Are these specs good enough for optimal Iray rendering?
RobertDy
Posts: 236
Hi,
I'm very close to purchasing a new computer to hop onto the Iray train. From what I read here, it's more GPU than CPU, while PSU and cooling may play a part.
I thought of getting an Aftershock PC with these specs but was advised (by the guy at the store) that it would not be good for rendering:
- Intel® Core™ i7-7700 3.60 GHz Kaby Lake Processor (8M Cache, up to 4.20 GHz)
- ZOTAC NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX1080 ti 11GB GDDR5X
- 32GB DDR4 2400 MHZ (16X2 GB)
- 120GB WD M.2 SSD (530MB Read / 430MB Write)
- 1TB 7200RPM HGST HDD
- Just the 'usual' cooling (no fluid etc)
- 450 W PSU
A picture of the computer is located here, https://www.aftershockpc.com/backend/public/data/images/thumbs/IMPULSE.png
His reasons (that it won't be good) are that the cooling is minimal, and if I recall correctly due to the relatively small form factor, the processor would not be able to reach 4.20 GHz. Instead I was recommended a more expensive PC with a larger form factor with liquid cooling and 550W PSU; this would enable the processor to reach 4.20GHz.
From your knowledge and experience, are his recommendations correct? He said that the CPU / processor is important but from what I understand here, Iray is more GPU-reliant and the CPU is called in only when the GPU 'fails'. Furthermore he said that a 550W PSU is sufficient, but several guys here said 850W is the minimum. I agree with him on the cooling part though, I wouldn't want a fried computer after just a month of usage. But at the same time I'm not sure if he's recommending a better PC just to secure a larger deal.
Thanks in advance for the advice!
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Comments
Also be aware that there are heating issues with the GTX 1080 Ti with the blower configuration. I've been holding off on it for that reason.
You might be better off building, that way you can get a more spacious case with better airflow and, yes, I'd go with the 850W PSU at a minumum.
Also consider whether you might eventually want to expand.
It will be decent for rendering.
There are a couple of caveats; the PSU is too little. The SSD is too small.
I don't overclock processors tbh; not worth it and can shorten their life - doesn't mean you'll notice.
PSU is the most important aspect of a computer in many respects; a good one has the affect of allowing you to forget about it. A bad if it goes can (but may or may not) take other components with it. 850 will give you some room for expansion; look for gold rating tbh, although bronze and better is ok.
(I don't care what it looks like.
)
Get a proper desktop unless the space is absolutely essential. Build it yourself, or find a reputable dealer to do it for you.
More expansion possibilities which can extend the life of components and so save some cash.
You could then use a 'normal' SSD as opposed to the M.2 shown, and that would cost less.
What kind of heating issues?
I'm also wondering about those heating issues.
I'd also suggest a good CPU cooler. Even without CPU rendering Iray can still put a good load on it. I'm with the others on getting a well rated, more robust PSU. You will want a nice roomy case with good ventilation. If it's cramped and not ventilated with long periods of high-load use in mind you could easily run into heating issues.
That 1TB drive seems small to me, too.
I have 2TB, and now 50GB is free... And I don't have half my products downloaded... Okay, I use the drive for other things, too, but so do most people.
1tb is kinda small these days. My primary drive is 1tb, but I also have a second 1tb and an external 2tb. Textures take a lot of room.
Looking more deeply into the reviews, it appears that this is mainly affecting overclocking and game usage. Based on my current GTX 980 Ti, Iray draws only about 67% of the power capacity of the card, so for Iray usage we might be just fine, which is good news. The blower will still be louder, of course.
g.
It will do great... But I would seriously get a 4T HD. I have a 4T and I'm 75% full with only 200 gigs in steam Games. The rest is my library + programs, and backup files. And a few movies that amount to about 40 gigs. Out of the 3000 gigs I'm using. Only 250 of it is non-3D related. It adds up after a few years. :P
Especially when you are a person like me who saves 200 a month for 3D gear xD
Perks of quitting smoking, I was already used to not having that money =D
Oh.. and your power supply... 450 not enough. Get a 750. 850 is good too but its a bit overkill. Youd only need a 850 if you were using multiple GPU's Trust me. And I would reccomend the i7-5820k. It's more in tuned with render speeds then the 7700 It should only be about $60.00 more but its a good 20-50% faster for rendering and video editing. And at least get a 60.00 cooling system for your CPU. The warranty wont cover malpractice...
If something were to go wrong. Youd be paying 400.00 to fix it + shipping
i know i just bumped up your price tag a bit. but if you can hold your toes for a moment and save up some extra cash. its worth it. you wont want to spend 1,200 every 3 years on a new computer when you can spend 2,000 on a real good one that will last 8 years.
Yeah ...don't skimp on the power supply. Get the biggest one you can, especially if there is any thought to adding another video card at some point. 450 W is below the min required for the 1080Ti. That's such a great card that you want to get everything you can out of it, and it will underperform if it doesn't have enough power.
I would get a bigger case. That will allow for future additions of more video cards and cooling tweaks. Rendering generates a lot of heat. Air cooling is fine, but a small case won't ventilate enough and it might run too hot. When it runs too hot it still works, but not as efficiently as it would running cooler. I had all of my components in an old, small mid tower case with one case fan and a standard CPU fan. When I kept everything the same but moved it to a big, well ventilated case with 4 case fans and a big CPU fan, it all ran faster.
32 gig of RAM is great.
I also don't like the idea of the small SSD. That set up won't allow for much expansion, and content takes up a lot of room. Having such a small SSD kind of sets you up to have the program and scene files on the larger hard drive, which is fine and will work but you will have much faster scene loading times with the SSD.
So the bottom line is that set up will work just fine, but with a bigger PSU, bigger SSD and a bigger well ventilated case it will run a lot better.
buy a liquid cooling, change SSD to 512Gb, 4Tb of space, and most important, a Gold or Bronze PSU!
case is compact, in 3D is a nono thing, change to a Pro Case (with space for cooling, PSU on bottom)
if you are going for iRay rendering, be prepared for deception, still at this time, architectural and caustics mode sucks in speed rendering, take a nap when you recreate an interior scene with only scene lights.
Thanks all for the suggestions and it seems that the price tag just got bumped by quite a bit with the need for better PSU, SSD, cooling and HD. I guess I'll have to save a lot more =( but it's worth it, knowing what would happen had I just got an average computer!
I gave liquid cooling some serious thought, and my case will allow me to do it ...but, I've found with good ventilation and fan control, I'm rendering at around 75 degrees on all of my cards and 63 degrees on my processor under full load ...which since I batch render means it's going full load for hours. I think water cooling would knock off about 10 degrees but I don't see that as adding a significant benefit in either performance or longevity of the hardware.