Want a fast machine?

[Fletch]

well, keep in mind, that I'm not saying it's not a great machine - it looks like it is. I would just compare it with a quad core of faster speed, or something... although, the i7 technology really works great with Twilight... I have one. But mine is a desktop. I have little knowledge/experience with i7 laptop processors.

[Fletch]

Old news now, but just so you are aware of what's coming very soon from Intel... 20 threads (on 10 cores) for 1 CPU. (it's a server CPU)


from same article:

AMD already offers a 12-core processor code-named Magny-Cours and is scheduled to release a 16-core server chip code-named Interlagos next year.

AMD Phenom II X6...
http://promotions.newegg.com/AMD/082510 ... 478x88.jpg

[Gareth]

you are kidding...?.....no, you are obviously not....!!!

.....beware of anyone who posts a 'Speed Test Challenge' when they are released...!!

.....i was just looking at the possibility of buying an i7 quad core in the following month or so.....maybe i'll wait until they are just about giving them away....!!!

[Fletch]

nah, they're already quite affordable, and pay for themselves in a couple renderings... its' night and day really going from 2 threads to 8 threads...
makes "Easy09" setting irresistible.

[Smiley]

Hi everyone!.. Came back after a loooong holiday Sorry to undust this thread Fletch, but I found it very instructive!.
Here's the thing: My 3 year old notebook was stolen/lost, and now I have to get a new one, and really forgot all my research done to buy that one. This thread helped me, and now I need to make a decision:
I used to have a Dell Presicion M90 Intel Core2 duo 2.16 GHz7667 Mhz7 4 MB processor with 100 Gb Hard Drive, gcard: NVIDIA Quadro FX 2500 M512 MB Open Gl. Now I realize ANYTHING will be a world of difference with my notebook!!!.

I'm looking into three options with a considerable difference in price in No. 3:
1. DELL INSPIRON 17R-2nd Gen U$ 1.099 : 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM processor 2.00 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 2.90 GHz
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64-Bit, English
8GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 Memory
640GB 5400 RPM SATA Hard Drive
NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 525M (128-bit) 2GB
17.3" HD+ (1600 x 900) LED Display with TrueLife™
Integrated 10/100 Network Card

2. SONY VAIO F SERIES U$ 1.160 : Intel® Core™ i7-2670QM quad-core processor (2.20GHz / 3.10GHz with Turbo Boost)
Genuine Windows® 7 Professional 64-bit
16.4" 2D LED backlit Full HD display (1920x1080) Silver
NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 540M (1GB) dedicated graphics
500GB (7200rpm) hard drive
6GB (4GBx1 + 2GBx1) DDR3-SDRAM-1333

3. DELL XPS 15z U$1.610 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i7-2620M processor 2.70 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 3.40 GHz
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64-Bit, English
NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 525M 2GB graphics with Optimus
8GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 1333MHz Memory
Elemental Silver Aluminum 15.6" 300-nit FHD (1080P) WLED Display
750GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
Integrated 10/100/1000 Network Card

My question: is the price difference with No. 3 really worth it?.
Cheers!

[Fletch]

Well, I'm no hardware expert, but here's something to think about:

Turbo boost only matters for programs that are not multithreaded. When rendering with Twilight, you will get the standard speed of the thread because you will render with all 8 threads. So for Twilight, I would ignore the boost speeds.

Get a good graphics card, be sure it works well SU before you buy. Make sure it's good for other programs you use or will be using. But graphics cards do not enhance performance of Twilight.

64bit system is very important - it works better than 32bit, however, SU is a 32 bit environment and will not allow you to take advantage of more than 3-4Gb of RAM with Twilight. That said, it does appear to be more stable and use RAM better than 32 bit systems.

2 years ago I saw some people urged to pay top dollar for their rendering machines, $3000, $5000 or more. While a very fast machine (corei7 8 threads) was available for less than $1000. Just 2 years later, a system for $1000 or $1500 can be near 2x faster, with amazing graphics cards, etc.

Get something good, fast, reliable. But there's no need, if money is an issue, to go to the highest end product.
If money is no object, then buy the fastest machine possible.

[Smiley]

Thanks Fletch!!.. You're always so kind..

Cheers,

[Fletch]

6 core, 12 thread, unlocked version of corei7 just released for $599... requires LGA2011 motherboard. Legit Review TomsHardware Review
almost 2x faster than the Phenom II x6 in many tests

[Gareth]

i have two days to decide whether or not to buy this machine (laptop).....at $1,000 (Australian) it seems like good value...can anyone tell me if the specs look ok....??

- 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i7-2670QM processor (2.20 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.10 GHz)
- Genuine Windows® 7 Professional SP1 64bit (English)
- 17.3 HD+ WLED Anti-Glare (1600x900)
- 8GB (4GBx2) 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
- 500GB3 SATA hard drive (7200RPM)
- Nvidia® Geforce™ GT 525M ,1GB(Quad Core)

[Fletch]

I'm no computer expert, but it looks good to me.
I don't know about the graphics card, but it sounds quite good.

You can compare to something like this Sony Vaio. The one you show has more RAM.

Remember a laptop i7 will not render like a desktop i7. It is lower power and speed to save battery (and heat). It will still render better than most laptops for this reasonable price. But if you are looking for a render master machine, don't look at laptops. However, if you want something you can render well with, and carry around for presentations, it sounds like a good machine.