the above before solid recommendations could be made.. - also, what kind of rendering, and which softwares..
in general, quad core processor - Xeon is meant for server-boards, but it doesn't really matter I think for the newest generation, so long it uses a lga775 socket.
Memory timings made a difference with SuperPi for me..(about 5-10% consistently), but I don't know if the same applies for real-world applications.
I don't know much about Matrox cards, except they used to be pretty competitive about a decade ago...
I would say a 9600gt is a safe bet for just about any rendering he'll have to do..
A HD3850 or 8800gs would suffice nicely as well, probably even a 7600 gt for 2d rendering..

 

[Benny]

Hello everyone,
1)I will be going with quad core but should I go for a Xeon processor?

depends on the budget, rendering scales nicely (slightly depending on the software) but two quad core systems might be cheaper than one dual quad core.

2)I will be going with 4GB of memory. Does memory clock speed make a big impact?

nothing large enough to worry about. (if it's about 3D or 2D graphics)

3)Matrox for video card or is there an alternative?

onboard video, whatever it won't be used anyway.
..we are talking about a render slave right?


Also cooling shouldn't be too underpowered since it'll probably be running at 99 - 100% CPU load all day.

 

[lallous]

Thank you guys for the quick replies.

Mainly 3DS Max will be used for rendering.

Budget is no issue here but not something around $10k

I would say a 9600gt is a safe bet for just about any rendering he'll have to do..
A HD3850 or 8800gs would suffice nicely as well, probably even a 7600 gt for 2d rendering..

You think such video cards are suitable for rendering?

Thank you once again

 

[Benny]

If the system is used for rendering only, (not the modeling and animation prior to the actual rendering)
The graphicscard should be lowest priority, as I can't recall a max renderer that makes use of it. (it's only used for viewport preview, something that will happen on a different system)

in this case:
1st priority should be CPU speed and stability.
2nd CPU speed
3rd CPU speed
4th RAM (enough for the scene size)
and the rest is unimportant.

I'd base the system around an intel *35 based board, which one depends on if you wish to overclock.

If it's supposed to be a 3D graphics workstation, it will be a different story.
The rest of the system will become more important but a 9600gt should be more that sufficient for most. (unless you know you need a FireGL or Quadro (that are modified gaming cards with better wireframeperformance), it's likely you don't need one. Getting Matrox for 3D doesn't make sense)
3D modeling once used to be the most graphics resource hungry application, today, it's gaming. (rendering still needs a farm though.. ^^; )