Hi has anyone got any recommendations around a motherboard for a multi-GPU rig i'm interesting in scoping out?
I'm looking for something that will take more than 4 cards, ideally 8+.
It a case of getting a decent Motherboard and then using a PCI-E extension to get the amount i'm looking for?
Mutli-GPU rig?
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Hi,
I think brands like Supermicro, Asus and Giga,they all have 4 cards motherboards,
Supermicro have 8 and 10 cards solutions, see my signature, yet be careful, for the 8 or 10 cards GPU servers the bigest issue(at least for me) is the heaviness and the noise it makes (if there is not a server room for it, you will need a sound proof server Rack, which is really huge heavy and expensive...) the eletric power for it is also an issue
Jim
I think brands like Supermicro, Asus and Giga,they all have 4 cards motherboards,
Supermicro have 8 and 10 cards solutions, see my signature, yet be careful, for the 8 or 10 cards GPU servers the bigest issue(at least for me) is the heaviness and the noise it makes (if there is not a server room for it, you will need a sound proof server Rack, which is really huge heavy and expensive...) the eletric power for it is also an issue
Jim
Supermicro 4028GR TR2|Intel xeon E5 2697 V3| windows 10| revit 2019 |Titan V+ Quadro GV100+RTX 2080 Ti
to go over quad GPU that would fit into ATX standard (more or less) You would need something bigger or more capable. Let me explain:
by BIGGER I meant let's say server with couple of CPU and more space, but they are loud, not to mention expensive and You kind of getting things that OctaneRender do not take advantage of (dual CPUs)
by MORE CAPABLE I meant (A) a motherboard that has more PCIe lanes (but that's ain't ideal, as to fake those motherboards do have PLX switches that might become problematic) or (B) simply motherboard that would be able to handle more cards (not all motherboards would even boot with more devices), so You could use something called PCIE Expansion boxes, splitters, daughter boards, etc
Server route with couple of Xeons and enough lanes to wire let's say 8-11 GPUs have one advantage - those systems are pretty stable because of their nature and what they have been designed for. However as mentioned, OctaneRender for now do not utilize more than a fast core or few at some moments and all this multi core madness (that You pay for) is going to be wasted. In this case I would argue, that having a motherboard to fit 3x GPUs and then adding eGPU box (even if that alone would end up costing 2k) with space for 4 more cards would be a better solution up to 7 GPUs. If You plan more, then going server route is definitely preferred not only from stability/compatibility standpoint, but also for amount of space You need for those GPUs.
Mining rig like solution is possible, but You need to be careful, because if it is not done right, that might effect stability in a negative way + You loose some render speed and transfer speed if You opt for slower interfaces between mobo and GPUs. there are also custom solutions, watercooled servers taht fit up to 11GPUs neatly and squeeze quite a bit of performance from relatively compact package that emits little to no noise, but then again..it depends what do You need: is it power? maybe value? portability? flexibility? easy maintenance? etc..
by BIGGER I meant let's say server with couple of CPU and more space, but they are loud, not to mention expensive and You kind of getting things that OctaneRender do not take advantage of (dual CPUs)
by MORE CAPABLE I meant (A) a motherboard that has more PCIe lanes (but that's ain't ideal, as to fake those motherboards do have PLX switches that might become problematic) or (B) simply motherboard that would be able to handle more cards (not all motherboards would even boot with more devices), so You could use something called PCIE Expansion boxes, splitters, daughter boards, etc
Server route with couple of Xeons and enough lanes to wire let's say 8-11 GPUs have one advantage - those systems are pretty stable because of their nature and what they have been designed for. However as mentioned, OctaneRender for now do not utilize more than a fast core or few at some moments and all this multi core madness (that You pay for) is going to be wasted. In this case I would argue, that having a motherboard to fit 3x GPUs and then adding eGPU box (even if that alone would end up costing 2k) with space for 4 more cards would be a better solution up to 7 GPUs. If You plan more, then going server route is definitely preferred not only from stability/compatibility standpoint, but also for amount of space You need for those GPUs.
Mining rig like solution is possible, but You need to be careful, because if it is not done right, that might effect stability in a negative way + You loose some render speed and transfer speed if You opt for slower interfaces between mobo and GPUs. there are also custom solutions, watercooled servers taht fit up to 11GPUs neatly and squeeze quite a bit of performance from relatively compact package that emits little to no noise, but then again..it depends what do You need: is it power? maybe value? portability? flexibility? easy maintenance? etc..