Workstation build

[esse09]

Hello all,
my name is Andrea
I wanted to hear the opinion of the AnandTech community before i bought my new workstation!

The machine will be used mostly for 3D prototyping with Autodesk Inventor which includes FEM simulations and images rendering (60% of the time, various assembly size from a few to few thousands of pieces), 2D drawing with Autocad (25% of the time).
The rest of the time i'd like to start using the tools included in the Autodesk suite, such as 3DS Max, to improve our overall project quality, and i will do few web coding... nothing advanced.
What i'd really like to get from this machine is real time ray tracing in Autodesk Inventor (i hope that drivers here will make the difference, because at home, on my HD7950, i can't render with ray tracing enabled... and the image quality difference is really huge)

Since i'll be buying in Italy, i will give you an aprox. budget of 1800 usd, but it must include taxes, so i will be happy with an overall opinion on the components used.
My current setup uses 2 24" monitor, and i am hating how it's been handled... windows that disappear when i switch to one monitor, that open up anywhere, some apps open on one screen while others take both... so i would like a much better multi screen experience (i believe on this point, AMD is much better)

Case: Corsair Carbide 300R + one Nilox 140mm low rpm fan
Psu: Corsair AX750 (i wish i could get a smaller size, but my etailer only has this)
MB: Asus P8C WS
Cpu: Intel Xeon E3-1240v2 + CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO
Ram: Kingston DDR3 4x4gb ECC not buffered (1600mhz, CL11)
Vga: AMD FirePro W5000
SSD : OCZ Vector 256 gb (storage on server)
ODD : Any dvd writer
SO : MS Windows 7 Pro

What do you think?
Thanks

 

[mfenn]

Step 1. Get a real FEM software like ANSYS or Abaqus.

:awe:

But seriously, my understanding of Inventor's ray tracing feature is that it does not render on the GPU, but instead uses the CPU. (Most ray tracing algorithms are similar). You can check this by watching your CPU usage when you go to do a ray trace.

Secondly, it's also my understanding that for any non-trivial assembly, you need a dedicated cluster of machines to render in anything approaching real time ("real time" meaning >5 FPS).

 

[esse09]

Step 1. Get a real FEM software like ANSYS or Abaqus.

I usually analyze small details (bolted connections, welded connection, mechanical parts) and i think Inventor is enough (even if i don't understand how it can mesh and solve "only" surfaces and not the whole object)

But seriously, my understanding of Inventor's ray tracing feature is that it does not render on the GPU, but instead uses the CPU. (Most ray tracing algorithms are similar). You can check this by watching your CPU usage when you go to do a ray trace.

Secondly, it's also my understanding that for any non-trivial assembly, you need a dedicated cluster of machines to render in anything approaching real time ("real time" meaning >5 FPS).

This, i did not know... i have a i5-3450 on my home build and maybe it can't keep up

I should have been clearer: i didn't mean real time, let's say 0,5 to 1 FPS on medium to small assemblies (or big semplified ones) so that when i have to take snapshot to show the clients i don't have to render the whole thing every time.

Thanks mfenn

Edit: maybe i should look into a LGA2011 build?

 

[Blain]

I wanted to hear the opinion of the AnandTech community before i bought my new workstation!

The machine will be used mostly for 3D prototyping with Autodesk Inventor which includes FEM simulations and images rendering (60% of the time, various assembly size from a few to few thousands of pieces), 2D drawing with Autocad (25% of the time).
The rest of the time i'd like to start using the tools included in the Autodesk suite, such as 3DS Max, to improve our overall project quality, and i will do few web coding... nothing advanced.
SSD : OCZ Vector 256 gb (storage on server)

What do you think?

OCZ Vector SSD = :thumbsdown:
Intel, Plextor, Samsung or Crucial

 

[esse09]

Hello Blain,
about the drive, these are my considerations.

- I never had problems with my OCZ drives... even if their reputation isn't the best (mostly because of SandForce failures)

- I won't get an 840 pro given the firmware bug... even if fixed, i'd like to be on the safe side.

- As for Intel, should its reputation outweight the very bad record set by sandforce controllers? I am not sure i should get a Intel 520.

It's not like the Vector is coming in cheap, it's more expensive than both the Intel 520 and Samsung 840 pro.
Plus, as i can see from the recent Anand test, with enough spare area unpartitioned, it gets random perfomance almost as stable as the S3700.
I would make a 190 gb partition on any drive and leave the rest to the controller.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Hello Blain,
about the drive, these are my considerations.

- I never had problems with my OCZ drives... even if their reputation isn't the best (mostly because of SandForce failures)

- I won't get an 840 pro given the firmware bug... even if fixed, i'd like to be on the safe side.

- As for Intel, should its reputation outweight the very bad record set by sandforce controllers? I am not sure i should get a Intel 520.

It's not like the Vector is coming in cheap, it's more expensive than both the Intel 520 and Samsung 840 pro.
Plus, as i can see from the recent Anand test, with enough spare area unpartitioned, it gets random perfomance almost as stable as the S3700.
I would make a 190 gb partition on any drive and leave the rest to the controller.

Intel's firmware is a lot better than OCZs. They have a high failure rate, it was a combination of software bugs and using sandforce.

 

[esse09]

I agree on the Intel firmware but i would not be at ease knowing i'm using the same controller that had so many issue in other drives.

 

[bononos]

......
It's not like the Vector is coming in cheap, it's more expensive than both the Intel 520 and Samsung 840 pro.
Plus, as i can see from the recent Anand test, with enough spare area unpartitioned, it gets random perfomance almost as stable as the S3700.
I would make a 190 gb partition on any drive and leave the rest to the controller.

Being more expensive isn't exactly a plus point.
The firmware issue is on preproduction samples only.

 

[esse09]

Being more expensive isn't exactly a plus point.
The firmware issue is on preproduction samples only.

What i meant was that i was not going the cheap way

I know, but it was quite a flaw and leaves me not very reassured.

 

[crazymonkeyzero]

Hi esse09

I just made a similar workstation build with that same mobo and ecc memory, except I used the Xeon E3 1275 V2, and it is working great. The 1240v2 should perform similarly(within 3-5% of each other) as well because it's just a small difference in clock speed.

The OCZ ssds are typically not that reiable as ppl have mentioned above.
Get a samsung 830 or crucial m4, they are much better alterntives. And I agree with you, avoid the samsung 840 for now, until enough ppl have actually gotten to use them for an extended periods so bugs (known and unknown)can be fixed. This is my advice for any new ssd on the market.

 

[esse09]

Hello crazymonkey,
did you use normal ram modules or modules with ECC function?

 

[Blain]

Hello crazymonkey,
did you use normal ram modules or modules with ECC function?

He built with ECC DIMMs

I just made a similar workstation build with that same mobo and ecc memory.

 

[esse09]

I missed it! Thanks Blain.

 

[mfenn]

This, i did not know... i have a i5-3450 on my home build and maybe it can't keep up

I should have been clearer: i didn't mean real time, let's say 0,5 to 1 FPS on medium to small assemblies (or big semplified ones) so that when i have to take snapshot to show the clients i don't have to render the whole thing every time.

Thanks mfenn

Edit: maybe i should look into a LGA2011 build?

Don't expect a significant improvement in ray tracing performance by going from an i5 3450 to a 1240v2. They are extremely similar chips. You'd need to go to at least LGA 2011 hexa-core to get a noticeable bump. Ideally, you would have a dual-socket LGA 2011 setup with two hexa-cores.

 

[esse09]

Don't expect a significant improvement in ray tracing performance by going from an i5 3450 to a 1240v2. They are extremely similar chips. You'd need to go to at least LGA 2011 hexa-core to get a noticeable bump. Ideally, you would have a dual-socket LGA 2011 setup with two hexa-cores.

To be honest, my first build was based on a mATX 1155 board + i5 processor, but since my boss wasn't very convinced i moved to more workstation-oriented components.

A 2011 build (single socket) would drive cost up at least ~300 to ~400 usd, i think.
(EDIT: quick check, the only board i can get is a Asus double socket board which goes for a nice $500 and would also drive the case size up way too much, so i will stay 1155)

I will look into it. Let's forget about this ray tracing requirement (I should have said my home setup has a 2560x1440 monitor, workload should be lighter on a 1920x1200 screen).

Is this build a good choice for what i need?

 

[esse09]

[...]

One more question crazymonkey...
i keep reading on the Asus forum of many issue with the P8B WS and ECC sticks.
I am sure this got better with the P8C, but do you run your memory without problems? Is the ECC function working?

Did you get the Kingston stick from the qualified memory list?

Thanks.

Also, as a general question, i've read that buffered and registered are just two common ways to say the same thing, is this true?

 

[dealmaster00]

i've used several ocz SSDs and they have always been great for me, no problems to report.

 

[mfenn]

To be honest, my first build was based on a mATX 1155 board + i5 processor, but since my boss wasn't very convinced i moved to more workstation-oriented components.

A 2011 build (single socket) would drive cost up at least ~300 to ~400 usd, i think.
(EDIT: quick check, the only board i can get is a Asus double socket board which goes for a nice $500 and would also drive the case size up way too much, so i will stay 1155)

I will look into it. Let's forget about this ray tracing requirement (I should have said my home setup has a 2560x1440 monitor, workload should be lighter on a 1920x1200 screen).

Is this build a good choice for what i need?

Yes, ray tracing should be less intensive with a smaller viewport, since there are fewer pixels to render. Notice "viewport" and not screen. A 1920x1080 sized viewport will be the same amount of work no matter the actual screen resolution.

Also, as a general question, i've read that buffered and registered are just two common ways to say the same thing, is this true?

Yes, they are the same thing. Workstation-class single-socket boards usually only support unbuffered memory though.

 

[esse09]

Yes, they are the same thing. Workstation-class single-socket boards usually only support unbuffered memory though.

Thanks mfenn
Like you said, the Asus P8C WS supports unbuffered ECC memory up to 1600 mhz (with an ivy-bridge based xeon)... this limits my choice to ONE kit of kingston sticks

 

[Blain]

the Asus P8C WS supports unbuffered ECC memory up to 1600 mhz (with an ivy-bridge based xeon)...
this limits my choice to ONE kit of kingston sticks

What makes you think you are limited to one Kingston kit?

 

[Blain]

Oops

 

[esse09]

What makes you think you are limited to one Kingston kit?

I wasn't very clear... i mean, most web stores here sells a lot of ECC buffered kits, but not many unbuffered ECC ones. The only one i could find is a CL11 1600mhz Kingston kit (which is ok since it is also on the qualified memory list for the MB)

 

[Blain]

Newegg Crucial CT2KIT51272BA1339 8GB kit x 2

Not on the Asus qualified list...
So what, Crucial backs this kit "Guaranteed-compatible with the ASUS P8B WS"

 

[esse09]

Thanks for the info.
I have to buy in Italy though

 

[Blain]

Thanks for the info.
I have to buy in Italy though

I live in the US, but Here you go.