Dual Core AMD Opteron - WinXP v2002 SP3 - 2.36Ghz 3.25 GB - 21.8 fps

[PhilippeV8]

As far as specs etc I can give you from system-window:

Microsoft Windows Xp
Professional
Version 2002
Service Pack 3

Dual Core AMD Opteron(tm)
Processor 280
Clockspeed: 2.39 GHz, 3.25 GB

That's all I know to tell you

It stabilises at 21.8 fps

[PhilippeV8]

Had a buzzing noise in my workstation, so the IT-guy came to solve it.  He vacum-cleaned the interior and after that, I couldn't get any image from the graphix card.  After a whole lot of tests and tries, he moved my HDD to another chassis ...

I now have:

Microsoft Windows Xp
Professional
Version 2002
Service Pack 3

AMD Opteron(tm) Processor 252
Clockspeed: 2.59 GHz, 3.25 GB

I only get 11 FPS

.... 

[Robert V.]

Hi Philippe,

Sounds like you want (need) to upgrade. You went from a 280 to a 252

A 280 gets "1334" score in the passmark benchmark, and the 252 only "760" score.

So it almost decimated your system, shouldn't you have got an equal replacement?

[PhilippeV8]

There are machines ordered with 4 dual cores .. so that should be an improvement.  But they're still expecting them in.
They just gave me what they had working.  So yeah it's a downgrade, but hopefully not for long.
There should also come a dedicated render computer this year.
Further more they are in the proces of updating the network/server machines to something other than windows XP or such, so that we will be able to use 64bit OS on our 64bit machines, which is not the case now.

[PhilippeV8]

Ok, so now it's getting clear to me...

I went from:

Dual CPU - AMD Opteron 280 (dual core)

to:

Dual CPU - AMD Opteron 252 (single core)

So from 4 threads to 2 threads now.

So to be correct on your passmark benchmark I went from "2789" to "1510" score.

The one on order should be a Dual CPU, quad core Xeon.
He couldn't tell me exactly which one so as I can see from the benchmark pages, there's not much to be said yet ...

lets hope it's not [Dual CPU] Intel Xeon E5502 @ 1.87GHz ... it gets "3006" score ............... :p

*edit* ah no, the E5502 has 2 cores, 2 threads ... the lowest 4 threads is [Dual CPU] Intel Xeon E5310 @ 1.60GHz, which gets "3733" score ...

[Robert V.]

Well, I hope you get the best they have to offer, it makes rendering so much more fun!

[PhilippeV8]

YES !  I got my Opteron 280 back
He tried it with 1 CPU, which worked, then cleaned the socket of the other and tried with the 2 CPU's and it works.

[PhilippeV8]

This is what they got me ...

[Dual CPU] Intel Xeon X5450 @ 3.00GHz - 9076 - 69 - 5.33

With my other machine I got 12FPS out of KS3 bench-test .. now I get 51.

It looks like a similar setup than Speedster.

[DriesV]

I think your DP X5450 will perform+/- the same as a single 2600K for rendering.
X5450 was released late in 2007, so its architecture is kinda old already.
I guess this system was a bargain then? Personally I would have picked an Intel Sandy Bridge based workstation, if presented the choice. Smaller office footprint, lower noise, cheaper, less power-hungry...
But you get 8 cores in total now with that DP Xeon, so running many applications simultaneously will possibly feel smoother than on any single CPU system.

greetings,
Dries

[PhilippeV8]

I know, it's not top notch.  But rendering should be 3 to 5 times faster, once I get KS running on it.  It is an improvement ... we'll see what it gives rendering out animations in the future .. cuz that's what they want .. they'll have to decide if it's getting them the results fast enough or not.

[PhilippeV8]

Seems like I'll be upgrading to a HP Z620 within a couple of days ... no idea what's inside yet.
Should be Xeon E5-16xx or Xeon E5-26xx.

[PhilippeV8]

YEEY ...

My new pc is at the IT office running for over a week now in the process of getting all needed software installed ... I just went over there to sneek peek what's under the hood ...

[Dual CPU] Intel Xeon X5570 @ 2.93 GHz, 16GB RAM, Win7, 64bit ... it gets 9813 pts on the PassMark ....

That's not the long expected improvement I was looking for ... yet, lets wait and see if the Win7, the 64bit and the more RAM gives me a more stable system.

Then maybe I can push for the network farm plugin and use the both for rendering.

[DriesV]

Indeed kind of a bummer if you were expecting E5-1600/E5-2600 class CPU(s).

I really don't get some of those IT decisions.
This month, our IT dept. decided to 'surprise' us with a 'new' workstation. What they got us was an HP Z600 with a single E5645 (passmark score: 6708). Apparently that machine cost €2700!!
That sounds like an outrageous amount of money to me for a anno 2011 machine. And quite frankly quite a bit worse for KeyShot than a modern consumer class CPU.

My theory about this: words like 'Xeon' and 'dual socket' sound like magic to IT guys.

Anyway, a 64 bit OS and plenty of RAM WILL make your KeyShot experience much better.

Dries

[PhilippeV8]

I just noticed that it's now a Z800 workstation case ..

Anyway, I also heard that IT's got a whole bunch of workstations standing there since may ...

[PhilippeV8]

Can you believe my new machine is still sitting with IT ................. ??