[bitmover]

I'm planning on adding a node to my render farm and was trying to figure out what the best bang-for-buck was. Looking at Benchwell it seem like AMD/Bulldozer is the way to go. I specced out a 1U server with:

CPU: 4 x Opteron 6238 (2.6GHz, 12-Core, G34, 16MB L3 Cache) 115W TDP, 32nm - Box
RAM: 64GB (16 x 4GB DDR3-1600 ECC Registered 2R DIMMs) Operating at 1600 MT/s Max
Drive: 240GB Intel 520 Series MLC (6Gb/s) 2.5" SATA SSD


Comes out to around $5200, any thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

[dmeyer]

What about PSU, case, etc?

Note that if you are planning on Windows, you must use Windows Server to enable 4 sockets. Last i checked to use 4 sockets+that much RAM you had to use the Standard edition too.

If this is a pure render node you won't gain a whole lot from an SSD. Maxwell is small enough data footprint that it'll open quick on even an old HDD.

The Opterons are nice for pure grunt on long renders, but depending on the scene the E5-2687W may be faster. Things like displacement and voxelization are more sensitive to core speed than core count.

[hatts]

The RAM seems excessive

[bitmover]

Thanks for the feedback!


dmeyer:

Full Specs:

Rackform nServ A413.v3
CPU: 4 x Opteron 6238 (2.6GHz, 12-Core, G34, 16MB L3 Cache) 115W TDP, 32nm - Box
RAM: 64GB (16 x 4GB DDR3-1600 ECC Registered 2R DIMMs) Operating at 1600 MT/s Max
NIC: Intel 82576 Dual-Port Gigabit Ethernet Controller - Integrated
Management: Integrated IPMI 2.0 & KVM with Dedicated LAN
SATA: AMD SP5100 Integrated SATA Controller
LP PCIe 2.0 x16: No Item Selected
Hot-Swap Drive - 1: 240GB Intel 520 Series MLC (6Gb/s) 2.5" SATA SSD
Optical Drive: Low-Profile DVD+/-RW Drive
Power Supply: 1400W 80 PLUS Gold Level Power Supply with PMBus
Rail Kit: 1U Sliding Rail Kit, Outer Slide Extendable Length 26 Inches
OS: No Item Selected
Warranty: Standard 3-Year Warranty

Thanks for pointing out the CPU restrictions in Windows, I didn't know that. So Linux? Is cross platform rendering a pain or do I just check "Pack and Go"?

I'm mainly trying to get render times down, right now I have 2 nodes that each benchmark at 202 and renders usually take 1-6 hours.

The SSD was an extra $180 so I thought it wouldn't hurt.


hatts: 64GB is the minimum configuration on the server.

[dmeyer]

One thing with the memory, you may want to check which motherboard they are using and determine if a different configuration of the 64 GB would be better. 4x 16GB means each CPU only gets direct access to 1 DIMM, and may restrict memory performance significantly is you're using 1 of the 4 (if i recall) memory channels on Interlagos.

So if you have to have 64 GB, going with 16x 4GB would perhaps give you better performance. Consult the motherboard doc for optimal configuration.

[simmsimaging]

Everyone will have their own approach, and I've used a small in-house render farm (6-7 nodes) for a long while now, but I am not sure I would drop 5-6$ on a render node again.

Renderfarms like Rebus make a lot of sense to me. Less hassle, render far faster anyway, and the cost difference isn't that big unless you are doing crazy volume.

Besides - GPU will likely move into this discussion before too long. Possibly before that 5K machine has finished paying for itself.

Just my .02
/b

[devista]

I have a similar problem. I am negotiating with a furniture factory create a 3d department. They need to render daily 3 or 4 images, resolution 6000X in Maxwell. I've thought in three dual E5-2687W, I do not know if it is the best computer... also as simmsimaging, I'm worried about the arrival of GPU render
saludos
luis

[dmeyer]

I have a similar problem. I am negotiating with a furniture factory create a 3d department. They need to render daily 3 or 4 images, resolution 6000X in Maxwell. I've thought in three dual E5-2687W, I do not know if it is the best computer... also as simmsimaging, I'm worried about the arrival of GPU render
saludos
luis

Running E5-2687W here and it is the fastest you can get in a 2P form. Perfect for workstation use.

[devista]

dmeyer thank you very much, the idea was to use them as a render node. and three computers with a single E5-2687W as a workstation, and at night launch also renders these computers. Too much power? Too little power as render node? I do not know much about it, my concern is to get the 3/4 renders daily. I must to propose the necessary settings and do not know what to say
saludos
luis

[bitmover]

Besides - GPU will likely move into this discussion before too long. Possibly before that 5K machine has finished paying for itself.

Anyone know when/if Maxwell will support GPU rendering? Searching the forums turns up a lot of people asking about it but no response from NL.

[dmeyer]

dmeyer thank you very much, the idea was to use them as a render node. and three computers with a single E5-2687W as a workstation, and at night launch also renders these computers. Too much power? Too little power as render node? I do not know much about it, my concern is to get the 3/4 renders daily. I must to propose the necessary settings and do not know what to say
saludos
luis

Whether its enough power is only something you can know. Is your work getting done? Is it at an acceptable quality for you and your clients? At an acceptable speed?