voltaire_ira

I am configuring a new workstation since my dual xeon workstation bogged down (for the nth time). this time the xeons will handle the renderings using backburner while the new desktop will be for most office work and modeling, maybe little rendering.
specs:

AMD64 3500+
2 gb RAM
Nvidia 6600
Raid 0 configuration
DVD writer +/-
Windows XP Pro 64bit
I will now be using viz2006 primarily and mentalray and probably maxwell.

Now, will max or viz and other plugins work if I use a a 64bit Xp Pro or should i use the 32bit version?

Which harddrive performs better in terms of speed and reliability?
Seagate SATA 2 or Maxtor SATA's?

any advice will be appreciated since i will be purchasing the workstation. I thought of using a nvidia quadro PCIe but budget wont allow it.

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ihabkal

that is the same configuration I have except for windows 64 bits.
I read somewhere that you won't find any noticeable improvement in performance between SATA2 and SATA before a couple of years when they change the way hard drives work. mechanical limitations...

lambros

I got myself a new workstation:
AMD 64 4000+ (very very fast), 2 gb RAM (which is more that enough), stripping raid, but I installed XP Pro 32bit. I read that max works ok in 64bit, so I guess that viz will work too. About the plug ins, I am not sure whether they will work or not. But I think that XP 64 have not hit the market yet (I think that the beta version testing ended a month ago).
On what concerns hds, I kind of dislike Maxtors (I have lost a couple of them in the past, along with my data!), I use Western Digitals mainly. Actually on the new machine, I use two 36 GB 10.000 rpm SATAs stripped (for system), along with a 200GB SATA for data. It really rocks.
Finally, I got an ATI Fire GL 7100 for about 850€ (I think it is a bit cheaper in the US) and I am reeeeeeeaaaaally content!

eagle

If you're using 3ds Max, I suggest using Intel CPU instead of AMD's, because 3ds Max and Vray has been optimized for intel CPU (from version 6) and it should be much faster than AMD when using these software. Also there seem to be some problem with AMD's new 64 athlon CPU, lots of tests show when render a image a AMD 64 3000+ is no better than AMD athlon 2500. But if you're using MAYA, AMD seems to be a better choice.

voltaire_ira

I still have a dual xeon 2.4 to do the rendering bulk, the AMD64 will be used primarily for modeling and office work like cad and internet.maybe some rendering. the xeons will be my dedicated render cpu.

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mbr

I know Final Render has been 64 bit compatible for a while now.

voltaire_ira

I really wish Mentalray for viz and max will be 64bit....sigh
I heard FR stage 2 will be available soon and will be 64bit compatible

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lambros

I have 3 AMDs and 2 Intels and I have no problem whatsoever with AMDs. In fact, a 3.4+ AMD64 in a laptop with 512MB renders as quick as a 3.4 Pentium(32 bit) in a desktop with 2GB ram. I haven't read any problems with XP 64 pro, but I suggest you keep an eye on hardware sites.

hotrod

Yes, Max & Vray+Maxwell works on 64bit Xp Pro. But they run in 32bit :

Softquadro is the best way to go if you have limited funds. Quadro's may not be worth it, but that's jst my opinion

voltaire_ira

I have tried softquadro before but i find it very unstable. Im targetting a low range to midrange quadro.not the high end ones..too expensive.

then i'll go for the 64bit Win xp pro.

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