workstation manufacturers

[re_solidworks]

xeon costs much more to equal performance. to date the i7 sandy bridge allows excellent performance at more than affordable costs. I have in hand an offer of a workstation assembled by a large assembler with i7 2600k, ssd 120 gb, 4000 picture and 16 gb of ram with all excellent components (mainboard gigabyte, case + alim master color, etc...) less than 2000 euros with win 7 pro and 3 year onsite warranty.
the performance of this machine are reachable with a xeon machine spending at least 1000 euros more.
Today I find it more convenient to assemble, even if it is a matter of moments, sometimes it happens so sometimes the opposite.

 

[gil]

an explanation I found on the net

xeons usually choose to be mounted in pairs, and to have a configuration with high performance you have to spend a tombola. on the single processor much better i7....

which would have its own logic

 

[Matteo]

as written on another topic my mid-range notebook with i7 is clearly faster than the ws with xeon 5xxx of not even a year, which in fact I resended.

xeon is still based on old architecture, i7 sandybridge is much faster. tried on the skin.

rendering of the same file with hypershot:
ws with xeon 5xxx and fx1800 picture: 6 hours
nb with i7 and gt540m: 3 hours

It is not necessarily true, even limiting itself to the x5 series (x6 and x7 are out of the price range of a normal user), there are xeon alcini to 65nm and 32nm (therefore more recent production process).

the test that you propose is interesting, but for completeness I would be interested to know which x5 and which i7 you compared (in addition to the ram present and the fingers in use). the difference renting in the x5 range and i7 is remarkable:
http://ark.intel.com/compare/28035,52576,61275,63697

 

[Matteo]

delysid, good information.

the use I think of the workstation is eclectic enough, that is:

1) on the 2d I do very simple stuff, no photoshop, high resolution photo editing.
2) 3d design of assemblies (for me big are 5'000 parts, I'm in comfortable)
3) make photorealistics (only pictures, discreet level, so nothing phantasmic)
4) make photorealistic video of short duration 3-6 minutes (basic level, even here I will not make who knows)

in your case an i7 2700 system, lga1155, 16gb ram + 2000 picture had to be enough, perhaps with a ssd work disc.

edit: very similar to that proposed by re_swx

 

[Delysid]

It is not necessarily true, even limiting itself to the x5 series (x6 and x7 are out of the price range of a normal user), there are xeon alcini to 65nm and 32nm (therefore more recent production process).

the test that you propose is interesting, but for completeness I would be interested to know which x5 and which i7 you compared (in addition to the ram present and the fingers in use). the difference renting in the x5 range and i7 is remarkable:
http://ark.intel.com/compare/28035,52576,61275,63697

cpu and gpu of the notebook also consider that they are a little chastrated:

i7-2630qm vs xeon x5550
ram 6gb for both, type I do not remember

 

[Matteo]

cpu and gpu of the notebook also consider that they are a little chastrated:

i7-2630qm vs xeon x5550
ram 6gb for both, type I do not remember

The xeon x5550 processor does not belong to the 32nm family (45nm instead of 32nm). remains a Mr. Processor, the results of your test (which I do not doubt) leave me perplexed... I don't want it to depend on the graphics card, but it seems difficult.

 

[Delysid]

The xeon x5550 processor does not belong to the 32nm family (45nm instead of 32nm). remains a Mr. Processor, the results of your test (which I do not doubt) leave me perplexed... I don't want it to depend on the graphics card, but it seems difficult.

Yes, it could be, as written on the other topic, sewing on the gt540m works egregiously, on the fx1800 not so much.

consider also that I have for 5 years I have always taken ws with opteron or xeon but apart from the first with the opteron none had ever convinced me as performance as this notebook with i7. It was a choice dictated by the crisis but it turned out to be a deal.

 

[gil]

I put other meat on fire.
a video card pny nvidia frame 600 1gb costs about 210 euros.
It's an entry level of the picture series.
considered the obbittive of the workstation is better this video card or at the same price a nvidia geforce gtx560 ?

I would have no doubt about the painting, but since already on the xeon I was patching.... I ask.

 

[gil]

i7 2700, lga1155, 16gb ram + 2000 picture had to suffice

Thank you, but unfortunately it is beyond my budget. always for informational purposes, it is not that I buy it tomorrow, I am gathering on a configuration that is around: core i5 2500 + pny picture 600 + 16gb ddr3 corsair + 2 hard disk.

But the processor, not a missile, uses all that ram?

 

[Er Presidente]

I repeat my conviction, a xeon alone makes no sense.
or choose an i7 or two xeon.

 

[Matteo]

I repeat my conviction, a xeon alone makes no sense.
or choose an i7 or two xeon.

xeon have all (word of the current x5 series, at 32nm) compatibility for 2 cores, but this does not mean that "from only one xeon does not make sense."

Clear that it does not have everyone can serve the charatteristics of xeon, including:

• memory bandwidth: 25-40gb/s (besides some top models) against i7 21gb/s (sandy bridge and sandy bridge-e). probably ivy bridges will be better, but before April/May 2012 it does not talk.
• support for tri-channel rams over 200gb (the 32gb in dual channel of the i7 is enough to almost all, but some cfd or fem software begin to like 64gb, with increasingly "direct" solutors)
• 6 core architecture availability (also here who makes calculation or rendering appreciates a lot)
• eec memories for greater stability (intensive server, very complex mechanical/fluidodynamic system calculations)
• stand temperatures higher than about 10°c

... all features that do not require a pair of xeon.
with this, for a generic workstation myself I chose a good i7 2700 that costs 1/3 of the equivalent xeon, which I consider for the calculation workstation (looking the definitive benchmarks ivybridge to 22um before deciding, of which I attract the very low consumption, which translated into practice can mean overcloccate frequencies of more than 4.0ghz to 90w!).