If I bought a CRAY super computer will CA be faster?

[lbuttery]

I've been buying computers since 1978 about every 4-5 years

It's a lifetime habit


Lew

[Max]

In The computer world, you can't stay with one operating system for very long..... I have learned that I will be paying out for these things for the rest of my life.

I find this interesting. I am thinking it may be more of a case of "Big Boys and their Toys".

[Gary Doski]

I find this interesting. I am thinking it may be more of a case of "Big Boys and their Toys".

Max, you hit the nail on the head! I get a new computer because I want the new power/speed this or that (arrh,arrh arrh). I have been through 5 machines in the past 10 years, my wife has had 2.

[perryh]

I find this interesting. I am thinking it may be more of a case of "Big Boys and their Toys".

OK Max, go ahead and keep your old computer and see where that gets you. You will be left in the dust but thats OK, if you enjoy slow computers.

[Max]

Ozgur,
After much experimenting, etc., etc....I am now in progress of installing Server 2008 to my web machine as well as my CAD machine. I have to tell you my biggest goal has been to try and setup a system as efficiently as possible and gain the very best possible from both of my machines in order to be able to run just about any software I care to without jumping on the upgrade train.

I find one thing interesting when dealing with software vendors during the current economic downturn; that being the unwillingness to keep new releases of software efficient enough to allow users to maintain the status quo on their current hardware! As it is now, most are pushing for their users to upgrade to the latest OS which then pushes users to upgrade their hardware to the latest versions. By the time most folks have done this there isn't enough money left to buy the software! Well Duh!

Anyway...Anything is possible, right?! So..I have experimented with many different combinations of software and have dbl checked that each of my current machines are as updated as they can be based on the motherboards they are built around. As it turns out this Windows Server 2008 may very well be the extra kick I needed! The OS runs every title I own without flaw and runs the latest version of Chief without a hitch. The control over the system is really incredible and seems to completely eliminate the various problems seemingly inherent with the standard Vista releases.

Much to learn about the server OS but right now I am focusing on bare bones in order to give the software the full benefit of my current hardware. One thing that jumps right out is the fact that Windows now has use of ALL 4 gigs of my memory rather than just 3 gigs. Nice. Anyway, still working with it so more will come as I know it....

[portrait]

Ozgur,
I find one thing interesting when dealing with software vendors during the current economic downturn; that being the unwillingness to keep new releases of software efficient enough to allow users to maintain the status quo on their current hardware! As it is now, most are pushing for their users to upgrade to the latest OS which then pushes users to upgrade their hardware to the latest versions. By the time most folks have done this there isn't enough money left to buy the software! Well Duh!

Hi Max,
Great observation! 100% agreed.

On the other hand, i'm surprised that Windows Server 2008 has such a great performance with Chief. Actually it's not surprising that Server 2008 is superior to Vista, but after reading your comments i think that Windows Server could be as good as Windows 7 for Chief X4. Maybe even better?
Please keep posting your further observations about this yet unknown area which are really helpful for everyone.

[Max]

Ozgur,
I am beginning to think you may be right regarding Windows Server 2008 / Windows 7. The thing to remember is that Server 2008 is still current which means it still gets the latest updates and will for some time.

I just finished getting a couple of drivers installed which were the last of those needing adjustment on my second computer. I can say this machine hasn't run this good ever. It's very solid now and I keep a watchful eye over the system events but have yet to see anything of any import

Will soon load Chief X4 Demo and start experimenting. I had posted a query some time back in regard to the reliability of gauging the performance of X4 Full by trying X4 Demo. I got it straight from Chief that their isn't any thing different other than the printing / saving functions being turned off so I should be able to rely completely on my evaluation using the Demo version. Will post as I learn more...

1-7-12
Just finished completely with getting the OS configured along with all the various system apps installed and running such as security and etc. This is on an older machine which I have dedicated to web use and office related apps, keeping my CAD machine completely separated from the web for obvious reasons. The board is an Intel D945GNT with an Intel Pentium D dual core 3.4 processor. Plenty fast on the processor but the memory is a bit slow. The board only supports 4 gigs at 667 MHz. It does have a PCIE video slot which is one of the first available at the time I purchased the board. I bought the only 512 meg card on the market at the time, a ATI X1600 Radeon.
I list the basics because, as you can see, upgrading to Windows 7 would have required new hardware and for what I used the system for that would have been a waste.
With the 2008 server OS I am seeing this system perform far better than before. Even running the defrag utility was much faster than before, go figure. Obviously the networking is a breeze. The system is dated to 2005/6 so, at 6 to 7 years old it's considered an antique and one I will be using for some time yet!
Based on the fact that Windows 7 is considered to be Vista but without the bugs I will have to say I have yielded all the benefits of Windows 7 without the need to upgrade my hardware. Even though I will use Chief on my much newer machine I am going to load the X4 Demo on this one just to see how well it does run on such an old system. I will be posting the results soon.

[Max]

Just finished testing a full demo version of Chief X4 on the system I listed above. I have to say I am very surprised at how ell the software ran on such an old system. Actually, I did a bit of research and found that a decent video card with pcie 2.0x16 rating can be installed in the old 1.0x16 pcie slot allowing the full use of X4 on this machine. Probably would have to purchase a higher rated power supply as well. I saw where I could pick up a choice from several Nvidia cards for under $100.00.

So, for maybe $150.00 invested into better graphics this machine, not only can run X4 but run it well and with great graphics. Depending on the card the resolution used might have to be scaled down slightly when installing a 2.0x16 card into a 1.0x16 slot but other wise there isn't a problem at all.

Point is my newer machine is far better than this one and even though it is a few years old it spins Chief X4 as fast as I could possible want it. You should see the older versions of Chief perform! So far so good! I guess time will tell if I find any hick ups. I will post more as I know it...

[Gary Doski]

This is on an older machine which I have dedicated to web use and office related apps, keeping my CAD machine completely separated from the web for obvious reasons.

Max, Why do you need a separate machines for web use vs. Cad?

[CARMELHILL]

Not to hijack this thread, but I just ran some Passmark tests on my system and I'm wondering if I can upgrade to a new system from Dell, (the expensive option) or just upgrade to a new video card. It looks like I originally paid WAY TOO MUCH for an NVIDIA Quadro FX 4800 with 1.5 gig of ram. It looks like the Geforce cards have better performance at 1/4 the price but Dell doesn't have them as an option (why not). Does anyone know why Dell only uses Quadro cards? And can I swap out my Quadro and install a newer Geforce GTX 580?

[lbuttery]

can I swap out my Quadro and install a newer Geforce GTX 580?

If the 580 is made for the intended slot I don't see why not ???

maybe you should check with Dell tech support first ???

then sell the quadro card on ebay ???

Lew

[CARMELHILL]

I'll check tomorrow with Dell. The $469 for a Geforce GTX 580 with 3 gig sounds like a better deal than a new Dell for $4000. Anyone else with some ideas?

[Sledge]

Make sure your Power Supply is up to handling such a card. Many of the PCIe x2 cards need a 4 or 6 pin power connector. Even if your Power Supply has such a connector, you need to make sure you aren't already running close to max with other peripherals in your system.

Dell power supplies are generally better than their stated rating, but it would be advisable to check Nvidias recommended spec and (as Lew also says) what Dell says you can run.

[perryh]

The 580gtx needs a min. of a 600 Watt power supply, and 1- 6 pin ,and 1- 8 pin connector. Dell does offer Nvidia cards, you might have to go "customize" to get it. You might try Alienware computers--Dell bought them a couple of years age, a little more high end gaming .

[CARMELHILL]

Dell checked for me. It's compatible and I have the power for it. They didn't have any available. I have two identical computers so I'm going to upgrade just one with the 4 gig card and compare the performance change. The numbers on the Passmark.com website say my current card is less than stellar.

Pheonixconstruction in post #25 of this thread has a nice system. He said his shaded renders onloy take 5 seconds. Mine typically take 30 to 40 seconds now. That's just too slow. Hopefully the video card helps. I'll have to wait till later this summer for a new computer with new CPU's to help with the Raytracing.

Looks like I pissed away a lot of money on these Quadro cards. The Geforce is much better bang for the buck.