20+core render-/workstation build

[alsebka]

Hey everyone,

 

this is my first post here. Hope i’m following the guidelines

 

I’m an industrial design student and a graphic designer. For the graphic design work i’m currently using two Macs ? (MacBook Pro 15“ mid 2014, 2,8Ghz i7, 16Gb DDR3, GeForce GT 750M and iMac 27“ late 2013, 3,8Ghz i7, 32Gb DDR3 and GeForce GT850M). 

 

For the industrial design work those macs are getting pushed to the limit. For the CAD Stuff they are working fine at the moment but for rendering it is a different story. The i7s are working okay - but the thermo management from apple is just the worst. This is why i want to build a dedicated workhorse for CPU based renderings. With the option to upgrade it someday to a dedicated CAD/Render machine. 

 

I’ve been looking for a more capable machine for quite some time. No way i can find anything that is somewhat reasonable from apple. 

 

Some weeks ago i stumbled over this build from Techspot.com (https://www.techspot.com/review/1155-affordable-dual-xeon-pc/). 

It’s a 32 Core Xeon System based on 2x Xeon E5-2670. The prices are very tempting.

 

Then i found the 20 core build from the same site (https://www.techspot.com/review/1218-affordable-40-thread-xeon-monster-pc/), this time with 2x Xeon E5 2630 v4. The later is quite nice for my scenario i think. 

The e5 2630v4 are around 700-800€ here, and the e5 2670 are around 100-120€. So i thought maybe 4x e5 2670 might be an alternative to the 2x e5 2630v4? 

Or is it possible to use a four socket motherboard with only two cores for some time and then later add additional two cores? 

 

A good graphics card is not important at the moment. Later i might upgrade to a quadro or 1080. If it’s in the budget a small quadro might not be too bad i guess. 

 

Summary:

 

- Budget: 2300€  Updated. 

- Zip Code or Location: Germany

- Specific Use: CPU based rendering (Keyshot, later Cinema 4D or else), later CAD work (Rhino, Grasshopper, SolidWorks)

- Any preferred components?: Intel based System

- Any spare parts you can re-use?: no

- Overclocking your processor?: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

- Need an Operating System?: Yes

- Need a Monitor? / Mouse? / Keyboard?: nope

- Need a Wireless Card or Adapter?: yes AC standard 

- Need Another Component? (Specify): Small SSD (–512GB) should be fine, Watercooling would be nice.

 

Other Info:

Going to use my second 27“ WQXGA Monitor for this setup or using team viewer or other software to operate the machine from my other systems. 

 

I don’t care about the look of the system. Minimalistic and clean would be nice though. Since the energy prices are quite high around here - a more efficient system would be preferred. 

 

Hope you guys can help me out

 

best

alsebka

 

 

 

 

Edited July 15, 2017 by alsebka

[3 Lions]

Something like this seems more sensible...

 

https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/8BZpsJ 

[19_blackie_73]

1 hour ago, LinusTechTipsFanFromDarlo said:

Something like this seems more sensible...

 

https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/8BZpsJ 

if he really wants to spend a thousand euros on a cpu and have as much cores as possible, wait for the 16c threadripper, this will be way better for the same price

[3 Lions]

11 minutes ago, 19_blackie_73 said:

if he really wants to spend a thousand euros on a cpu and have as much cores as possible, wait for the 16c threadripper, this will be way better for the same price

He said that he would prefer an Intel based system. 

[alsebka]

1 hour ago, LinusTechTipsFanFromDarlo said:

Something like this seems more sensible...

 

https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/8BZpsJ 

yeah I had the i9 in the back of my head but wasnt too sure about it. 

[alsebka]

23 minutes ago, 19_blackie_73 said:

if he really wants to spend a thousand euros on a cpu and have as much cores as possible, wait for the 16c threadripper, this will be way better for the same price

I somehow forgot the threadripper. 

In the case of the older xeons i thought I might get a quite decent rig for less money than the new multi core beasts out there. 

[alsebka]

I just re-read the build from techspot.com for the 20core project. It's so inexpensive because they used ES (engineering sample) Chips. Those are 1/6th of the price for the new ones. Are those really an option? they would bring the cost down a lot.