XEON vs. i7 again - TESTING INTERIOR SCENE

[alexyork]

Time: 1 min. 4s.
CPU: E5-2670v3 x 2 @ stock
Vray: 3,10.03
MAX: 2014
Win8.1Pro
Embree ON

[alexyork]

Our latest couple of machines have been XEON based and we are very happy with them. However, we are considering getting a couple of overclocked (professionally - not by me!) 8-core i7 based machines. From this thread, it seems they are good value, but in terms of stability, assuming the machine is built well, how to they compare with XEONs?

If they've done the OC properly, they will be rock-solid. I suggest OCUK for this. Scan's CS is poor, even if they're a bit cheaper. An overclocked bundle or full system is probably the way to go.

[baastyan]

twin 1366 6core xeons at 3.2ghz + 3 generation old i7 (4 core) at 3.4ghz and another 2 gen old i7 (6 core) at 4.4ghz in DR and it gets 1min 55seconds which is a fair bit slower than the current 8 core i7 at 4.4ghz gets on its own. Probably uses about 4x the electricity too.

@werticus
I am afraid this scene is pretty bad field of testing DR rendering. Loading the scene + LC takes far too much for comparison: few machines in DR vs. single machine.

Another matter is a comaparison: new i7 (2011v3) vs. dula xeon (1366)
My SR-2 machine with dual xeon performs pretty much the same as i7 5960x (when it comes a renderings time) and SR-2 cost me just a little bit less then i7 5960x. So I can agree there is no point of buying an SR-2 now.

However it is completely another story when it comes to the render slaves.
I just bought recently few HP z800 (dual xeon x5670) and the rendering time is the same as i7 5820k. But hp z800 are much, much cheaper.
Similar configuration machines (32GB RAM, SSD 128 GB):
PC with i7 5820x - 1420 US $
used hp z800 - 850 US $

So I have no doubt that buying an old hp z800 with dual xeons s5670 for a render slave is the best deal you can make at the moment.

[3LP]

I understand,
What's the power consumption of a dual xeon compared to a single cpu.
I wonder if on the long run you're still winning, I guess it all depends on how much you're using it. 24/7 or a few hours a day

[baastyan]

I understand,
What's the power consumption of a dual xeon compared to a single cpu.
I wonder if on the long run you're still winning, I guess it all depends on how much you're using it. 24/7 or a few hours a day

To be more precise: I compared dual xeon x5670 (no OC) with i7 5280K OC at 4,2 GHz.
Power consumtion (while rendering - full loaded):
dual xeon x5670 (hp z800) - 385W-400W vs. i7 5820K - 330W

So the difference is 55W-70W.

[S_K_I]

I just discovered this thread, I love it so I decided to test my rig:

Asus Sabertooth x79
4930k (6-core) @ 4.2ghz
32 GB Ram
V-Ray 3.10.03
3ds Max 2015

2.50s No Embree

2.35s Embree On

I then looked at the settings further and noticed "use glossy rays" wasn't enabled, any particular reason you left this off? I always keep this on for faster renders. Anyways, I enabled it and got this:

1.18s

Woot!

[baastyan]

I then looked at the settings further and noticed "use glossy rays" wasn't enabled, any particular reason you left this off? I always keep this on for faster renders. Anyways, I enabled it and got this:

1.18s

Woot!

Thanks for sharing your test!
Regarding the "use glossy rays". This scene is not meant to be optimized. It is meant to be left as it is so you can compare the performance of many different CPUs.
The only exception is EMBREE option.

[Tim in Hollywood]

Dell Precision T7500 (new in May 2009)

Dual Xeon E5504 2.0 GHz (Nehalem)
16 GB RAM
V-Ray 3.10.03
3ds Max 2015

Render Time: 6:48

Any idea what Dual Xeon X5690 processors do in the same system?

[Resolution01]

Dual Xeon X5690 3.46 GHz
24 GB RAM
V-Ray 3.10.03
3ds Max 2015

Render Time: 1:53

[tricky]

If they've done the OC properly, they will be rock-solid. I suggest OCUK for this. Scan's CS is poor, even if they're a bit cheaper. An overclocked bundle or full system is probably the way to go.

Thanks Alex.

[Tim in Hollywood]

Dual Xeon X5690 3.46 GHz
24 GB RAM
V-Ray 3.10.03
3ds Max 2015

Render Time: 1:53

Resolution01: Was this a T7500 system?

[Resolution01]

Yes it is a T7500.

[Tim in Hollywood]

Dual Xeon X5690 3.46 GHz
24 GB RAM
V-Ray 3.10.03
3ds Max 2015

Render Time: 2:39 (Hyper-Threading Off, Use Embree Unchecked - NUMA in BIOS)
Render Time: 2:04 (Hyper-Threading On, Use Embree Unchecked - NUMA in BIOS)
Render Time: 2:03 (Hyper-Threading On, Use Embree Unchecked - SMP in BIOS)
Render Time: 2:01 (Hyper-Threading On, Use Embree Checked - NUMA in BIOS)
Render Time: 1:53 (Hyper-Threading On, Use Embree Checked - SMP in BIOS)

[vlado]

So, SMP is better than NUMA - somewhat expected, but it's good to have confirmation

Best regards,
Vlado

[lightpixel]

Dual Xeon E5-2650 V3 (2,3 Ghz) DELL 7810
32 GB RAM
Vray 3.10.03
3ds max 2014

Time: 1:10,7 min (embree On)
TIme: 1:16,9 min (embree Off)