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Hi,
I haven't really had a need to upgrade my computer in years... I don't really play games.
But now I am actually feeling a need to get into hardware again =-)
Current machine I use to work and render:
i7 930 2.8ghz
gtx 480 (old now but expensive when it came out ... hahaha)
12 GB of ram
==========
Software
Mostly I use Cinema4d but I am learning a lot of things all the time and will use many other programs, vue, real flow, vray, maya, etc etc.
=================
=======================
Other computers that I have, mostly just idling:
Rig 2 (mostly idles, runs linux):
Core 2 quad 2.4ghz Q6600
8Gb Ram
some basic graphics card
Laptop 1 (osx):
17 inch
2.5 ghz intel core i7
8GB ddr3
hd 6770M 1gb
Laptop 2 (osx )
Recent buy.. almost brand new 15 inch MBP
2.x ghz i7
16 gb
Laptop 3 (Llinux, macbook pro .. many years old):
15 inch
Core 2 Duo
3GB maybe 4gb of ram?
==========
Misc:
I can get my hands on another free i7 930 .. 8gb of ram machine ..
======
I have a few old dual core celeron cpus and ram with mobos sitting around ...
A broken g5 that I got for the case... Maybe worth fixing?
=======================
So I am completely new to all this, but right now a simple 60 frame animation takes like 2hours + to render.. at not even HD settings.. on my main i7 930 rig.
Given I have all these machines sitting around... I'm wondering if I could put any of them to good use?
0) Is graphics cards rendering becoming a big thing in CG?
1) Why do people always talk about having all the rendering computers on a switch? Wifi not enough?
2) Any ideas on online rendering?
===============
Some guy built a single machine with crazy specs.... 24 core, for over $3k
http://blog.digitaltutors.com/building-a-home-render-farm-without-breaking-the-bank/
It seems that might be nice for a single machine.... just to use as a desktop. Also like the idea of having one machine only to deal with. But not sure I want to spend $3k if I don't need to.
=======
3) Are any of the machines I already have useful? Can the rendering software give some machines less frames, prioritize more powerful machines etc?
4) Do same CPU manufacturer matter anymore in rendering?
=========
My main rig right now sits 100% cpu usage.... cool to finally see that... not so much ram usage.
Video card fans seem to be idle though.
Appreciate any help!
I haven't really had a need to upgrade my computer in years... I don't really play games.
But now I am actually feeling a need to get into hardware again =-)
Current machine I use to work and render:
i7 930 2.8ghz
gtx 480 (old now but expensive when it came out ... hahaha)
12 GB of ram
==========
Software
Mostly I use Cinema4d but I am learning a lot of things all the time and will use many other programs, vue, real flow, vray, maya, etc etc.
=================
=======================
Other computers that I have, mostly just idling:
Rig 2 (mostly idles, runs linux):
Core 2 quad 2.4ghz Q6600
8Gb Ram
some basic graphics card
Laptop 1 (osx):
17 inch
2.5 ghz intel core i7
8GB ddr3
hd 6770M 1gb
Laptop 2 (osx )
Recent buy.. almost brand new 15 inch MBP
2.x ghz i7
16 gb
Laptop 3 (Llinux, macbook pro .. many years old):
15 inch
Core 2 Duo
3GB maybe 4gb of ram?
==========
Misc:
I can get my hands on another free i7 930 .. 8gb of ram machine ..
======
I have a few old dual core celeron cpus and ram with mobos sitting around ...
A broken g5 that I got for the case... Maybe worth fixing?
=======================
So I am completely new to all this, but right now a simple 60 frame animation takes like 2hours + to render.. at not even HD settings.. on my main i7 930 rig.
Given I have all these machines sitting around... I'm wondering if I could put any of them to good use?
0) Is graphics cards rendering becoming a big thing in CG?
1) Why do people always talk about having all the rendering computers on a switch? Wifi not enough?
2) Any ideas on online rendering?
===============
Some guy built a single machine with crazy specs.... 24 core, for over $3k
http://blog.digitaltutors.com/building-a-home-render-farm-without-breaking-the-bank/
It seems that might be nice for a single machine.... just to use as a desktop. Also like the idea of having one machine only to deal with. But not sure I want to spend $3k if I don't need to.
=======
3) Are any of the machines I already have useful? Can the rendering software give some machines less frames, prioritize more powerful machines etc?
4) Do same CPU manufacturer matter anymore in rendering?
=========
My main rig right now sits 100% cpu usage.... cool to finally see that... not so much ram usage.
Video card fans seem to be idle though.
Appreciate any help!
Last edited: