Purchasing a Workstation for an Efficient Modelling and Rendering Workflow

The computer industry moves at lightning speed so any reference to specific figures, parts and components may become out of date within six to twelve months of the writing of this article. However, the general approach to purchasing a new computer for the specific purpose of modeling and rendering will be relevant for many years to come. I can only really talk from my own experience with the computers and workstations that I've worked on but hopefully you can find some useful information that might help you along the way.

The most important thing to remember when putting together a computer is to double and triple check to make certain that all of the components that you are about to purchase are compatible with one another before buying them. If you are unsure ask somebody.

Questions to Consider
What are the specifications of the computer that you're currently working with and what would you like to gain from your new computer? What is your budget for your new computer? Would you be rendering large complex scenes? Would you be rendering animations or still images or both? etc..

Random Access Memory
The two main things that you will need to look out for when purchasing a computer with rendering in mind are RAM (Random Access Memory) and processing power. The more polygons and texture maps you have in your scene the more RAM the computer will need to have to be able work efficiently so the RAM's capacity is important. My workstation currently has 6Gb of DDR3 RAM 1600MHz installed (the faster the RAM the faster it will communicate with other components of your computer - but this will also make it more expensive). This is also where 64bit operating systems come into play (I’m currently using Windows 7 Pro 64bit). A 32bit operating system can only make use of about 3Gb of RAM regardless of how much is actually installed in the computer whereas 64bit operating systems can use as much RAM as you can afford to squeeze into the motherboard. Currently, between 6Gb and 12Gb is usually recommended for complex scenes. If you don't have enough RAM for the programs that you work with the computer will slow down to a crawl and it will become very difficult to continue working. When all of your RAM is used up your computer is far more likely to crash and in some cases you can lose many hours of work.

The Processor
The processor is in my opinion THE single most important component when considering putting a computer together. The more cores the better and the faster the clock speed the better. Also newer processors are generally better than older ones as they have newer microarchitecture. For example a processor with a clock speed of 2.6Ghz released in 2011 will generally speaking be faster (more efficient and more powerful) than a processor with a clock speed of 2.6Ghz released in 2007. My current workstation has an Intel Core i7 Extreme 965 3.2GHz. At the time of purchase this was the most powerful processor on the market. This is a quad core processor where each core has two threads. This means when I render a scene the processor renders with 8 buckets. The processor has the most impact on how fast you can render a scene as long as you have enough RAM. Which is why I would recommend buying the best processor available that your budget can afford. I would then build the rest of the computer around that processor. You'll then choose your motherboard based on the socket that your processor fits into. In my case the Core i7 fits into the LGA1366. LGA stands for Landing Grid Array. This is the actual part of the mother board where the processor sits.

Heatsinks
The heatsink is the big metal thing that sits over the top of the processor that cools it by drawing heat out of it through conduction. The fans in the case then blow cool air over and through the heatsink to cool it down. Generally speaking, stock heatsinks that ship with your processor do a pretty good job of keeping the processor cool enough to work efficiently and maintain a respectable lifetime. However, you can buy after market heatsinks that in some cases will be more efficient than stock heatsinks enabling more efficient use of the processor and a longer lifetime. I don't recommend overclocking expensive processors unless you have extensive experience in this area or you may find that you drastically reduce the lifetime of your processor or in extreme cases destroy it altogether.

Graphics Cards
The next thing is the graphics card. The graphics card is heavily involved with the modeling process because it helps render the viewports in real time. Apparently in future releases of 3D software packages graphics cards will have an impact on render times also. A powerful graphics card is good to have as it will improve your computers overall performance (provided you have enough RAM) during the modeling process. I currently work with an MSI Geforce GTX280, 1GB. I think there were probably slightly better graphics cards on the market at the time of purchase however this card does the job for me. There are ‘pro’ cards which are far more expensive than the consumer cards but I wouldn't bother with them as you won't notice a huge difference in performance for the extra money that you have to pay. If you want to use more than one monitor you'll need to make sure that your graphics card supports dual monitors. Most do these days.

Monitors
You can save money by buying cheaper monitors. I use two 22inch Samsung 2233BW LCD monitors. They were cheap and do the job very well. If you aren't using dual monitors at the moment I definitely recommend you consider using two monitors with your new machine (I'll post about this topic soon). It's easy to set up and is well worth the extra few hundred dollars for the second monitor if you have the desk space. If you dan't have the desk monitor arms can hold your monitors at the right height without taking up any desk space whatsoever. Get yourself a monitor calibrator and regularly calibrate your monitors to ensure that any adjustments that you make during your workflow are based on accurate colour information.

Hard Disks
The Hard disk that you choose should have enough space to store all of your files but also consider its speed. I have a 250Gb Western Digital Velociraptor. It runs at 10,000rpm. Most others run at 7,200rpm. The faster the hard disk the faster the computer will be able to transfer, save and read information off files etc. It’s always going to be a trade-off between speed, storage space and price.

Cases and Cooling
Buy a case with enough space to fit all of your components and enough air circulation (fans etc.) to keep all of your components cool. You can get water cooling but I wouldn't bother. It's a bit more expensive and requires more maintenance. In my opinion electricity and water don't mix.

Construction and Installation
Unless you have experience building the actual computer I would definitely recommend getting the guys at the store at which you purchase most of the components to actually build the computer as well. You should get a build warranty from the store (usually 12 or 24 months). I know people who have tried to do it themselves with not so good results. Having said that, if you have a solid background in computer hardware then putting the computer together yourself could save you a few dollars that could be put towards superior components.

Above all remember to make sure that all the components are compatible with each other before paying any hard earned money for them as there's nothing worse than purchasing incompatible components.

Keep asking the questions and doing the research on the latest technology and soon enough you'll know exactly the system that's right for you and your budget.


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