Building a Computer for 3D Rendering

8 October 2006 | Category: Uncategorized
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Just like all those hardcore gamers, the hunger for processing power is never enough for any architecture student when it comes to 3d rendering. My boss wants to buy the best computer in the market and asked me is Intel Xeon better or Pentium Core 2 Duo? Will a good graphic card speed up the rendering time?

I was speechless for a moment, no one asked me about this before and the truth is, I don’t know. So, like my usual self, I searched on the mountain and in the valleys; neither in the heights nor in the depths… I questioned the scholars and philosophers, but he was beyond their understanding….Well, not really. What I did was simply launch my msn and chat with Mr.J from Metamosaic – Ex-lecturer of Limkokwing University.

Q: Which is the best processor for 3D rendering?
A: The most expensive in the market.

Q: Will a good graphic card speed up the rendering time?
A: What is a graphic card?

Q: Are you gay and lonely?
A: Am I?

Okay, was joking about those Q&A thing. I did ask him about processor and graphic cards, now according to him Xeon is better than Pentium and a good graphic card will not speed up the rendering time but speed up the preview time during modeling. So I went and do some research online for more information, and went to my usual favorite computer website – Toms Hardware – Duel of the Titan.

Building a Computer for 3D Rendering

According to the benchmark (kind of old already), Xeon outperform all the other processor and what really make this Xeon so powerful? What is the technology behind it? Xeon is a 64bit processor, and comes with a 16M L3 cache. Pentium on the other hand is 32bit (newer models now comes with 64bit) and spot a 2MB – 4MB L1 and L2 cache. A lot of people are confuse about what makes a processor fast, most the buyers tend to go for faster processing speed thinking that a faster processor means that its better, which turn out to be wrong. Do you know that the current Core 2 Duo has a 1.86 GHz processor but able to out perform a single core 3 GHz processor by 70% and consume 50% less watt.

When it comes to processor, watch out for the FSB (Front Side Bus), 32 bit or 64bit and the L2 cache. Measuring a computer speed by looking at the GHZ is dead. Now we know that Xeon is the better processor for rendering, go and get one if you happen to have the money – and remember that Xeon processor uses a different type of motherboard and might require high end RAM that will further burn a hole in your wallet.

quad core processor graphic nvidia ati

Talk about graphic cards, do you know that they have these workstation CAD graphic cards for CAD operators? A comparison between mainstream graphic cards and workstation cards, let see, graphic cards nowadays are focused on only being clocked higher to give higher fps scores in demanding games, they are designed ground up focusing on direct3d applications like 90% of the games. However workstation graphic cards are clocked slower for stability reason and focus heavily on OpenGL applications. Some of them are optimized and carry special plug-in for 3dsmax and Maya. The bottom line is do you need a USD1000 graphic card just for rendering? If you’re not so sure about these Workstation graphic cards then go and get a SLi graphic card.

I’m not so concern about all these processing speed and so on, you can get the best computer money can buy, the real question is do you have the expertise to fully utilize the equipment?

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7 Comments

What says you? Drop your opinion in the comment box.

  1. Maria
    on January 26th, 2009
    1

    is this cpu good for rendering???

    type : Intel® Core 2 Extreme Processor X9100
    clock speed : 3.06 GHz
    Front Side Bus : 1066 MHz
    2nd level cache : 6 MB

  2. Thomas
    on February 18th, 2009
    2

    No its got a small cache on the processor but the front side bus is ok. the core 2 extreme should suffice for rendering though.

  3. Mauricio Carranco
    on March 1st, 2009
    3

    The best for 3d rendering:
    Processor: Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition
    Motherboard: Intel DX58SO
    Memory: Kingston KVR1333D3N9K2/4G (This Motherboard support 4 memories. total 16GB)
    Graphic Card: NVIDIA QUADRO FX570
    (This Motherboard support 2 cards. total 4GB).
    Install extra coolers in your CPU.

  4. Raymond A Nittolo
    on May 22nd, 2009
    4

    I am looking for a new computer. I am an editor of video content, 3D animator/modeler and graphic artist. Programs I curently use: Pinnacle, Premiere, After Effects, Lightwave 3D and Acid. I would like to move into Avids higher end editing software and other 3D programs. I have been researching my options but have gotten woefully behind on computer tech ie: dual/quad core, L1, extreme, mother boards, 32/64 bit etc. I am looking at Dells computer with L1 processor but have been stuck before with being limited to software/hardware compatability (Matrox)so I am gun shy. Trouble is I am a user with only some tech skills. I need a computer that meets these needs: editing, animation and music creation. A tall order as I am discovering.
    Can you lead me to sites that talk in not to technical language or specific equipment that you can recommend. Of course cost is an issue but have put this off to long and must buy now. Thanks for help.

  5. Landazuri
    on July 5th, 2009
    5

    Thanks a lot for this article, it was really helpful answering my FAQs on rendering/visualization processes: Which are the main components involved in 3D Rendering (not real-time visualization)? Etc.

    I’m an industrial designer focused on product design (advanced surface modelling with Alias software) and high-end photorealistic rendering (i’m currently trying Maxwell render). It’s a shame Core 2 Extreme and Xeon chips arent standard on mobile workstations, so I’ll have to make my best on core 2 duo processors.

  6. eliboi
    on September 9th, 2009
    6

    the more cores doesnt necessarily mean that it will render faster, you also hav to consider the speed say for example 3.0,3.2 etc. 2core cpu with 1.8 ghz speed is just = to 3.6 singl core. the higher the memory the better you can manipulate and the more objects you can put in your 3d. those benchmarks are biassed, ive already tried using intel and amd,(i use mental ray for my renderer) but ive always been having problems with intel, during final rendering where you have to use high settings like setting its indirect illumination to high and applying diffuse bounces,fatal error always occurs on intel processors.

  7. Fuzzy0ne
    on November 5th, 2009
    7

    @eliboi

    I don’t understand what are you talking about?! “2core cpu with 1.8 ghz speed is just = to 3.6 singl core”… What is this? That’s not true.

    My CPU is Core2Quad Q9550 2,83GHz so my processor speed is 2,83×4=11,32GHz? So not true. It’s still 2,83GHz CPU with 4 cores, and each one of them can do some prosesses, and if you working with some rendering program you will notice the diference. Even if you have 1core CPU overclocked at 15Ghz with same arcitecture and bus speed it’s not faster than this C2Q.

    If you want I’ll prove this to you.

    I’m an arcitect, but my hoby are electronics, especially computers, so believe me, I know.

    Peace.

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