Xeon 2696 versus multiple 4930k's

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kandor

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Aug 24, 2005
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My render software needs lot's of horsepower. They maintain a list of systems performing a render of a 'test scene' for equal comparison of system speed. Top of the list is a dual cpu Xeon 2696. This is a pretty expensive system although I haven't really found it easy to price a system using these. Although I've seen the cpu sell for 1750$ each.

http://www.maxwellrender.com/benchwell

The software gives a 'benchmark' value to each system. In the top rated one mentioned above its: 1920.

People with overclocked 4930k hexacores are posting benchmarks of 610 or so. So the math is simple, 3 systems with oc'd 4930k processors will equal the dual xeon behemoth, not exactly but close. Plus be potential workstations now or in the future.

Downsides, 3 x the ram, harddrives , psu, cases etc. But I can build a 4930k system barebones but cooled with an H100 for about 1700$.

I'm posting just because I know very little about xeon systems but I'm sure someone here has a better read on these types of situations than I do.

Thanks,
 
a quad opteron 6176 gets 1500. You can find those on ebay for under $2k.
 
Holy, you're right, I know nothing about opterons, is the 6176 the sweet spot, or are there newer / better ones available?
 
There are better ones. Look at the 63xx series if you can find them, but they are probably a bit more pricey.
 
It seems difficult to find out parts for the opteron at all. It's tricky.
 
5600 hex core xeons are starting to become very cheap these days. If your workload likes lots of cores, I suspect you might be able to but together a 12 core system with lots of memory for less than $1K.
 
If you have an MC near you they have E3-1230 v2 xeons for $199.

If you use onboard grpahics you can probably build systems for $600, if you don't need a dedicated gpu & tons of ram.
 
kandor said:
My render software needs lot's of horsepower.

People with overclocked 4930k hexacores are posting benchmarks of 610 or so. So the math is simple, 3 systems with oc'd 4930k processors will equal the dual xeon behemoth, not exactly but close.
Thanks,
Click to expand...

Nothing simple on that math. 3x 4930k may or may not be the equal of dual Xeons. Some workloads can be split on multiple machines ( clusters), some workloads must run on a single machine, and some can not be spread among more than 2 CPUs.

Looking closer at the benchmarks, there is one 6176 system faster that 6376 and 6282. That is highly suggestive of an Overclocked 4 processors machine, since currently only quad 61** systems can be overclocked.

Price wise your $1700 are better spent on a quad processor Opteron sytem.

HPTX+ case: Rosewill black hawk ultra; enermax fulmo Gt; aerocool X ST $160-220
Supermicro quad opteron mobo: $650
4x 6168 CPUs $200
16x 1GB ECC DDR3 $100
1200w PSu - $220
8 pin PCIe to 8 pin EPS adapter- $7
4x Hyper 212+ coolers: $120

Visit the distributed computing subforum here for complete explanation on how to overclock a quad 61** system.
 
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