Build a custom Octane computer, sugestions?

[Jakerlund]

Hi,

I've now decided to build a new computer from scratch with the right components to get a nice Octane machine.
I'm not used to build computers and are a bit unsure what things i should go for.

The new i7 960 and 980 seems unnecessary expensive so 2x i7 950 seems to make more sense.
Also looking at the graphic cards make me wonder, does a GTS 250 1GB for main card, and one or two GTS 460 2GB for render make sense?
Good motherboard for this?
Should i go for a SSD for system disk?
Win7 64 seems like the better choice right now right?
How much RAM and any special ones i should consider?
Are there any chance of building such a computer and get it silent(ish)?
Tips on HD's, monitor and other needed hardware are highly appreciated, i'm thinking a 27-30" monitor.

Thanks in advance for any input

[Jaberwocky]

My suggestions for what it's worth.I run a 24" for the main Monitor and a 17" for second monitor.Currently the Octane Viewport / Graph editor and Node Inspector do not float so i cannot push them across onto the second monitor to gain space.However a lot of modeling apps do.It works for me.I bought a Gigabyte GTX460.Very cool.Very quite. 2GB cards would be better,but i think only Gainward do them at the moment.Any Motherboard with 3 PCIE X16 V2.0 Slots would be ideal.It does not need to be an SLI motherboard though as you are only using the Slots for the Cuda Cores.Perhaps consider SLI if you do a bit of Gaming as you could then disable SLI for Rendering and then Enable SLI for Games.Another interesting development of late has been the advent of the Hyda chip.This is were you can mix and match ATI and Nvidia Cards on the same board.Use a very cheap ATI for Graphics and the two GTX460's for Rendering.See Link http://www.tcmagazine.com/tcm/news/hard ... fficial.If You need to gain say 40 - 50 secs on Boot up then by always get SSD's.I think they are overpriced.Consider 2 x 1GB Samsung Spinpoint F3's for about £90 in Raid 0 as a good alternative at the moment.4 GB Dual Channel ram of DDR2 or DDR3 is a requirement depending on the motherboard used.However bear in mind that 32bit Windows will only see about 3.4Gb of this.You will need to use 64Bit Windows 7 to see all 4 GB.Oh and get a good Coolermaster case for air throughput.The GTX460 unlike the 465/470/480 does not produce a huge amount of heat.However if you do not keep them far enough apart in the case then you may still get a heat build up in the case.Of course you could also just get a standard motherboard and a GPU-X (see on the Menu for details).

[pixelrush]

Thats quite a big subject. It will need some research to be sure of making the right choices

hmm..dunno...tossing out some ideas suited to Octane

Win 7/ 64 bit definitely
i7-950 with 6 or even 12gb DDR-1600 to fully feed 460/2gb
maybe a mobo something like Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R (tri SLI @ pci-e 8x) http://www.gigabyte.com.au/products/pro ... id=3449#ov - reasonable price good features/performance - make sure everything is going to fit in the case esp with bottom graphics card.
Corsair HX850W modular PS ( 6x 6/8pin connectors) http://www.corsair.com/products/hx850/default.aspx
maybe 1x GT240/512mb instead of the GTS250/1gb - single slot card and draws less power
possibly a smaller SSD + large HD

Get a decent case - they arent all quiet - and large slow quiet fans - again all not equal - more research needed.

Many manufacturers have selectors to help choose the right product. Corsair have one for PS for instance. Nvidia have an SLI certified selector that might help you find a mobo and PS too.
http://www.slizone.com/object/slizone_ecosystem.html SLI isnt needed but it just helps find suitable brands and models

Maybe that gets you started. Feel free to come back with your list and ask for opinions later but you really need to hit the net and turn over those reviews etc if you want to do a good job of building your own. Some mags have things like this DIY system guide http://techreport.com/articles.x/19560/1

HTH

[Maryus3D]

I don't recommend a nvidia~ATI mix even is hydra or not. The performance are poor and unstable, search for reviews. I recommend an FX 580 for regular modeling, from what I'v tested the FX 580 is better than any geforce and ATi (especially ATI) in OpenGL apps like maya and others and one or two GTX 460 with 2 GB ram. You'll need the memory very much. I don't understand you people why do you have to buy an ATi card when is not working and then mix it with nvidia, for more complication? Does ATi give food and water?

Here are some test with an i7 920 stock + FX 580



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And here i5 750 @ 3,5 and HD5870



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The tests were made with some friends . FX 580 has 40W power consumption and cost about 170-180 $.

[Jakerlund]

Thanks for all input guys

What are your thoughts about CPU, 2 x Xeon or a single i7?

[Jaberwocky]

I have a 6 core AMD 1055T from when i used to render Mental Ray.Now i am running with 4 of those 6 cores switched off using Octane as it all runs off the Cards.I7 is probably Overkill.An I3 will do.Spend the money on the Nvidia Cards instead.

[Maryus3D]

Yes Jaberwocky is wright spend more money on GPU .

[Jakerlund]

Yes Jaberwocky is wright spend more money on GPU .

Thanks, that seems to be the way to go with Octane, so right now i'm thinking 2 x GTS 460 2GB dedicated for Octane.

Now i can't decide between 2 x 4-core Xeon or just a single i7
The Xeons usually need less power and cooling and will probably be more quiet, and 8 core will be appreciated for other tasks to.
I have 2 x 2-core Xeons in my Mac Pro right now and it's basically silent, so a quiet computer is high on my list.
The i7 needs more cooling right?

Apples and oranges....why does this have to be so hard... grrrr

[mib2berlin]

No, the i7 6 core takes the same power as a xeon 6 core, 130 Watt. The quads take 95.
The i7 mainboards are cheaper as the server boards and it is easy to find some with 2 or 3 pci-e slots.
Buy a good case with 2 or 3 case coolers so the gtx and cpu coolers have nothing to do.
Build a silent system is hard, maybe a computer store near you could build it for you for less money if you buy the parts there.
So they have the problems if something goes wrong, and it could go wrong a lot.

I need a i7 6 core, two gtx 460 2 GB 12 GB Ram as silent as possible, could you do it?
Never a seller says no.

Cheers mib