Mixing Chip Brands AMD & Intel when Rendering

conrad8 · August 4th, 2008

Hi Everyone,

This is actually my first post, I tried searching but nadda.

I'm going to purchase a render box, and naturally want to go for an Intel q6600 over an AMD phenom because of performance, price and overclocking abilities.

So, is it crucial to only stick with the one brand when setting up a small render farm as the workstation I currently use is an AMDx2.

I understand that it's not wise to mix operating systems, becaus of the flickering issues caused by calculation differences between x64 and x86 windows.

But if I was running the Intel Q6600 render box could my Dual Core AMD workstation jump in and share the network render load?

Mike

frank1331 · August 5th, 2008

I have know a few people that have run 2 separate machines with different chips. Never ran into any issues with it.

conrad8 · August 12th, 2008

Thanks Frank,

So can we say quite confidently that there are indeed no issues with rendering on a farm with Mixed CPU's?

Just want to see if anyone else knows of any issues, as it's a big outlay if there is a problem that could appear down the track.

Cheers

designmule · August 13th, 2008

I've always read that the problems pop up most when you use a lot of procedural textures but I don't have any personal experience in the matter to say.

tecton3d · August 14th, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by conrad8

So can we say quite confidently that there are indeed no issues with rendering on a farm with Mixed CPU's?

be sure to check the forums of your specific render engine... i've heard of different chips on the same image or animation (AMD/Intel respectively) creating a lot of headaches.

RenderSpeed · August 14th, 2008

I believe the main reason is because the floating point calculations could be ever so slightly different. I would not mix on a single project unless you have to.

August 4th, 2008	#1 (permalink)
conrad8 Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Australia Posts: 4 Name: Michael Green	Mixing AMD & Intel CPU's when Rendering Hi Everyone, This is actually my first post, I tried searching but nadda. I'm going to purchase a render box, and naturally want to go for an Intel q6600 over an AMD phenom because of performance, price and overclocking abilities. So, is it crucial to only stick with the one brand when setting up a small render farm as the workstation I currently use is an AMDx2. I understand that it's not wise to mix operating systems, becaus of the flickering issues caused by calculation differences between x64 and x86 windows. But if I was running the Intel Q6600 render box could my Dual Core AMD workstation jump in and share the network render load? Mike Last edited by conrad8; August 13th, 2008 at 05:37 AM.

August 5th, 2008	#2 (permalink)
frank1331 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Florida Age: 41 Posts: 176 Name: Frank Richarz	Re: Mixing Chip Brands AMD & Intel when Rendering I have know a few people that have run 2 separate machines with different chips. Never ran into any issues with it.

August 12th, 2008	#3 (permalink)
conrad8 Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Australia Posts: 4 Name: Michael Green	Re: Mixing Chip Brands AMD & Intel when Rendering Thanks Frank, So can we say quite confidently that there are indeed no issues with rendering on a farm with Mixed CPU's? Just want to see if anyone else knows of any issues, as it's a big outlay if there is a problem that could appear down the track. Cheers

August 13th, 2008	#4 (permalink)
designmule Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Missouri Posts: 155 Name: Matt McDonald	Re: Mixing Chip Brands AMD & Intel when Rendering I've always read that the problems pop up most when you use a lot of procedural textures but I don't have any personal experience in the matter to say.

August 14th, 2008	#6 (permalink)
RenderSpeed Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 12 Name: Blake Warner	Re: Mixing Chip Brands AMD & Intel when Rendering I believe the main reason is because the floating point calculations could be ever so slightly different. I would not mix on a single project unless you have to. __________________ http://renderspeed.net

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